Shadow #14 Black Labrador Retriever Mix Female 4 Years Old ID#3558

Meet Shadow.  She is a beautiful 4 yo Lab mix who made it out of the shelter only hours before she was slated to be euthanized.  Shadow is now safe in a Brookline foster home.  Please ready her blog from the bottom up to learn more about her.

November 25, 2025

Hi, everyone, and greetings from your friend, Shadow.  It’s been a little while since I’ve updated you.  I’ve been pretty busy with some great new adventures that have helped to prepare me for a furever home.  My next step is to just put some finishing touches on things and then organize my thoughts to compose my “available” announcement.

As you know, in the early part of the Fall I was staying at BCK. I liked the folks there and it was a nice place to stay, but I got to be increasingly impatient with the other puppers there.  I was getting more and more amped up around other dogs, even when they were a good distance away. So a new plan was hatched: I moved to a new trainer who has a brand new boarding facility and also has a somewhat different approach to training.  He immediately sensed that I was in need of a strong leader and clear direction about what is OK and what’s not.

He was so right!  He’s brought that approach to all of our interactions and it has made a huge difference.  I understand what is expected of me, and I am very happy to comply.  I’m feeling much more relaxed and comfortable now, and have discovered that I really like the daily routine, which includes a whole lot of daily exposure to other dogs.

You see, this trainer (let’s call him Boss-Man) provides training for dogs and their handlers who are in law enforcement.  Those dogs are learning all sorts of cool stuff but when I’m with them my job is to just practice what Boss-Man has been teaching me, following directions and generally chilling. I’ve had the chance to interact with lots of different handlers, around a whole lot of other dogs, and everyone is impressed with my good behavior.

Boss-Man has offered some thoughts on the kind of home and family that would be the best fit for me. He is emphatic that I need to partner with a strong leader, someone who will provide clear and consistent direction.  He said I’m a very smart doggo (Of course I agree!  The consensus is that there’s a good bit of border collie in my mix.) That means I will learn very quickly whatever you’re trying to teach me, but will also learn some things that you may not intend.  So, for example, if I’m doing something that’s not okay and I’m not corrected, I will learn that I can get away with it.

I will probably be fine in a home with kids; we’re still trying to get a good fix on that. I should not be living with another dog, and would probably not be a good fit in a home with a cat.  I lived with one for about five days on a trial basis and really just wanted to play but the cat wasn’t interested, and I just kept trying. Not a great scene. So no cats. I can be left alone in a crate or kennel but am happiest when I can be with my person.  Someone who is home a lot or can take me along for the day’s activities (the way Boss-Man does) would be ideal.

I expect to be officially available very shortly. Stay tuned for that!

October 6, 2025

Shadow is over her URI and feeling much better. She did go into heat but she should be finished in another week.Shadow is so sweet and loving with all people. She is very smart. She knows all basic commands sit, down, wait and she also gives high fives. She loves to play fetch and get as many belly rubs as you can give.

She walks well on lead. She is a great dog.

We all can’t be perfect so Shadow does have one issue. She is extremely dog reactive. Shadow is going to go to a training facility to help her with the reactivity. We hope that this will help allow Shadow to live in a home or end up as a working dog. She just headed to the facility today.Stay tuned as she progresses in her training.

September 19, 2025

Shadow discovered the pond today!  I wanted to give her something more interesting to do since we are limited to where I can take her while she is recovering from her upper respiratory infection.  I let her investigate the pond and she loved watching the frogs, bugs and floating leaves.  She’s such a cool dog!

She is very sweet with people and very obedient except when she sees other dogs.  It will be a challenge to work through because right now it is impossible to redirect her when she’s gotten over excited.  Currently, I just have to move her out of the sight of another dog, and once she can’t see the other dog anymore, she settles down.  It’s a work in progress!

September 14, 2025

Shadow had a move this weekend, and is now spending a little time at Kamp to work on her leash skills around other dogs.  Shadow is settling in pretty well.  She loves people, and loves to give hugs!She’s very curious about everything and is enjoying exploring.  I’ve been walking her around the property this morning.  We did see a couple of other dogs, and she did react, pulling towards them with curiosity.  Since I don’t know her too well yet, it’s hard to tell if she is just excited to see them or if she doesn’t like them.  We’ll take it slow until we know more about her. She also saw one of the giant turtkes from the pond, and didn’t seem to care much about it.

September 10, 2025

Shadow has been progressing well. She has another vet appointment coming up, but for now she is not on any medicines and is very active and happy. Her first seems to be growing back in nicely.

She loves fetching and being around people. She is often tentative when meeting someone the first time but after about 30 seconds, they are already one of her best friends.After walks or after throwing the ball with her for a while, she loves to curl up next to me and rest her head in my lap. While she still wants to be near me all the time she is not like Velcro to me everywhere I go. Lol. She’s always happy. I’m very loving when I come home.

I have been letting her out in my backyard and throwing the ball for her which she absolutely loves. It’s a great way to tire her out a little. I don’t have the best yard but she seems to really love it anyway.

September 1, 2025

Happy labor day to all.  Please bear with me as this is my first foster update.  Shadow arrived in my home yesterday.  When I first met her she seemed interested but was barking, not sure if I was to be trusted.  After about 5 minutes, I started throwing a ball with her and she seemed to calm down and accept me.We left the home and she did not look back.  She got to my home and searched it out and within an hour was comfortably resting in my lap.  She has been great about letting me know if she needs to go out.  I have been more interested in taking her out than her asking.Today she seems to be favoring her front right leg sometimes.  If she sees a squirrel or another dog it does not hurt at all!!  I have limited the length of walks as I was told she went on a 4 mile hike yesterday.  I am hoping she is just tired.

Overall she is very loving and appreciative.  She did great overnight sleeping on my sofa until about 1:30 when I went to check on her.  She decided to come into the bedroom and wanted to sleep on the bed.  I have nothing against this but figured I would try to teach her to sleep in her bed to give her a better chance of being adopted.  She did extremely well.I will need to take her to the vet as she seems to have skin problems and has lost a lot of hair.  Otherwise she seems to be in very good shape.

August 31, 2025

What a fun 48 hours with Sweet Shadow! We mostly helped her decompress and enjoy a quiet, soft environment following her grueling summer. One that left her with a lot of raw skin, missing hair, and anxiety. But despite all of that, Shadow so badly wants to love and be loved. From the moment we got home, she wanted to crawl in our laps and be pet and hugged. She LOVES to play fetch, chew on toys, and show off tricks. She’s a smart girl who is food motivated, so will be easy to train.She is pretty good on the leash when there aren’t distractions of squirrels and birds! She’s been pretty neutral about dogs passing across the street, though we didn’t attempt on the same sidewalk. She pulls towards people, as if wanting to sniff and check them out. We went on a nice long 4-mile walk through the Wissahickon Woods on Saturday, which she LOVED! Afterwards she totally conked out. She has medium-high energy, so would do great with someone who loves to walk and change up their routes.We ended up having to separate our cats from Shadow for her entire stay–she would stare when they were still, but as soon as they ran, she would pursue.

Shadow was very much attached to Foster Dad during her short stay, and was a velcro dog, following him all over the house and crying when he wasn’t in her sight. She wanted to sleep in our bed, but was eventually convinced to sleep on a dog bed on his side, after he petted her to relax.Today, Shadow was transferred to her foster dad Paul! She was a little nervous and barking at first, but we all noted that despite the noise, her body was loose and she just seemed apprehensive. Understandable after everything she’s been through.

We all went out back and Paul threw the ball for her to fetch–fastest bonding ever! Within a few minutes she was a lovebug and they made fast friends. We swapped out Shadow’s harness and leash, and she bounced right out our house and towards Paul’s car. We were so happy to be a small part of Shadow’s story, and I know she’s going to blossom with lots of love and attention.

August 29, 2025

What a rewarding rescue ride this morning! We picked up sweet Shadow from ACCT, just narrowly saving her in the 11th (maybe more like 11:55) hour. She’s a very sweet, scared girl, but she did great in the short car ride and wanted to be pet whenever the car stopped. We immediately brought her out back, and she mostly wanted to be scratched. We tested out sit, down, and paw, and she readily knew all! She did jump up when requesting more pets, so that’s something to work on.

We passed by the two dog-savvy cats very briefly to go upstairs to my home office, and she did NOT like them.

We’re now hanging out while I work, and trying to decompress with a lick mat filled with peanut butter and chicken meal topper, some jazz, and A/C. She’s nervous and stressed, so lots of pacing and coming back to me for pets and reassurances. Poor pup is missing lots of hair on her legs, her side, and around her eyes. She also has some scabs, and the shelter noted she’s quite itchy. If we can get her to truly rest and get some restorative sleep, we may attempt a bath with an anti-itch shampoo later tonight or tomorrow. Shadow just needs some TLC and quiet loving, and she’ll the a wonderful dog very quickly!