1377. Morgan Elliott

Cholla at 9 Years (left) and Sadie at 6 Years Basking in the Sun Sadie at 2 Years Cholla Breed: Labrador Retriever Variety: Yellow Weight: 72 pounds Gender: Male Favorite Food: Flint River Ranch Lamb/Millet/Rice. We think your food is the best there is and these two special kids deserve only the best; they've gone through some tough times. Favorite Activities: He loves more than anything in the world to dive to the bottom of the pool to fetch his Kong toy. He taught himself to do that! And he loves rawhide chews, big time. And tugging, but he's amazingly strong for a 72-pound dog and usually wears out his welcome with that - no one wants a shoulder dislocated! Story: He's named for a type of cactus (Teddy Bear "CHOY-a") that grows here in the Arizona desert; just guess how he got that name! He's a purebred Yellow Lab and, not to brag but two different vets and a dentist have all told me, he's the sweetest Lab they've ever met and they've met a few! His mom was like that, too. I was there the day he was born and spent lots of time with his litter before we brought him home. By the time his eyes opened I figure he recognized me! Cholla has Addison's Disease (just like JFK), and I nearly lost him before we figured it out nearly two years ago when he crashed. He's great now, back up to his usual intermittent Labrador mischief (like counter surfing) but Addison's is a terrifying disease when it strikes and extremely hard to recognize. The non-profit support group that got us through the nightmare of the first few months is www.AddisonsDogs.com. They're an amazing group of people and I owe them my sanity and probably Cholla's life; although our vet made the diagnosis, no one in his office had EVER seen a real case and we all needed support to figure out the best way to treat him. Sadie Breed: Labrador Retriever Variety: Yellow Weight: 60 pounds Gender: Female Favorite Food: Flint River Ranch Lamb/Millet/Rice. Favorite Activities: She's devoted to Cholla, and just likes to be wherever he is - and to go for walks and chase rabbits and quail in the yard. She's completely fascinated by any wildlife that wanders through the desert behind our home - coyotes, javelin's, deer - you name it. And she too loves to chew on rawhide chewies. Story: Even though Sadie's had both her hind-leg ACLs repaired, she limps a little after long walks and swimming. We adopted her when she was two and a half years old, to keep Cholla company while I was gone all day. We found her on a local Internet Labrador rescue site and thought she was hot. They brought her over here to meet Cholla and even though she was about 15 pounds overweight and limped terribly, we were both smitten. She has Cleopatra eyes. And she wags her whole body when she's happy, which is most of the time! So I got her for him, and we got her all fixed up - put her on a diet and got her legs done - she's now a 60-pound beauty. She also is a purebred Yellow Lab and was the runt of her litter. Staff: Morgan Elliott Home: Scottsdale, AZ Date Entered into Gallery: February 8, 2007