Molly #28 Chocolate Labrador Female 1 Yr Old ID#3133 & Arthur #2 Yellow Labrador Male 1 Yr Old ID#3184

Meet Molly and Arthur!  They are a bonded pair of 1 year old Labradors that came into Brookline’s care after they were abandoned by their owner, and rescued by some Good Samaritans.  Because their caretakers had multiple resident dogs of their own, the pair were put up temporarily at a workshop and spent most of their days alone with only each other for company.  Please read their blog from the bottom up to learn more about this sweet couple.

March 29, 2023

Well, these pups have had quite the two weeks. After getting their spay and neuter surgeries on separate days, they both had to be without the other for a while and stay calm during their recoveries. Surprisingly, their bond with their foster mom and foster sister, Ginny, gave them the courage to be separated during that time. They have been thriving at their foster home; learning what it means to live in a house with love and sometimes unexpected action that could be a bit scary (vacuuming, sweeping, laundry, etc.). They seem to appreciate the swiffer, just looking at it and moving out of the way when necessary. They find strength in each other and when they sit on top of their foster mom. With the rainfall the past week, their foster mom and dad were unsure of how they would be- but to them, running in the rain is fun and gives them even more energy. Unfortunately, their foster parents had to limit that fun because they were still healing. Arthur has realized that he can jump over the back of the couch, no matter how hard his foster parents try to stop him. Because of that, he’s had to work extra hard to be calm and heal. Both Molly and Arthur went to the vet last week for a checkup and post-surgery follow up and did incredibly well. They were very nervous being around new people, but were very proud to hear how white their teeth are and how much everyone loved them. They are still learning to trust that a car-ride doesn’t mean never returning home, though. Molly comforts Arthur and they cuddle on top of each other to provide support. Brittany and Ross are planning on taking them on a few more rides around the neighborhood so they can learn to trust the car a bit more. While the pups have had a couple of accidents in the house, they are mainly human error. When accidents have occurred, they have been on the pads Brittany has put down, but mostly they try and hold it to go outside.They are very attached to their foster mom, Brittany, and are wary of Ross, but that relationship is getting better every day (not to mention Molly sleeps right next to his head and Arthur is cuddled up against him every night). They are cautious, understandably so, but they have so much love to give.

March 11, 2023

To say the last few days have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Molly and Arthur’s foster parents, Brittany and Ross had a lot of unexpected and urgent things that came up, but the whole dog household took everything in stride. “Molly and Arthur” are fast becoming “Molly, Ginny, and Arthur” with foster sister, Bella, keeping everyone in line. Ginny is incredibly happy to have siblings to play with and Molly and Arthur are more than happy to oblige. Here is a video of the four of them playing.

Arthur is finally coming out of his shell a bit and really likes the sound of his deep bark. He loves letting everyone know he’s ready to play by giving a short “woof.”Molly is learning about the neighborhood from Ginny – when to bark to prevent intruders, how to make sure the birds stay away from their yard, and how to play. While it was a bit rocky between the two females to start, they have quickly become great friends. You can see more of that in the photos and video below!

Both Arthur and Molly are huge cuddle bugs. Molly takes any chance she can to lay on you, especially at your head. She loves laying on her foster mom’s head and pillow while hugging her with her paws. Arthur alternates from laying right next to them and laying at their feet. They are adjusting very well to living in a house. Both fortunately and unfortunately, all of the dogs have decided to keep Brittany and Ross’ bed as theirs at night. Luckily, they’ve figured out a nice configuration so that everyone is (somewhat) comfy. Both Arthur and Molly sleep through the night, unless Brittany gets up to go to the bathroom – then they have to follow her.

Arthur is still working on potty training and struggles to hold it when he has been sleeping for a while. Brittany has figured out that if he gets out of bed and she brings him down right away to go outside, he holds it until he gets outside. There have only been a few accidents for Arthur, but they are few and far between after figuring out this bit of information. Molly has been an angel with no accidents.

Arthur initially was very wary about coming inside every time they went out. He would not go inside unless everyone else was in, so no one was behind him. We’re excited to report that he seems to come in with ease now. Molly is less skittish and very curious. Overall, they love being loved and they love everyone that shows them love.Molly and Arthur are also proud to report that they have learned “sit” and the treats that follow the word!! They get very excited when treats are involved and tend to invade everyone’s space, so Brittany and Ross are working on “off.” Their progress is outstanding and they are such amazing beings. We are fortunate to have them in our lives.

March 6, 2023

Night two and day three have been very similar to night one and day two for Molly and Arthur. With the one exception that Molly was an escape artist and managed to climb over the pen after expressing her distaste with being left alone when Ross, Brittany, and their foster sisters went to bed. Luckily her foster parents were watching on their ring camera and came downstairs. Arthur was very distraught when Molly made it to the other side, but once they were united, all was well.

Their foster parents did end up having to resort to plan B, which included 4 dogs, 2 adults, and 1 bed. Even with their beds as an option, the human bed was much more preferred. Molly slept cuddled up to Brittany’s head the whole night, while Arthur slept in between Brittany and Ross with his legs up in the air.Today, they spent all day playing outside in the beautiful weather and then snuggling on the couch. Here is a video of the fun they’re having!

Tonight has been a lot of napping and cuddling. They truly are some of the most well tempered pups. We’re looking forward to seeing them come even more out of their shell.

March 5, 2023

Molly and Arthur had a big and exhausting day yesterday! It started out with a 40 minute car ride to their new foster home.  Both of them rode really well in the car and didn’t make a peep in the back seat. 

After meeting their foster family, which includes a 2.5 year old black lab, Ginny (a Brookline alum!), her sister, 10 year old Maltese, Bella, and their parents, Brittany and Ross, they had a lot of adjusting and adapting to do. After being abandoned by their first home and then spending so much time alone for 20 hours a day, Molly and Arthur took a little bit of time to warm up to their new surroundings.  They loved exploring the back yard, and chasing after the ball and each other.

To make it a little easier, we gave them a safe space with new fluffy beds and a bunch of toys and water. They cozied in almost immediately and cuddled on the same bed. We started with the door to their pen closed, just because Ginny, was still getting used to having them in the house. After about 20 minutes, and with Ginny’s begging (she sat by the pen door, cried, and put her paw on it asking them to come out), we opened the door so everyone could wander.

Since they have not lived in a home before, they were very intrigued by all of the fun things inside; most importantly, the television. The magic picture/sound box has been fascinating and we all enjoy watching tv together.

We fed them all with absolutely no issues. Both dogs seem very relaxed with no resource guarding. Brittany was able to put her hand in the bowl, take food out, and hand feed them. Here’s a video of them after they were fed and getting ready for sleep!

The hardest part was going upstairs to sleep while Molly and Arthur stayed in the pen. They were upset at first because all of their new friends disappeared, but quickly settled in and went to bed. Although they didn’t know that their foster parents set up a camera to keep an eye on them.

They woke up around 6am and played with their toys until we came down to let them out.

After our first two times playing outside, Ginny, Arthur, and Molly started playing chase and are now all fully exhausted.Molly and Arthur are also incredibly happy to report that as of now, they have been accident free! They certainly seem to understand that outside is where they need to go.

Sometimes they are hesitant to come back inside, thinking they are not allowed, but once they realize it is ok, they are in and happy.