Duke arrived at our house on Monday; he was previously being fostered in Iowa. What a guy! Duke is none other then a gentle giant! As you may already know from past updates Duke is a big boy, about 90 lbs. But don't let that intimidate, Duke is super gentle and a very mellow boy.
When he fist arrived Monday, it took very little time for Duke to make himself right at home. He met his foster brother (our Golden, Willie) and got acquainted with his new surroundings. He found the dog toys and picked out several to play with - he loves Kongs and balls. Duke doesn't interact a whole lot with our Golden, which seems to work for both of them. However, the two rest on the back steps next to each other and also stick pretty close to one another when lounging around in the house. We've taken several walks and even went for a short run. Duke does very well on a leash. He is able to heel without the use of Gentle Leader or training collar. Although when we took him to the vet we did use a Gentle Leader because he pulled a bit. Duke really enjoys going for walks and runs. He likes to make a few stops here and there and take in all the smells.
While we're at work Duke and our Golden have the run of our house, well actually just the fist floor. We expect that we would be able to trust Duke if he were left alone in the house. However, all food and garbage is kept out of reach to avoid any temptations. When we get home Duke is at the door to greet us. He's a gentleman, no jumping up!
At night, Duke sleeps on the floor next to our bed. We set out a large soft blanket for him to sleep on and of course he accepted it as his right away! He has not once tried to get up on our couch or the bed. Duke seems very content on the floor as long as we're willing to love him up, rub his ears and scratch his belly.
At the moment Duke is suffering from what is thought to be seasonal allergies. Poor guy, he is not very comfortable and has to itch quite often. Today we took him to the vet to get him some relief. He's now on a couple of medications for about a month and should start feeling better very soon. Once there is a hard frost it's expected that Duke's allergies won't be so bothersome.
Other then that, Duke is a very healthy six-year-old Golden. Duke is a catch! He would be a great addition to pretty much any family. He is working on some resource guarding issues, but seems to be responding very well. It might be best for Duke to be adopted by a family that is willing to work with him on the resource guarding and give him some structure. Duke is a very gentle, sweet, big boy. We just love him!! Please contact RAGOM if you're interested in meeting Duke!






Duke is the tall red boy, standing next to his foster sister, Sophie.