Fawkes Chocolate Labrador Retriever Mix Male 1 Year Old #3620

Meet Fawkes!  At just 1 year old, this poor boy was brought to a city shelter by his owners and was 3 hours away from euthanasia when a volunteer at the shelter who is also a Brookline foster stepped up to save him.  Please read Fawkes blog from the bottom up to learn more about him while in foster care.

October 5, 2025

Fawkes here,It’s been awhile since I checked in because I had to stay at a kennel for almost two weeks while my foster parents did a housing renovation/repair. Being around so many dogs and so much noise really stressed me out. I’ve been redoing some of my decompression since I’ve been home since I wasn’t my usual self. A stressed out Fawkes looks like me running around and barking, not playing with toys or engaging in affection, and being on edge for any dog noises or sightings. However, with some proper shut eye and string cheese, my tail has started wagging again and I am able to fully engage with my foster parents on our solo dog walks while we pass by other dogs. Sometimes these other dogs are even barking their heads off at me, but I focus on my cheese and do a “down,” “sit,” or “stay” as I am asked. I am very cheese motivated and eager to please. I have started to play again and I love playing with a deflated soccer ball in the yard. I either fetch it or play tug with it. By the way, it was I who managed to deflate this soccer ball and defeat it once and for all.

Despite having the opposite of a foot fetish (a foot phobia perhaps), I really like playing with the soccer ball. I appreciate all the handballs my foster mom commits just so she can play with me. My muzzle has worn some scabs on my snout, so my foster mom wants to speak with a vet about medication that might help me chill out a bit more so I can forge healthy relationships with other dogs. But when it comes to humans, I am affectionate and playful and a very smart cookie.

I still have some growth ahead of me, but I am on my way!

Love,

Fawkes-y

September 4, 2025

Hi Brookline!

It’s been a minute since I last checked in. Pretty much my first handful of weeks in my foster home was spent trying to recover from pneumovirus. I was sick for a longggg time and didn’t have many exciting updates.

Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been showing off what a smart, loving dog I am. I cuddle with my foster parents all the time, solicit belly rubs, play fetch, and do all my doggy training perfectly. I know sit, down, touch, Fawkes, stay, and leave it. I still don’t like when people point to things with their feet, but that’s pretty much my only behavioral quirk at this point. At least with humans. My tail pretty much wags non-stop when I’m with my foster parents, I’m having such a good time.

My dog interactions need work. I might always be better off in a single dog home (I promise to love my future family so big, they won’t even think of needing another dog), but I’m still going through the process of getting to know my foster bros. My dog interactions are where I show off my lingering insecurity. Right now,

I’m muzzled for all my dog meets. My foster bros and I do a daily playgroup. My foster parents say that I act like a playground bully and that’s why my foster bros don’t want to play with me, but no one ever taught me how to play safely with other dogs. And we all know that bullies on the outside are hurting on the inside. However, my foster parents feel confident that with the steep upward trajectory I had with my human interactions, it’s just a matter of time before I start to love hanging out with my foster bros. My biggest area of improvement is pack walks – I was a nervous walker to begin with (but I’m better now) and adding other dogs to the mix makes my walks tense again. But this is exposure therapy, right?! And my foster bros are offering me a lot of patience as I grow here.

I know all that sounds tough, but at my baseline I’m pretty happy. Happier than I was for sure. I saw horses and donkeys the other day. That was pretty cool. I’m a very smart dog so I like to have things to think about. My foster parents like to keep their dogs pretty active and I really enjoy that pace.

Here are some pics from my recent days:

-me meeting some horses and donkeys

-me checking in with my foster mom to see if she still loves me and wants to cuddle (she did)

-me dragging my Brookline blanket out to make a nest

-me snuggling in said nest

Love,

Fawkes-y

August 13, 2025

Fawkes checking in with an impromptu update!

I got my care package!! My foster mom thought I looked super handsome in my superhero bandana and said I should show everyone so here I am!

August 9, 2025

Fawkes checking in for week one of my second chance 

I’m still on the mend. I still have a hacking cough and sneeze a lot but I am less congested. My appetite is still poor – and my foster parents think some of my past trauma revolves around feeding time as I seem to get very nervous. My foster dad feeds me by hand because my foster mom seems to be a trigger for me at feeding time, especially since she likes to point to things with her foot. So now, she stays in the room while I’m being fed and gives me a high value treats for whenever I’m calm. Unfortunately, I’m a very smart boy and I’ve started spitting out my medication despite my foster parents hiding it in cheese, pumpkin, peanut butter, and even Farmer’s Dog meals. My foster mom thinks the medication might be hurting my stomach.

In happier news, I am otherwise a very good boy! I get rewarded with cheese whenever I pee on walks, “leave it”, or ignore another dog when I’m on a walk. I like playing with the wobble ball my foster bros have in the backyard. Today, I played with the water hose for almost an hour and loved getting toweled off! Even though I was getting short of breath while I was playing, I was having too much fun to stop. I am a goofy, happy pup when I’m having fun.

August 5, 2025

Fawkes here ~

I had to see the vet yesterday and let me tell you, I did not have a good time. The vet started me on medicine, which made my time even worser but I should start feeling better in a week or two. The vet said I have the “ACCT bug” and my only way out is through it. Ugh. I’m still sleeping a lot and haven’t worked up much of an appetite for food or play. Except for cheese! I’ll take cheese day or night.

My foster parents said once I feel better, we can go to a place called “Doggy Beach” to find out if I like swimming. But for now, my days consist of rest, walks, and snuggling with my stuffed chicken. I can get excited when I see other people or dogs on my walks but I’m highly cheese motivated which is making training me a breeze. I had to spend a lot of time alone in my previous life. My foster parents say this makes me independent, quiet, and I self soothe quickly. I didn’t have any reaction to the vacuum, even though my foster mom thought I looked a little scared. She said she can teach me how to come get some comfort when I’m feeling scared or alone. That sounds like a nice training lesson that I would like very much.

Night night Brookline, I need to rest now.

Fawkes-y

August 4, 2025

Fawkes checking in for Day 2 of my new life.

Well, things are not going as I hoped. I had so many plans for today – sights to see, smells to smell, walks to walk. Alas, I spent a lot of my second day sleeping, blowing snot bubbles, and having some difficulty breathing. I did not want to eat despite my foster parents trying to tempt me with some of favorites – chicken broth and cheese. I landed myself in the isolation ward of Blue Pearl Conshy. Despite not feeling well, I lit up every time my foster parents took me outside, cuddled me, or called me a good boy. I definitely just wanted to snuggle today and have some help feeling better. I’m curious and cautious with new sights and smells. My foster parents don’t think I’ve been properly exercised in my past, but they say I walk well on my leash. They think that over time, walks will become my favorite thing. The resident dogs howled to me some plans about teaching me how to do pack walks. I do really love to be outside and going outside, so I’m looking forward to when I’m not sick and can hang out with my foster bros.

Even though I spent three hours at the ER, I didn’t get seen! My foster parents ended up taking me home because they didn’t want me thinking I had been left at another shelter. The good news is that I am medically stable. After spending three hours alone again, I was starting to question if I had been left. Imagine my relief when one of the nurses walked me outside and my foster parents were there calling my name!! I erupted into full body wiggles as I zig zagged down the sidewalk to them. Then they said the magic words, “come on Fawkes, let’s go home” and I started smiling. I have a home! Maybe not my forever home but it sure beats being a homeless shelter dog.

When I got home, I decided to eat half of my breakfast like my foster parents wanted me to. They said that even though I’m a little sausage-y, not eating isn’t how they want me to lose weight. It sounds like I’m going to have to go to the vet in the next few days, which is a bummer. But when I drifted off to sleep after such an exhausting day, I was still thinking about that magic word…”home”. A pup can dream, right?

Fawkes out

August 3, 2025

Hello! Fawkes here, Brookline’s very first soon to be adoptable phoenix.Let me tell you about how Brookline came to have a phoenix. But buckle up because my story is quite sad and it hurts a bit to remember.

My former owners surrendered me to ACCT Philly.  They didn’t want to keep me and thought that I wasn’t a good boy.

But then the most amazing thing happened. Volunteers inside ACCT and inside Brookline started pushing for me. They really fought for me. They showed what a good dog I was. Three hours before they would proceed with my euthanasia, Brookline pulled me to safety. I went home with my new foster parents whom I had already met as volunteers at ACCT.

So how did I become a phoenix? Well, Hawk died on August 2nd, like his former owners wanted him to. But just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I am Fawkes and I am here to stay (and play!)I do have moments of sadness remembering my days before but it’s really about remembering how lonely I was. Let me tell you about the things that have been making me happy since I’ve found a new life.

First of all, I have a stuffed chicken and I LOVE MY STUFFED CHICKEN!! My foster parents said that I am also a bit of chicken so I definitely feel seen by my stuffed chicken. I love water. I left my foster parents a giant poop right by the door that they stepped in when they let me outside in the morning. I slept quietly my first night but I was also stealthily planting poop bombs and my foster mom fell right into my trap. To wash off her foot, she had to get the hose and all the little details of my plan clicked into place. I LOVE HOSES. I was eating that water left and right, not allowing a single drop to clean my foster mom’s feet!! And then I got toweled off and I love how the towel feels on my face, it’s soooo nice. I will probably be planting more poop bombs.

I’m not much of a barker, but I do howl a little when I’m feeling alone. But one of my foster brothers, a husky, howls back! Then I feel less alone even if the neighbors are a little spooked hearing a dog pack howling together in the night. I can’t wait to meet him.

Other than that, I might have caught a doggy cold during my time at the shelter. I’m not feeling 100% and I’m not eating my meals. But I sure am glad to be here and I am so grateful to Brookline for giving me life.

Okay. Fawkes out (for now)