Gingerbread #4197

Gingerbread (“Ginger” #4197) is everyone’s new best friend. She is a seven-year old chocolate Labrador Retriever, currently at 50 pounds of love (with about 5 more to add before reaching her ideal weight). Not much is known about her past since entering foster care in December 2024, but she has the best house manners and aims to please. She has slept quietly through the night since her first night of foster care, is housebroken, and has never chewed on anything that wasn’t hers to chew (though, like a true Lab, she will follow you around the kitchen with a hopeful twinkle in her eyes. She also needs to be watched when chewing on her own toys, because she may try to eat them). She even sits pretty and waits for the signal before going after her food bowl.

Ginger LOVES being around people; she’s a total cuddle bug. She does, however, get over excited around other dogs (at least ones she hasn’t met yet) and therefore still needs some training on walks so that she doesn’t bark and pull when she encounters members of her own species (she’s never, however, shown signs of aggression). She seems mostly disinterested in cats, but does chase squirrels and rabbits.

At home, she’s generally not a barker—not even for the mailman—but she will bark if she’s overstimulated/excited (i.e., when she knows she’s about to be let out of her crate, or when she’s meeting a visiting pet). She loves to run around the yard on her own and will occasionally chase after a ball but doesn’t show any interest in retrieving it. She will, however, happily destroy a stuffed squeaker toy and enjoys catching her rope toy when it’s thrown up in the air (she always lets it go gently when you want it back!). In general, she just loves to eat, sniff around the outdoors, and lounge, close to you. Perhaps her sweetest feature are her little groans of appreciation when receiving affection.

Ginger also does great in the car, is crate trained, and since she’s highly treat-motivated, shows great promise for further training (she knows “sit” and “stay” so far, which are best responded to with accompanying hand signals). She is, however, strong-willed and stubborn, when treats are not on offer. She doesn’t seem at all bothered by loud noises, including fireworks and vacuums. She really just wants love, and will return it two-fold.

All descriptions above are what we know about this dog when was first released to GBR. During the dogs first few weeks in foster care, we will discover more of its true personality and behavior as witnessed by the particular foster family. The dog’s personality traits may change as it becomes accustomed to its new foster home and surroundings.