Introducing..Valentino (aka "Tino" or sba (should be known as) "Velcro").

Tino is a HAPPY 3 year old boy that LOVES being with people.  His mother was a purebred golden retriever and we (and the vet) are guessing that his father may have had some German Shepherd in him.  He has many Golden traits (happy, fun-loving, always smiling), but he seems to also share some Shepherd traits, such as being very loyal, vigilant, and astute - the best of both worlds!  He is very light in color (almost white) and very soft.  He weights about 66 pounds - very long, tall, and lean.  As you can tell from the photos, he looks like a Golden, but his ears are offset just a bit and almost look like they want to stand up.  Regardless of his pedigree - his extremely CUTE, don't you agree?

Tino was adopted as a RAGOM puppy in 2007 and his family has reluctantly returned him to RAGOM due to a change in financial circumstances.

Here are some more facts about our buddy, Tino:

• First and foremost - he is a LOVER - loves people, loves attention, loves other dogs.
• He is neutered, healthy, and is up to date with his vaccinations.
• He is very loyal.
• Will follow you from room to room and will whine when he can't be in close proximity.
• Is very inquisitive - since he is always close by, he is very interested in whatever we are doing.  In the kitchen he will turn his nose's attention to the counter, but not in an intrusive way - just curious - although he has supposedly been known to "counter-surf" (and what self-respecting Golden hasn't?)
• Responds quickly when corrected.
• Rides very well in a car.
• Walks fairly nicely on a Gentle Leader.
• Knows basic commands but could use a little more schooling.
• Adores being groomed.  Within the first hour of arriving at our house, I realized he had a large matt with burrs entangled under his tail.  He didn't mind me working on the matt and he really seemed to enjoy the grooming.  With a little coaxing, I was able to trim his feet and toenails as well.
• Loves to play with our resident dog and to play fetch.  He loves to roll in the snow - he buried his entire head up to his shoulders in a snowbank!
• At 3 years of age, he has lots of puppy-like energy, but has demonstrated that he can also lie down and relax.  He would love a family with a runner!
• Is very interested in our cat, but not in an aggressive way.
• Although there are not children in our home, he has been around children ages 5 and up.  He is so loving that I can't imagine him not liking kids of all ages, although he will definitely give out "kisses" to anyone whose face is at his level.
• Since he is so committed to being with people, when they leave he appears to have some separation anxiety.
• We were told that he jumped a 4 ft. chain link fence and ran, so we put him on a tie-out when he has to go out.  But he is not left alone outside.  Nevertheless, he does not like to be left alone, so I can't imagine him running away unless he was chasing something.

What Tino will need in his Forever Home:

• An active family that includes him whenever possible and will give him ample exercise and play time.
• A 6' privacy fence, tie-out, or to be walked to go potty.
• A family that has previous dog training experience that will be committed to continuing his education.
• A family that will help him work through his separation anxiety issues.  I think that with time he can be left alone for the length of a workday, but he will need to ease into it.  (We have found that for now it is best for him to be in a crate while we are gone.  Once he feels more comfortable and relaxed in our house, we will start leaving him out for longer periods of time.)  I think he just needs some time to adjust to new surroundings and still misses his family right now.

With a just a little bit of patience, Tino will make some lucky family very happy - he will give them all the love he has to offer, which is quite a lot!!!