| Golden Retriever | Born: August 2006 |
| Male | 60 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Well, today, Junior found his new FUREVER home. He leaves in 2 days to be with his new family and it is with great satisfaction that I can say he will be loved like a golden should be loved. Junior hasn’t been with us long but my heart is already feeling heavy as he prepares to start his new, happy life. Thank you, Mark and Michelle, for opening your hearts to this sweet, sweet boy. Junior is so lucky to have found you. I posted a few last shots of him-you can see him smiling!
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This week has been a busy one for Junior- Fortunately, he’s a dog who likes to meet a good challenge head-on! Junior was neutered a week ago and once the first day was over, he bounced back with vigor. It was a little sad to see this guy laid out on his bed for hours and throwing up from the anesthesia. He hadn’t eaten in over a day and was still lethargic the day AFTER his surgery, so I tried to get him to eat hot dogs and other good soft doggie food- nope, he wouldn’t take any of it. So, I figured I’d try a little peanut butter and he scarfed that right up! So, after he had that and it stayed down, our little man got a peanut butter sandwich. He REALLY likes those! Once his tummy was on the mend, he ate his regular food without a problem. He’s been bounding around the yard ever since!
We were at the RAGOM event in Rochester this past Saturday and met so many great people who came by to say hi to Junior. He wants me to tell everyone that he loves you all! Junior was thrilled to get out and sniff butts all day with the other RAGOM dogs-maybe too much so. We are especially grateful to the 2 young boys who came by the RAGOM booth to donate the big bag of dog toys they had collected at their birthday party. Junior gladly took some tennis balls and loves them!!! THANK YOU!!! That was such a nice and thoughtful gesture to all of the foster dogs in RAGOM. Here are some pictures of Junior at the event.
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Junior has found his place in our pack now and will quietly snuggle next to me in bed as I read my book in the evening or lightly jump into bed with my son to wake him up in the mornings with a wet doggie kiss. Junior’s kisses are especially wet and he has no problem with kissing you square on the lips if you aren’t watching. He’s as light as a feather and rather than landing beside you with a big KERPLOP, he lightly springs up like a cat- you barely know he’s joined you. This morning, I noticed my husband lingering in bed getting a morning snuggle in with Junior…Men…they act so tough! Tonight, Junior and my girl, Dakota, finally played for about 5 minutes. It was good to see the pack opening up and learning to play with each other.
We have discovered that Junior is very responsive to the command “Come”. We use the word “out!” to mean “go away” when he’s pestering and he has learned that very quickly. He’s not good with “lay” or “down” although he knows “sit” very well. Basically, he’s an open book. I think that he would make a great agility dog as he has the speed and spring in his step and the young curiosity that would make it so much fun for him. He will make some family very happy who gives him the love and exercise he needs. Junior only has love to give and he does it so easily and trustingly.
Hi, Junior here. Foster mom is doing homework with her son now so she let me do my own update today. I have to make it short cuz I’m not feeling so well today- Mom took me to get tutored today, or something like that. I don’t know what that IS, but I woke up feeling all woozy and sore. My tummy isn’t feeling really great yet but Mom says tomorrow will be a better day. I hope so because I want to play so bad but just don’t have the energy to get off my bed. My foster dad has even spent some time just petting me to help me feel better.
I think the 2 girls that live here like that I am laying so quietly so they can play together without interruption from me. All I can say to that is WHATEVER! I know I’m the cutest. Foster mom says we’re going to PetSmart this Saturday in Rochester to meet some people and other dogs. I am excited to go since I really like my people- maybe other dogs have nice people too, like I do. Foster mom says she will be so sad but also so happy when I find my furever home. That just sounds WEIRD to me! Well, I’m gonna go lay down again and take a snooze- see you all on Saturday!
Woof!
Junior
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Junior has been at our home now for 4 days and we are learning a lot about this gorgeous boy. He is so friendly and ready to give you all the love and attention you need- maybe even a little more for good measure. He has the sweetest face and so much youthful exuberance but also remarkably well adjusted. He is confident and doesn’t seem to have any fears or worries that I can see. He is definitely a ball of energy. When he first got here, after some introductions and lots of sniffing, Junior and I went on a long walk to burn down for the afternoon- no such luck. He loved the walk but that almost 3-mile walk was only a drop in the bucket for what he really needed. So, now we go on the bike and he runs along side the whole way and loves it.
I would say that Junior could easily gain a few pounds and put on some muscle. He is ribby and you can feel his spine but he’s close to his optimal weight. Right now, he’s 59 pounds and he is a gracious eater that doesn’t eat like he’s been starving for weeks. Hopefully the running and exercise here will help him put on some lean mass. He also came here with a strong tendency to jump up on people- but, after a few days of correction, his jumping has really diminished. So, he seems to learn things quickly, despite how hard it must be to control that puppy enthusiasm. He is VERY good in the house and hasn’t counter surfed once, hasn’t chewed anything inappropriate, and hasn’t marked in the house at all. He just hangs out quietly with my 2 resident females while I am upstairs in the office working.
A few other things about Junior….so far, despite having been here for several days now, he is a pacer. He never seems to relax enough to just lie down to watch his favorite sitcoms (I even offered to watch Air Buddies with him…). The only way I have found that he will lie down is if everyone is quiet and still for a long time or if nobody is in the room. But, as soon as someone gets up to get something, he is right by your side and pacing again. I think some of this is a side effect of him not being neutered yet- he’s scheduled to be neutered in 2 days (I haven’t told him this yet).
The other thing I see is that he can be aggressive with my 2 female goldens when he plays. I don’t think he is meaning to be aggressive at the outstart of play but as soon as he comes jumping in to play, his exuberance takes over and there’s a fight within seconds as my females don’t appreciate his leaps through the air at them. It is the same thing when he is out retrieving balls- if one of the other dogs gets there first, he tries to muscle in and take the ball and a fight ensues. Again, I am hopeful that the neutering will take this down a few notches. He’s a sweet 2 year old and he will learn his place in the pack shortly.
Last night, our family was outside playing some basketball and we found that Junior likes to play too! He enjoys chasing the bouncing ball and will tackle it in mid air if he can. Once I got tired of basketball, I decided to play one of my favorite games with him- we had a chase around the propane tank in the back yard- it makes me laugh because the dogs typically get so frustrated that they can’t catch me that they give up and bark in protest- well, I finally heard Junior’s bark last night- but, he is so agile and quick on his feet that he was on my heels the entire time! My other 2 girls gave up long before that.
If you’re looking for a sweet, energetic, loving dog with no hang-ups, contact your placement advisor about Junior. He would LOVE to meet you and show you what a good boy he is.