Gordo #2 Black Labrador Retriever Male 2 Years Old ID#3757

Meet Gordo.  Gordo is a very handsome 2 yo purebred black Labrador retriever.  By no fault of his own, he was brought to a shelter when his short term adopter had to move and couldn’t bring him along.  Gordo is now settling in to his Brookline foster home.  Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about this friendly and affectionate boy.

December 7, 2025

As we learn more about Gordo (and fall more in love with him) we can see that he is an eager to please, just wants to be included, giant goofball with a big heart. If we did not have two senior dogs, we would have become foster failures. He is pure fun and has so much personality. He would love a playmate to wrestle with as he loves our dogs but they don’t have that kind of “toddler” energy anymore and we feel it wouldn’t be fair to Gordo who could have the experience of growing up with a forever family with another pup or kids who love a companion. He loves love and will do anything to be right by your side to play or snuggle!Gordo should also have a fenced yard because he is fast! When he gets the zoomies or finds a squirrel, he takes off and until he attends obedience school and masters recall, I would not trust that he would stop when called. A fence for him is great peace of mind. But that said, I cannot stress enough that his daily walks are a great way to explore, sniff and get out his energy so a fenced yard should be a way to keep him safe but walks will be the way to keep him happy. Yesterday we tested the temperature of the Gunpowder River. He seemed happy to stomp around but he had no interest in swimming in the cold weather  (thank goodness!) Regarding men and having a past where he is leery of them, it is something to be mindful of when out for walks. I was told he was frightened of a kennel attendant and the vet who examined him when he was in the shelter. We have seen this as well as I explained in a previous post where we passed 2 men out of the 10 or so we encountered who gave him a reason to give a low growl. Nothing prevented us from moving forward- I it kept it light and said “let’s keep going” in a cheerful voice and gave him a treat once we moved past and told him he was a good boy. He is easily redirected. But that said, my son who is 18 had about 15 friends over last night and guess who was in the middle of it all? Yup, Gordo. So meeting a bunch of boys on his turf seemed ok! I had his leash on and as the boys came in, I looked for any signs that he was agitated and they said, “Hey Gordy, what’s up big guy?” Etc and he was so happy. Not a hair stood up. So it’s definitely something to be mindful of when encountering new people because I am not sure what makes him upset, a look, a smell? I could not determine a pattern. So I  recommend a big dog savvy family who has dealt with this kind of behavior. Obedience training and socialization are recommended to keep him on the path of feeling safe and secure. The good news is that he is young and very trainable and hopefully time and trust with his family will erase any past fears.

He is a wonderful pup. I cannot say enough how much I struggled with wanting to adopt him but my seniors don’t have the energy to keep up and Gordo deserves to have fun! He’s a young guy with his whole new life ahead!!

December 5, 2025

Happy Friday!!! Gordo will soon be looking for his forever family so we thought we would highlight some of the things that make him happy.

Gordo loves to start the day with breakfast and a quick trip outside before heading upstairs to wake the kids for school. He gently leaps onto the bed and collapses into a mountain of pillows and blankets for snuggles. He always makes sure you can access his belly!

After that, he likes to help pack lunches and make breakfast. His job is Quality Control followed by more belly rubs. After the kids leave for school, we head back upstairs to make beds and pick up but mostly he ends up back in bed to snuggle!Then we like to go for a morning walk. Today after we got back, we played in the yard in the snow and chased tennis balls! The fresh cold air was great! Then it was back inside to relax while Mom sat down to work. Gordo likes to have a baby nearby at all times so he can keep himself busy. He loves his duck.And finally he settles in for a nap. We love these sleepy eyes.

December 4, 2025

We’re checking back in with Gordo with an update. It’s been 5 days and now that things have settled down and all the relatives have gone, our immediate family has really been able to get to know him. Gordo lives  with my husband, me, 2 teens and 2 dogs (an ornery 12 yo male beagle and 10 yo female lab.)

This is what we have learned…

1. Gordo is a fast learner. Some counter surfing has occurred but when he is corrected with a stern “OFF” he listens and immediately sits like a good boy. I can’t help but laugh to myself. He is so eager to please! Huge bonus for training!

2. Gordo does not like to go outside by himself and even if the other dogs are in the yard, he seems nervous that he will be left outside. So while he sniffs about the yard, he makes sure someone is out with him. He loves the yard and chases squirrels and helps me fill the bird feeders. He gets the zoomies and chases tennis balls but what he really loves are long walks. He loves going to the state park with trails and gets so excited when I pull out his leash. His leash manners are a work in progress but no one has worked with him before so some training, an experienced handler, etc will be able to continue showing him some manners. He has improved greatly already! I will say that walks with him were the saving grace that gave me some peace and quiet when all the chaos of the holidays was going on at the house. So that said, Gordo needs an active family and someone who will take him for walks- rain or shine- it is not enough to expect him to burn off puppy/toddler energy himself inside a fenced yard or on a tether. He needs mental and physical stimulation to tire him out. As we all know, a tired puppy is a happy puppy!

3. We were told by the shelter that Gordo was nervous around some men. He does seem leery of some men yet is fine with others. He adores my husband and son but today on our walk, we passed at least 10 men and 2 made his hair stand up and he gave a little growl. I didn’t see a pattern for what triggered him like hat, sunglasses, etc. maybe because we were on a trail out in the open and not at home? I’m not sure but it’s something to be mindful of so when people asked to pet him, I politely declined and explained that we’re just getting to know him and need to give him some space. But everyone comments on how handsome he is!

4. Gordo is a full grown puppy. He is 84 lbs of love, fun, cuddles and play. He carries his Lambchop, tennis balls and other babies but last night he discovered Dee’s fleece tug toy in the toy basket and all he wanted to do was play tug. He has a lot of energy but he does settle easily and loves to look as angelic as can be. An active family, a family with kids, a family with another dog who likes to wrestle and play is ideal. He is like a toddler with bouncy playful energy who just needs to be shown what to do. He is a clever fellow and will go find someone to play with if I’m busy. While I was cleaning up after dinner last night, he ran upstairs to my daughters room where she was on her bed doing homework and all I could hear was Gordo hopping off and onto the bed and could hear Sarah laughing as he dug through her pillow pile to find a stuffy to play with.

Gordo is a love. He likes to be in the middle of the action, is ready to do something fun at all times and has the sweetest disposition. He’s funny, curious, smart and silly and obviously very handsome. He is a big goofball who squeezes into small spaces so he can be close to anyone willing to give hugs and belly rubs. He will need some patience and consistency with his socialization and training but he is treat motivated and lives for praise so he is well on his way to becoming a perfect family member.

We’ll check back in soon!

December 1, 2025

Gordo sure has had a busy few days!! He was sprung from the shelter by Nicole and her boyfriend in NJ on Friday, delivered to Delaware where we met to pick him up and then continued our drive to Maryland for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Three states in one day was exciting and so were the well deserved zoomies around the yard while he stretched and sniffed and stretched some more. Gordo is fast but can stop on a dime- very impressive! After a long run and lots of sniffing, he met resident pups, Bella and Bruiser. They loved each other immediately and as Gordo got to work sniffing his babies and tennis balls, we got to spend some time petting and loving on him. We have learned a lot about Gordo. He loves car rides, can do stairs, can manage all kinds of floor surfaces and can fall asleep for cuddles and belly rubs anywhere, like on the beanbag chair.We have also seen that he is a fast learner. We showed him his place to eat and now he immediately goes there at mealtimes. He is a slower eater but he stays and finishes every bite.

We also appreciate that he can settle in with the family to watch football after a long walk in the fresh air.While I was mildly concerned about the chaos and how everyone would get along with a houseful of guests, we knew we could work out anything for the sake of getting Gordo to a safe spot. He has proven to be a champ at getting and giving love and it seems crazy to us that he was overlooked in the shelter. He is handsome and big and juicy and goofy and oh so sweet.Stay tuned as we learn more about this sweet baby!