Gus (Gussie)

 Gustav "Gus" is a white purebred Labrador born on June 23, 2012. He has the sweetest and most laid back personality. Gussie has been known as the "old man" since he was a pup. It wasn't that he had no energy and didn't want to play, quite the opposite. But he always has had a gentle demeaner and understood how to control his exuberance depending on who he was interacting with. Gus is the kind of dog that you walk through life with, side by side, one step at a time, always with love. This year has been a tough one for Gussie. 

Earlier 2021 he was diagnosed with a kind of bone cancer. We made the tough decision to amputate his right, rear, leg. Thankfully, he appears to be cancer free now. And honestly, his surgery and the loss of his leg, has been much harder on us than it has been on him! He has been so resilient. In fact, this summer he got loose and decided to take a run! He was so fast that our 13 year old nephew Aaron and a friend could not catch up to him until Gus decided to take pity on them and slow down. Apparently three legs are just about as good as four! 

  Beauregard "Beau" is a chocolate purebred Labrador born in November 7, 2013. Beau is a big teddybear who hasn't figured out that he is 110 lbs of nuttin' but love baby and not a lap dog! Beau knows his place at bed time. He is a big 'spooner' and his favorite sleep number setting is right around 60. Beau and Gus are like Yin and Yang. they are inseparable. Whenever they are laying down, they are almost always touching paws or cuddling. Gus has been like a father to Beau, teaching him everything from how to play, how to fetch, how to "go outside", and how to get your way with 'The Moms'! (Which doesn't take much!) They are the proverbial two peas in a pod.
 

  Josh, born March 23, 2017, (exactly 2 months before Sammy) is a black, English Setter, Labrador, Bloodhound, German Shepherd mix rescue who came to us temporarily while his foster family went on vacation. Having left Josh behind at the rescue when we adopted Sammy, I was haunted by thoughts that we gave up on him too easily. Josh is a very special dog. He suffers from severe anxiety related to an unknown source during his first six months of life. He was adopted several times, but his anxiety always got in the way. So he was returned to the rescue over and over again. As Josh was eased into our three dog home, the signs were there that our family just might be a good match for him. So, we extended his stay with us week by week and gradually we gained his trust. Even though he has been with us for over a year now, as of October 2021, we still have a long way to go. He is a loving, sweet dog, and we are determined to give him the best life that we can. He is still scared of so many things like loud noises, if we move too fast, or if you raise your hand. He is scared of most people, even our nephews who spend a lot of time at our house. We do whatever we can to learn and adjust to all of his idiosyncrasies to provide him the safe, loving home he deserves. 

  Sammy, born May 23, 2017, is a 45 pound black fur ball of force to be reckoned with. He is a Heinz variety mix of Chow, Beagle, Labrador, American Fox Hound, White Swiss Shepherd... During an impromptu visit to 'Every Dog's Dream Rescue', Josh was uninterested in meeting with us, so we also checked out some other dogs waiting for adoption.  Since our nephew Aaron was with us, we let him pick out our next rescue. He chose a little black pup who we now lovingly refer to as Sam Sam. (A name he chose to match his middle name of Samuel). 

It can be a struggle getting pictures and video of Sam Sam. When the camera comes out, Sammy disappears! You will also notice that he is always sticking his tongue out. It isn't that he is dissing you, it doesn't seem to fit all the way in his mouth! Yep that's right! 

He really can't hold his licker! 

  Mercie, born October 6, 2019, is a blonde Yorkie and Bichon mix and the only female in the pack. She weighs in at a hefty six pounds but do not let that fool you. She is the princess of the bunch and packs a punch.  What she says goes and her doggie brothers know it! More importantly she is Tracie's Federally Registered Service Dog for PTSD. Mercie goes with us everywhere. She is so tuned into Tracie that she knows a PTSD induced panic or anxiety attack is on the way before Tracie does.