Dakota #14 Black Labrador Mix Male 2 Years Old ID#3291

Dakota #14 Black Labrador Mix Male 2 Years Old ID#3291

Meet Dakota! Dakota is a handsome 2 year old Labrador Mix. Life for this young boy has not been easy. He was found stray and underweight in a rural area in AR where dogs are routinely dumped and left to fend for themselves. He was taken into foster care by Monticello Second Chance Furdogs Rescue but loving, indoor homes are hard to find in that area and the rescue reached out to Brookline to help rehome this sweet boy. Dakota is now in a Brookline foster home.  Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about him.

October 8, 2026

Dakota has been with us for a couple of weeks now and has really settled into our routine. ❤️

He is still sleeping in his crate at night with our two dogs in the same room and doesn’t make a sound all night!

He enjoys going into his crate himself for a nap, or at other times we find him curled up somewhere enjoying some alone time. 

He is becoming much more comfortable and no longer feels the need to follow us around all the time.

He loves running off the deck to chase the squirrels and then standing under the tree, staring up at them every time they manage to escape him! 🐿️

Dakota  also loves his morning walk with Mark. As soon as Mark comes into the kitchen to make his cup of tea, Dakota sits right by his knee and gazes up at him. Needless to say, there have been quite a few cold cups of tea left sitting on the counter! 😂☕️

Dakota met lots of Brookline dogs and volunteers at the Fall picnic and was very easygoing! He enjoyed all the attention and, of course, some extra treats. 🐾❤️He’s  a great passenger in the van. He settles comfortably on the seat or  enjoys looking out the window as he takes in the sights. 🚐💕 We took him for a walk in the park, which he absolutely loved.

Dakota wasn’t fazed at all by other dogs barking at him as we passed.

In fact, when we walked by the dog park, the dogs inside were barking and chasing each other, but several of them quietly came over to say hello to Dakota through the fence as we walked past.

Dakota is still doing well when we leave him crated in a room with our dogs while we go out for a few hours. ❤️

He’s also getting better at not being quite so excited when we return. Definitely a work in progress, but he’s learning. He just loves everybody! 🐾💕

September 29, 2026

Dakota is back in Brookline foster care. Dakota was matched with an adoptive family and traveled up from Arkansas to meet his new family.

During his extended pre-adopt periord, his matched family worked hard to help Dakota overcome some anxiety when left alone, which proved difficult for them because their home shares a wall with a neighbor so they were very sensitive to noise. 

Last week, we brought Dakota into our foster home to better understand his needs. We quickly saw that he does very well when he has the companionship of other dogs. When left at home with our resident dogs, he settles and shows no signs of distress.

In his original foster home in the Arkansas, Dakota lived with many other dogs and so was never alone. It appears his anxiety  occurs when he is the only dog in the home.

During a regular day with us Dakota is a very easygoing, sweet, and affectionate boy.He’s happy to lounge around and snooze for much of the day, content to relax until it’s time for a walk or some activity.

Here Dakota sleeps at night in a crate in the same room as our dogs. In his pre adopt home he slept on a dog bed in their bedroom.

We are just getting him comfortable with the crate so he has that skill if needed in the future, and he is settling in nicely, often if you can’t find him he has gone into his crate to snooze.

Dakota enjoys going for walks and walks nicely out ahead of you on leash.

 He will happily march along in a straight line when he’s walking somewhere he has been before so it’s boring to him, in new areas he enjoys stopping to sniff and take everything in. 

When he sees people, he tends to pause and watch them with curiosity, he does jump up still when greeting people so we are working on that. If something more exciting catches his attention—like a squirrel—he can be easily redirected.He does not show much interest in dog toys just yet, but he is starting to get the hang of treat-based toys and puzzles. If a toy is proving too difficult he has no reaction to one of our dogs swooping in to solve it.

Dakota would do best in a home with at least one other dog for times when his people leave the house, he is happiest having a companion or two and a cozy spot to snooze next to his family.

August 26, 2026

Dakota was heartworm positive when he was found but has gone through heartworm treatment and recently tested negative and is now ready to find his forever home.Dakota is good with dogs and cats and has been living inside of a home while in foster care in AR.

His foster in AR has 15+ dogs in her care ranging in age from puppies to older dogs, all different breeds and sizes.

Dakota will play chase with other dogs but tends to be independent and do his own thing and peacefully co-exists with them all.

He isn’t a fan of puppies getting too rowdy in his face, but is always ready for a puppy snuggle.Dakota loves being with his people and getting pets and settles well inside. He’s working on getting better with his initial “Hello” when his people get home from work. He just is so excited to see his peeps again so we are recommending 5+ year old children just strictly for knockdown factor while he learns how to properly greet his new family.  After the initial Hello, and some redirection with food, toys or just a bunch of loving, Dakota is calm and easy going and keeps close to his people.Dakota walks well on a leash and has done well with unknown dogs, though he did get excited to see them, on his visits to the vet. He is good around other dogs when it comes to meal time, and prefers to lay down to eat… Silly boy!