Archives: Success Stories

Since first seeing Luna and her story, the connection just felt strong and I knew she needed to be with us. I reached out to Brookline and completed all of the paperwork, etc…The screening process that Brookline does is just remarkable. I was able to first meet Sue, who I can’t say enough great things about. She had the best interest of Luna at heart and wanted to make sure this would be a good fit for all of us. Sue I can’t thank you enough for your passion, professionalism and heart doing what you do.

I never thought I would be a dog Mom, never mind “that” Lab Mom….Luna is almost 10 year old and she has a sister who is also almost 10. Her name is Pearl and she is a silver lab. We met Luna, her foster mom Katie, foster grandma and Sue met on July 17, 2022. Luna was timid but overall seemed ok. Luna and Pearl liked each other but also were independent and each did their own thing. Katie was just so reassuring and gave me some background and tips, especially that Luna has a sweet tooth…rice krispy treats and also marshmallows…which all hold true still today, except X 2, Pearl now has the same sweet tooth! Luna walked with me and we were able to get her into the truck. Katie said to expect that Luna will lay on the floor of the back seat, while Pearl hangs out the window.

We got Luna home and she was definitely scared but also a little inquisitive. She ate and took treats, went outside in yard and found her spot to sleep and be in her comfort zone.

Every day, we have seemed to have progress with Luna. In the past Luna was not good with men, teenagers or anyone who wore hoodies. The only thing that seems to be still an issue is when someone is in a hoody. She barks. So, the men thing, well she likes her Dad more than me, I can’t deny it but it is totally true. She goes to him, gives him kisses, etc. She does like her Mommy as she always has to be in sight of me, but not always sure of me. Sometimes will walk with me in the harness, other times will want nothing to do with me. Luna is definitely her own person. Luna loves to be where Pearl is, doesn’t matter if it is in the office when Mom is working or outside on deck at shore just hanging out.

As far as the rides in the truck, well, now we have 2 labs that hang out the window and sit on each side of the truck. It is so darn cute and she looks like she is just enjoying every minute of it.

Luna is now a dog who likes the shore, actually goes in the water a bit, which foster mom Katie said was a big step forward. Luna loves getting a bath on the deck at the shore house in Wildwood or the front porch at home. If Pearl does it first, Luna waits for her turn.

Luna wasn’t fond of steps, well that isn’t true anymore! She does steps, lays on the landing while Mom works, she even has slept upstairs. We did get her in bed a couple times and she stayed the entire night! She jumped down in the morning!

Her personality is quirky, she is still skittish but seems to be settled when in her home environment. Luna loves to be with one of us and if Mom leaves, sits by the window or door looking for her, until she comes home. Luna has had some accidents here and there and an ear infection, which she allowed us to do the drops, with no problems. Her new special treat that she loves is Dog Ice Cream! Luna even picks it up and has started using her paws to hold.

It’s only been a little over 90 days that we all became a family. In those 90 days, Luna has not only grew and changed, but so have all of us. We are definitely the lucky ones and it has opened me up to rescue. My first pet was Pearl, so having Luna as my first rescue and an older dog, just shows that even newer pet parents can do it. Thank you Brookline for giving us an opportunity but also giving us a blessing in having Luna as part of our family!

Thanks,
Tracey, Bob, Pearl and Luna

Hello Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue and a great thank you for my furever family!

Tuuk (#3023) here.  I need to tell everyone that it’s pronounced Tuck as they get it wrong!

I had just turned one, when Dave and Rose came to see me.  Thought it wasn’t love at first sight, me not them, I quickly came to realize just how well off my life would be.  Just like my predecessor, Ashley, another Brookline rescue, we live on 70 acres of woods with lots of trails and a small stream.

What can I say?  I live the life of a Labrador!  After my breakfast, I get an hour long walk sans leash in the woods on our many trails.  WOW what smells and chipmunks to chase too!

Mom’s a Master Gardener and is in the process of designing a moon garden.  I, of course, am on guard duty while she’s working on it.

Dad leads day hikes for the Alpine Club of Williamsport. I should say we lead those hikes as  I’m always along to make sure we don’t get lost.  Hey lady is that phone is edible?

I must admit I do have trouble reading a map and leave that to dad!

I just turned two and mom and dad didn’t forget to celebrate my birthday.  Oh, while I didn’t get any people cake, the Kong was stuffed with dog friendly treats.  Can you make out the two candles?

I’m one hundred percent energy.  I can hike with dad for 8-10 miles, but I do know how to relax.

So, what’s the future hold?  All I can say is much more.  Dad’s co-writing a hiking guide for the Friends of Worlds End State Park.  We’ll be going on a lot of hikes for research.  I think it’s more to walk me!   What do you think?  Mom will be working on her garden so I’ll be involved there too.

A very lucky,

Tuuk

PS.  Don’t think you’ll get a repeat of my name!

It has been a wonderful first year with Ruby, we couldn’t have asked for a better dog. She gets along great with our black lab Frankie and our daughter Ellie. One of the best decisions we’ve ever made!

Ryan & Jenn Oakes

Rini’s is now completely recovered from her two TPLO surgeries that were performed at the Metropolitan Veterinary hospital in Norristown. She runs, jumps, does “zoomies” and chases various squirrels, rabbits, sticks, and balls without any limitations. And she absolutely cannot stay out of any body of water, no matter how large or small. She’s been an absolute pleasure since the day she arrived and we couldn’t be more happier.

We can’t thank enough everyone at the Brookline rescue for all their support in helping us get Rini through her surgeries.

Terri and Mike

We (retired Anita and David) are approaching three months of Rosie integrated as part of our family. The match is proving a delight for us – and even Ginny the cat would have to admit it is going better than she would have predicted.
For any family considering adopting a Lab through Brookline, we’d urge you to trust the process. It certainly worked for us.

Autumn, our Brookline volunteer, made clear that she is primarily an advocate for the dog; but has a gift for really listening to and understanding the needs, wants and capabilities of the adoptive family.

Rosie had been a breeder dog for six years, craved close connection to a family, but had little experience of how to achieve that. David and Anita had been without a dog for over 15 years (so felt like dog novices), needed a dog that would get along with resident cat Ginny; David was seeking a companion for long walks who would also be content to hang out as he worked at his desk.

The Brookline foster blogs were a great resource for understanding the range of dogs moving through the rescue pipeline. But it was Autumn’s experience and instincts that suggested a potential match for Rosie. That experience and consistent affirmation and encouragement steered us through Brookline’s “pre-adoptive period” – the two-week trial placement of dog with family.
It is hard to remember now how much anxiety we were feeling the first week Rosie was with us. She went days showing little interest in her meals. Did her years of kennel life mean that walks always would be limited, plodding affairs? Could she feel confident that we’d only leave her alone in the crate for short periods? Could we feel confident that a slow introduction of Rosie and Ginny would lead to a comfortably integrated family (or would we forever be moving through gates between Rosie Zone and Ginny Zone)?
The pre-adoptive period was long enough for us to see substantial progress in all these areas and for us to become thoroughly smitten with Rosie.

Rosie is a gentle, affectionate dog who wants to be with David 24-7, but looks forward to greeting Anita when she (Rosie!) emerges from her crate each morning (and she rushes into her crate when signaled to do so).

She loves her long walks through the woods and fields surrounding our home and is making progress in learning short leash walking through public areas.

Ginny is learning to cope (a hiss and a swat when needed) with when she feels Rosie is becoming overly intrusive and Ginny is mastering how to move safely through spaces where Rosie is present; Rosie is accepting with regret and deference that Ginny is not eager to play, but is a regular part of her world at home. We may soon invite Rosie into some of Ginny’s “safe spaces.”

Drawing on our basic obedience training strategies, David is gradually increasing the number of public meetings and places where we can take Rosie. Her gentleness, placid disposition, and delight in receiving affection from those she meets – more than our skill at training — have been the keys to her successfully entering those spaces.

Rosie is the perfect dog for us. She brings laughter and joy into our lives daily.

April 2023 Update: 

The basics:  Rosie had been a breeder dog for six years, craved close connection to a family, but had little experience of how to achieve that. David and Anita had been without a dog for over 15 years (so felt like dog novices), needed a dog that would get along with resident cat Ginny; David was seeking a companion for long walks who would also be content to hang out as he worked at his desk.

The close support of our Brookline volunteer Autumn during the pre-adoptive trial period was crucial to reaching clarity that this transformation of our lives would be a success.  By the end of the trial, we were smitten and Rosie was becoming steadily more at home with us.

We’ve continued to adapt to one another over this first year in ways that have exceeded our fondest hopes.

When Rosie first arrived, her years of kennel life meant that our first walks were limited, plodding affairs. Now, she expects us to take her for a vigorous mile around a nearby park exercise trail, followed by a more relaxed sniffari.  She then assists David in a round of early morning outdoor chores and knows that she and he will manage at least one much longer field and woods walk later in the day (sometimes with Anita).

Rosie is content to sleep at our feet during our many sedentary activities and keeps a watchful eye on our more active projects.  She is just as content to nap on the back seat during car rides, enjoying whatever adventure awaits at the other end.  David has been able to take her to local civic organization meetings, where her gentle disposition and joy in being petted have made her welcome.

She relatively early learned that we would reliably return when having to leave the house without her and is quite content to rush into the crate when we direct her to it.

Discipline doesn’t come readily for either Anita nor David – but we have been consistent in the basic set of rules we set early on.  The combination of her sweet disposition and her desire to please us have put limited pressure on us for additional training.

Going very slow in introducing Rosie and well-established cat Ginny has paid dividends.  By three months, Rosie had learned (with regret) that Ginny was not a playmate to be chased and Ginny had learned to tolerate having Rosie around – with a well-placed hiss or swat when Rosie’s attentions were unwelcome.  One year in, Rosie defers to Ginny as queen of her domain and Ginny will sometimes accommodate Rosie on what were supposed to be Rosie’s bed pads.

This year has been a very pleasant process of all us imperceptibly adapting – with the end result that we delight in one another.

This is Emily Ryan, today is Olli’s Gotcha Day! I don’t remember if we sent in a success story so I am updating you guys now.

To start off it has been a wonderful year having Olli a part of the family! He has grown so much since joining the family. When we got him a big concern was his separation anxiety but trying some things out with him we realized that he didn’t really have the separation anxiety that we were told about. He certainly didn’t want us to leave and he gets into things from time to time if we haven’t secured everything, but that happened with our other dog, Milo. We can now leave the house for up to 4 hours (someone is always at the house so he isn’t alone for more than that) and come back to a dog happy to see us.

Olli still gets really excited when someone comes to the door so, we have to put him in the crate so he doesn’t charge the door. And speaking of the crate, we put him in it for training in the beginning and now he goes into the crate and can stay in there for a while without problems. Although he really only goes in the crate if he is wet or someone is coming over or we have someone coming to do some work.

Another thing about Olli, when he came to us we noticed if you stood over him while he was groggy or deeply asleep he would start growling. That was concerning at first but we realized that he just didn’t like being disturbed when in those states. He never does anything, just growls and comes to you like he is sorry he is growling. So, we have learned to either wake him up with loud noises or come down to his level and he is ok. And now he only does a little growling like that from time to time.

Also, when Olli came to us he was crazy about food and a little territorial when it came to someone getting close to him when he was eating. But since we found the right food, we found that his overall mood has changed and he doesn’t act so crazy around food. He now waits without constantly drooling when we give him food and he doesn’t growl when we are near him while he eating.

One of the greatest things that we had to get used to again when Olli came, was having a dog with a lot of energy. So, we have taken him out a lot to the dog park and on lots of hikes. This year alone he has gotten 1 or 2 hikes a week and going to the dog park, besides the usual morning walk he gets around the neighborhood. And around 7 months I took Olli on a hike and tried letting him run free. I was a little apprehensive but even though Olli took off running he came back after two calls and if he got far ahead and couldn’t see me he would come back. When we run into people he always stops and is a little unsure but will come after the two calls. So, now when we go on hikes we always let him run free and we also know the trails that are less hiked.

Oh and we have this one set of trails that go around a huge lake and Olli loves going in a little bit for a swim. He is always so excited to go on these hikes now and whether we hike for 1-3 hours, Olli comes home exhausted, and then the next day he is still so tired. We say it’s his recovery day because runs so much on the hikes.

One thing we think that helped Olli with his transition into our home was our other dog, Milo. Olli fit right in with him and they became buddies right away. After a while, Dad would joke and say “Milo must think Olli is his child”. This was because he would bark for us to come if Olli was outside and wanted to come in, if Olli was distressed because he couldn’t get at his ball, and if Olli heard something outside. Milo being an old dog and having bad back legs, we feel having Olli kept him going.

Sadly, though we lost Milo on New Year’s Day. He was a valiant dog all the way to the end—strong, brave, happy. When we lost Milo we weren’t sure what Olli would do. He didn’t seem all that upset that Milo was gone but he did go right to Milo’s bed to sleep on. We thought Olli might be upset that first night but he slept like a log. And when we left him alone for the first time since Milo was gone, we were surprised to come home to a dog that was just waking up from a long nap. He didn’t go crazy! Well, he didn’t do anything to the house.

When we first had Olli he would always get after my dad in the morning when he would wake up (my dad gets up around 6 or 6:30 every morning). Olli would need to go outside and then come in and want food right away and then would follow dad around the kitchen and bring him toys to play with. Now Olli is so comfortable that when my dad wakes up he will look at him and stay in bed until he hears the door open to go outside or food being made in the kitchen. Especially if he went on a hike the day before. And because of this, sometimes he even eats breakfast late. My dad says his mornings are more relaxed now. But he loves taking Olli out on his morning walk.

We, love having Olli a part of the family even if he is a bit stubborn and won’t listen to us all the time when we tell him to go away hahaha. It is so nice having another companion again to go on hikes with! We can’t wait to take him on bigger hikes up north on a vacation or to the beach! But we are waiting for him to be even more comfortable being left alone in a new place because we don’t want him destroying an AirBnB we would rent.

We are so happy that we found Brookline and chose Olli! He has overcome a lot in this first year with us and now can’t see a life without him!

Hunter came to us about a year ago this week and we couldn’t be happier with this big goof ball. In typical Labrador fashion, he makes us laugh and get our exercise chasing after him nearly every day.

We had an unexpected start to our adoption when Hunter swallowed a sock and had to have emergency surgery to remove it. This was about 5 months into the adoption. We have had previous experience with Labradors stealing items around the house, but with Hunter, he has an uncanny ability to steal (and swallow) things incredibly quick! But we have adapted. Now, if you come to our house, you’ll understand why all the bedroom doors are closed, there are no pillows in sight, no throw rugs and no hand towels at his level. He just loves all things soft and will promptly steal an item and gleefully run around the house waiting for someone to notice. Hence, more exercise for us!

In addition, to making his humans more “fit”, Hunter loves his sister dog, Molly. They get along perfectly. Hunter was the perfect match for our Molly, who is more on the timid side. He brings out the best in Molly and we love him for it! Just watching them run and play in the yard is so special for us.

Hunter is incredibly lovable and loyal. He has no idea what personal space is because he is permanently in yours. ❤️ Now, onto the mud…this dog LOVES water. And since we have a creek in the front yard, you can only imagine his delight…and the mud! Oh the mud!

Thanks so much for all that you do at Brookline! We are forever grateful to have this big, lovable goof ball in our lives!!

Two Girls Hanging Out for The Day by Beauty and Fudge

Hi, Lab Lovers. We are Beauty and Fudge. We live in the country with two nice senior citizens. Beauty came to our family in 2021 and Fudge has been here for about two months. Our new family lives in the country with lots of things to see and smell. Our home is surrounded by lots of trees, small critters, and an occasional human walking or driving by.
Both of us lived on a farm before we got our new home. We had lots of puppies. Our new mom and dad told us those days are over! They told us we are “retired,” just like them. It is quiet and peaceful in our neighborhood. We each have our own bed, though Beauty likes to sleep with our mom before she settles into her bed. It’s funny…we are fed twice a day like clockwork, we go out for walks several times a day, get our nails done, have spa days…it’s great! Mom tells Dad that he gives us too many treats but Dad says he can’t resist our love “eyes.” Best of all we can have scratches, belly rubs, cuddle, and pets all day long. Dad says we hit the jackpot. We sure did.
A lady named Val helped to get us off the farm and to our new home. A lady named Liz also helped Beauty. We learned soon after we got here that two other ladies, Jan and Karen, helped Tootsie and Twila to live here until they crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Sometimes Mom and Dad call us by the wrong names. That’s ok. We know how much they love us.

It has been our great pleasure to be Jedd’s Forever Family since Halloween

Jedd was rescued from a breeder farm in Ohio when he was a year old. When Jedd’s new owner couldn’t afford the expensive surgery to correct his cleft palate, she surrendered him to Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue, which secured a surgical fix for Jedd.

By the time we became Jedd’s forever family, he had healed and his palate was perfect (it’s kind of cute because sometimes it looks like he has a bit of an underbite). Because he didn’t get all of the nourishment he needed as a puppy, Jedd’s a little undersized for a Lab. That’s okay with us—we call him “fun-sized.”

Jedd has quickly become one of the pack. Within a week or so, he learned how to get along with our three cats. Now he and Joey the cat celebrate meal time by dancing around and playfully swatting at one another. It almost looks like they’re high-fiving one another. Jedd also loves hanging out with my dad while he feeds the horses that live in our barn. Sure, Jedd has a few quirks like munching on dry leaves like they’re potato chips and eating deer poop, but I guess we all have our idiosyncrasies.

The fact that we have found yet another rescue dog who’s such an awesome family pet says to me that it isn’t luck—rescue dogs are just really great dogs whose previous living situations were not the right fit for one reason or another.
I expect all of our dogs will be rescue dogs. We feel really great about having given perfectly good dogs in need of a new home a second (or third or fourth) chance. As they say, adopting one dog will not change the world, but it does change the world for that one dog.

Thanks again for connecting us with such a terrific dog!
Joanne McHugh

Success Story! – Roxy was rescued from a breeder farm in September 2021.
After a few short weeks in Brookline foster care Roxy joined our pack! I’m not sure she knew what she was getting into with three human siblings under 4! Come to find out it was a match made in heaven! Roxy instantly gravitated towards the kids for endless belly rubs and treats!
Whether it’s a rainy-day watching movies or throwing a ball in the backyard, she always wants to be with her people! She has since become queen of the kingdom and has her choice of beds! She likes to bed hop, from in-between mommy and daddy to the guest room bed which is now “Roxy’s bed”, or at the feet of her human siblings where she protects and cuddles them!

We knew we would be a difficult placement for any dog with the little ones however I’m not sure there is a more perfect match than our Roxy girl!
Thank you for connecting us and completing our family!

-Jason, Dara, Lina, Carson and William

Larissa is now known as Keshet

This is her favorite spot on the couch snoozing or watching the birdfeeders through the window.
Please let Deb know she is fabulous 🙂and is well looked after, living quite the pampered lifestyle lol.
Keshet is thriving. Truly part of the family. Perfect dog for us ☺️Thank you!