Abbey Black Labrador Retriever Mix Female 11 Months Old ID#3223

Meet Abbey!  She is an adorable, 54lb Labrador/Australian Shepard mix who was a New Year baby, born on 01/01/23.  She came to Brookline as an owner surrender. Her owner felt she wasn’t able to provide the life Abbey deserved and asked Brookline to help find her a loving home.  Please read her blog from the bottom up to learn more about her.

December 4, 2023

Abbey has been with us for a little over a week and is starting to learn the routine and the rules and settle in with my coming and going from the house.She continues to do really well when I am preparing food and when we sit down to eat.  Abbey keeps all four feet on the ground, and will lay down and relax while I’m cooking.  She also will sit or lay down when we are eating, but you can tell that she’d love a bite from the drool trails leaking for the sides of her muzzle.  Lol.  Her counter surfing ways seem to be well under control now and so much better than when she first arrived.  She will occasionally put a paw on the counter while I am getting treats out for my pocket but listens to off and sit when I correct her.

The potty training is still a work in progress.  With all the playing that Abbey and Sammy are doing during the day, Abbey tends to take a very big drinks so she seems to be particularly well hydrated.  After a long drink at the water bowl, I have to make sure that she goes out again within 1/2hr.  I’m taking her out every hour when she is awake, and upon waking from naps and working on having her pee on demand before we play any fetch.  She is picking up the “Go Pee” command but it’s still a work in progress.  She is still having periodic pee accidents but it only happened once throughout the whole day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday when I wasn’t paying close attention to the clock.  She always does the pee in the foyer by the front door so I’m going to have to work harder on teaching her how to ring the bell when she needs to go out.  It could be all the ice that she found from the wheelbarrow that she enjoys eating too! I think she might be a fan of the winter and snow!

Yesterday, Abbey had no problem going outside in the rain, she even played some fetch in the rain.  She also loves all the worms that surface after a good downpour.

I exercise Abbey with a run before I head out on errands in the morning.  While I’m gone, she is in the crate with a stuffed bone for only about 1-1.5 hrs.  She still isn’t a fan of the crate and will bark once she is done with the bone.  She seems to like the early morning run, and today she ran 3 miles easily.  When I get back from my errands, I take Sammy, Max and Abbey on a mid-morning 2 mile walk.  I can walk all three without issue, and afterwards everyone settles in for a good long nap while I work in the office or around the house. The rest of the day, Abbey easily entertains herself with toys and chews that she picks out of the toy box herself, and is very well behaved indoors.  She even likes to keep me company while I fold laundry.Sometimes, she’ll bring the toy over to me for a toss or to Sammy for some tug time.  Abbey also enjoys her outside time, playing fetch, exploring and hunting for mice in the woods, or playing chase with Sammy.

By the end of the day, Abbey easily settles and naps next to me while we relax in front of the TV before heading to bed.Abbey continues to have fun with Sammy.  They really like to play tug, and keep away.  Abbey would love to have another young dog to play with in her forever home, and having a playmate definitely helps wear her out, and keep her occupied.  Abbey is confident with other dogs but is also respectful of dog cues.  She waits for the other dog to be finished with or drop a toy or bone, though she has no problem trying to share a dog bowl if the other dog allows it.  Abbey follows Max and Sammy’s lead.  Sammy is also teaching her all about those pesky squirrels that run around outside the office window.Abbey loves all people.  We are currently having some work done and Abbey was full of licks and tail wags when she first met the contractors.  She has also met several neighbors on her runs, and has been super friendly with strange men, women and teens.  So far she hasn’t met anyone she didn’t immediately want to kiss.  Abbey would love to find that special someone who is home most of the time to hang out and love on and exercise and play with since in her previous home, she spent her days alone in her crate.

November 28, 2023

I am happy to report that night #3 went really well!  Abbey settled right down on the end of the bed, and she didn’t get up until the alarm sounded.  She went right outside and did all her business before coming in for breakfast.Abbey and Sammy continue to like having their play time together after breakfast.  They are both quickly learning how to regulate their play so FM doesn’t stop them from wrestling.

Sammy and Abbey also played a little chase outside.  After all the early morning activity, Sammy and Max needed a quick nap.  Abbey occupied herself with a bone.

We did a slightly longer run this morning, 2.25 mi.  I’m slowing increasing the distance so that no one pulls any muscles (mainly for my benefit since I’ve only been doing interval training recently, LOL).  Abbey does great out on the runs and only stopped once to do some “business.”After her run, I was out of the house for about an hour and left her on free roam with Sammy and Max.  My husband was in the home gym and my son was awake to “watch” everyone but in his room.  He reported that Abbey came and hung out with him off and on and that she was good “unsupervised” in the house and with the other dogs.

Abbey enjoys retrieving a ball when it’s time for playtime in the yard.

After all the activity, Abbey is hanging out with me in the office and is ready for a nap!  Abbey is a loving girl and checks in often for ear rubs, neck scratches and kisses.  She is well behaved in the house and settles easily.  She also doesn’t mind keeping me warm when I’m relaxing on cold winter night!

November 27, 2023

Abbey slept in the guest room with me again last night.  She woke up around 2:30am and I took her out and this time she did all her business outside right away.  I think the middle of the night bowel movements will settle down once she is done with her Giardia meds.  She has been doing really well pottying outside apart from the first night accident.  I’ve been taking her out every 3 hours to make sure she knows the routine. This morning, Abbey and I went for a two mile run at 6:30am.  She is a natural running partner and did great on a harness following along next to me.  She only stopped for a sniff twice and was happy just to be running along beside me.  We went for a walk later with Sammy and she again did really well on leash.Her and Sammy are playing a lot and they like to play bitey face, tug and keep away.  She is respectful of Max and doesn’t engage in rough play with Max after he corrected her once.  She does like to give him lots of licks, and will keep licking until Max lets her know he’s had enough and she always listens.  She has quickly learned that Sammy doesn’t like to be disturbed when sleeping and only engages him when he lets her know he wants to play.  She can on occasion become over stimulated and since Sammy also can become over stimulated, I divert their play when they are both getting a bit much.  They listen when I say off and both do a shake off and walk away.  Abbey seems to adapt to the kind of play another dog enjoys so I think she would get along with lots of different personalities but would probably enjoy a friend that likes to play chase.  I don’t think she necessarily needs another dog in the home as she loves playing fetch and going for walks and runs with just her people.

Abbey was quite the counter surfer when she first arrived so the first night we crated her during dinner.  I can’t say she was happy about it but she wasn’t barking too much when she was in there.  Yesterday during the day, I worked on the counter surfing by leashing her and standing on it when I was prepping any food in the kitchen.  She learned pretty quickly that when she sat nicely like Sammy and Max, she got a treat. Today, I was prepping Sammy’s raw meals, and I was so proud of her when she was just standing or sitting nicely next to me while I worked.  She’s super smart so she picked up on the best way to win treats pretty quickly. I am finding her really easy to have in the house.  She is friendly with men and women and other dogs, and is great at entertaining herself and settling at the end of the day.

November 26, 2023

Abbey had a great afternoon yesterday.  She quickly picked up cues from Max and Sammy, and is starting to understand their personalities.  After playing outside yesterday, she easily transitioned into the house.  She explored all the toy boxes and helped herself to her favorites.  She really enjoyed chewing on bones, and the squeaky toys.  Once we moved to the LR after dinner, she settled on the couch next to me and chewed on a bone and then fell asleep until it was time to go out for the last time of the day.  She did her business outside all day. Abbey had been used to sleeping in bed with her previous owner so last night Abbey and I slept in the guest room.  She made herself cozy on the fuzzy blanket on the end of the bed and chewed on a bone for a bit while I read.  Once I turned the lights out, she went to sleep.  She slept until about 3:45am and jumped down from the bed so I took her out.  Unfortunately, I must not have given her enough time because after laying down for 10 minutes, she jumped down and pooped on the rug (she had also pooped outside right before bedtime at 9pm).  I blame myself for that accident as she just started on meds last night for Giardia and I probably didn’t give her ample time outside.She slept until 6:35am and then did her morning business outside.  Good girl Abbey.  She had no problem devouring breakfast.  We went outside after she ate and she played fetch and chase with Sammy for about 15 minutes.  She entertained herself playing with toys or Sammy while I drank my coffee.We spent a lot of Saturday morning outside doing yard work.  She loved exploring the woods with Sammy, and got her first experience seeing the deer on the other side of the fence.  While Sammy gave chase, Abbey wasn’t so sure what they were and darted to the back door.  She did come back and finish our woods walk. Abbey likes to be were the people are and follows along with me when we walk the yard.  She was super interested when my husband was filling the bird feeder. Later in the morning, we all went for a walk.  Abbey was pretty good on leash and only really pulled if she wanted to catch up with Sammy after stopping for a sniff.We also discovered she loves to eat ice after finding some in the outside water bowl. Later in the day, the family went out for my birthday lunch and we left Abbey in the guest room with a stuffed bone.  She did good in the room while we were out, and nothing was amiss. After lunch, she had more playtime in the yard playing fetch and chase, and then settled in the house entertaining herself with toys that she picked out.  She doesn’t nap a lot during the day but does keep herself busy, and settles when her people sit down in the LR at the end of the day.  She loves snuggling to stay warm!

November 25, 2023

Big news for Abbey!  Today, Abbey was picked up from BCK, and is going to be fostered in our home until the right adopter comes along.  She rode great in the car and was super friendly.She is settling in well.  She met Sammy and Max. Everyone was happy to meet each other, and Abbey and Sammy were fast friends.  We spent about an hour outside playing and exploring the woods.

She is now inside checking everything out.  More updates to come as we get to know her!

November 14, 2023

Are you looking for your next dog sport partner?  Well, I might be the girl for you!  I am athletic, agile, fast and very enthusiastic.  I’m always game to try out something new.  Just watch me run, and duck and dive with my friend Gunner.

Have you every dreamed of finding the perfect sidekick for agility, FAST CAT, dock diving, fly ball or just plain  tricks?  I would love to be your team mate whether you want to try it just for fun or if you are a die hard competitor.  I’m just happy at your side.Even if you just like to hike, explore, swim or cuddle, I’m all in and would be the happiest girl.  I’m here just waiting for you to bring me home!  I hope to meet you real soon..

October 27, 2023

Abbey is a sweetheart!  She is so athletic and happy to try anything and meet everybody.  She is a social butterfly and has a ton of new friends. She also enjoys playing with toys and anything to do with water.  Abbey is a high energy girl, but with lots of exercise is calm indoors and happy to cuddle.

Abbey could not make up her mind if she wanted to be a leopard, a clown,or a bumble bee, for the Halloween party.

October 16, 2023

Abby is doing very, very well! She loves people and other dogs, toys, and anything to do with water. She loves, loves, loves running!We are also working on down without the hand lure, and also stay. Her “sit” is excellent and she’s doing very well with wait at doorways and gates. Her leash skills are coming along very well too.Abbey is an intelligent, very high energy dog. With lots of physical and mental activities, she is becoming a superstar.

September 30, 2023

Abbey had her spay surgery and second distemper shot earlier in the week.  She was a star at the vet and quickly became a favorite of the staff.  She is recovering well and learning to navigate the world while wearing a cone!

On Thursday, she met a little kitten.  At first she was a little scared of the kitten, but then decided she wanted to play with it, and kept doing play bows.  It was super cute to watch!  It’s no surprise that she was good with the kitten since she previously lived with 2 cats, and didn’t have any issues with them.

September 25, 2023

Abbey is making new friends everyday.  She is such a sweetie and loves everyone!  Abbey will be getting spayed soon, so she has to get all the running in while she can.  She is having a blast in the big yard and exploring the agility equipment.

September 12, 2023

Abbey has arrived at Kamp and boy does she love running in the yard!

Abbey is doing exceptionally well for only being at Kamp for a few days.  She is a very sweet, and happy girl and just loves everyone.  She’s made a number of doggy friends and loves running and splashing in the pool with them. It’s hard to tell what her favorite thing to do; Playing with her new friends or playing in the pool!