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For the Love of Ludo, Novinger, MO (2026)

10/11/2026

🚌❤️ AND JUST LIKE THAT… THEY’RE OFF. ❤️🚌

Yesterday, we put these three on the bus to go find their happily ever afters… and now the one who has been caring for them all these months is apparently just supposed to carry on with life like a normal person. 🥹😭

Spoiler alert: I am not. I am a sobbing hot mess.

A few days before they left, I told y’all it was last call for Grinch, Amelia and Rusty. We were overflowing. Grinch and Amelia had already spent a couple months of their puppyhood here, and Rusty had been waiting for more than six months. I love these dogs with my whole heart, but eventually you have to admit that keeping them safe isn’t enough. They deserve more than a kennel here with somebody who loves them. They deserve the chance to be seen, to find their people and to finally go HOME.

So we reached out to people we trust, and somehow opportunities came for all three of them. And then came the part of rescue nobody puts in the cute adoption pictures. You load them up, kiss their faces, tell them to be good babies, hand them over to people you trust… and then watch them leave without you. 💔

Grinch and Amelia had absolutely no idea that yesterday morning, I was keeping a promise I made to them months ago. I said those babies would not grow up here, and I meant it. I’ve watched them grow, watched their little personalities come out, cleaned up more puppy messes than I care to remember and loved them through every bit of it. Keeping them here just because I would miss them wouldn’t have been fair. They needed opportunities we simply weren’t finding for them here.

And then there’s Rusty. 😭❤️ My sweet, goofy retired hunting dog who spent more than six months here waiting for somebody to see him. Six months of watching other dogs come and go while he just kept waiting for his turn. I could have kept Rusty safe here forever, but safe was never supposed to be the finish line. Home is. When his opportunity finally came, I had to love him enough to let him take it.

Now there are three empty spaces at Ludo’s. I wanted those empty spaces. I worked for those empty spaces. We desperately NEEDED those empty spaces… and apparently I’m still going to walk past them and get all teary-eyed because rescue makes absolutely no sense sometimes. 🤦‍♀️😭❤️

And just so we’re VERY clear before my inbox gets any ideas, three dogs leaving does not mean we have room for three more. 😂 We are still not accepting new intakes. This gives the dogs already here more space, gives me a little room to breathe and gets us one step closer to a more manageable number. We still have dogs here waiting for their turn, and they deserve the same time and effort that got these three onto that bus.

So go find your people, Grinch, Amelia and Rusty. Go make everybody fall in love with you. Go be somebody’s spoiled babies. We took you as far as we could, and now some really wonderful people get to help you with the rest. A huge thank you to our friends at Quincy K9 Connection ❤️

I didn’t send you away because I was done loving you. I sent you forward because I wasn’t. And even though the person who cared for you all these months is currently a whole sobbing hot mess about it, I’d make the same decision all over again. 😭❤️🐾

Healing goes both ways… even when the healing part hurts. ❤️‍🩹🚌🐾

10/09/2026

❤️ TEN MONTHS IS LONG ENOUGH. FOZZY NEEDS A HOME.

Y'all... this one has been weighing on me.

Fozzy has been with us for ten months now, and somewhere along the way this beautiful boy got comfortable enough here that people stopped seeing him as one of the dogs who desperately needs to leave. But he does. Not because we don't love him. We absolutely do. He needs to leave because this was never supposed to be his home.

Look at that last picture. That's the Fozzy who came to us. He weighed just 62 pounds, his body told the story of what life had looked like before us, and emotionally he was a mess. He had terrible separation anxiety and wanted so badly to attach himself to a person and know they weren't going to disappear on him.

Now look at him. ❤️

He's over 100 pounds. He's healthy, neutered and fully vetted. He's handsome as all get-out, ridiculously smart, goofy, affectionate and absolutely LOVES his people. He loves kids, toys, playing ball, water, car rides and going on adventures. He knows basic commands, has great recall, and once Fozzy decides you're his person, congratulations... you've acquired yourself a very large shadow. 😂

And that separation anxiety? So much better. Ten months of routine, consistency and learning that the people who love him actually come back has done wonders for this boy. He's not the scared, insecure dog who first walked through our door anymore.

Fozzy does need the right home, and we've never hidden that. He needs a securely fenced yard, no cats, chickens or little critters, and no male dogs, he's a ladies man. He would do wonderful with the right larger female after a proper introduction. He's a big, active German Shepherd/Husky boy who needs somebody who understands that his brain and his body both need something to do.

But here's the part that matters most to me right now: Fozzy is living in chaos because he has nowhere else to go.

There are dogs everywhere here. Dogs barking, dogs coming in, dogs leaving, kennels, gates, feeding schedules and constant movement. Fozzy handles it because this has become his normal, but handling it doesn't mean it's what he deserves. After ten months, I don't want him getting any better at being a shelter dog. I want him to learn how to be somebody's dog.

He deserves to wake up in a home where he knows exactly who his people are. He deserves his own couch, his own toys, adventures with his family and somebody throwing that ball for the 900th time because apparently 899 wasn't enough. 😂 He deserves a life bigger than the one we're able to give him here.

We saved Fozzy from the life you see in that last picture. Now we need somebody to help us finish the job. ❤️

Please share this boy. Ten months is long enough to wait for a family.

📍 Located near Kirksville Missouri
🚗 Transport available within reason for the right home
💌 Message For the Love of Ludo to apply.

Come get your dog, y'all. Fozzy is ready to go home. ❤️

10/07/2026

🚨 LAST CALL FOR THESE THREE CUTIES 🚨

Alright y'all, we need adoptions. ❤️ We are overflowing, and as much as I love every single one of these babies, it is NOT fair for them to sit here waiting and waiting when there is a whole family out there somewhere that could be loving them instead. 🤷‍♀️

Grinch and Amelia have already spent a couple months of their puppyhood here. I promised these babies they would not grow up in a shelter environment and I meant it. Rusty is about 6 years old and has now been with us for more than SIX MONTHS. 😞 Six months of watching other dogs come and go while somehow nobody has picked him. 💔

We've already started reaching out to some of our trusted rescue partners about possible transfers because something has to give. So if you've been quietly watching one of these three, saved their picture, mentioned them to your spouse, thought "maybe someday," or kept coming back to their posts... this is your someday. The time to speak up is right now. ❤️

🐾 GRINCH...... Our big fluffy Novinger baby. He's a little more reserved and shy but once he knows you're his person, that sweet boy starts coming out. He's still just a pup with his whole life ahead of him, and we want the rest of his growing up to happen with his family.

🐾 AMELIA..... Our freckle-faced little firecracker. 😂❤️ She's sweet, silly, playful and absolutely FULL of personality. She's already been adopted once and came back to us, and I would really, really like the next time she leaves here to be the last.

🐾 RUSTY.... About 6 years old, neutered, dog friendly, LOVES people and is always down for a car ride. ❤️ He's a retired coyote-hunting dog who has spent more than six months waiting for somebody to see him as more than his past and let him be a spoiled family dog for the rest of his life. Cats, however? Absolutely freaking not. 😂 Rusty would like it officially noted that he hates cats. But he's fully vetted and housetrained and has never met a stranger. He's even wonderful with kids! ❤️

If you've been in love with one of them and you've thought about adding them to your family, please don't wait anymore. They're all located near Kirksville Missouri. Transport within reason can be arranged for approved adopters. Just message our page. Let's get these babies HOME. ❤️🐾🙏

10/06/2026

THE FLETCHER FILES: The Report Is In ❤️‍🩹

Alright y'all... I finally have all four pages of Fletcher's official report from MU, and after reading it approximately 900 times, I think I can finally explain this without needing a veterinary degree. 🤣

Basically, Fletcher has a small hiatal hernia, acid reflux, and something called pathologic aerophagia, which is a fancy-ass way of saying this goober swallows WAY too much air when he eats and drinks. 🤦‍♀️

The GOOD news? He did NOT aspirate during the swallow study. They watched everything go down and didn't see food or water enter his airway. The reflux does put him at risk for aspiration, though, so we're taking that seriously. He has started his medication, we've slowed down his meals, thickened his water and are following the plan we've worked out with his regular doctor.

But y'all already know the question I've been stuck on... What about his weird breathing episodes?

And the answer is still: we don't know for sure. His respiratory issues could be from irritation caused by all that reflux OR they could be from scar tissue around those bullet fragments way up behind his nose and throat.

So we're treating what we KNOW is wrong first and giving it a couple weeks. If his breathing improves, freaking fantastic. Although we've seen quite a bit of progress in the past two weeks with his antibiotic treatment as the swelling has gone down from the fragments near his nasal passages. If it doesn't become normal, MU specifically says we can move on to more investigating, including a CT or rhinoscopy.

And THAT makes me feel better.

I can handle “we don't know yet.” What I can't handle is “we don't know, so we're done looking.” 🤷‍♀️

And we're definitely not done looking.

For now, Fletcher is happy, gaining weight, eating like a grown man, carrying his emotional-support cow around and remaining, according to the University of Missouri themselves, VERY HANDSOME. 🤣❤️

We'll treat. We'll watch. And if that breathing doesn't improve completely? We will continue looking.

Also if you're head over heels for this sweet boy and might be interested in fostering-to-adopt, he needs these next few weeks to be more comforting for him and someone who can give him all the love and snuggles that he's currently sharing with many others. Please reach out if you've been thinking about it. We will see him through all of his current health issues and take him to any and all appointments and provide everything he needs. You just provide a home and lots of love. He needs his meds 3 times a day 30 minutes before his meals. He also needs a very calm enviornment and a fence he can't jump or a signed, leash only agreement if there is no fence. He's 3 years old, potty trained, up to date on vaccines and preventatives, he's nuetered. He's sweet as can be, obviously ❤️ He's dog friendly cat friendly, kid friendly, and has never met a stranger in his life. He's currently near Kirksville Missouri and we would love to keep him close. We will be very very picky with this process. Please message the page for our online adoption application.

If you're in love with him and are new here, please scroll our page to learn Fletchers full history.

The Fletcher Files continue. ❤️

10/05/2026

Okay y'all... We definitely jumped the gun a little with Mokey Mo-Mo's adoption post. 🤷‍♀️ Because THEN his family started sending us these pictures yesterday, and well... just look at him. 🥹 Playing with the kids, playing tug-a-war with his new brother, rolling around in the grass like the giant goofball he is, and already stretched out on the couch getting snuggles. ❤️ After six months of this goofy boy being part of our everyday life, him leaving left an empty spot behind. They always do. But seeing THIS? Seeing Mokey this happy, this loved, and already this at home? That empty spot feels A-okay now. This is why we let them break our hearts a little when they leave. ❤️‍🩹

And we say it all the time y'all: HEALING GOES BOTH WAYS 🐾❤️ It really does.

Look at you living your absolute best life, Mo-Mo. You freaking deserve it buddy! ❤️🐾

10/04/2026

THE O.G.B. HAS A BIRTHDAY WISH. 🎂🐾

Our Old Man Beasley has a birthday coming up soon. He's about to turn TEN. 🥹❤️

Around here, Beasley is known as the O.G.B. (The Original Good Boy) He was here before all this madness. Before the revolving door of rescue dogs. Before any other dog matter of fact. And after nearly ten years of being a very good boy, Beasley has exactly ONE thing on his birthday list this year...

For somebody to come get this little s**t. 🤣🤣🤣

His words, not mine. 🤷‍♀️

Amelia has apparently decided that keeping a senior citizen young means relentlessly pestering him every chance she gets. She follows him. She plays with him. She gets underneath him. She gets in his face. She climbs on him. She thinks he is absolutely fascinating.

Beasley thinks she needs a family of her very own. Immediately. 😂

And underneath all the joking, I agree with him. Amelia came back to us for those exact reasons... pestering the elderly dog in the home and creating unnecessary stress, she just needs a younger dog to match her energy and I promised this little girl she wasn't going to have to grow up here.

She shouldn't have to. 🥹

She's young. She's happy. She's silly. She's playful. She's dog-friendly... clearly, because poor Beasley can provide references. 🤣 She is 4 months old, up to date on vaccines and preventatives, she even does great with our resident cat. She has her whole life ahead of her, and what she needs now isn't another temporary stop. She needs somebody who looks at that ridiculous little freckled face and says, “Yep. You're coming home with me.”

So, for Beasley's upcoming 10th birthday, we're asking for a forever home for Amelia. Share the little menace. Tag somebody looking for a new best friend. Help me keep the promise I made to her.

Because Beasley has put in almost ten years as the Original Good Boy... and apparently he would now like to retire in peace. 🤣❤️

Come get Amelia.
Please. For the Love of Beasley 🐾

10/04/2026

❤️ MOKEY MO-MO WENT HOME!!! ❤️

Well y'all... somebody FINALLY figured out what we've been trying to tell you for months!!! Mokey Mo-Mo is freaking awesome, and after patiently watching other dogs come and go while he just kept being his happy, goofy, ridiculously good-boy self... Mokey got adopted. 🥹❤️

This boy's story with us started in doggy jail after he was picked up by a rural police department and nobody came to claim him. We found a microchip, tracked down where he'd come from, heard a whole lot of excuses that didn't really matter in the end, and Mokey became a Ludo dog. And honestly? He never looked back. 😂 He just settled in, went on adventures, took all the car rides he could get, made us laugh, and waited for his turn.

And Lord knows we've wondered HOW this boy was still here. Fully vetted, neutered, microchipped, housetrained, adventure-loving, handsome as heck and an absolute goofball... what more do you people want?! 🤣

Apparently, Mokey wasn't waiting for just anybody. He was waiting for THESE people. ❤️ Look at that picture. He got himself a mom, a dad, kids to grow up with, AND a four-legged brother. He didn't just find somebody to take him home. Mokey got a whole freaking family. 🥹❤️

So go have the best life, Mo-Mo. Take all the rides, go on all the adventures, make those kids laugh, and annoy your new four legged brother just enough. 😂 We sure are gonna miss that goofy face around here, but this is exactly the kind of goodbye we love. ❤️‍🩹🥹

You waited awhile for this one, buddy, but I'd say you waited for exactly the right people. ❤️🐾

Happy tails, Mokey Mo-Mo! We are so freaking happy for you!! ❤️

10/03/2026

Apperently Thursday was National Black Dog Day. 🖤

It is now Saturday. We're doing great over here. 🤦‍♀️🤣 In our defense, it's been a little busy around Ludo's World lately. Somewhere between taking care of everybody, vet appointments, Fletcher keeping us on our toes, and the approximately 7,492 other things happening around here on any given day... apparently nobody remembered to inform us that there was an entire day dedicated to BLACK DOGS. 😭

Which is particularly ridiculous considering we currently have THREE absolutely gorgeous black dogs waiting for their forever homes. 🥹🖤

Jasper. King Charles. Tesha.

Three completely different dogs. Three completely different personalities. Three completely different stories. And three beautiful black babies still waiting for somebody to look at their picture and think...

There you are. That's my dog. 🥹🖤

Of course, once I realized we'd missed National Black Dog Day, my first thought was that I should dig through our pictures and include some of our black Ludo alumni too.

And then I remembered just how many there are. 🤣 Y'all... we'd be here until NEXT National Black Dog Day.

We've had so many beautiful black dogs come through Ludo's doors over the past couple of years, and one of my absolute favorite things is getting to see them now... loved, spoiled, sleeping on couches they definitely believe belong exclusively to them, and living the lives we always hoped they'd have.

So instead of me digging through approximately eleven billion pictures and inevitably forgetting somebody...

I WANT Y'ALL TO DO IT. 🖤

If you have a black dog that you've adopted from Ludo, LET ME SEE MY BABY!! Drop a picture in the comments and tell us how they're doing. 🥹

And actually, they don't even have to be a Ludo dog. If you have a black dog, WE WANNA SEE 'EM. 😂🖤

Big ones. Little ones. Young ones. Old babies with their sweet little gray faces. Rescue dogs. Shelter dogs. Couch potatoes. Adventure buddies. Perfect angels. Complete heathens. The ones who photograph like majestic woodland creatures and the ones who somehow look like escaped criminals in every single picture you take. 🤣

Bring. Them. On.

Let's make up for being two days late by absolutely FLOODING these comments with beautiful black dogs. 🖤🖤🖤

And while you're here showing off the lucky ones who already have their people, take another look at Jasper, King Charles and Tesha.

Because these three are still waiting for theirs.

Maybe one of them has been waiting for you. 🥹🖤

Happy VERY belated National Black Dog Day from all of us at For the Love of Ludo. 🤦‍♀️🤣🖤

NOW SHOW US THOSE BLACK DOGS!!! 👇🐾🖤

10/02/2026

THE FLETCHER FILES: Columbia Edition ❤️‍🩹

Alright y'all. I know. 🤣 My inbox has spoken and apparently I am not allowed to just take Fletcher to Columbia for seven hours and then NOT immediately report back to everybody who has become emotionally invested in this big baby. ❤️

So... yesterday was Fletcher's long-awaited Internal Medicine appointment at MU. We went there for one big reason: his breathing. This boy has made absolutely incredible progress since coming back to us, but that horrible noisy breathing, even though there has been improvements, has never made sense to me, especially knowing he was shot and still has metallic fragments scattered throughout his face and neck.

We were there for SEVEN HOURS. Seven. Freaking. Hours. 🤦‍♀️

And naturally, Fletcher spent those seven hours doing what Fletcher does. He made approximately one million new friends. Students loved him. Staff loved him. Everybody who met him apparently fell completely in love with him, because this dog has never met a stranger in his life.

And just in case we weren't sure, they even documented it in his medical record. 🤣

Under “Findings” on the paperwork they sent us home with: “Thank you for bringing Fletcher to the MU-Veterinary Health Center today. He is so handsome!!”

Well thank God we got that cleared up. 🤦‍♀️🤣🤣

Diagnosis: Handsome. Confirmed by the University of Missouri. 😂❤️

Unfortunately, the answer to the question we actually drove to Columbia for is still... we don't know.

They started with a video swallow study, which was honestly pretty cool to watch. They mixed contrast with his food and water and took a live X-ray video so they could actually watch everything travel down his esophagus and into his stomach. His food went down. His water went down. They did see a small amount come back up and then go right back down, and they found what they described to me as a tiny hiatal hernia and acid reflux.

So Fletcher came home with a new medication called cisapride that he's supposed to take three times a day, 30 minutes before he eats. They also want him on a low-fat prescription diet and, believe it or not, they don't want this poor dog just drinking a regular bowl of water right now. They want his water thickened, mixed into his food, or given as ice cubes. 🤦‍♀️

Fletcher would like to formally file a complaint. 😂

And I'm going to be completely transparent with you guys: I'm frustrated. Fletcher isn't vomiting. His p**p has been absolutely beautiful. He's eating wonderfully. He's gaining weight like it's his full-time job. He feels better. He acts better. We went to Columbia because I want to know why this dog is breathing the way he does.

And after seven hours and an $846 bill... I still don't know.

We discussed a CT because obviously my mind keeps going back to the fact that this dog was SHOT and still has metallic fragments throughout his face and neck. But we were told those fragments would cause too much interference on the CT images and make them difficult to interpret, so that wasn't pursued.

I was told we'd have a complete written report this morning explaining all of yesterday's findings and recommendations. We still don't have it. I called. They're still working on it and couldn't tell me when I'll receive it.

So before I get too wound up about what I agree with, what I don't, what we're changing, and where the heck we go from here, I'm waiting for that report. I want to read exactly what they saw, exactly what they think it means, and exactly how it relates, or doesn't relate, to the breathing problem that took us there in the first place. And we most certainly want to go over all of this with Fletcher's regular doctor before making any big changes or decisions.

Because we're not done asking questions about this boy. Not even close.

But here's what I CAN tell you today: Fletcher is happy. He's eating. He's gaining. He's goofy as can be. He spent seven hours at a veterinary teaching hospital collecting humans like Pokémon, and apparently his devastating good looks are now officially documented in his medical record. 🤣❤️

Two weeks ago, this boy came back into our lives at 50 pounds, emaciated, injured and looking like a shell of the Fletcher I remembered.

Yesterday he walked into MU at 64 pounds and 13 ounces, made everybody fall in love with him, and walked back out with an official diagnosis of VERY HANDSOME. 😂😭❤️

We'll take that win today. 🎉

But we're still going to figure out the breathing.

The Fletcher Files continue... ❤️‍🩹

10/01/2026

WELLLLLL... GUESS WHO'S BACK. 🤦‍♀️❤️
Yep. Darla. Again. 💔

Two nights ago I got the message that Darla needed to come back. Apparently she had started having accidents in the house and they were done dealing with it. And listen... I understand that nobody enjoys cleaning up dog accidents but as I started asking questions, I learned something pretty important. Darla's routine had changed. She was now being left outside all day on a tie-out while they were at work, and then when she came back inside, she was sometimes having accidents in the house.

Guys... Darla didn't suddenly forget how to be a house dog.

This girl lived in her foster home before she was adopted. She had been doing great there. She had been doing well after her adoption, too. Then her routine changed and suddenly the accidents started. Could there be other reasons for that? Absolutely. And we'll make sure there isn't anything medical going on. But when a dog who has been doing well suddenly starts having problems, you don't just look at the dog and decide she's broken. You look at what changed around her, too.

And THEN I was told she had cut her paw outside. She was limping, it was obviously sore, and she wasn't wanting to put much weight on it. They worked until 5 the next day, so the plan was to leave her outside again and have me come get her from the yard...

Yeahhhhh. No. 😂

I was already in the truck.

So Darla came home, and because her previous foster family is apparently made up of actual angels who deserve far more credit than I could ever give them, they welcomed this goofy girl right back. And would you LOOK AT HER?! 😂❤️ She walked back into that house, reunited with her buddies and settled right back into the place she already knew was safe. No drama. No sulking. No existential crisis over being returned for the second damn time. Just Darla being Darla, smiling like an idiot and happy to see her friends again.

Her paw is definitely sore, and we're keeping a close eye on that limp. If it doesn't improve or anything about it concerns us, she'll be seeing the vet. And obviously we're going to watch the potty situation too, because I want to know what Darla needs not just what somebody decided they were no longer willing to deal with. But so far? No accidents inside. 🤷‍♀️

But here's the part that hurts my heart. This is Darla's second return. :(

And I'm done watching this sweet girl get shuffled around. Darla isn't a puppy you bring home because she's cute and then return when life with a dog becomes inconvenient. She's a living, breathing little soul who bonds with people, learns routines, gets comfortable and believes she's home. She deserves somebody who understands that adopting a dog doesn't mean everything is going to be perfect every single day for the next 12 years.

There may be accidents. There may be things that get chewed-up. There may be a couple days where you wonder what in the actual heck you've gotten yourself into. 😂 There is an adjustment period. There is learning each other. There is figuring out what works and what doesn't. THAT is the commitment. Forever doesn't only count on the easy days.

So Darla is safe. She's back with people she knows and dogs she loves, and judging by these pictures, girlfriend isn't exactly devastated about being reunited with her old crew. 😂❤️ But eventually we're going to try this again, and when we do, we're going to be a whole lot more particular about what "forever" means.

Because the next time Darla leaves her foster home, I want it to be the last time she ever has to wonder where home is.

Welcome back, Darla girl. ❤️ Apparently we weren't quite done with your story yet. 🥹

For the Love of Ludo

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