Shea #2 Fox Red Male ID #3631 Shadow #14 Black Female ID #3632 Labrador Retriever Mix 8 Years Old

Shea and Shadow are starting to settle in their new foster home after their rescue ride from the shelter. They did well in the car and were very loving. Please follow their blog by reading from the bottom up.

January 15, 2026

Now that the holidays are over and foster mom and dad have to go back to work, Shea and Shadow have been catching up on their beauty sleep during the day.  They love to cuddle together on the dog bed or couch.

They are still on duty though and will let you know when the scary Amazon man comes to the door. Being so well rested, they love to play during the day.  They received new toys from their welcome package from the wonderful Brookline volunteers.

They now both have new favorite toys.  It wasn’t all fun and games though as they had a wellness check at the vet. They were nervous in the lobby but once in the exam room, their tails would not stop for the vet staff.  They are healthy and even lost 4 pounds each since coming to Brookline.

January 7, 2026

Shea and Shadow had a wonderful holiday break.  They patiently waited for Santa Paws to come as they were good dogs all year!

They spent Christmas eve helping wrap presents.  On Christmas day they went to their foster parents relatives.  They were very excited to meet everyone and say hello.  Santa Paws even left them presents under the tree for them to open! They loved their new toys and were so exhausted from all the fun that they decided to take naps under the tree.

Then they helped supervise cooking dinner.  They were very good in the car both ways.  Since foster mom and dad were home all week, they got lots of walks in to start getting to a healthier weight.  Shadow is a great walker but Shea gets a little too overstimulated so we are working on being calmer on walks.

December 28, 2025

Shea and Shadow continue to settle in. They were smelling a little doggy from the shelter, so a bath was on the agenda the first day. Shea took his bath like a champ and then came back to reassure his sister and lick her ears during her bath since she was more nervous. He’s a sweet brother to his more nervous sister (most of the time).

They have a decent amount of energy for 8 year olds and love to play, Shea especially. He likes balls and tug toys, but hasn’t shown much interest in stuffed animals unless we’re  using them as a tug toy. Shadow will pretty much follow her brother’s lead. Shea does growl a bit during play, sounding much rougher than he is.

They have some nervous energy and a couple times external stimuli (the washer on the spin cycle, dogs barking next door) have caused Shea to go after Shadow. Some canned air to break it up and then reassuring talking and pets once they’re apart has calmed him down.

They are big lap dogs and both want to be as close as possible. Shea especially wants to lay right on top of you.

They are sleeping through the night pretty well, staying downstairs, closed in the family room. They’ll bark a little bit as they’re settling down once we go upstairs, but are quiet through the night. They wake up at 6:00 AM, ready to start their day. They have a rough day of napping in the office ahead of them!

We dog sit for two small dogs during the week and Shea and Shadow have both been really good with them. They’ve still only met through a gate so far, but weren’t super interested in them the day they met and  after just a week, they don’t even bark when the dogs are dropped off. We are planning to do a leashed introduction without the gate soon.

They’re still more wary of the cats, barking and chasing them when they get the opportunity, but are not as crazy with them as they were. They now know it’s wrong so after an initial bark and run towards them, are easier to stop with correction.

December 16, 2025

Shea and Shadow are starting to settle in their new foster home after their rescue ride from the shelter. They did well in the car and were very loving.

They are understandably nervous and still unsure why they are in a new home after living for 8 year with their owner who passed away.  They are definitely bonded and need to do everything together and are each other’s support system.

The first day they explored the yard and had fun playing in the fresh snow.

They love to be around people and think they are lap dogs despite their size. Shadow does great on a leash while Shea gets distracted easily and can pull slightly.

They slept well the first night downstairs but were barking and whining a bit last night for about an hour before settling. They have seen a few of the kitties and are not sure what to think yet and will need to learn not to scare them by chasing them.