Zuma at Free Coffee Day

Zuma on California Live

Zuma Memorial Day Pupdate

Zuma and National Puppy Day

Zuma Pupdate 1-11-19

Puppy Squad 1st Birthday

Zuma's 1st Birthday

Training Pupdate 11-5-18

Zuma has continued to work on all his training skills in lots of crowded places and doing them off leash as well.

He attended a parade with one of the NBC anchors and acted as the Grand Marshall and was honored by the City of Baldwin with Alysha Delvalle.  He loved sitting on the back of the car and having the crowd cheering him on and calling out his name!  

Zuma enjoyed his first Halloween and visited some stores with scary decorations and he was calm and collected when he was around this.  He went trick or treating with his brothers Ben and Teddy and had two costumes for Halloween, a pepperoni pizza and a shark as he loves to swim!!  The neighbors loved seeing him parading up and down the street and he remained calm and nothing scared him!!

Zuma celebrates Halloween

Zuma - A day in the life

Zuma Pupdate 9-27-18

Training Pupdate 8-17-18

Zuma has had a busy few weeks and is now six months.  He celebrated on the morning NBC show with all the staff who adore him so much.  He continues to work on his basic skills and is especially good at his stay command.  His work with distractions is also great when he is in restaurants and visiting supermarkets and busy areas.  He has also been going to the World Surf League offices and practicing his discipline in the office there with other dogs that go to work with their owners. 

His favorite thing in the world is swimming and he loves the tennis ball.  He and his brother Ben Brown have a special game where they drop the tennis ball in the pool for each other and take turns swimming out to get it!  Zuma always looks intently at his trainers when they speak to him and is very aware and alert and ready to please!

Sunny and Zuma hit LA

Sunny visits Zuma

Zuma's 6 month birthday!

Training Update 6-25-18

Zuma's social calendar has been busy making visits to parks, shopping malls, school graduations and practicing his sit and stay in all of those same locations.  He has also been practicing his obedience in all public places and is always eager to learn. His maintaining eye contact is just about mastered to perfection as well. 
 
He is looking forward to visiting the local Veterans hospital and joining in on a Veteran's parade for NBC in the next week.

Bring your pup to work 6-22-18

Training Pupdate 6-4-18

Zuma had a busy week with lots of exciting outings. He's been accompanying his handler to meetings, parks and the USS Battleship Iowa to celebrate Veterans just before Memorial Day Weekend.  Zuma loved being on the ship and walking on all the different surfaces and meeting all the Veterans and Cadets.  The President of NBC News even had Zuma up on stage as a special guest with all the news anchors, weather forecasters and other talent from NBC. 

Zuma was practicing all his commands during the week and on Friday he was on the set for a visit for the morning show doing his command for stay.  Everyone was fussing over Zuma and can't wait for him to come back!

Zuma pupdate 5-16-18

Zuma has had a busy week with another visit to a local school where he loved meeting all the children and teachers and being the center of attention.  He is becoming more focused and intent on following Sara's verbal cues and looks directly into her eyes when he's called.

His love of swimming and going on walks has kept Zuma busy and tired. One of his new favorite things to do is fetching a tennis ball in his mouth.  Ben the older step brother has now warmed up to him and they have their own special playtime together.  They both fetch the tennis ball and take naps together.  Zuma also loves visiting the pet store and is very well behaved around all the sights, sounds and smells.

Zuma training pupdate 4-16-18

Zuma has been stay busy in the Los Angeles area making visits to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, The Grove shopping mall and many restaurants in Malibu and the city.  However, he's becoming quite the beach puppy.  He's a natural in the water and like to run into the waves. He's also been enjoying opportunities to jump in and swim around in the pool.  He loves the water and kept putting his head under as he swam around by himself.  He has mastered the loose leash walking, is making great eye contact and going to his "place".  He is growing so quickly and has outgrown his crates!! Check back for more updates, and be sure to follow them on Instagram at @NBCLApuppy. 

Zuma pupdate 4-11-18

This week was so busy for Zuma and his puppy raiser Sara with lots of events and visits to restaurants, sports venues, schools and work meetings!!  The best day of the week was Easter Sunday and finding eggs filled with puppy food.  Zuma also met a new friend Baci!  They chased each other around all morning and played until they both competently passed out!   He has such a fun house with lots of great places to run and hide and lives with two adorable little girls that gave me belly rubs and treats.  Zuma has also been working on various obedience such as sit, stay, and down. He's also been getting familar with the command touch, in which he pushes Sara's hand simulating the push of a button. It's all about early conditioning.

Zuma and National Sibling Day 4-10-18

Zuma celebrates National Puppy Day 3-23-18

Zuma Pupdate 3-22-18

Zuma has had quite a week with non-stop play with his two chocolate Lab brothers, receiving and opening a new box of toys from our friends at Nylabone, and overseeing the changing of a flat tire that my family had.  He's also the king of naps, taking them anytime and anywhere he can.  Zuma met his new veterinarian for his 10 week check up and was given a clean bill of health.  He now weighs a solid 22lbs, and everybody in their office loved him.  He has been visiting the local market, cafes, a tennis tournament, and a Pilates studio.  Zuma also caught the attention of one a LAPD officer, but don't worry, he's clean!  He is very well behaved and loves all the new adventures we've been taking him on and meeting new friends in the neighborhood including his neighbor Eddie the Pitbull. 

Check in with Zuma 3-8-18

Zuma and Sara update 3-7-18

Zuma has been quickly settling into his new life in Los Angeles.  The cast and crew at NBC Los Angeles have been delighted to meet and play with Zuma and we look forward to sharing our story on their early Zuma checking out the LA scene.morning broadcasts.  Zuma has also recieved a warm welcome from his new family of humans and dogs and has fallen in love with his two chocolate Labrador brothers Ben Brown and Teddy Bear.  They however, are still warming up to him but have been secretly giving him kisses when they think no one is watching.  Zuma loves to go for walks and he loves to chew on all of his big brother's toys.   

Zuma has made a bunch of visits to local LA spots like his local organics shop and surf store, took in a yoga class, and he even went to the Chanel Oscar party.  On top of that he's had dinner at the family's favorite restaurant in Malibu and has had play dates with a new friend Kimchi, a french bulldog.  Be sure to check back for updates.

Introducing Zuma 2-27-18

Check in with the class of 2019 2-28-18

Charlie and Stacy visit TODAY 2-28-18

TODAY puppy is named 2-27-18

Class of 2019 visits Megyn Kelly

Introducing the Class of 2019

Hello Los Angeles!  I'm ZUMA, the new NBC Los Angeles puppy with a purpose.  I’m super stoked to be spending the next 16 months with you in the sunshine state.  I’ll be learning a lot so I can become an awesome service dog, and one day be paired with a veteran. I can’t wait to strut my stuff on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, show off at Venice Beach, and maybe visit Disneyland and Universal Studios.  Be sure to catch me every month on NBC Los Angeles and be sure to check into my Instagram account.  Time to bounce - see you soon. 

Birthday: January 2, 2018
Mom: Muffin (Yellow Labrador Retriever)
Dad: Pancho (Black Labrador Retriever)
Siblings: Seven brothers and sisters (5 yellow male, 2 black female)
This little male black Labrador Retriever has a spunky personality, loves to play, and is very curious.

Meet Sara Ell
Sara Ell has a passion and love for dogs – she’s raised Labrador Retrievers her whole life – and she believes animals can make an enormous difference in people’s lives. Her two Labs are certified therapy dogs, and they make frequent visits to Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

As the fiancée of a veteran, Sara is also involved with the veteran community. In addition to her hospital visits with her therapy dogs, Sara and her daughter bring the dogs to the local VA hospital to work with veterans.

She is honored and excited to raise KNBC-TV’s future service dog for America’s VetDogs; raising a future service dog for a veteran with disabilities resonates with her, knowing that someday, this dog could help mitigate symptoms that result from PTSD or other disabilities.   “Animals can be so adaptable to an individual’s needs and can help tackle difference surroundings. They instantly put smiles on anyone’s face who they may encounter.” – Sara Ell.

In addition to her work with veterans and therapy dogs, over the past five years, Sara has donated her time and energy to numerous charity organizations, including Children Mending Hearts and the Children’s Justice Campaign.

Get your Puppy with a Purpose