Simia Silver Labrador Retriever Mix Female 1.5 Years Old ID #3493
Meet Simia! This sweet girl found herself at ACCT Philadelphia after getting hit by a car. Luckily, she only had a minor shoulder injury that required stitches. ACCT reached out to find a rescue that would take her into foster care to recover from her injuries away from the stress of the shelter. Thanks to some dedicated Brookline volunteers, Simia is now safe in one of our foster homes. Please read her blog from the bottom up to learn more about her time while in foster care.
February 19, 2025
Hello friends!
Simia here, checking in with my latest news! Boy, it sure has been cold lately! Fortunately, I don’t mind the cold at all, and I really liked the snow we had last week.
I’ve been in my foster home for 10 days now and I’ve got the routine down pat. We get up about 6:30, have a quick potty outside, and then get breakfast. FM has been feeding me more to try to fatten me up a little bit, but so far I’m still a lean machine. After breakfast FM takes me and my foster fur brother for a 2 mile walk. I’m doing really well on the leash! After that, I have some play time in the yard before the arrival of my favorite little person. I’m allowed out of the kitchen now because I haven’t had any accidents in a week (FM just needs to pay attention to when I go to the back door!). I allowed to follow my little buddy from room to room – wherever he wants to play is fine with me. I can always find something to chew on to stay busy while he’s playing with his cars, or coloring, or playing a game with FM. 
I get lunch when my people eat lunch, and then it’s outside for some more playing with my fur brother. We really like to chase and wrestle! We have some tug toys that we play keep-away with, and it’s so much fun! We come back inside if we get cold, or to check up on what our people are doing. And that’s pretty much how the day goes – outside to play and potty, then inside to keep tabs on the family, take naps, and chew on anything I can find! We get dinner about 6:00, then have a short walk and some more play time, and then into my crate for bed about 10:30. What a life!
Notes from FM:
Simia has settled in nicely in the past week. Her wounds have healed well and she’s finished her antibiotics and pain medications. Today she had a 4DX test at a VIP Petcare clinic to determine her heartworm status. We expect the results in a day or 2. She will then get her 2nd treatment for roundworms. She was super well behaved at the clinic – very calm and cooperative with no aggression at all towards any of the other dogs. She is still weighing in at 59 lbs., in spite of the additional meal per day. I’ve added my home-cooked chicken liver stew: chicken livers and hearts, barley, carrots, and green beans to enrich the kibble. She gobbles everything up. Maybe eradicating the roundworms will help her gain weight.
Simia is comfortable enough now that she is initiating play with her fur brother. Although he is half her size, she is submissive to him. We’re getting a lot of entertainment standing at the window and watching them chase each other around the backyard. Simia is also reliable around the cat now – she has thoroughly sniffed him from head to toe and accepted him into her new pack.
Simia has decided that it’s her job to hang out with our 3 year old grandson who is with us every day. When he moves to another room, she gets up and quickly follows. She is still learning which toys are hers to chew on, and which ones will get her a firm “NO SIMI!” from her buddy. We also have to be vigilant with anything on the kitchen counter – she is very long-legged and has quite a reach!
As for her behavior, Simia is turning out to be an easy foster dog. For the most part she is quiet and only alert barks (or does some appropriate barking during her rough and tumble play.) She sleeps quietly in her crate all night. She is easy to redirect if she is chewing on something she shouldn’t be. She loves stuffed kongs and puzzle balls. She’s met some more people and one other dog. Those introductions were slow and intentional, and she did fine. She definitely is a big puppy, with lots of energy and a strong need for plenty of exercise, rain, snow, or shine!
Simia is scheduled to receive her distemper booster next week. She has a spay appointment for March 11.
February 12, 2025
Hi, Brookline world! It’s Simia here, a new young lady in the crew! Let me introduce myself to you – I had a bad experience last week that resulted in me GETTING HIT BY A CAR!! And then someone came along and scooped me up and took me to a shelter in Philly. The nice people there checked me out and put stitches in my biggest boo-boo. I hung out there for a few days, and then I hit the jackpot! Brookline came to my rescue! A nice lady met me and did something called an “evaluation”, and PRESTO! I ended up in a nice, warm, quiet home with a foster mom and foster dad who fussed over me and gave me lots of pets and treats. 
I also have a fur brother here who likes to play with me, and a kitty brother too who doesn’t get too close to me. I have a little kid around during the day, and he throws a ball for me to chase. So things are pretty good here! I really like going on walks – there’s so much to sniff!
Notes from FM:
As Simia said, she ended up at ACCT in Philly after being hit by a car. Her injuries were minor but she was quite stressed in the noisy shelter environment. Since she had no ID and no microchip, Brookline was contacted. She passed her evaluation with flying colors and became part of our household a few days ago.
Since then, she has been decompressing. She was very happy to have the freedom to romp in our fenced backyard! She has also been walked every day with a Freedom harness and double attachment leash (she’s very strong!) Her appetite is good. She willingly goes into her crate in the kitchen to rest and sleeps quietly all night in there. After a careful and slow introduction to her furry brother, she now knows he is part of her new pack. She is curious about the resident cat but hasn’t shown any aggression towards him. During the day our 3-year-old grandson is with us, and she has been careful not to knock him down. She LOVES the snow!!
We have discovered that Simia does best with slow introductions to people and other dogs. Her first instinct is to be cautious, so she responds best to making the acquaintance on her own timeline. Her crate is her safe space. If we are calm and patient, her tail will start wagging and she will accept the new stranger.
Simia should gain 10-20 lbs. according to the vet. She is currently being treated for roundworms and will be spayed in the next few weeks.