Lakota Labrador Retriever Female 6 Months Old ID #3603

Lakota came to Brookline on January 4 as an owner surrender.  She lived with a smaller dog who wasn’t fond of Lakota’s size.  The owners kept the two dogs separated both inside the house and while outside in the yard.  The family was not able to walk Lakota due to some physical limitations.  It was a hard decision to surrender Lakota, but they felt like they were doing the best thing for the sake of both dogs. Please read the blog posts from bottom to top.

January 8, 2026

Lakota had another good night of sleep in the crate last night.  She needs to be coaxed inside with treats, but settles quickly once inside.

Lakota happily played in our neighbor’s yard again and then got to meet their Brookline Foster.  Their foster is a pretty chill breeder mama.  Lakota did most of the sniffing when they were introduced.  Neither of the dogs barked or growled, so it was a great first meeting.  Tomorrow we are going to introduce Lakota to some of the more active and opinionated dogs in the house. I was happy to see that she enjoys being around other dogs!

After our play time, we headed to the gas station.  Lakota enjoys car rides & I was curious to see how she would react toward all of the people pumping gas.  Guess what she did… nothing!  She didn’t bark or try to stick her nose out the window, and she didn’t run around in the car.  She was happy to sit nicely and take it all in!

Lakota is napping next to me on the floor as I type.  She is slowly learning to take breaks and entertain herself with toys.  She enjoys chewing on all types of bones and Kongs filled with spray cheese.  She’s a pretty fast eater, so I have been using the snuffle mat when feeding her.

Tomorrow I am heading to puppy school. You read that right; I am heading there.  The first week is mostly talking and logistics, so Lakota will stay at home while I learn the ropes.  Next week is her big chance to go to school!

January 7, 2026

Lakota came to our house full of spunk! She is a typical puppy who wants to play, steal remotes, eat shoes, counter surf and beg for attention!  But oh, how quickly she is learning to follow the rules!  Prior to coming to our house, Lakota was not crate trained.  48 hours later she slept in her crate from 11:00 PM -7:00 AM without making a peep! Previously, Lakota was able to freely go in and out of the house through a doggy door. She had some accidents upon arriving, but now she is accident free!  She’s an A+ pup!

We have been enjoying getting to know this brown eyed beauty.  She likes going on long walks and chasing balls in our neighbors fenced in yard.  She will drop the ball for a treat, and sometimes for a compliment and a good scratch. Soon, she will get to meet one of the neighbor dogs (a Brookline alum)!

Lakota is interested in squirrels. She pulls to look at them when we walk.  We switched her to a gentle leader or a harness and this helps with the pulling. There are so many puppy rules that Lakota will need to figure out. But rest assured, she’s a quick learner and she will be the best girl in no time!