Badger, Gabe, and Kai: How Three Beagles Rewrote One Family’s Life

Rob Wadd joins Dogs Beyond the Lab to share the profound journey of Gabe, a former research beagle whose life was transformed by love, patience, and community. Rob recounts how he and his wife Sharon moved from life with Badger—their confident, well-adjusted beagle—to adopting Gabe, a deeply traumatized ex-lab dog terrified of ordinary things like doorways, wind, darkness, and TV. With Badger as a mentor and Sharon as his anchor, Gabe slowly learned safety, routine, and trust, from four-hour backyard sit-ins to finally mastering the dog door and cuddling on the couch—after years of keeping his distance from Rob.

When Badger passed, Kindness Ranch connected them with Kai, the tiger-striped beagle they’d originally hoped to adopt, completing a poignant full-circle story. Rob reflects on what it really takes to adopt a former research dog, when he’d advise someone not to, and how Gabe’s resilience has humbled and changed him, turning him into a thoughtful advocate for both dogs and the humans who care for them.

The hosts of the show are:

John Ramer is the Executive Director of Kindness Ranch

Lori Cohen is the Founder and Executive Director of The Beagle Alliance

Chelsey Marino is a canine Behavior Specialist and the founder of Command Canine

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