Awww.. congratulations to Lulu for finding the perfect home!

Bpath -- she does remind me of a lamb and I have called her a lambchop a couple of times.

Bestyears -- yes, we started following that group after we rescued a dog off the street and they helped place him. A friend who used to run another rescue group gave me their name. I put in my request to be considered as soon as I saw this girl. Poor Vanny's mom -- glad they were rescued and Vanny has a good home now -- the others too. Was that through the same rescue?

So you saw this girl's before photo? I didn't see it until later -- between that and this sense I have about her having witnessed something happening to her owner, I feel so bad for what she went through. I was about ready to return her after she peed twice and pooped inside within 24 hrs. and then had an bared teeth, barking and growling and shaking incident with my son. Fortunately, my son was a dog walker and sitter to supplement his income before the pandemic and knew how to de-escalate. The two of us got her calmed down, going to him and licking his face, she was still upset and trembling later. That kind of reaction to someone living in the house would have been a no-go if it repeated. The next morning, my son was talking to me and petting her -- he didn't notice, but I did -- she was leaning into him as he petted her. That was the moment I decided she was home. We had another slight growling and bared teeth incident with him coming down the stairs (the other was in my sewing room at the top of the stairs) and her sitting with me on the other side of the wall. She was fine as soon as she could see him this time -- but there is something about someone approaching her and her person at a stairway with a blind corner. It gets better each time.

Meanwhile, she has her toys, her people, walks well (has been taught to "heel"), has attached to the family in general and me in particular, is so affectionate, loves play, loves petting, loves brushing and doesn't mind getting her paws wiped or her face wiped. She's been fine with neighbors, people walking or jogging, even delivery people coming to the door. She's a gem. The two peeing incidents were the two first times I left the house. The poop -- I'm guessing we missed a signal there, but it was solid, not on a rug and easily cleaned up. We are still working on separation anxiety and will work on training. She's had some, and some basics are solid but others we may be using different commands or have different expectations. She was listed as 4-5 yrs old but we've been told anywhere from 2-3 or 3-4 to 5. So, in there somewhere. LOL Senior health care and diet will be TBD I guess.

Jinx, I am loving the new furbaby posts too. I feels so good to have one in the house again -- and this one appears to be cat friendly, so we might have one of those too!

My Dear poodle Granddog ( puts new meaning to DGD!) had a seizure and died right before Christmas at the age of 4. We are all devastated and looking at rescues and puppies. Lulu is a beaut!

@bpath you are correct that a half-doodle would be one quarter poodle. So I would vote we call them a "quoodle". :)

Personally I prefer the close-shaved poodle and doodle (and probably quoodle) look. Lulu looks so pretty and sweet.

RNmomof 2, I am SO sorry. I had a feral cat who adopted me and then died at about 4 with a bad heart. It devastated me to lose one so young, so I completely understand. My next cats lived to 19 and 20 and that helped heal that hole a bit. I didn't like your post because I wanted a different reply -- a hug, a heart or something. I hope you find a total gem.

DLM2000-GW, I don't know, but it feels so right to have a big huggable dog again. Kind of miss the puppy stage, but kinda don't.

BTW, Lulu seems to like the group --

Quoodle -- LOL .

Lulu may stay on the shorter side. I think most doodles in TX do, especially through the summer.

Ohhh, she’s adorable! And, I love her name, too. What a sweet girl! Big congrats!

Love the name! Best of luck with your new pup. We have two labradoodles that are now senior ladies almost 13. We previously had two males …a golden (Yanni 😉) & a yellow lab named (Buddy) Keep the photos coming !

You might have to give Lulu her own GW usedname.

Bpath -- ya never know. LOL If she were on right now, she would be complaining that she is being starved. She got fed, but DS1 is making quesadillas with some leftover steak.

So adorable! Welcome Lulu!

lascatx, no it was a different rescue. Your rescue had a few at the time, but as you know the demand is usually quite intense (and placement takes a while, all for good reasons) for all of their babies, and I was so desperate to replace Theo (who had died unexpectedly at age 2 on a walk), so I didn't feel I could wait the time it would take without completely losing my mind in grief. So then Vanny popped up on another rescue site, and we drove to see her, fell for her, brought her home, and it's been a lovefest ever since.

RNMom -I'm sooooo sorry to hear of your family's loss.

Bestyears, it doesn't matter where you find a new pet so much as that you find the right one for you. It sounds like you did. How sad to have lost a 2 year old! The formerly feral cat I talked about left us when my first son was just 3 months old and I had my hands full. I had to keep going. So glad you found Vanny.

OMG. DH just let Lulu try a dill pickle slice. She licked it a bit, then ate it! And she's following him around! He's laughing and saying "my kind of dog!" Not sure who the bigger nut is. LOL

Lulu is a true beauty! Congratulations!

Oh, congratulations on your new baby! Lulu looks to be settling in quite well. She is already a beuty-just imagine once her fur grows back! I could not be happier for Lulu and you!

lascatz the pee/poo accidents would not concern me much - it takes a while for all to get into a rhythm and signals to be communicated and received. And you sure seem to have the patience and understanding to deal with Lulu's quirks and fears. another match meant to be <3

Lulu is such a sweetie, wishing you all a wonderful life together.

DLM - I know there are adjustments. I wrote the poo off to adjustments, especially when I talked to my son and he said she howled while we were gone. I think she tried to tell someone -- he was working and wasn't listening or checking. She gets that one. The pee concerned me because she had been outside and gone shortly before I left both times and I was gone about an hour each time and other people were home -- and we were told she was fully potty trained. An adult dog who is trained (or not) should be able to go 45 min to an hour without peeing. It seemed to be me leaving the house. That's what concerned me. We ruled out a UTI , have also had no further issues and she's gotten better about the separation anxiety in general. We are continuing to make progress. I am not worried now.

What a darling doggie! Lulu looks right at home and is surely getting lots of love. Congratulations!

Another sweet doggo! Congratulations.

Such a sweet and precious face! Congrats! She is such a cutie!!

Lulu is the most adorable thing!!! Congratulations!

I love her name. I wouldn’t be concerned about the peeing. It’s very possible that she got nervous. My dog is completely house trained but at Christmas we had 13 people in the house and she peed outside my son’s room. She was probably trying to get in where she was comfortable. she hasn’t done it again, nor do we expect her to. One thing I’ve learned and you clearly know is that you have to understand your dog. My dog hates dog parks. They make her very anxious. So we don’t go. She’s happier and I am too.
congratulations on Lulu. Looks like a match made in heaven.

Thanks everyone. We are very happy -- and she clearly is too. She had me cracking up last night. DH and I were back in the .bedroom and he decided to watch a little more tv while I cam out to the family room to finish reviewing and editing a one page draft from 3 days prior so I could get it done. I was expecting Lulu to stay in the bedroom with DH as she had every night she had followed him back. Instead, she came trotting out and picked up oine of her toys (the moose -- her favorite). She got me to engage and toss it for her one time. She went and got it, looked up and trotted back to the bedroom. Wait for it ----

Squeak, squeak, squeak. Then, trot, trot, trot....She repeated with the next toy. Then the next and finally her ball. With no more toys to carry back, she settled down and I finally got the letter revised. When I went back to the bedroom, I could see a dark form where she usually is -- her pile of toys. She was lying next to my pillow. When I got in bed, she parked herself between DH and I in a way that seemed to be claiming us and saying, we are a family.

I know dogs are pack animals and wanting to be together is normal, but there was something different in her attitude last night -- from the toy circus or parade to the way she plopped herself. I looked at DH and said it's as if she understood when we told her during the day that she was ours now. It's not the first time I got the feeling she understood my words -- one thing that reminds me of my lab. Another is that she is a ball dog -- but I cannot figure out a command that will get her to release the ball so I can throw it again. She releases when training with a treat, but she is not going to give it up without the treat. Smart and strong-willed. But fun and loving. I have a dog snout and ball in my face as we speak. Take it mom, come on -- just grab it. I know you see it. Come on. Tease, tease, tease..... LOL

Jojoco, I am not worried now, but was concerned about 2 large puddles when I had watched her pee outside just before leaving and she went -- in the same spot, both times I left the house within 24 hours. We worked on both her and me coming and going and playing. There was only one toy here when we brought her home. The moose was a repeat of a favorite of my past dogs but they never played with the new one. When I went out to get dog food (one of the two departures that first 24 hours), I also got a couple of new toys. Bringing things home that were for her may have helped her feel connected to. She was trying SO hard to engage and make us love her -- it was really over the top that first day and clearly (now) the behaviors and peeing were nervous.

Sorry if I'm carrying on too long -- I'm just very happy to have a big, huggable, smart and silly dog back in my life. Can't wait to see the toy train in reverse. LOL

Awwwww, she's so sweet! She knows she landed in the right place; I can just imagine the sense of relief that gives her. With time and love and patience, she'll work through whatever quirks she developed during her previous life. :)

Dawn, I agree -- and we've seen progress already.

Smart and strong-willed, that’s the poodle in her!

This is so beautiful and speaks to my heart and I'm so grateful Lulu has such a good home nownow.

She's adorable and sounds like a gem!

@RNmomof2 zone 5, I think losing a beloved animal companion unexpectedly causes an awful heartbreak. Hope your family finds new joy in 2023.

Thanks all for the thoughts about Winnie (the Pooh-dle) We thought we had many more years with her and miss her so although not always fondly! She was smart, funny, but a barker.

Lulu sounds like she is doing great, hopefully we are so lucky to find another sweet dog like her.

The command "drop it" will work well here, and you'll have to use treats to train her, but not thereafter. We hired a trainer in the early days with Vanny and she insisted we learn this one because she said it will be invaluable if you are ever out and she picks up something she shouldn't.

One of the rescues on Facebook frquently posts this:

It's a good reminder to be patient.

DD’s Dood before and after

He’s a Labradoodle.

RNmom, I so hope you find your gem soon, though I do feel like my patience was rewarded.

Bestyears, at first I thought she knew "drop it", but it was a different context. She is very good about "leave it" and as long as the treat is there, she is superb at "drop it", but she's no dummy -- she wants her treat or her ball. No treat -- I don't get the ball. We're working on it. LOL

Blubird, I have fostered and adopted and our rule of thumb was always to allow a month for true personalities to be shown. I had one that was very true for. The rescue we adopted Lulu from has a 21 day trial period and I wondered how many people adopt what they think is a quiet, well-behaved dog just before they start seeing aggressive behaviors or other problems. I think Lulu showed us who she was almost immediately, but we're still getting to know each other.

Bbstx, Yep -- I think Lulu is a labradoodle. Fits her personality and energy level too. They look so different before and after! Thanks for sharing the photos.

Wow, hard to know that poodle build is hiding under that mop of fur! Was she prancing after the groom saying look how pretty I am? I always think that is so cute.

I hesitated to post this earlier, but RNmom's post about hard to tell what was hiding under there brought it back to mind. This is Lulu in her life as Lemon coming into the shelter and rescue. It's hard to look at. The second photo was her posted as Lily after her shave -- with a sweater cuz she was bare pink skin and it was cool. The third is a photo I found and kept for reference -- it is about what I think will be the longer cut for Lulu in cooler weather -- a bit shorter perhaps in summer.

awww! I love doodles, they really are the softest, sweetest dogs. I would never ever buy a dog from a breeder, but I'm so happy you rescued one. congrats! she's beautiful.

@bbstx Dood the doodle! I love that name!

BBSTX-- is Dood his name? I was thinking that was a breed nickname. We toyed with Doodle as a name when nothing else was clicking, but she picked Lulu.

Seattle -- I'm with you, especially after doing some reading about doodles and seeing the price tags. But all my pets have been rescues, and they have been the best.

Oh lol, I was thinking Dood is his name. Maybe it's not, but that would be amazing if it is! If I had a dog named that, we'd be making so many Big Lebowski references for him (as in "The Dude").

@lascatx Lulu is also hilarious (I see what you did there). I love that she got to pick it!

His name isn’t Dood. 😂 Autocorrect capitalized dood and I didn’t stop to correct the autocorrect. 🤦‍♀️

Well, it would be a cute name for a male doodle.

Such a beauty! I hope he settles in quickly. Perhaps it is just me, but I findwatching dog training videos helpful as they often provide ideas I hadn’t thought of, and I find them interesting! I have followed this guy in the past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uUQE32FuU&t=13s (hint- scroll past beginning with his promo stuff)

and just found this guy who I thought was wonderful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zM8GzJy_kY&t=2527s (there are some annoying long advertisements that you can’t scroll past…ugh)

I rescued a wheaten terrier a year ago, and he is settled but continues to have things to work on!

What a lovely new family member! Welcome Lulu!! 💕

What a cute name and what a cute pup! Congratulations and welcome home Lulu!

Congratulations on your new love! Sounds like she has found her peeps. We have a male grand doodle who is about 10 yrs. old, is a golden brown starting to gray a bit and looks so regal. He is such a sweet heart. Enjoy LuLu!

Awww, congratulations! She is adorable. I've read all your posts, it does sound like she found her dream famliy.

Her story is so similar to Ellie's. She was from a bad breeder situation, orginally left in a box in a WM parking lot. Adopted then 5yrs later, left at my local pet food store. Her hair was much longer than Lulu's - matted, so long she could not see anything and looked brown from the dirt. She was such a beauty and just the sweetest dog. I think of her as my "heart dog" and miss her every day. Ellie had a poop incident in the house the first day, and in the 6yrs we had her, not once did she ever tell us she needed to go outside. She was a leaner too, and one of my favorite photos is her leaning on my leg and looking up, so I could see her eyes - one gold, one brown. She later lost both, nine months apart, and now that she is gone, when I think of her, I see her with those beautiful eyes.

We also changed Ellie's name. She came to us as Ester. My paternal grandmother's name was Lulu and one cousin is named after her. My grandmother preferred to have her friends call her Lula.

Congratulations, again. I hope you will post more photos of Lulu.

Such a beautiful story Allison. So glad yours and Ellie's lives intertwined. Vanny also had a first adoption which didn't work out well for her. We got her a year after the first family adopted her, poor baby. Quite obvious why she can never be more than about 18-inches from me, LOL. Here she is just now. I've just come up to my sewing room to do a quick mending job and she's on her bed at my feet.

She is so pretty... and keeping an eye on you!

Aww, what a sweet and lucky girl. Congratulations!