Biscuit #7 Fox Red Labrador Retriever Male 6 Years Old ID #3569

Handsome Biscuit joined the rescue today!

Biscuit came to Brookline Lab Rescue from a shelter in South Jersey, where he had spent over two months living in a kennel after being found as a stray. After all that time in the shelter, he was clearly ready to get out and start fresh. Now he’s adjusting to a very different life—living in a city apartment with me as his foster dad. Please the blog bottom to top.

March 21, 2026

We kicked off the week with a little celebration—here’s Biscuit in his Saint Patrick’s Day outfit, fully embracing his Irish alter ego. He also enjoyed a special holiday dinner with a little extra: corned beef brisket, steamed cabbage, and carrots. Safe to say, Biscuit O’Toole approved of the menu. ☘️

It’s officially been one week since Biscuit came to Brookline Lab Rescue and made the jump from a South Jersey shelter to city life—and he’s making some really great progress.

Training Progress: Smart and Willing

We’ve started doing some basic training sessions indoors, and Biscuit is picking things up quickly.

Right now, he’s already really solid on “sit” and “lay down”, and we’ve started working on “stay.” We keep training sessions short—about 5–10 minutes, twice a day—which seems to work well for him.

The routine is simple:

• Run through commands he already knows
• Reinforce with positive affirmation
• Introduce one new command at a time

He’s a quick learner and seems to genuinely enjoy the process. He’s also incredibly curious—he always wants to know what I’m doing and will often come over just to check in.

Case in point: he recently sat next to me, very invested, while I was getting a little too into the NCAA tournament.

Personality: Equal Parts Energy and Couch Potato

For all his energy outside, Biscuit is also a professional-level snoozer.

He loves to curl up right next to me, and within a minute or two, he’s out—usually accompanied by some soft snoring. It’s a pretty great off-switch to have.

Walking & Social Progress

We’ve made noticeable progress with walking as well.

He’s gotten much better with the front lead, and I no longer have to keep switching hands because he’s pulling so hard. My arms definitely appreciate that.

Even better—Biscuit had his first real dog meet-and-greet out in the wild, and it went really well.

We ran into an owner with two dogs (one being a “foster fail”), and they were happy to let the dogs meet. Biscuit handled it great:

• Excited sniffs
• Happy, appropriate interactions
• No negative behaviors

It’s a really encouraging sign.

We’re still focusing on low-stimulation walks—early mornings and evenings with less foot traffic and fewer cars—to help him continue adjusting and reduce reactivity. The goal is to build confidence first, then gradually introduce busier environments.

A Thoughtful, In-Tune Dog

One thing that’s becoming really noticeable is that Biscuit seems to have a surprisingly empathetic side.

If I yawn, he yawns.

If I let out a heavy sigh, he responds with one of his own—even if he’s half asleep.

It’s a small thing, but it says a lot about how tuned in he is to the people around him.

One Week In

After a week, Biscuit is showing us:

• He’s smart and eager to learn
• He’s affectionate and loves to be close
• He’s making real progress with walking and socialization
• And he’s got a mix of playful energy and couch potato charm

We’ll keep building on his training, continue structured introductions, and slowly expand his world as he gets more comfortable.

Safe to say—Biscuit is settling in nicely and continuing to show what a great dog he is becoming. 🐾

March 16, 2026

Settling In and Learning the City

A few more days into city life, and Biscuit continues to settle in.

The good news: the humping issue seems to have resolved after that one persistent encounter early on. It appears to have been part of the overstimulation from his big transition out of the shelter. I’ve noticed that when Biscuit gets overly stimulated, he can develop a bit of tunnel vision, but in calmer environments he’s actually pretty responsive and attentive.

Walking, however, will still be a work in progress. Biscuit has an incredibly strong nose. Sometimes he can smell another dog before they even come into sight, and when that happens, he gets very excited. Because of that, I’m planning some controlled introductions to help gauge his behavior around other dogs. I’m setting up a meet with a friend’s calm, older dog in a low-stimulation environment first. The plan is to start with a leash-on introduction, since that’s how most dog encounters happen in the city.

If that goes well, we’ll eventually test what off-leash play might look like in a fenced area. For now, leash manners and calm greetings are the priority. I’m intentionally avoiding dog parks until I understand his temperament better.

Bath Time… Round Two

When Biscuit arrived on day one, he went straight into the tub for a full bath without much debate. Now that he knows what’s coming… he’s much less enthusiastic. Today’s mission was simply washing his muddy paws after a walk, and he made it clear that bath time is not his favorite activity anymore.

Home Life

Inside the apartment, Biscuit has revealed his baseline setting. If I’m sitting still, he’s sound asleep and curled up right next to me. The moment I get up, though, he’s immediately following me from room to room like a shadow.

At one point this morning he even managed to almost lock me out of the house, which was impressive problem-solving on his part. Outside, Biscuit is clearly sensory-motivated—everything is about smells, sounds, and movement. Inside, he is very clearly food-motivated, which should help a lot with training.

Overall, he’s turning out to be a great dog. At this point there are really just three areas we’ll keep working on: Leash walking, Separation anxiety, Understanding how he does around dogs and children. Most of that will likely improve with time, structure, and continued decompression.

Signs He Came From a Home

One thing that stands out is that Biscuit does have some indoor manners. Once boundaries are set, he generally respects them, which suggests he probably lived in a home at some point before becoming a stray.

Also worth noting: his paws are huge. It almost looks like he still has some growing to do.

Biscuit’s Signature Moves

Biscuit has also developed a few signature quirks: When he knows we’re about to go outside, he does a little paw shuffle dance at the door. I’m hoping to capture it on video soon. He apparently runs in his sleep, which is both hilarious and slightly impressive.

Coat Update

The grooming and nutrition plan seem to be working. The massive shedding phase is finally over, and his coat is now down to a normal level of shedding. Even better, the dandruff and dry skin flakes have improved significantly.

Social Life and Dinner Plans

Tomorrow evening we’ll try that first leash-on dog introduction with a calmer, older dog to see how Biscuit handles it.

On the home front, he continues to show that he loves people. His instinct is to jump up and say hello at first, but we’re actively working on training that out of him.

Tonight’s dinner includes a little coho salmon and asparagus added to his regular meal for extra nutrition.

And tomorrow, since the Irish nickname has stuck…

Biscuit O’Toole will be celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day with a very appropriate meal of corned beef and cabbage.

More updates soon as Biscuit continues adjusting to life outside the kennel and discovering the world one walk—and one sniff—at a time. 🐾

March 15, 2026

Exploring the City

Biscuit had a good first night. He stayed in the bedroom and slept well, and he also did great in his crate while I ran out for groceries last night.

This morning, we went out for another two-hour walk. After spending so long cooped up in a kennel, he wants to sniff and investigate everything. He may need some formal leash training eventually, but right now it feels like he’s just excited to experience the world again.

With his energy level, I could definitely see him becoming a great running partner. I’m also planning to take him to some larger parks outside the city during the week to see how he does with more open space.

When we got back from our walk, Biscuit took on an important role as official smoothie taste tester. Morning smoothie ingredients approved by Biscuit: Banana, Frozen blueberries, Frozen strawberries. I may try to get a video of that later this week, although I’ll admit I’m no “arteest.”

After all that activity, we both attempted a midday nap. I definitely wore him out… although I’m not sure which of us was more tired.

The Great Undercoat Explosion. One thing is very clear so far. Biscuit sheds a lot. There are tufts of hair everywhere. I think he may have already shed my body weight in undercoat, even with all the brushing. The good news is that after the bath, brushing, and some good nutrition, his coat is already starting to look better. In the meantime, the washing machine is getting quite a workout.

A Possible TV Buddy Biscuit might also be a TV watcher. Tonight, I’m thinking of testing his viewing preferences. The options are: Bluey (animal-friendly programming)

Or Jurassic Park (going all in) We’ll see which one holds his attention.

Stay Tuned

After just two days, Biscuit has already shown me:

• A huge personality
• Endless energy
• A love for long walks and snacks
• And the ability to fall asleep instantly once he finally slows down

Now that he’s out of the shelter and settling into life in the city, I’m looking forward to seeing his personality continue to emerge.

More updates on Biscuit coming soon.

March 14, 2026

Shelter life took a bit of a toll on him. Biscuit lost some weight from kennel stress, and his coat is very dry and covered in dandruff. But despite all that, he walked into the apartment ready to go.

And by ready to go… I mean like a hurricane.

High energy is an understatement! Biscuit came in with enthusiasm for everything. After settling in, I gave him a bath and a good brushing, which pulled out what felt like a mountain of shedding undercoat. His dandruff is pretty intense right now, so he’ll be getting omega supplements, and I’m planning to cook some salmon and add the skin and oil to his food to help his coat recover.  I’m also pretty sure he has worms, so I’m working on getting that taken care of.

He’s certainly a fun dog, though.

He also showed a pretty enthusiastic humping habit, which I’m hoping to correct as he settles down. It may just be overstimulation from all the excitement and brushing.

To help burn off some of that energy, we headed out for a two-hour walk, which definitely helped. He was still moving pretty well afterward though… which made me wonder: Are we sure he’s six? Later we took a 4–5 mile walk to Fairmount Park, followed by a stop at the pet store to pick up treats and some dewormer.

After all that activity, Biscuit finally gave me the classic look of a dog who is completely wiped out.…and then passed out about a minute later.

I’m also thinking he might need a proper Irish nickname: Biscuit O’Malley or Biscuit O’Toole. He’s a red Irish lad who was scooped up right around Saint Patrick’s Day, so it feels appropriate.