My name is Raven!

Raven 7-year-old black female Lab 75lb Spayed
Background: This wonderful girl was found as a stray in Contra Costa County and spent about a month at the shelter before moving into her foster home.

What The Shelter Says About Raven:Fly like an eagle, flutter like a butterfly, or just be perfect like Raven! This doggy is all that you have been waiting for plus more. “LETS PLAY BALL!” This dog plays fetch super-duper well. Raven comes prancing back to you, and drops the ball perfectly at your feet. Raven does not care about stuffy toys or rope toys. Her most favorite toy in the world is the tennis ball! If she could run after the tennis ball the whole day, she would be the happiest girl in the whole world! Raven does not mind seeing other dogs. She knows they are nearby but she would much rather walk right by your side. Raven is full of excitement! This comes across when she is walking on the leash. She does not pull much, but she will for all the yummy smells around her.

What Raven's Rescue Rep Says:Raven was very excited and happy to meet me and even more excited when she saw my tennis ball. We played fetch right away and she was soooo very happy. I had to hide the ball so I could get Raven’s attention to do my evaluation. Raven didn’t really let me ignore her. She was very happy to have attention. Raven followed me around the enclosure. She is very social, and full of energy. I thought she was 3-4 years old, so I was surprised when I saw the shelter notes saying they thought she was 7 years old. Raven let me pet her all over. She didn’t love it when I touched her paws, though she let me touch them. Raven met another dog (Herb) and they were totally fine with each other. They circled nicely and then got close enough to smell each other in the bums and then after another lap stopped to say hello face to face. Once Raven knew the ball was gone, I got out the treats. She can “sit”, “shake” and lay “down”. She does these things quickly in a row like she knows what command is coming next in the routine. She took the treats gently but very eagerly. Raven exhibits all the behavior of a typical lab. Sweet, well mannered, and ball-obsessive. Raven is a ball of energy for an older lab.

We are looking for a home that can give Raven lots of daily exercise and a place to play fetch is required. She will benefit greatly from a consistent routine so she can learn what is expected of her. Raven would make a wonderful addition to a home with experienced dog owners who can train her, give her consistency and lots of exercise.

What Raven's Foster Says: We have fostered Raven for 3 months now. She was in bad shape after the shelter, she was probably truly a stray for a while. She decompressed and learned her name given at the shelter quickly. Raven has had no problems riding in the car in the crate and sleeping in her crate since day one. After two months she was comfortable enough and started to sleep on a dog bed. She made attempts to sleep in our bedroom, but we only let her in on NYE for the fireworks. She greets us every morning and wakes up the kids with her strong tail wagging and knocking hard on the wall –thump, thump, thump. We don’t let her on our and she does not counter-surf, but she surely “mops the floor” of crumbs under the table. She is housetrained, crate-trained and rides calmly in the crate but too excited to ride without the crate. She knows "sit", "lay down", "bed", "come in", and "get out". Overall, Raven follows everything happening around her, questioning if she is doing things right, guessing what is going to happen. She wants to belong and be loved. Her love language is FETCH. As soon as she knows she has your attention she brings something and drops it at your feet to throw it for her. She is great at knowing the difference between dog toys and kid toys and she never touches the kids’ toys.

Raven lives with another 4-year-old, calm Labrador. Very different personalities, they don't play with each other, but Raven likes to lay down next to the other dog for comfort. When we take her to the dog park she doesn't play with other dogs and prefers fetch. Raven is okay with collar, harness, leash, although not a fan of leash walking. She just wants to GET THERE. To where she can play fetch. She is a bit of a puller, but a gentle leader worked for us to gain control. She is used to it now and knows that it's a minor inconvenience for the play in the park. Raven has some insecurities with other dogs when on leash, but this is not a problem when she is unleashed. The gentle leader has also helped her focus on us rather than other dogs walking by. She walks fine next to our dog, and they are walked at the same time.

Raven is also living with three kids (4, 8 and 12 years old) with no problems. She takes treats from them and never snaps. And when they get close to her face, she always licks them – checking for crumbs. Raven does not bark inside and only barks to be let in from the backyard. She can be left alone in the house, at least under our dog's supervision and has not damaged anything.

Medical: Raven is spayed, chipped, and current on vax. Raven was seen by a GGLRR veterinarian who thinks her age is between 7-10 years. Her right ear is being treated for an ear infection and we are having a concerning, but small growth on her leg removed and biopsied. Raven is on Carprofen, (ibuprofen for dogs) to help with her old age stiffness from her love of fetch.

Located in: With a foster family in Cotati, CA.

If you are interested in adopting Raven, please contact Rescue Rep Marie at mariedross@att.net.


Please note our service area: GGLRR adopts to the greater San Francisco Bay Area.