Philbin Yellow Labrador Retriever Male 2 Years Old #3819

Meet 2 year old sweetheart Philbin! This adorable boy was found as a stray and surrendered to a local municipal shelter in hopes that his owners would find him. After a month of waiting, Brookline has taken him into foster care where he is getting ready to find his new forever home. If you are interested in adopting a happy, goofy, loving and lovable yellow lab, please read this blog from the bottom up and follow his story!

May 31, 2026

Philbin has had a few fun days since our last update.

We gave him a chance to cool off in the wading pool, but aside from standing in the pool and trying to drink the spray from the hose, he wasn’t in the mood to lounge in the water.  He wasn’t shy about climbing in, though, so if you are hoping to adopt a water dog, I bet he will get the hang of swimming pretty easily.  He has the physique and energy of a great dock diver, so maybe he can learn that fun game.

Yesterday Phil made the drive with us to South Jersey to attend an official Brookline meet & greet at a Tractor Supply store.  He met a few very nice families who might apply to adopt him and we think he did a great job showing them what a sweet happy boy he is.  He also met fellow BLRR fosters Roman and Trila and while he was a bit too outgoing for both of them, he did listen to us and follow our corrections to give them their space.  He definitely loves meeting new dogs and will just need some more training on correct social interactions to dial back his enthusiasm a few notches.

He was very excited by the entire experience and was doing too much tugging at his leash at the start.  One of the other BLRR volunteers showed us a great trick with his leash to help FD stay in control.  She looped his leash under his rib cage and then back to where it met his collar, threading it underneath the latch and creating a secure “hug” around his ribs to make it harder for him to tug.  It was a huge success and really helped us keep his enthusiasm in the right place.  Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? (FD is the old dog in this scenario)

Here’s a photo of what it looked like:That secure leash came in handy when a customer came through with a pot bellied pig in a shopping cart.  Phil was super interested in meeting this big guy and FD was able to keep him from jumping up and also snapped a photo of their hello.  We all got a big kick out of it.When we returned home Philbin was pretty energized by the whole experience so we gave him some toy time to burn off some of that extra excitement.  He really loves playing with toys and even tried to “offer” them to his two foster sisters, but they find him a little over the top so he couldn’t get a game of tug or chase going all on his own.

Speaking of toys, there was a box on the porch when we got home from the event sent to Philbin by the amazing volunteers at Brookline.  One of the sweetest things our foster dogs experience each time we have one is a gift box from the rescue.  It has toys and balls and chews and treats and a special hand-made blanket for each of them to help them enjoy their foster time and to take with them to their new homes.  We want to send a huge thank you to the volunteers who create these boxes and mail them out to the foster dogs.  It’s a highlight of every foster experience for us!

Here’s Philbin exploring his box with the help of his foster sisters:

In addition to toys, balls, treats and chews, he got the cutest camping-themed blanket which we will use for his bed so that when he goes to his forever home he can take it with him and have a blanket that smells like his foster home, helping to ease his transition to a new home. As fun as it has been sharing our home with Philbin, we can tell that he is ready to find a family who will love him forever and ever.  We can’t wait to see him flourish with a new family filled with fun and love and happiness!  If you think you can provide Silly Phillie with that home, please apply to adopt him when he becomes available soon!

May 28, 2026

Phil continues to be a fun addition to our home after completing one week.

As a strapping young 2 year, old he can sometimes be a bit more enthusiastic and strong on the leash than is ideal, but we’re noticing  that he pulls on the leash most often when he is focused on sniffing smells in the grass.  When we steer him off the grass and onto pavement (we have a quiet neighborhood with few cars so we can safely try him out in the street some times), he picks his head up and slows down.  The lack of grass to smell seems to give his busy brain a break and he listens better to his people.We are also testing him on a harness which does seem to help him lower the intensity of his pulling. He shows no interest in or fear of passing cars and while he is always happy to meet people or new dogs, he doesn’t bark or agitate when we encounter them.  His adopters will need to be prepared to address his leash pulling (his one key behavior issue) with leash skill training and a strong handler until he gets the hang of it.  In just one week we’ve notice improvement, so we know he will get there with dedication and consistency.

Between walks and car trips (he’s great in the car!), he’s enjoying his time hanging out with us and following FD around everywhere.  There’s a bit of Velcro dog behavior happening, but it seems like it’s centered on affection and not fear of being apart.

He’s also displaying a love for toys and will entertain himself with play when we have some toy time.  Here’s a video of him with a stuffed penguin toy which he wanted to share with FD.

You might be looking at Phil’s photos and thinking that he has a unique look for a yellow lab.  While most yellow labs have dark eye colors, black or dark brown skin around their eyes and black lips and noses, Philbin has pink skin, lip  and nose coloration and light golden eyes.This coloration is know as “Dudley” and is a rare occurrence that comes from genetic markers in his parents.  We read up on it and have learned that many times a Dudley lab is the result of breeding a yellow lab with a chocolate lab where the two parents carried a recessive gene that results in a lack of black pigmentation in the puppy’s skin.  That results in a lab with a yellow coat but with the light eyes and pink skin that is normally seen in a chocolate lab.  There is no health issue related and is purely “cosmetic”.We think this uncommon coloring is both interesting and adorable.  Philbin wears it very well!  If you agree, come to the Meet & Greet at Tractor Supply in West Berlin NJ this Saturday and you can tell him how handsome he is in person between 11:30 and 1:00!

May 26, 2026

We’re now getting close to the 1 week mark with Philbin and are so happy to report that he continues to be a complete gentleman and such a good boy!

We took advantage of a few breaks in the rainy weather to take him to our local dog park where we let Phil burn off energy chasing tennis balls. He’s pretty good about running the ball back and releasing it for another throw, especially if you have a second ball ready to launch.  We took this video of him in action after he was already a bit tired out, but you can see how athletic he is.

We kept him in a dog run without any other pups since we don’t know his play style yet and wouldn’t want him to go overboard with another dog.  However, he met a few pups through the chain link fence and there was no sign of any dramatics.  He’s really a lovely friendly boy with all the people and pets he has met.

After getting his ya-yas out playing fetch, Phil discovered the pleasure of a soft dog bed and has now been napping in the bed when he’s feeling like a rest. He has been completely reliable with his house training with zero accidents.  Whomever owned this guy previously taught him well.

We are also trying out new dog toys and his favorites are the Kong branded chew toys.  He did a bit of rough chewing with some soft toys, but after a bit of stuffing-pulling he went back to the chew toys.

He has been super easy in the car and happily hops in and out whenever asked.  He enjoys putting his nose out the window when we give him a bit of breeze… such a classic lab!Today he joined us in a car ride and visit to a family member’s house and he behaved himself wonderfully for the whole day.  He sat on the porch with us in a relatively busy neighborhood and was so content just to hang out with us.  He watched cars, people and even other dogs pass by all afternoon with no reactions beyond observing it all.

Philbin is also now eating from a regular dog bowl and eats very calmly.  No need for a slow feeder for our boy!

This lovely boy is almost ready to graduate from foster care and will be looking for his forever family before we know it.

He will be making a visit to the Meet & Greet event in West Berlin NJ this coming Saturday so if you’re able to come out meet him, I guarantee that he will be very happy to meet you!

May 23, 2026

Philbin’s second full day as a Brookline foster was filled with fun and more sweetness from the big boy.  He has shown us that he is a very easy going lab and adjusted to our home so quickly that we felt he was more than ready to try a few new things without delay.

We started with a visit from a friend of ours and Philbin was wonderfully outgoing and happy to meet a new person.  He did a bit of excited jumping to greet this stranger but listens well and settled back down to “four on the floor” when corrected.  Our friend was so impressed with Philbin that he even said he wished he was in position to adopt a new dog.  Clearly Philbin made a terrific first impression!Since we had a rain-free forecast we took the opportunity to get outside and see what Phil thinks about going out on the leash.  Once again he jumped into the car (and once again had to be reminded that he rides in the backseat not the front) and was well behaved on the drive to a local park.While we waited for his two foster sisters to arrive and join in on the fun, FD sat with him on a bench.  Phil clearly wanted to try out this comfortable seating for himself but he did politely ask if that was OK before he hopped up. After receive the OK, he climbed up and enjoyed the view from a few feet above the ground.We then explored the park and even tried out a trail into the woods, which he absolutely adored.  He pulled at the end of the leash for almost the entire time, so he is in need of some leash skill training and will require an adopter who is able to control a very strong boy, but given how much he seems to enjoy pleasing his people, he should learn quickly. After we spent an hour exploring all the new smells, sites and sounds he burned off enough energy to guarantee a nice relaxing evening (and to earn some pets from FD).

Philbin slept soundly in his crate overnight once again and continues his no-accidents streak.  He is being a lovely gentleman with our two resident dogs and whenever his curiosity gets a bit forward, he responds easily to correction from FM or FD.  While he is an energetic and playful young man, he also settles down reliably and is an easy calm presence when the vibe in the room calls for it.Philbin has quickly shown us that he is the epitome of a Very Good Boy!

May 22, 2026

Sweet and lovable yellow lab Philbin has had quite a first day as a Brookline foster lab.  This energetic two year old boy had been in an animal shelter for over a month after he was found as a stray and no one came to claim him.  On the day of his rescue ride he was so happy to meet his new foster mom (FM) and foster dad (FD) that he pulled on his leash and jumped in the air for joy.He also showed us that he likely came from a home where he was taught where to go to the bathroom (and has continued to be accident free so far!).  He also jumped right into the back seat of the car and after trying to climb over the seat cover and join FM and FD in the front seat a few times, he figured out where he was supposed to sit and behaved himself perfectly. We made a stop at Tractor Supply on the way home so we could give him a nice bath.  Philbin was super excited to explore the store and when we got to the wash station he leapt right up into the tub and happily enjoyed the shampoo and cool rinse of water.  His favorite part of the experience came next when it was time to towel him off.  He was all wiggles and grins as we dried him and finished up his spa visit. Next up was the arrival at his new foster home where he explored all the smells in the backyard and then met his two foster sisters Ruby and (Brookline alumna) Autumn.  He showed us his curious side but his excitement never got out of control and he was very nice with the two resident dogs.

Once everyone was acquainted we brought him into the house and did the traditional holding of the breath as we watched him sniff every corner and we watched to make sure he wasn’t going to pee or poop inside.  This is always an informative moment when a new foster comes to our house and we’re thrilled to report that Philbin passed with flying colors and has been perfect with his house training for this first day.  (Another solid sign that this guy came into the shelter as a former house pet)

Philbin goes up and down the stairs with ease and also pleasantly surprised us when we showed him his crate and he went right in to relax.  He picked out a rubber Kong toy and enjoyed chewing on it while he got used to his new space.

We then had some time to relax before feeding time and he made himself comfortable in the living room and decompressed a bit after a busy afternoon of firsts. Dinner time went very smoothly as did the rest of the night hanging out with the new family.  When bedtime arrived he went right into the crate in the bedroom (FD said “go to your bed” and in he went!) and after a tiny amount of quiet whining, he realized he was safe and sound and settled in for the night.  He slept all night without a peep and even hung out in the crate quietly after waking up with the sunrise.

He navigated the stairs back down and made it out to the yard for a morning bathroom break like he knew exactly what to do.  He ate his breakfast out of a slow feeder which held his intense concentration as he tried to get every piece of kibble into is mouth.  We will try a regular bowl in the next few days to see if he gobbles too quickly or not.

After some “Rest & Digest” time, Philbin got to explore the yard again and used a long lead to have some more freedom.  The first thing he did on the long lead was circle all the trees and get himself tangled, LOL.  Eventually FD got him refocused on the open area of the lawn and he had fun sniffing the rain smells from last night.  He did find a few spots that he liked enough to flop down and roll in the smell ( oh no! We just gave you a bath Phillie Boy!!!) so he’s definitely a grass roller at heart.

All in all this has been auch a successful first day for this new Brookline Boy!  Philbin is showing us that he is sweet, friendly, playful, adaptable, curious, and very very happy!Please follow along with his story and if you have always wanted a loving friend like Phil, apply to adopt him now so that when he’s ready for his Last Call, you’ll be an approved Brookline adopter!