Haley (formerly called "Harley") is a 3 year old purebred Golden Retriever who was surrendered to an Iowa shelter this summer because her family no longer had time to give her the love and attention that she deserved. The Iowa shelter contacted RAGOM and asked them to take her in because she was stressed and unhappy at their shelter. RAGOM gladly transported her to one of their foster homes. Her foster family loved her but was having a hard time dealing with some resource guarding and stubborn behaviors she was exhibiting around their children. She was then placed in a RAGOM boarding facility and had a behavior evaluation. The behaviorist felt that Haley could overcome her bad habits with training from a foster family without small children. She waited patiently in boarding until a foster family could spring her free! We have had a week to get to know Haley and she is turning out to be a wonderful girl. Haley had a very busy week. She went to the groomer for a very needed bath and trim! She also got up-to-date on all her shots. She has a double ear infection but is feeling better already after four days of medicine. Haley weighs 75 lbs. but should lose about 10 lbs to be her perfect weight. She has no known health problems and a happy disposition.

Haley and our dogs hosted a dog party this afternoon! There were 8 dogs and 6 people. Most of the dogs got along very well, played ball, and chased each other around the yard. Haley preferred to hang out by the humans and appeared to lack confidence while interacting with new dogs. She ventured out into the yard a few times though and pranced and jumped into the air while someone showed her a tug-of-war rope. She looked like a happy puppy hopping around! After a couple hours on non-stop dog action, Haley seemed much more relaxed and confident and even rested calmly on the deck. She will need a dog savvy parent who is committed to taking her to obedience class and supervised dog play times so she can gain more doggy social skills.

Our two dogs have welcomed Haley into their pack and Haley and Robbie are lounging together on the couch as I type this. I think she would enjoy being an only dog though so she can get all the love and attention she desires. Haley needs to be in a home without small children because she can be stubborn and strong-willed if asked to do something she doesn't want to do (for example getting ear medicine applied or being brushed when she's trying to relax). We’ve found that most of her stubbornness can be easily managed in a positive, quiet manner by using a Gentle Leader correction and tether.

Haley is housetrained and could have free roam of the home but will counter surf for grocery lists and notes if they're left lying about. I caught her with a roll of paper towels today but she willingly swapped them for a biscuit! What a good girl! Haley already knows most basic commands such as: come, down, sit, and stay. We are teaching her "off" this week. This command will come in handy when she has a forbidden object in her mouth!

In conclusion, Haley is an affectionate, beautiful Golden Retriever who needs a strong but calm leader to set boundaries for her and help her gain confidence as she matures into the kind of dog she was meant to be. If you are interested in meeting Haley please contact placementragom [dot] org and we can tell you more about this sweet girl.