Roman #2 Silver Labrador Retriever Male 1 Year Old #3471

Meet Roman!  Roman is a handsome 63 lb,  one year old silver Labrador.  Roman’s owner’s chronic illness was progressing quicker than expected and he could no longer provide the exercise and attention that this young boy needed and reached out to Brookline to help re-home him. Roman has lived with his family since he was 4 months old.  He is playful and friendly and grew up around other dogs.  Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about him while in foster care.

June 1, 2026

Roman has been with us for four weeks now, and he is an absolute sweetheart. 💙 For a one-year-old, he is incredibly chill—truly an old soul.

Health update

After noticing an unusual swing in his hips, and learning from his previous owner that he never jumped onto couches or into cars (although he has no issues with stairs ,couches or cars  here), we decided to have him evaluated. 

We took him to our regular vet for X-rays, followed by a consultation with an orthopedic specialist. It was confirmed that Roman has congenital bilateral hip dysplasia.

The good news is that surgery is not needed. The specialist recommended maintaining a healthy weight and focusing on strength-building activities such as regular walks and swimming.

Most importantly, they emphasized that Roman can continue to be himself—running and playing as much as he likes.

Roman doesn’t let his diagnosis slow him down. He shows no signs of discomfort or pain, even after walks or playtime.

What’s Roman been up to?

Quite a lot, actually! He has attended two birthday parties at the house and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the singing. 🎉

Even the princess party! He absolutely loves playing with our granddaughter—chasing each other around the kitchen island is a particular favorite .

Roman is also a favorite of our neighbor’s young children who like to play with him through the fence and call him Norman!!         Must be the British accent !!

We’ve  been taking lots of walks in the park. He enjoys a  relaxed stroll, often stopping to take in all the sights and sounds that catch his interest.

We call it his “Zoolander look of amazement”Yesterday, Roman came along to our son’s special needs baseball game.

He did show a little bit of anxiousness when Chris walked away with the team.  But as soon as he spotted Chris again, he settled right back down.Roman is a lovely, easygoing boy with a gentle, slightly shy nature. He’s will make a family  a devoted and loving companion .

May 11, 2026

Roman had another good night in his crate, quiet all night, he was a little more reluctant to initially go into the crate. I think he sees that our two are not crated and he is quesioning “what’s sup with that”!

Busy day yesterday! Roman loved  being outside—relaxing on the deck, exploring the backyard, and watching the neighbors enjoy their Mother’s Day gatherings.Our daughter and son-in-law came over with Mabel, their 5-year-old, and Roman did really well with her.

Although  Roman did steal Mabel’s baby doll and took it for a romp around the backyard!! Mabel was not impressed!Having another man in the house  seemed to be a little overwhelming at first for Roman. He barked at our son-in-law for a few minutes, but then settled down and ended up playing along side our dogs with him.

It seems like Roman is accustomed to one ‘human male’ at a time in his circle. That could stem from his previous home, where it was just his owner and his mom as his  familiar “clan.”

However Roman quickly gets over his “one man at a time” policy if you’re willing to play with him!

We gave Roman  a shower and a  brush-out since the weather is warming up, and he’s quite the “fluffy Labrador”🐾Roman went for his first stroll around the block, and he was very easy to walk. We had him on the front clip of a Freedom harness which works well for him.

Roman’s owner mentioned he might be a bit focused on cars when out and about, and while he did stop to admire them as they passed, he didn’t try to chase them. One guy was doing a bike loop around our street and passed us at least three times—and each time, Roman just stopped to watch him go by 😊🐾

The last event of the day was a trip to the pet store to get Roman’s rabies shot updated. He had a little time to wait for his turn and did really well—even with other dogs barking at him. He mostly just looked at them like he was trying to figure out what their problem was!

He weighed in at 63 pounds and didn’t even flinch when he got his shot 🐾

A busy day 2 for Roman, but he’s gradually gaining confidence—and we’re seeing what a truly sweet and fun-loving boy he is.

May 10, 2026

Hi everyone “Happy Mothers Day”—meet Roman a 1 year old handsome young man!

Roman’s owner made the difficult decision to surrender him to Brookline so he can be fostered and find the attention and activity he needs as a young dog. His owner  is dealing with an illness that has made it increasingly hard to care for Roman.

Despite his love for  Roman , ultimately he  recognized that this was the best decision for Roman.

So yesterday we met Lesley, her husband, and foster Maggie (super pretty and cute), in Harrisburg to pick up this sweet boy. Roman had already been traveling for about 2½ hours and still had another two-hour ride home with us, but he was an excellent travel companion. He mostly just stretched out on the van floor and relaxed, with the occasional little circle to get comfortable again. Once we got home, we took him straight into the backyard on leash where he relieved himself right away. 

First Roman met our Ellie, who was much more rambunctious about the whole thing than Roman was! He then met Frank, who can be very vocal with his funny, overexcited whiny noises—something that tends to confuse new foster dogs at first… until they realize, “Oh, that’s just Frank!”

Roman is very relaxed around our dogs and tends to do his own thing. That said, if he spots one of ours with a toy, he’ll stand nearby, watch closely, and “politely” vocalize that he might like a turn. When they ignore him, he turns on the charm—showering them with kisses until they eventually give in and let him have it… so there’s that!

After a few trips out to the backyard on leash, and once Roman had learned the ins and outs of our house, we let him off to explore—and he loved it! Roman especially enjoys running around with a bone in his mouth and happily chasing after balls.

Roman spotted the next-door grandkids and stood still to check out what they were all about. He also met our neighbors’ 1- and 4-year-olds through the fence and happily enjoyed them passing him sticks—he thought that was pretty great!

No accidents in the house as of 5 a.m. this morning, which is wonderful! His previous owner had been having some difficulty with house training, but I think having a fenced backyard—something he didn’t have before—is really helping Roman understand the routine and making the whole process a bit easier for him.

He slept in his crate downstairs last night with our two loose in the room with him . He did whine a little initially but I got up at 5am to let them out and he had been quiet all night.

Favorite pass time for Roman a big box of toys that he takes out one at time and leaves all over the room. So teaching Roman to clean up after himself might be in his future!This morning he started to  play tug with Frank and showed that stairs are no problem check it off the list for this handsome boy.

Romans coloring is beautiful he  browny grey and his fur is thick and lush, he really is as described by his owner as his favorite thing about Roman “ A handsome boy’