Jake #4133

Hi there!

My name is Jake (#4133). I turn seven in October and I am a Labrador Retriever. It’s been a long couple of months for me. I used to live in California with my human. I love my human. We would cuddle on the couch and I would take his hat off his head and play with it. We had fun! My human isn’t able to take care of me anymore. So I took a couple long car rides and now am with my foster family in Washington.

The most important thing to know about me is that I love people! I like to follow my foster parents from room to room. I like to check on them regularly, receive pets and cuddles, and show off the toys that I find around the house. When I am really excited about chewing on a toy I will whine from excitement! And I love being told that I am a good boy! My tail wags and wags and wags. I am a good boy, but sometimes I like to find things that are not toys. I am not very sneaky, just a little silly. I like paper! And shoes! And clothes!

I like to meet new people too, but people who walk by outside when I am inside can be a little scary and sometimes I will bark at them to let my foster parents know that there are outside people. My foster siblings bark too and we are so good at making noises together. My foster parents get so impressed!

I have two foster siblings right now. We get along fine and I like to play with their toys, but I am not really interested in playing with them very much. We mostly leave each other alone. I am pretty good at sharing, considering that I have never had to share before. But I think that I would be happiest either having humans all to myself or living with another dog who also is more interested in people.

My foster family does not have any children, but I do love everyone that I meet. I used to play with children in California and my foster family thinks that I would love to meet children and run and play with them at my forever home. Or that I would love to find a person to cuddle with and to get treats from. Sometimes I jump when I am excited, so I could knock someone over on accident. But it would never be on purpose and I would learn. I like to learn! I don’t know as many words as some other dogs, but I am a good listener and I want to do a good job. I know how to sit, stay, lay down, and come. My foster family is working on other words with me.

So what are other things that you should know about me?

I am allergic to chicken and so I eat a special food. I can still have all sorts of treats, just no chicken please! It makes me itch.

I am crate trained and that is where I sleep at night right now. My foster family had a crate for me and I went in right away! It’s a good place to spend the night and I am a good sleeper. But I don’t spend much time there during the day, unless my foster family has to leave the house without me.

I do not enjoy car rides – they make me nervous. I can’t sit still and will let the humans know that I would like to get out of the car please. Apparently I have some anxiety. If I take my medicine before I get into the car it is better, but I still don’t like it. This is one of the few times that I do not listen to my foster family. If you want me to go into the car then you will need to pick me up!

My foster family thinks that I would do well in a home that does not have a lot of stairs as I am not very confident going up. I try to get a running start so I have enough momentum to jump up the stairs in one go! This is another thing that I am working on. I am more of a cuddle buddy than an athlete. I like to take a daily walk through the neighborhood and run around in the yard, but I would rather cuddle on the couch or at your feet than go for a run. My hips can get a little stiff if I exercise too much, and I have some medicine for that too. The doctor said that’s probably because I have been overweight. I am on a diet right now …

Note from foster family:  Jake is an incredibly sweet and happy dog. He wants to spend time with people and to please them. He likes to play with toys, cuddle up, and give the occasional foot bath. Jake is a yellow lab with a wavy pattern on his back. We’ve been referring to him as a “marshmallow” because he is the color of a toasted marshmallow. He’s also just a little bit round. 🙂 He will make a wonderfully loyal family dog.