States Black Labrador Retriever Mix Male 8+ Years Old ID#3810

States is now available. Please read his PetFinder Post

States Black Labrador Retriever Mix Male 8+ Years Old ID#3810

Meet States! States was found stray in Trenton, NJ, and was brought to the shelter and was time-stamped due to age and medical issues as space was needed. The shelter estimated him to be 8+ years old. States teeth were in poor shape. His lower canines and incisors are extremely worn, and he has a swelling under his eye that needed to be checked out. States is now safe in a Brookline foster home. Please read his blog from the bottom up to learn more about this handsome guy!

August 16, 2026

States has been enjoying summer with his foster parents. Now that it is a little cooler out, he has had some adventures to some new places. Last weekend he went to a local brewery.

He was very well behaved and ignored other dogs that were there. His foster parents were a little nervous about how he would do because he had sometimes barked at men. Although he no longer does this on walks, they weren’t sure what to expect, but he was a perfect gentleman.

This weekend States went to Fairmount Park for a pop-up event. He was a little nervous at first and was panting but settled down quickly and even got some treats. After helping his foster dad in the yard today, the ice cream truck came by, and States got an ice cream treat. He waited patiently by the door until his foster dad came back with his ice cream cone. States was so excited he practically ate it in one bite!

July 27, 2026

States is a man of routine. He’s out of his crate and straight to the front door for a walk first thing in the morning and gets anxious if we do evening chores before he gets dinner (dinner comes first!). Another part of his routine is “silly boy time” after his morning walk and before breakfast when he lays on his back on the sofa and wiggles.

States has such a sweet and silly personality. He loves to give kisses, but he isn’t a huge cuddlier. He’ll sit next to you on the couch for a couple minutes but prefers his own space.

He does light “cobbing” when he’s excited about something. He is getting better and better with the cats. He usually completely ignores them.

He has a good amount of energy, and it was finally cool enough to go on an outside adventure this past week. We went on a hike, and States very much enjoyed all the things to sniff (and pee on). It must have been tiring since he slept the whole way home. He’s great in the car. The next adventure will be to the ice cream shop!

States walks well on the leash with minimal pulling. He is indifferent to most people and dogs he sees on his walks, unless the other dog is really barking or lunging. He sometime will bark at men he does not know nearby, though.

July 11, 2026

States had a busy few days. He had dental cleaning, some teeth removed, and a biopsy of a hard lump under his eye. He was under doctors’ orders to take lots of naps, which he was happy to comply with. His biopsy came back today, and it was benign!!! He recovered well from his medical procedures and seems to have even more energy! He must have missed going to the vet because he did have to go to the emergency vet over the holiday weekend after grabbing a corn cob from the trash can that has a slow-closing lid. He swallowed it before his foster parents could grab it out of his mouth. After an X-ray and some medication to induce vomiting, it came right out, and he acted like nothing even happened. Foster mom and dad are now making sure the trash can lid completely closes before turning their back, as States loves food and will find it!

States received his welcome box and was so excited to open it up and get all the stuffed animals out to pull the stuffing out. He was so proud when he found the squeaker!

Thank you to the Brookline volunteers who sent all the toys for States.

It has been very noisy at night with fireworks and thunderstorms, but they do not faze States one bit; he is such a brave boy.

July 4, 2026

States continues to do well in his foster home and has settled into his new routine nicely. He is very quiet all night in his crate and then goes for a walk first thing in the morning. Then it is time for one of his two favorite times of day, breakfast! After breakfast, he says bye to his foster dad to go to work and starts helping his foster mom, working from home. After a few naps and barking at any delivery drivers, Foster Dad comes home, and he gets so, so excited and wants to give lots of kisses! Then it is time for another walk when it cools off and then the second best part of the day, dinner! Then it is more relaxing and playing with toys, and he is ready for bed!

States is very good on his walks and does not seem fazed by other dogs at all, even when they are barking at him. He also learned that cats are friends and mostly ignores them but sometimes goes in for an extra sniff of their back end to see what they have been up to.

Over the weekend he had a few visitors and loved sniffing them and wagging his tail. He even had a pup cup to end the weekend!

June 18, 2026

States came to his foster home Monday evening and was very curious to sniff all the new smells in his new backyard. He seemed very relaxed and happy to break out of the shelter, even doing a nice roll in the grass and some zoomies. His foster parents found out quickly he loves food and treats, and it is the way to his heart. He knows commands such as stay, sit, paw, and lay down.  When it was time for bed, he voluntarily went into his crate and did not make a peep all night. He spent his first full day helping his foster mom working from home. He was understandably a little nervous and couldn’t relax fully at first. He saw some kitties from the gate and was curious at first but mostly ignored them. He is very interested in the cat smells, though, and needs to wear a belly band in the house as his foster parents try to train him to stop marking inside. In the evening he went to the vet to get an exam and a plan to address some lumps and his teeth, which are in poor condition. He was a gentleman at the vet, no barking at the other dogs and loving everyone he met with his tail wagging. The vet was concerned about the lump below his right eye, as it is very firm and could be a growth in the bone. Hopefully it is just an abscess from his dental issues, but blood work was performed so he can go under anesthesia soon to investigate the lump more and clean his teeth. After the vet, States went for a nice walk around the neighborhood, again being very calm around other dogs that were barking at him. States also walks well on the leash, pulling slightly when excited to sniff something. The next day after helping his foster mom work again, he got a nice bath, as he was fairly stinky and greasy. He got into the shower to be washed once we brought out some treats and was fine being bathed as long as he continued to get some more treats. Of course a bath wouldn’t be complete without a big doggy shake and rolling in the grass afterwards.