Ember#3/Bertie

Applicants must meet the following requirements: Setting: Rural, Suburban Dwelling: Single Family Fence: Negotiable Energy Level: Moderate to high Training Addendum: Yes Mar 16, 2026: Bertie got herself a new foster friend her age and, boy, is she one happy camper! Bertie and Georgia wrestle, play tug, chase each other, then lay beside one another when they crash. One may cry out or growl during their workouts but after five seconds, they are back at it again. Bertie is excellent about going into her crate for ‘quiet time’ as well as for nights. She is much more interested in playing with her new friend than in interacting with us, but maybe the novelty will wear off. That’s not to say that she doesn’t appreciate the butt scratches and neck rubs, but a girl’s gotta play! She is just starting to work on her ‘stay’ with distractions, since she is pretty good with distance and duration. Bertie is hesitant to come when called inside but very responsive when called from the outdoors- go figure! She did stay in the unfenced front yard when she briefly got loose recently and then ran around to the back door and "knocked." She hasn’t worried at all about recent thunderstorms, but she will bark if she hears neighbors target shooting (I do too). Bertie’s coat gets prettier by the week, as she develops rich sable highlights and more visible brindling along her back. Mar 7, 2026: Bertie had a visit from a litter of 4 three month-old puppies for several days and was wonderful with them! While we tried to keep them on their side of the doggie duplex, they found a way to squirm under the divider to check her out. Bertie was a little cautious at first when they all climbed over her like the Lilliputians on Gulliver, but then she started play bowing and initiating tug of war with whomever was willing. After those exhausting days, Bertie was ready for another trip to the river to relax. Instead of being crated in another room, this time she got to sleep in the bedroom where she opted for the bed one night and the dog bed for the other, sleeping soundly all night through, but sure to get up at the dawn’s early light. Since this trip was a little warmer, she ventured into the water to wade. She figured out the dog doors, so she made sure to use them frequently. Due to a lot of wet weather, the trainer has had to postpone sessions, but she is slowly learning to use her training in real life situations. She does have a lot of energy but then crashes out to rest. She may be getting another young foster to wear her out since the two old fart humans have trouble keeping up with her and the one reasonably young resident dog is being a jerk. Feb 2, 2026: I am a Lab! I am a Lab! Well, 6% Lab, and a little over 50% German Shepherd. I am a very good girl for a one year old- Saturday is my birthday (if you’d like to send treats or a toy). I am housebroken, crate trained, not too rough on a leash and good in the car. I am also going to school to learn my “sit- stay- down- come’s” but I have had a bunch of snow days lately. I was nervous about the dog noises at the trainers the first two visits, but now just a little distracted when one says something really weird. I trash-talked to the goats the first trip, but after a couple walks to meet our neighborhood goats (and emus- strange things that they are), I don’t worry about them any longer. I went to the river with one of the humans for a couple days and pretty much kept my nose to the ground to catch all the new smells. I checked out the water but it was too darned cold to get anything but my paws wet. The human was pretty happy I only played with toys and did not commandeer any human stuff to become toys. I like to lie by your chair as much as I like to gently molest you while you are sitting in it, and I will keep it warm when you leave. I really like to play chase and wrestle with other dogs and play fetch with my humans. The vet’s office loves me because I am so gentle and well-behaved (they haven’t seen my zoomies yet). I do best with a structured day: eat, snooze, train, play, repeat. I am kind of lonely now since my foster roommate was adopted a couple weeks ago, so I tend to complain when the humans leave. I do still find the need to chew on fabric stuff when unsupervised. I also have this weird obsession to bury a bone for a few days and then unbury it- a human had to give me a couple towels to bury it in when the ice came since I had to hide it inside. I don’t have much of a history, so no kids under 10 and the darn cats scatter when they see me, so I haven’t been cat tested. I am behind a 4’ fence and have made no attempt to go over, under, around or through. Oh, and I like to have my neck rubbed and my head kissed. Dec 26, 2025: Yes, Bertie is only a pup, but she seems to maturing in just the month+ that she has been with us- it’s no longer a matter of just “on” or “off”. She seems to really enjoy her people time and almost seems perturbed if her roommate interrupts the moment. She is a confident dog who likes, and needs the stimulation of, new places, new activities and new toys. Being young, she needs, and seems to appreciate, structure. She can be a brat too- taking her roommate’s toy away from her and running outside with it, returning empty-mouthed. Bertie’s a smart and affectionate girl! Dec 16, 2025: The girls enjoyed the short-lived snow, running zoomies and sliding in the grass. Bertie loves to play fetch alongside her foster sister and she loves to win! While her sister is bigger and faster, Bertie is more agile and wily and COMPETITIVE! This girl would be a terrific agility dog (once she learns a few basic commands). We are still trying to teach her a few basic commands it’s next to impossible with the two girls since whoever is left out will protest over the neglect. We have noticed that she doesn’t bark or chase after squirrels, but watches them…very carefully. She seems to recognize a new bird song, stopping and looking curiously as if to find the source. Dec 2, 2025: Mystery solved! It appears that Ember/Bertie is a Dutch Shepherd, likely born in January. She may grow a little bit more, but should stay around 50 pounds. She went for her boosters yesterday and everyone remarked what a nice calm dog she was (after the requisite teasing about her not being a Lab). Girl loves her zoomies but is happy to curl up at your feet once she’s had her exercise. Bertie has started to drop the ball at our feet after retrieving it! She did bark today- at a bag of trash set aside to go out; once she was allowed to check it out, she no longer had a need to bark. She’s been sleeping all night through, uncrated, but does want to go out first thing in the morning. She’s working on some basic commands, but hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet. She’s smart and food motivated, so she should pick it up quickly with consistency. Nov 29, 2025: Ember, or Bertie as we call her (Sister Bertrille from The Flying Nun), has been with us for four days now. She has so many good qualities: calm, quiet, gentle, affectionate and athletic. She came to us the day after another new foster and the two have gotten along fabulously since- stealing toys from each other, playing chase in the yard, and playing fetch together (although Bertie doesn’t bring the ball all the way back to you). Bertie play-bows to the resident dogs through the fence, and one evening decided to slip past me when I was bringing in a bag of dog food to engage them directly, initiating group zoomies. Bertie came to LR as a stray, someone had taken the time to house break, crate train, and socialize her as well as teach her to ride politely in a car and walk peacefully on a leash. She is gentle taking treats and doesn’t bark. She does well with (3) 15-20 minute fetch/chase sessions a day and has shown no interest in trying to go over, under or through a 4’ fence. She hasn’t yet been exposed to the barn cats, but we will try in the next few days. Bertie is a bit of a hoarder, dragging a blanket or crate pad to a corner of the room and then piling toys on top of it. She does do a little bit of stealth nibbling on clothes or shoes but responds immediately to “No.” To date, she has limited any serious chewing to her toys; unfortunately she learned to eviscerate stuffies from her roomie. She’s just young, joyful and a lot of fun to have around! Nov 19, 2025: Ember may not look like your typical lab but she is a lab at heart. This is a tale of what sometimes happens in rescue. We were sent pictures of a sweet young black lab whose ears DID NOT stand up. She was good with dogs, petite and cute so we said YES! She went to one of our partner vets in NC and went through vetting. She then traveled up to VA and were met with quite a surprise! She arrived with ears that you can "Tune in Tokyo" on lol! When we asked "What happened to the dog you sent pictures of, the answer was that is her" We said not with those ears! They said they were not standing up when she left us.....OKAY..... Nonetheless she was here and we were not sending her back to a bad situation so here we sit! Ember is a SUPER SWEET and very labby in her personality. She is friendly and good with other dogs. She is a good rider and does well on leash. She is keeping her kennel clean. So if you can overlook her radar ears and give her a chance we think you will be happy with the sweetheart that she is ! More on Ember as we find her a foster! Ember is a 9 month old black female. She weighs 46 lbs and is still growing. 4DX Negative; Follow up test due in May 2026. See medical tab. Stray to shelter