If you’re lucky, a dog will come into your life, steal your heart, and change everything. That’s very true of Lucky Labs Rescue in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It all started one dog at a time,” says Lucky Labs Rescue President Wendy Adams. Adams says she and Vice President Kelly Eubanks have helped other organizations in the past. While working with those organizations, Adams saw the conditions at some of the rural shelters and knew something had to be done. Lucky Labs Rescue was formed shortly after. “It was a way of giving back. So Kelly and I decided that Charlotte's big enough, we need to form Lucky Labs and start a rescue of our own. So we did.”
In 2009, Pet Paradise Charlotte Airport opened its doors. As part of the company’s core values, Resorts are encouraged to work with local charities and rescues to give back to their community. The Charlotte Airport resort breeds love in their community by donating to the non-profit through various fundraisers including Wacky Camp Days, Food For Paws pet food drive, and their annual Santa Paws event.
“Little did we know, 13 years [after the resort opened], we’d have this great relationship with Pet Paradise,” says Adams. “We love Pet Paradise.”
“We love these dogs,” says Erin Trobaugh, Resort Supervisor at Pet Paradise Charlotte Airport. “We just want to show them that there's more than what they've experienced in their life and give them a temporary home until they find a forever one or foster home, and just show them all the love that they've been missing in their life. We’re kind of like that transition point for them.”
“We give them lots of snuggles. We've had several employees — past and current — adopt some Lucky Labs Rescue dogs,” says Trobaugh.
One of those stories belongs to Kassie Johnson, an associate who works behind the scenes at the resort.
“As a Pet Paradise employee, caring for the dogs who come in for boarding and supervising play groups, I met my Lucky Lab Lynn,” says Johnson. “Lynn was boarded through Pet Paradise while waiting for her forever home. I instantly connected with Lynn and fell in love with her and her bubbly personality and goofy self. I would sit in her kennel massaging her while she fell asleep in my lap. She desperately wanted to find her person. Lynn had no idea how to properly socialize with other dogs without taking them down to the ground. I knew I wanted to help her. I reached out to Lucky Labs about fostering her. I fostered her for roughly 3 months and knew that I wouldn’t be able to give her up. I ended up adopting her in November of 2021. She has been the biggest blessing to me and my family. I cannot imagine my life without her. With consistent training, she has now been able to be out in play groups when she goes to work with me, and play with other dogs at dog parks.”
“It's been a win ... for everyone all the way around,” says Adams. “We’re extremely grateful and Pet Paradise is a huge part of our success.”
To learn more about Lucky Labs Rescue and how you can help, visit their website.
—
Other blogs in this series:
Looking to Adopt? Fur Sisters Rescue Founder, Kelly Krehbiel has Some Advice
