HOTLR and Barnes and Noble Team Up for the Holidays!!

So here we are, T-minus 5 days....is your holiday shopping done? Well, if not, here is a last minute idea for you. How about heading to the nearest Barnes and Noble. Chances are not only will you be able to find a gift for everyone left on your Christmas list, but you'll probably run into a HOTLR Lab or two as well.

For the past few years, Barnes and Noble has been kind enough to invite HOTLR to participate in the charity gift wrapping event. Several of the stores in the Austin area have HOTLR dogs and people volunteer to wrap your Christmas presents. In the meantime, you get to watch someone else figure out how much paper you really need to wrap that book, watch someone else trim the edges when they figure out they have too much paper and watch someone else fold, crease and crinkle trying to get that book adequately covered. All the while, you stand back and chat with other Lab lovers or volunteers with a big smile on your face getting a dose of Labrador love from the participating Labassadors for good measure. How relaxing can gift giving get?

So come on and join us. Stop in and say "hi" and even if you don't have any presents for wrapping, be sure to stop by for a chat and a Labrador pat. There are always volunteers available to answer your questions about HOTLR or get you signed up to become a foster or a volunteer yourself. Listed below are the dates and locations where you can see us:

Barnes and Noble Brodie Lane location:
December20, 2009 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
December22, 2009 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Barnes and Noble La Frontera, Round Rock location:
December 20, 2009 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
December 21, 2009 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
December 22, 2009 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
December 23, 2009 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
December 24, 2009 9:00 AM - 1:00PM

Barnes and Noble Westlake location:
December 20, 2009 2:00 PM - 6:00PM

December 21, 2009 5:00 PM - 10:00PM

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Step Out and Fetch a Chewy Shoe for your Christmas Dog

Still trying if figure out what to get that difficult dog on your Christmas list? If your dog has been more nice than naughty this year, you might try stuffing their stockings with a Dogtags Chewy Shoe. The Chewy Shoe is 100% made in the USA and manufactured in conjunction by Fetchdog, a Portland based dog supply company, and by Vibram, a rubber soling company that makes the majority of boots used by the US military. Constructed from non-toxic rubber in patriotic red, white and blue, the toy resembles the sole of a boot. A tough, hiking style cord is threaded through the middle toe area of the toy, allowing for easy tossing and encouraging games of fetch, hide and seek and tug of war.

You can feel good about giving this toy too. The Chewy Shoe retails for $16.75, but $2 of the proceeds spent on this unique toy goes to the Puppies Behind Bars program sponsored by DogTags. This program utilizes inmates to train Labrador and Golden Retriever service dogs for disabled war veterans. Puppies live with their incarcerated trainers and grow into well-disciplined well-loved dogs aiding in the rehabilitation of their trainers as well. To learn more about Puppies Behind Bars, click on this link: puppiesbehindbars.com.

Wonder if your dog will play with this toy? When the toy first arrived at my house, I laid it on the floor in the middle of the living room. Soon, Rio went over to check it out. She sniffed it and looked at us. Of course, we have taught her that chewing on shoes is a "no-no", so she asked us for approval before picking it up. With our encouragement she was soon running around the house with it in her mouth, although she prefers carrying it by the rope as opposed to the sole. Here is the only drawback I find with the design - some dogs may be encouraged to chew on/play with real shoes due to their similarity to the toy, especially flip flops. So, as always keep a close eye on your pup and make sure they play with toys especially made for them. With supervision, this will be a great toy for you and your dog to play with together. Check out this video footage and pictures of Rio having a good time with the Chewy Shoe.


To purchase the Chewy Shoe and other goodies on your dog's Christmas list, be sure to check out Fetchdog. Along with the $2 donation from the Chewy Shoe, Fetchdog donates 6% of its total sales to the Puppies Behind Bars program. Currently, Fetchdog is offering free shipping on every purchase. To shop online at Fetchdog, click here: Fetchdog.com.

All of us at Heart of Texas Lab Rescue wish you a peaceful and Labby holiday.

HOTLR says, "Oh Baby, Baby!!! We've Been Busy!!"

Whew!!! HOTLR has had a busy last couple of weeks. A very successful wine tasting/silent auction at the historic San Antonio Fairmont Hotel had us pretty busy during the beginning of November....but what a blast!!! Check out the pics from this event. Click on the link below:

Heart Of Texas Lab Evening Of Giving

Thanks to all of you who had a chance to attend!!! Look for this to become an annual event with a tentative date for 2010 to be scheduled during the October/November timeframe. More details to follow.

Since the auction, we've had another very important job to do. That's to find homes for 21 HOTLR puppies. We can hardly believe that our babies are ready to go. Juno and Eden proved to be fabulous moms along with lots of help from Aunties HOTLR president Margaret Huston and HOTLR rescue Miss Millie, but these puppies are ready to find their forever families. To help us find the right homes, HOTLR board member Jo Albertson and HOTLR volunteer Mimi Studley have been hard at work reviewing adopter applications, organizing phone interviews and performing home studies. We have some great families taking home our pups thanks to their hard work and that of other HOTLR volunteers.

After all the administrative details were completed, the real fun began - the puppy party!!! We held our first party on November 22nd. Check out the pics from this awesome event.

PuppyParty November 22, 2009

Seven of our babies started their new lives with their forever families that day. Our second puppy party is December 6th with 8 more families scheduled to visit with pups. Stay tuned for more pics of puppies, puppies, puppies....But don't worry, you haven't missed all the fun. If you are interested in adopting a new baby or know someone who is, check out our website for all the details on how to get your hands on one of these beautiful bundles of joy. Of course, if the thought of raising a puppy is a little scary to you, we have plenty of wonderful older dogs who would love to be in a new home as well. Not sure you are ready to commit, think about fostering for HOTLR. It's an incredibly rewarding experience. Check out our website for more info:

http://hotlabrescue.org/hotlab/index.jsp

Finally, as we rush head on into the crazy holiday season, HOTLR would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your support and interest in our group. It's because of our donors, adopters and volunteers that we can continue to save the lives of so many deserving Labradors. We wish you peace, love and Labs during this holiday season and into 2010.