Emma’s 8 Pack, Blaze’s happy ending, Kira in foster, seven new arrivals & a special 9/11 tribute.
🐾 This Week at LAF!
This week...
🏠 7 new rescues joined the LAF family
🛋️ 2 dogs found loving foster homes
🏡 4 Happy Tails were celebrated
🩺 1 dog is healing with your support
🤝 Dozens of volunteers made it all possible
Emma’s 8 Pack Is Growing Up! 🐾❤️
It feels like yesterday that Emma arrived at LAF with eight tiny puppies depending on her for everything.
Well...look at them now. 😍
Emma’s 8 Pack is growing up, and apparently they decided no two puppies should look alike. 😂 Five girls, three boys, eight little personalities, eight ridiculously adorable faces—and this weekend, they’ll officially be available for adoption! ❤️🐾
It hasn’t always been an easy road for this little family. Emma needed to have one of her eyes removed, and the puppies had some medical bumps of their own. But with lots of care, medication, nebulizing, good food and an incredible foster home, they’ve come a long way.
The puppies are eating, growing, playing and doing exactly what puppies are supposed to do: creating chaos. 🐾
And while we know those eight faces are going to get a LOT of attention, we want to make sure everyone remembers the very special girl who got them here.
Mama Emma.❤️
She raised eight babies while recovering from her own surgery.
She cared for them through the difficult days and watched them grow stronger.
Now, as her puppies get ready to find families of their own, Emma is ready for hers, too.
Emma is available for adoption, and this week we caught an adorable glimpse of her simply getting to be Emma—playing with another dog, having fun and enjoying life beyond motherhood.
She took care of her babies. Now it’s Emma’s turn to be somebody’s baby. ❤️
When Blaze came to LAF, he needed TPLO surgery to repair an injured knee. We knew this sweet boy deserved the chance to heal—and now, fully recovered, he’s exactly where he belongs.
After losing their beloved 13-year-old black Lab earlier this year, the Gehrig family was ready to open their hearts again. Longtime dog lovers who had even fostered for a Lab rescue themselves, they found LAF—and they found Blaze.
His new mom, Charlotte, shared:
“Blaze is honestly the sweetest dog we’ve ever gotten the pleasure to meet, let alone call our own! We are beyond thrilled to spoil Blaze for the rest of his life!”
Charlotte also gave a special shout-out to LAF Adoption Coordinator Ruth, whose countless hours answering questions, communicating, and working behind the scenes helped make this match possible.
Blaze’s story is why we say yes to dogs who need medical care. Surgery was only one chapter.
She was safe and loved, with dedicated volunteers making sure she had walks, attention and time outside her kennel—but boarding could never show us everything we needed to know about who Kira would be in a home.
Then Amy and Brian gave her a chance.
They brought Kira home for a “spa weekend,” giving her a break from boarding and giving us something even more valuable: a glimpse of Kira as a house dog. Their wonderful update showed a side of her that had been difficult for anyone to see while she waited in boarding.
And someone was paying attention.
Emilie said yes. ❤️
Since moving into her foster home, Kira has been doing wonderfully. Emilie has taken her to training and given her the structure, exposure and consistency she needed. After a recent training session, Emilie reported that Kira has been doing wonderfully around other dogs—and she’s no longer reacting to bicycles.
She's experiencing new things, too. She recently went swimming for the first time and LOVED it.
There are still things they're working on. Kira can be uncomfortable with visitors in the home, particularly men, and she's much more comfortable with women. But that's exactly why this time in foster is so important. Every day is helping us learn more about Kira and helping Kira learn more about life in a home.
And sometimes life in a home apparently involves lying upside down with a toy in your mouth after you've performed a little... unauthorized toy disassembly. 😂
After more than two years of waiting, we couldn't be happier to see it.
Thank you to Amy and Brian for opening the first door—and to Emilie for saying YES to Kira.
Tall, leggy and absolutely gorgeous, this young black Lab mix has soulful eyes, an athletic build and a personality that has truly blossomed.
At just 1–2 years old, Gracie is smart, playful and full of life. She loves other dogs and spends her days in boarding happily hanging out with canine friends of all shapes, sizes and personalities.
She's also been working with a professional trainer and has done wonderfully learning her leash skills and basic obedience. Gracie loves to learn, is incredibly treat-motivated and has made great progress with her training.
With people, Gracie may take a moment to get to know you—but it doesn't take long. A few gentle pets and suddenly you've made a new best friend. Once she knows you, she's loyal, affectionate and very happy to be part of whatever you're doing.
And whoever fosters or adopts Gracie won't be doing it alone. Her trainer is offering FREE training sessions to help Gracie and her new person build on everything she's already learned together.
Gracie would love an active home where she can enjoy walks, adventures, playtime, canine friends and finally having a family to call her own.
She's beautiful. She's smart. She's dog friendly. She's ready.
Twenty-five years later, we remember the heroes who ran toward danger—and the dogs who went beside them.
More than 300 working dogs are estimated to have joined the response at Ground Zero after September 11, 2001. They searched for survivors, helped with recovery efforts, and brought comfort to first responders and families during unimaginable days.
Among them was Sirius, a yellow Labrador and Port Authority Police K-9 who was working at the World Trade Center that morning. Sirius did not survive the collapse of the South Tower.
This week, we remember Sirius and all the dogs who searched, served, and comforted.
Their paw prints are part of the story of September 11, too.
If you know LAF, you know we have a soft spot for the dogs who are too often overlooked—and black dogs have always had a very special place in our hearts. 🖤
So when five tiny black puppies at Baldwin Park needed rescue, you can probably guess what happened.
We said yes.
Meet Dew, Misty, Rain, Cloud, and Lightning—five little lives who are now safe and officially part of the LAF family.
But they weren't the only ones who needed us this week.
And Selina and Annabelle needed LAF in their corner, too.
Seven dogs. Seven new beginnings. And seven more reasons we keep saying yes. ❤️🐾
Fall cooking is about to get a little more meaningful! ❤️🐾
We’ve teamed up with Pampered Chef for a virtual fundraiser benefiting Labradors and Friends. Shop kitchen favorites, discover new recipes and cooking ideas, and help support our rescue dogs at the same time.
A portion of the proceeds from purchases made through our fundraiser will come back to LAF — which means your fall shopping can help save dogs!
The virtual party is happening now through September 18, so there’s still time to join the fun, do a little shopping, and support the pups.
Mark your calendar for September 17! Dine & make a difference! Order Panda Express online for pickup or delivery to support the dogs of Labradors + Friends. 28% of qualifying sales will be donated to the rescue! 🐾
Use fundraiser code 9017266 at online checkout or in the Panda Express app.
You eat. The dogs win. That's a pretty good dinner!
