7/7/09:  Let's give a big RAGOM welcome to Molly, who comes to us from the Fargo area. Molly was raised in a home where she was deeply loved. Unfortunately, Molly's owner had to be hospitalized and also lost her home. As a result, Molly spent some time alone in the garage of the vacant house until her owner sadly made the decision to rehome her.
Molly is a spayed purebred Golden Retriever, estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old (we'll call her 2 1/2). She has a dash of white on her chest and the tips of her toes. (The early North American Goldens commonly had a bit of white on their chest.) She's a healthy, athletic 60 pounds, with a highlighted coat ranging from deep red to strawberry blonde. And she's got the prettiest, most expressive light-brown eyes.
Molly went to the vet today and is up to date on her shots. She has a walnut-sized lump on her hip that we will have removed and analyzed—I'll keep you updated as we know more about it.
Like many Golden Retrievers, Molly loves loves loves people! She strains to meet everyone—men, women and children alike—that we pass on our walks. She's equally interested in other dogs and gets along with well with them. My resident dog Chaz, a dominant 5-year-old, tried his luck at humping her, but Molly told him off—firmly and appropriately—and Chaz got the message.
Her recall is quite good, and she packs well with me and my dog, so I think Molly would do well at a dog park, doggie daycare and other social environments.
Although she knows a few basic commands, Molly would benefit from a course or two of obedience. She walks nicely on a flat buckled collar UNTIL she spots a squirrel, and then she becomes a 60-lb locomotive. Here's where an automatic response to "leave-it" would come in handy. She's also been known to jump up on people when she gets overly excited, but I have only seen her do it once or twice.
Smart and eager to please, Molly is a quick learner. She has already learned that the household cats are members of my pack and not dinner. While she's still interested in them, she largely leaves them alone unless one runs, and then she'll chase it until I call her off.
Her biggest challenge right now is getting over her separation anxiety. She gets nervous when I leave the room and will follow me around the house. Baby gates are no deterrent—it takes her about three seconds to scale one to be with me. If I leave the house entirely, she barks. 
Her anxiety is understandable, given her recent experience alone in the garage, but I think she can overcome this with time and patience. I have been practicing short intervals behind closed doors to desensitize her to my absence, and I'm already seeing improvement.
For Molly's sake, it would be more ideal if she learned these lessons from her forever family. Developing her trust and helping her get over her fear would be a wonderful bonding experience.
Molly's basically a sweet, happy girl that would do well in many situations. Because she's so "packy," she doesn't strike me as a flight risk, so a home without a fence would be fine (provided someone is always with her when she's outside). She can live with kids, cats and other dogs, but I think she would be perfectly happy being an only dog, too.
But because of her separation anxiety, Molly's forever family should not be away for long hours. It would be ideal if someone were home for most of the day—at least until she adjusts to being alone. And because she can be quite vocal when she gets anxious, an apartment or condo with common walls would not be the best situation.
If you're an approved applicant and would like to be the one to teach Molly that she can relax and know that her people will always return, please contact your placement advisor.

(I took Chaz and Molly to an old tennis court this afternoon for a photo shoot. Enjoy the shots of this pretty girl!)