Please welcome Harley to RAGOM! Harley is a stately and handsome, purebred Golden Retriever. Harley was surrendered by a very loving owner who recently divorced and whose work and travel schedule prevented him from being able to give Harley the time and attention he deserves.

You can tell that Harley was trained very well in every way, and he has adjusted well to being in our home.

Harley has been with us for two weeks now and has been an absolute dream as far as behavior and obedience go. He is house-trained and crate-trained and respects baby gates. Harley gets along well with people and other dogs and enjoys spending time with my 15-year-old son.

Harley is very confident and a very happy and friendly dog. Harley has not spent much time around young children, but he is so gentle that I imagine once he has his surgery to repair his knee (more on that below), he would do well with most children of all ages. Please watch future updates for any changes to his children requirements. 

Harley's surrendering owner also had a Terrier and reported that they got along well with no issues. We have a German Shepherd that lives next door, and we have a chain link fence between our yards where the dogs can sniff each other and interact. The German Shepherd is just over a year old and barks very loudly and aggressively, but Harley generally ignores her.

Once in a while Harley will bark back at her to establish dominance when he seems to have had enough of her noise and commotion. He will greet other friendly dogs on leash when we go for walks in the park, but we have not yet tested him with any dogs off leash, such as in our fenced yard. Harley has not been cat tested yet, but he is a very mellow dog in general.

At his first vet appointment after coming into RAGOM, the vet said Harley has Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease. His surrendering owner said Harley sprained his knee and sent the last of his pain medication with him. Harley walks with a limp and avoids putting weight on his right hind leg, especially toward the end of the day. He walks up and down stairs pretty easily unless he is very tired.

Harley has a hard time getting in and out of cars, especially my SUV. I am looking for a sturdy ramp that can support his weight (he currently weighs 105 pounds) as I cannot easily lift his very heavy rear end to help him into the car. It is easier for him to get out of the car, but this difficulty should definitely be a consideration when finding him a forever home and owner (and vehicle!). 

The vet and RAGOM determined that Harley will need to have surgery to remedy his leg so that he can be more active and in less pain. Before he can have the surgery he needs to lose approximately 20 – 25 pounds so he doesn't put too much stress on his other hind leg during recovery. Harley will be unavailable for adoption until he has recovered from his surgery. Watch for updates!

Harley needs to be on a strict diet and needs as much exercise as he can tolerate. The vet said it will be best for him to walk on leash at a regulated pace and that he is to avoid hard-impact activities like fetch and playing with other dogs.

Harley was very cooperative during his vet visit and did not bark at any of the other dogs while we were there. He obviously did not enjoy having his ears cleaned and nails clipped, but he allowed the vet tech to do her job without protesting.

Another way Harley can get some good exercise is by swimming. His surrendering owner said that Harley loves the water and that he did very well at the Minnehaha Falls Dog Park.

We brought him to our cabin last weekend and he loved swimming in the lake, but he waited for permission to go into the water. If I sat on the dock he would get out of the water to be near me instead of continuing to enjoy the water.

Harley loves to be near his people most of all, so he will do best with someone who is available often to take him walking and swimming in order to help keep his weight down and therefore the added pressure off his knee. 

Harley does great in the car if and when I am able to help him get in and out of it. I have usually had to switch cars with my boyfriend who has a sedan when I need to transport Harley, because he is unable to jump into my SUV. Even getting in and out of a sedan is not easy for him, which is unfortunate because he loves sniffing out the window and going on adventures.

Harley is a super lovable, delightful dog and will be a great family dog for his adopting family. I think his ideal home would be relatively spacious because of his extra large size, and it would be great if he had easy access to a lake or pool where he can exercise often with little impact on his joints.

An owner who is able to take him on frequent leash walks would be a must because his favorite times of the day are his walks in the park. He gets so excited when he hears his leashes jingling that he jumps up on his hind legs, even though that is a difficult thing for him to do with the pain in his hind leg.

He walks great on a leash and his desire to remain obedient overrides his prey drive. Harley is a dream dog and clearly would like to be more active than his injured hind leg allows.

Harley loves to be petted and prefers for you to pet his rear end rather than his front end. If you start petting his head he will usually spin himself around so his rear end ends up under your hand. He also loves to play tug of war and is really good at it since he is so big and strong.

It would be best if he had an owner who was also strong so that he or she could more easily help Harley in and out of cars or, if needed, to be lifted or carried in a worst-case scenario.

If Harley is motivated with the prospect of cuddling in bed he can muster up enough energy to jump up in the bed, but you can tell it is a struggle for him. He snores loudly and shakes the bed when he pants, but it is all very endearing.

He has already brought a lot of joy to our home and we will be sad to see him eventually go, but we look forward to finding him his forever home where he can live out his Golden Life!