July 1, 2013 —  Meet Rhodes, the "wait list dog without the wait."
This handsome young guy was a stray in Nebraska. He spent three months in a shelter, where he quickly became a staff favorite. With the help of Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska (GRINN), Rhodes was pulled from the shelter and transported to Minnesota to begin his Golden Life.
At first glance, Rhodes looks very much a Golden Retriever. He's got a silky gold coat with a blond underbelly, a nice blocky head, big feet with webbed toes and a flowing, feathery tail. But his gold eyes tell us there's something else in his mix. The shelter thought Border Collie. The vet who did his wellness check this morning says maybe Chesapeake Retriever.
Whatever the other breed(s) may be, he's neither purebred Golden nor female, so he doesn't have to be categorized as a wait list dog. But everything else about this guy says, "WHAT A CATCH!"
At 58 pounds and about ten months old, Rhodes (or "Roadie" as I sometimes call him) is a puppy in a big dog's body. He is Mr. Social, perking up at the sight of strangers, going wiggly at the sound of a child's voice and almost unable to contain himself when a new dog passes by, especially if it's a puppy.
Rhodes is a happy, confident dog. Loud noises like car horns and leaf blowers don't bother him. We have not had a thunderstorm yet since taking him into my home, but the paperwork from the shelter reports that he's not stormphobic.
He's also a world-class cuddler. The other night, he climbed onto the couch, draped himself over me like we were puppies in a litter, and we both fell asleep.
He does not resource guard from people or other dogs. We have had "community" toys, bones and pigs' hooves lying around for days without any incidents. He has twice started to chew on things he shouldn't, but he is easily called off and will transfer the urge to an appropriate toy or chewie handed to him. His inappropriate chewing usually comes late in the day, when he's feeling the strongest need for exercise.
Roadie just wants to PLAY PLAY PLAY. With a like-minded playmate, Rhodes will wrestle and chase and run until he practically drops. He gets along well with other dogs, even adults who scold him for his unwanted play invitations. After they snark at him, Rhodes just looks chastened and walks away--until five minutes later when he comes back and teases them again.
At home, Rhodes will bark an alert at the approach of strangers. He once jumped the baby gate at the top of my stairs to meet me at the door. It had to have been a hard landing, though, and he has not tried that again. If he's blocked by the baby gate and unable to join me downstairs, he may bark and carry on for a short while. He needs more practice being left alone.
Rhodes hopes there's a treat in there somewhere for him.

There are three areas that Rhodes' adoptive family will need to work on with him. The first is basic obedience. Rhodes knows how to sit, but that's about it. He's a smart boy with a short attention span, so he will need concentrated training sessions to teach him how to be a well-mannered dog. Group obedience classes would be excellent for Rhodes. I have not introduced him yet to a Gentle Leader, but that should be the first order of business. He should have so much practice on-leash passing other dogs that it becomes routine. We want him to meet new dogs calmly--with the human equivalent of a handshake instead of a bear hug.
Rhodes is also not fully housetrained, although he is getting better every day. He will need someone who can be with him 24/7 for a few days to get him into the habit of always going outside to do his business. He has not been crate-trained in my home, as he is too tall for the crate I have, but crate training would also be great for Roadie and would certainly help with housetraining.
Lastly, Rhodes gets car sick after about 15 minutes, so he will need to be more acclimated to riding in a car. Dramamine will help. Ideally he will grow out of it if he is taken for short rides every day.
Rhodes says, "I really want to play! What about you?" Frankie is not so sure.
What does Roadie's forever home look like? 
First and foremost, he needs someone to play with. If you're committed to taking him to the dog park a few times a week, he won't need another dog in the house. If you do have another dog, it should be one who's relatively young, healthy, playful and of comparable size, because Roadie will tease for play. It wouldn't be fair to a senior or disabled dog to subject them to Roadie's pestering.
Rhodes' home does not need a fence. HOWEVER, he should not be trusted off-leash until he learns recall, and should never be off-leash in an area that isn't safe.
Because he's so exuberant, no small children. He will knock over kids, even older ones, until he learns more obedience and grows out of the puppy stage.
As for cats, the jury is still out. Rhodes is VERY interested in my two cats and will give chase if they run. I think this is a play response, but he's a big dog who could easily hurt them. I always call him off when he's too focused on the kitties. If your cat is dog-savvy and relatively calm, he would probably be fine with it in time.
Once Rhodes beats this motion sickness thing, he will be a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of dog. If Rhodes looks like a good fit for your family, contact your placement adviser now, because I expect he'll be in demand. If you hurry, Rhodes could be in your home for the Fourth of July long weekend, which would be an ideal time to transition him into your life.
C'mon, let's play!