Qi’Ra Black Labrador Mix Female 11 Months Old ID#3771

Meet Qi’Ra (sounds like Kira)!!   This adorable, sweet, affectionate, and energetic 40lb Labrador/Beagle/Australian Shepherd/Collie Mix (Embark DNA profile) was surrendered to Brookline by her owner.  She was well loved but he had to make the difficult decision to re-home her after his work schedule changed to 12-18hr shifts and she was spending 5 days a week crated for 8-12hrs a day.  Qi’Ra previously lived with 2 cats and the owner’s 7 yo daughter and loved them all. Qi’Ra is dealing with some hair loss due to a case of flea dermatitis.  She is on medication and now on the mend and should be back to her fluffy self in no time! Qi’Ra is in Brookline foster care.  Please read her blog to learn more about her while in foster care!

Qi’Ra is now available: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/qi-ra-sl-kira-fbd12570-6fd6-4ea4-a2fd-a74b18772a9f/pa/warrington/brookline-labrador-rescue-pa06/details/

February 10, 2026

Qi’Ra has been with us for a week now.

I think that her potty training is now complete as she has not had any pee accidents in the house since the last update and has started to go to the back door when she needs to go out.  Saturday, I left her uncrated for about hour with Sammy and she did fabulous.  No accidents and nothing was disturbed.  Monday, I left her uncrated again when I went out for my morning workout for 1.5hrs.  She was definitely less stressed when I arrived back home than when she has been crated for the same amount of time.  Today, I left her two times, once in the morning for 1.5 hrs and then again this afternoon for about 2 hours.  She happily greeted me at the door and was so much more calm compared to when I left her in the crate. Both times, she was accident free and the house was in the same shape that I left it.  Good girl, Qi’Ra!!She was excited to be able to get her walk yesterday and today as we kept our outside time to a minimum with the frigid wind chills this weekend.  She did get to go on a road trip with me over the weekend to Allentown to meet the transport that was coming in from AR. Qi”Ra rides great in the car.  She occasionally watched the goings on out the window or chewed on a bone that I brought but mostly just settled down and napped for the 1 hr 15min ride there and back.

Qi’Ra continues to enjoy her playtime with Sammy,

snuggle time with her people in the evening while we watch TV, and sleeps great overnight in my bed and thanks to her small size, doesn’t take much room. Qi’Ra is a sweet, petite (40lbs) Lab mix who will make a fabulous addition to one of our lucky adopters.  She is a wonderful work from home buddy and walking partner and a great playtime friend for another playful, and cuddly dog.

February 6, 2026

We are on day 3 with Qi’Ra now.  She is getting acclimated to our very consistent daily routine, and doing fabulous with resident dog, Sammy.We are early risers at 5am and Qi’Ra goes with the flow.  When the alarm sounds, Qi’Ra hops out of bed and is ready for the day.  We go right out to potty, and then it’s back in for her and Sammy’s breakfast.  She been doing great eating all her kibble with some wet food mixed in, plus her daily dermatitis meds and fish oil.

While the coffee is brewing, Qi’Ra and I play some fetch inside with her fuzzy squeaky ball.  Once the coffee is done brewing, she settles with a stuffed bone or has some playtime with Sammy inside.

Around 7am we go for our morning yard walk on our fenced 4 acres.  We are outside for about 15-20mins.  When we first started exploring the woods, Qi’Ra stuck close by to my heels and didn’t really explore on her own.  I’m happy to report that she will now happily trot off in search of good sniffs that were left overnight by the many visiting nightly creatures.

She has great recall and will come bounding (and slipping and sliding on the ice) back to me when called.Qi’Ra then goes into the crate at 7:40am but is definitely not a fan of her short time (1.5-2hrs) in there. My husband can hear her complaining right after I leave and he said today, she was howling about her displeasure.  I’m not sure if it’s because she knows Sammy is out walking around or that my husband is in the basement working out or if the crate just stresses her out from being confined in her previous home for long periods of time.  I’m thinking she would probably be much happier once she is fully potty trained being left on free roam with another furry friend to snuggle with while her people are away.When I get back from my workout, Qi’Ra is over the moon to see me again, and squeals with excitement.  We do a quick potty break and then get suited up for our cold weather 2.5mi walk.  Qi’Ra gets excited when she sees the coat come out.  She seems to love to get out on our walk.  She does well walking and mostly walks right next to me consistently on the right side.  She only stops occasionally for a sniff, and passes by other dogs with ease.  We saw 2 reactive poodles on our walk today, and she was interested and alert but didn’t make a peep.  She turned around easily, and didn’t even look back after I changed directions when I saw the walker struggling to control her two dogs.After our walk, Qi’Ra will entertain herself with a marrow bone or lick ball or just settle on the floor where ever I go while I get ready for the day.  When we head to the office, she will again entertain herself and then settle on the floor next to my chair for a long nap, usually about 2hrs or so.  She has yet to try out the fluffy dog bed that’s in the office, or any of the other dog beds that are scattered over the rest of the house.  If she stirs from her nap (or gets woken by Sammy), I take her out to potty, and then she’ll keep herself busy again for a while and then settle down for more sleep.

She will also always gladly participate in a work break with a game of fetch or a belly rub!

Sammy often pushes the door of the office open to see what Qi’Ra is up to or to get a little playtime in especially when it’s getting close to 2pm….Feeding time!

After they eat again, we usually get more backyard playtime and woods exploring, and some more indoor playtime too.

Yesterday, we took an outing to Petco in the afternoon.  While she did okay, she was nervous and a bit unsure.  She would definitely benefit from more field trips to build her confidence when she is away from home.Once 4pm rolls around, Qi’Ra accompanies me into the kitchen and supervises meal prep.  She has been good about keeping her paws off the counter when her interest is peaked but I like to offer her a frozen stuffed marrow bone, or the lick ball to keep her busy while I cook.  Qi’Ra has been good about settling next to the table while we eat.  We always give her a treat when we are done for her good manners at the table.After dinner, we always relax in the family room and Qi’Ra hops up next to me on the couch when invited and likes to get some snuggle time in.  She usually watches a little tv and then settles down and sleeps hard.  Last night, she actually decided to try out the recliner next to the couch that we usually settle on, but after a few minutes decided to settle in her usual spot right next to me. We usually call it a night around 8:30-9pm.  Qi’Ra has her last potty break of the day, and hops into bed and goes right asleep after a short cuddle and belly rub.  She sleeps peacefully through the night and only gets up now when the alarm goes off.

Qi’Ra would be really happy with a predictable schedule, and someone home most of the time after spending so much time alone in a crate.  I think once she is fully potty trained, she would be okay for longer periods of time on free roam if she has a playful, snuggly doggie friend in the house to keep her company.

While she is a bouncy, energetic young girl, she settles well in the house with one long walk and a few play sessions a day.  She is good at keeping herself busy with bones, and chews and easily settles when her person settles.  She would make a perfect daily companion for an active retiree, someone who works from home or a stay at home family. She is happiest when she is right next to her special someone.

February 4, 2026

We welcomed sweet Qi’Ra into our home yesterday morning. We stopped by the vet first for her travel papers, and did a fantastic job. She was friendly with all the staff and gave out lots of kisses.She was super curious about all the noises coming from behind the door, and was excited to meet everyone who came in.I know some of you out there might be wondering where this cutie got her unique name…  Well, her previous owner was a Star Wars fan.  Qi’Ra is a major character in Solo: A Star Wars Story, appearing as Han Solo’s childhood friend, girlfriend and a high ranking operative in the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate.  She was highly intelligent, a master martial artist trained by Maul, and a skilled spy.While it’s only been 24hrs with her, Qi’Ra is definitely embodying some of her namesake’s traits.

Qi’Ra has done really well meeting my resident 78lb Lab Mix, Sammy.  He is a noisy player which tends to intimidate some new fosters but Qi’Ra has taken it all in stride.  She is playful, fiesty and her ninja moves are amazing when it comes to outsmarting Sammy with his wrestling playstyle.  Most fosters don’t actively try to engage him in play but Qi’Ra isn’t shy about giving him a play bow and a nudge to invite him to play.

Playtime outside is somewhat hindered by the snow and ice but Qi’Ra has a great time flying around the yard.  She is lightning fast and 3 footed Sammy has no chance of catching her especially in these conditions.  There’s a lot of play bowing and then she takes off running, I think hoping Sammy will make chase. She has a big smile on her face as she goes.

They have been playing inside as well which is a great way to tire them both out.  She would definitely love to have another young playful dog in her next home to have games of chase outside or playtime inside. Her favorite solo indoor playtime activity with her person is fetch!  We spent about 1/2hr this morning playing.  She was great about chasing down the ball and bringing it right back for another toss.

Qi’Ra was only walked in her previous home, so she is a great little walking partner.  I’m sure she would love to go on hiking adventures, or even a brisk jog with her new family. This morning, we walked 2.5 miles and she did fantastic.  She only occasionally stops for a sniff, and walks without pulling and checks in with me often.

Qi’Ra is a smart cookie.  She is learning quickly that sitting nicely and peeing when asked outside gets her a treat.  She’s been doing great with pottying outside and is very regular so solidifying her house training is going very well.As a skilled spy, she is curious about what is on the kitchen counters, and has put her paws up to investigate, especially when her food is being dished out.  She does respond to a quick “ah, ah,” and is learning that when she sits nicely next to me while I’m at the counter, she’ll get a treat.She is also very interested in what her people are doing, and where they are going and observes the goings ons around her. The TV caught her interest last night.Qi’Ra is also a big love bug.  She thoroughly enjoyed snuggles on the couch last night while we were relaxing in front of the TV, and was quite cozy under the blanket. I let Qi’Ra sleep with me in the guest room last night, and she settled right on the bed for some belly rubs at 8:30pm before falling asleep for the night.  She did stir around 1:30am, so I took her out for a quick potty and she went right back to sleep until the alarm went off at 5am.

This morning after lots of play with Sammy, I put Qi’Ra in the crate while I was out at my workout.  My husband was in the basement doing his workout and report that when I first left, Qi’Ra was not happy and did some barking. He did say that she did settle down after about 10 minutes (hopefully enjoying the frozen marrow bone I gave her!) and she was quiet as a mouse when I came into the house.  Since she was crated for long stretches, I don’t blame her for protesting a bit.  I think once she learns the crate time here is very limited only 1-2hrs per day, the complaining will ease up.  Once I know that she is reliable in the house, and that her and Sammy totally get each other’s space/play tolerance, I’ll switch her over to free roam while I am out for short stretches.

So far, she is also proving to be an easy office mate when it’s time to get some work done.  She will entertain her self with balls, toys or a yummy bone and then settle down for a good nap.

Life with Qi’Ra has been easy since her arrival. She is smart, cuddly, playful, and settles well after some exercise. She is going to be a great addition to some lucky family.