Brooklyn Chocolate Labrador Retriever Male 1.5 Years Old ID #2627

chocolate labrador retriever

This handsome, young boy was found wandering the streets of Brooklyn, NY.  Luckily, he was found by a vet who asked one of her clients for rescue recommendations.   This client just happened to be a reputable Labrador Retriever breeder who was familiar with Brookline’s work. Thanks to the recommendation, Brooklyn is now looking for his forever family. Please read his foster blog from the bottom up.

May 15, 2020

Brooklyn was just neutered.  He is supposed to be kept quiet for two weeks – no running, jumping or playing.  Therefore, Canine Kamp is withholding toys to keep his activity low.  Brooklyn seems to have other plans.  Check out how resourceful this guy is!  Yes – that’s a rock!!

May 11, 2020

Brooklyn is a hit at his new residence – Canine Kamp.  It turns out that he definitely doesn’t like the energy and audio level of kids, so he moved to a much quieter residence with only adults, and he is loving it!  He continues to thrive on love and attention, really wants to please, and is a quick study.  He learned within a matter of minutes what “drop” means, and is working on waiting patiently for the ball to be thrown again.  That’s a tough one for him, as he LOVES his ball!  He is also working on crate training, and making great strides.  He is just such a happy, loving guy!

chocolate labrador retriever

He definitely gets super excited when outside, and most definitely needs consistent daily exercise to settle.  The old adage, “a tired dog is a good dog” is very true of this handsome dude.

chocolate labrador retrieverOnce he learns a few more doggy manners, he will be available.  Stay tuned.

chocolate labrador retriever

April 15, 2020

Brooklyn continues to do well here under quarantine, and we’re working as a family to boost his confidence. He is my shadow day, and night. He loves his walks so much, and ignores most dogs we see out on our walks. He looks so forward to eating too. His two favorite words are walk, and eat. They will stop him in his tracks, and he will start sliding all over the floor because he gets so excited. Brooklyn is a comedian, and has us in stitches all the time!

Unfortunately we haven’t seen much of a change with respect to his behavior around the kids. We’re being very cautious to not scare him, and haven’t had any incidents. A quiet home with no children is still advised, as well as a resident companion dog with a similar energy level. He loves playing with Ellie but they can get very rowdy at times.

Brooklyn is a silly love bug!  Here’s a quick video where I am asking him to sit, but he can’t help himself, and jumps on me instead lol.

 

March 28, 2020

chocolate labrador retrieverIt’s hard to believe this stinker has been with us for five weeks! He continues to slide all around our floors, follow us everywhere, and knock things over while stealing our hearts.

Brooklyn had another issue with my teenage daughter.  No biting or teeth bared but he was scared, and approached her in a way that made her feel very uncomfortable.  My daughter is okay, and realized that she scared him unintentionally. She came out of her room, and yelled something from the top of the stairs, and it startled him. Prior to quarantine, he was home with me all day, and it was much quieter. I think the noise level that comes with kids is overwhelming to him at times. A quiet home will likely be a good fit for him. He’s okay with the current situation most of the time.  I am getting a better understanding of some of his triggers so I can get ahead of them. The kids know he startles easily, and have been pretty great about respecting this. It’s impossible not to love this dog despite this. He is so, so sweet!chocolate labrador retrieverBrooklyn is very much a velcro dog. He won’t even go outside without Ellie, our resident dog.  When he does go out, he wants to come right back in to see me, and out to see her, and so on. Poor guy really needs a calm, and understanding owner, and a confident resident dog. We’re working daily on building confidence. I see improvements weekly. He has a nervous habit of licking his paw which is easily redirected with deer antlers. I keep a steady supply on hand, and he will chew for hours, and hours. We’ve seen a drop in the licking over the past few weeks but sometimes in the middle of the night, he will resort back to it. I offer him an antler, and he will chew until he falls asleep again.chocolate labrador retrieverThis boy loves his walks!! He is a dream to walk – no barking or reactivity or pulling (unless he sees a squirrel but not too much). We have been walking even more now that we’re in quarantine. He is always up for another walk! We recently discovered he loves apples! He even knows the word now (did I mention he’s super smart?) and will sit right away, and offer you his paw! I have never had a dog that loves apples as much as Brooklyn does!chocolate labrador retrieverHe was scheduled to be neutered this week but we are going to have to postpone for the time being. My oldest is still recovering from pneumonia, and her pediatrician has us all on strict orders. If anyone has interested families please let them know it may be a bit longer. He is worth the wait I promise! In the meantime, he will certainly benefit from a consistent routine with lots of love and encouragement.chocolate labrador retrieverI included some pictures of Brooklyn. He and Ellie are always together. She even has her arm on him in one picture, and is a wonderful mentor to him. They have adjusted to being their own little pack no that Gunnar is gone.  She has stepped up as the leader, and is making us proud.

March 17, 2020

chocolate labrador retriever

I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve updated. I have been trying to adjust to the new normal under quarantine with the kids and my husband home. So far so good, and the dogs love all the company!

Brooklyn is very much your typical young Lab in many ways. He is a bundle of energy, and loves to play with our resident dog Ellie. With Gunnar leaving, I wasn’t sure how the dogs would do without their leader, but they are doing beautifully. If Brooklyn gets too rough, Ellie offers corrections. They play day and night, and also take walks together. Brooklyn is not reactive at all on walks, but he is very interested in squirrels, and my neighbors cat! The Freedom Harness works really well for him. He loves, loves his walks, and we have taught him to sit patiently for his harness to be put on.

He is very sweet, and food motivated. He inhales his food, so we have moved to a bowl which allows him to eat slower. He also drinks his water, and puts his whole face into his bowl leaving a puddle everywhere : ) He gets so excited for treats, he has bubbles coming out of his mouth. He is very much a comedian, and has us laughing so much.

It’s hard to say since he was a stray, but I don’t believe Brooklyn spent a lot of time indoors. He still hasn’t quite gotten used to our wood floors. Every so often, he will just slide everywhere when he is excited. Also, he still doesn’t understand the concept of a dog bed. He prefers to sleep in bed with Gary and I, and still will try to lay on our heads! He will move down to our torso, but we have to move him every night.

He is very much a Velcro dog. He follows me everywhere – even into the shower which I found out the hard way hahaha! He lays on us, or Ellie at all times so I think he will benefit from a resident dog who is confident. He has a hard time giving eye contact, and we are working on restoring his confidence. He does not have separation anxiety, but will chew on things when we leave. We have tried the crate, but haven’t had a lot of success – he is very scared, and I don’t want to push it right now. Thankfully I was home a lot and now of course I am home all the time, but when we left we would try to clear anything out of the way likes shoes/lock the trash.

Brooklyn doesn’t like to cuddle with children.  Currently, my children have to refrain from giving him hugs because he has made it clear that hugs really make him nervous and unsure. Brooklyn has not bared his teeth or tried to bite but it was clear from his actions that he did not want hugs when my daughters tried. The girls have since backed off, and everything is okay between them. No more hugs indefinitely from the kids. Brooklyn would do best in an adult home or a home with older children.

Despite his nervousness with hugs, Brooklyn is impossible not to love! We adore this boy and he soaks up attention like a sponge. He is not aggressive whatsoever.  I suspect he just has some baggage that still needs to be worked through. He will likely need an experienced owner. Time will tell. We will continue to give Brooklyn a consistent routine, lots of exercise and love.

February 29, 2020

Well, Brooklyn is doing great. He is sweet, affectionate and eager to please. He is very much a bull in a china shop and his manners – while improving – need work. He gets along beautifully with our resident dog Ellie. They have similar energy levels, and are both very playful. They are as thick as thieves, and are often up to trouble with Gunnar jumping in occasionally to play or often times keep the two of them in line. Brooklyn seems content to have Gunnar be the alpha male, and is very submissive. Being part of this little pack has done wonders for his adjustment to our home.

chocolate labrador retriever
It’s hard to tell if Brooklyn lived indoors before because he’s not the most graceful inside, but he seems okay with steps yet unsure on our laminate floors. He loves the dogs and people of the house, and has gotten very used to sleeping in our bed – often times laying on my husband’s chest! He is a Velcro dog and is never more than two feet away from me or Gary when he is home from work.

He loves his walks and is doing really well with the Freedom Harness! I walk him with Ellie, and we go for about 45 minutes. He is a sniffer but not reactive. He pulls a bit, and is very interested in squirrels but he is easily corrected even without treats.

He went to visit the vet this week to schedule his neutering. The office fell in love with him – as soon as he meets anyone he instantly submits, and rolls on his back for belly pets. He is a sweet baby!

chocolate labrador retriever

February 23, 2020

Brooklyn was a bit of a challenge when he first came into our home, but I’m so happy gave him a chance to succeed because Brooklyn is doing beautifully! My kids are enjoying him so much. Brooklyn is a comedian!

He is your typical young Lab in every way. He is energetic, food motivated, sweet, and eager to please. We have already taught him paw and lay down. He no longer tackles you when you bring out food or treats. He has also discovered that a dog bed is much more comfortable than the hard wood floors. He gets along so well with Ellie and their energy levels are identical.  They play nonstop with Gunnar jumping in periodically to play or restore some order. He sleeps close to wherever Gunnar is. It’s usually the couch but lately Gunnar has been jumping into our bed, and I am powerless to say no to his cute face so Gary and I oblige. Last night Brooklyn joined him. Another face I can’t say no to. Thankfully we have a California King because between Gunnar, and Brooklyn that’s a lot of dog!

We are working on Brooklyn’s leash manners. Right now I’m using the Freedom Harness on him, and it’s going well. I’m walking him separately, and while distracted he is not reactive in the slightest. Just very curious. He is easily redirected with treats. As I mentioned, he is incredibly food motivated so this works in my favor. He is also mildly obsessed with balls. If you even pick up a tennis ball, he zones right in and loves to play catch. He has fit right into our family, and we are really enjoying fostering him.

February 20, 2020

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

It’s been a wild ride the last 24 hours with Brooklyn. It was a challenging night with Brooklyn barking through most of it, and the family not getting much sleep. He was pacing nonstop while out of his crate, and this continued through most of the morning too. Brooklyn was over exuberant with my two younger children, and didn’t realize his strength which added to the chaos.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

It was a wild scene here, and the only way we could get him to calm down was to get him outside this morning for play time with Gunnar and Ellie – mostly Ellie, Gunnar kind of supervises. I was grateful the dogs were getting along. Brooklyn was testing our other two dogs to see where he stood in the pack but Gunnar and Ellie corrected him several times. He seemed to have gotten the message and cut back on his annoying behaviors. Gunnar has an intimidating bark, and Ellie though small can hold her own when necessary.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

I was nervous to leave him when it was time to pick up the kids from school because of how he dislikes the crate. Well he showed me and somehow got out! When he greeted me at the door with Gunnar and Ellie, I thought, “oh no he’s eaten our furniture,” but I am happy to report no destruction or accidents!

 

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

Despite the bumpy start, he has calmed down significantly since around 4:00 pm. It’s pretty remarkable.  My husband, Gary, didn’t believe it was the same dog that he left this morning. He must be exhausted having stayed awake for close to 24 hours. Brooklyn is snoring at my feet as we speak which feels like a miracle compared to last night. He is sweet as can be. Looking forward to getting to know him!

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

Adopt Your New Best Friend!

PLEASE NOTE: While this Lab may not be available for adoption by the time you complete the adoption process, other great Labs are always finding their way into our Rescue.

If you are interested in adopting this Lab or any other Lab from our Rescue, please visit our Web site, www.brooklinelabrescue.org, for more information on our adoption process. If you need additional information about the adoption process or whether you are in our coverage area, please send an e-mail to our Rescue at info@brooklinelabrescue.org

Even if you are not ready to adopt, you can still help us help our Labs!

Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit volunteer organization funded entirely by donations. Donations are always needed to help with veterinary costs, transportation, and supplies for our dogs. For information on donating to BLRR please click here. https://brooklinelabrescue.org/get-involved/donate/ Donations are accepted via PayPal or you can mail a check to: Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue, P.O. Box 638, Warrington, PA 18976-0638