Athena #3 Yellow Labrador Retriever Female 10 Months Old ID #3564

Athena #3 is now available please read her PetFinder post https://www.petfinder.com/dog/athena-79287131/pa/warrington/brookline-labrador-rescue-pa06/

November 7, 2025

What a difference a few days make!  Athena continues to thrive and show her skills. But mostly, she continues to be such a sweet girl and easy houseguest.  She fits right in with the resident dogs and gets along with them so well.

Athena’s leash walking gets better every day.  She barks less frequently and immediately looks at FM when she starts to think about whether she should bark.  She doesn’t pull or lunge, she just is unsure.  As the walk started, a dog went by and she didn’t even flinch. Then, she saw one of the neighborhood teens playing basketball and she decided she should catch the ball.  Little did she realize that she couldn’t fit it in her mouth but it was so funny to watch!  Athena met other neighbors as she went along and got lots of pets and compliments from them.  She was a sweet girl.

The resident dogs were out for a bit today, so FM got to spend some one-on-one time with Athena.  She was fine without the resident dogs and kept FM good company.

Athena showed her fleet feet as she played fetch. Athena plays fetch  It was nice to see her just being a dog and enjoying herself.

Then she showed her mental abilities by learning “front” and “heel” within a matter of minutes.  She already sits and waits for meals and treats.  She has learned so much in such a short time.  To cap off her time with FM, Athena enjoyed a puzzle full of treats and figured it out in just a few minutes.

Athena has proven herself a great work from home buddy.  She either lays in one of the dog beds, or under FM’s desk.

She is laid back and easy going.  Athena had a bath and seemed to like the warm water and soapy massage.  Considering she is only ten months old, she really is something special.

Right now, she is curled up next to FM on the couch, which is where she spends most evenings.  She just loves to be loved.

November 4, 2025

What a whirlwind week!  Athena’s personality sparkles and her superpowers are becoming more apparent.  Don’t let that sweet face fool you – she’s super smart and isn’t afraid to show FM whenever she can.

While mere mortals were readying for Halloween, Athena was strategizing about how she could get closer to FM and, of course, all the toys.

She looks cute as a flower and loves to be goofy, but showed her prowess as she commandeered the space near FM on the couch.

Next, her battle plan was to put all of the toys there so she could lay on them, preventing the resident dogs from getting to them.  Lucky for her, the resident dogs are good at sharing or she’d be retreating quickly.

The trip to the vet this past week proved to be her Achille’s heel.  While Athena doesn’t mind a car ride, she gets a little motion sickness.  She’ll probably outgrow it, but lesson learned.  The visit also highlighted some of her skittishness – Athena barks at new dogs and new people when she is nervous; but she’s working on that well.   Other than that, she was such a good girl and she gained two pounds!

Athena is getting better on a leash, too.  She doesn’t pull, even when she sees a squirrel. She does however stop – even when the resident dogs are still going.  So, FM decided that a treat or two would work to get her going again.  Once Athena learned that she would get a treat when she stopped, she stopped quite a bit.  Smart girl. So, now we are working on going when FM says she is a good girl.  That’s working.  The same holds true for when she starts to bark at a new dog or person.  Athena has quickly learned that “look at me” is FM’s way of redirecting her so she now automatically looks at FM when something new comes along.  Smart girl.  She knows to sit for her meals and her treats and even learned “wait” before she can move.  Smart girl.  Athena knows automatically to go into the crate at bed time and when FM is getting ready in the morning.  Smart girl all around.

Now that Athena’s restrictions from her spay are lifted, she and the resident dogs race around the yard and play hard.  She is fast! Today, FM learned that Athena even knows how to play fetch.  She is full of surprises. Stay tuned to see how much more Athena teaches FM and the resident dogs!

October 28, 2025

Meet Brookline’s newest goddess, Athena!  Unlike her mythical namesake who was sprung from Zeus’s head, this sweet girl was sprung from an abandoned apartment with her sister, Aphrodite.  And while her sister may be named after the goddess of love and beauty, Athena possess all of those qualities and more!

This little warrior made herself right at home the second she set foot in the house.  Fearless and poised, she met the resident dogs and acted as if she had known them her whole life. Of course, she instantly wanted to play and run around with them but she still has restrictions from her spay. Clever girl that she is, she quickly found a way to play without running around.

Athena knows her name well and comes when called.  She knows “sit” and “walk” and will be working on other commands.  We are also working on leash training as it doesn’t seem she has spent much time on that.  Luckily, Athena knows to go in the crate when told and sleeps through the night.  Stairs were also new to her but, true to her name, she figured it out in no time.

It seems that Athena may not have had many toys before.  She discovered the toy bin in no time and removed all of the chew toys before anyone could stop her.  The toys all ended up in one of the dog beds which she then claimed as her own.  When she’s not playing with toys, Athena loves to snuggle, always touching FM or one of the dogs. She doesn’t like to let FM out of her sight, which is understandable, but at the same time, she is independent enough to explore on her own. Stairs were also new to her but, true to her name, she figured it out in no time.

FM can’t wait until Athena is fully healed and able to run and play in the yard.  She just wants to have fun, and she so deserves it.