Buddy is a gorgeous 15-month-old male purebred Golden Retriever. Due to health reasons, Buddy's elderly owners were no longer able to care for this young lad.

We braved the bad roads and weather and picked up Buddy on Monday. Since the weather was so nasty, we did a quick check with the vet to see if there were any cancellations and there were! We made a stop at the vet on the way home. Buddy is now up to date on shots, and other than needing to lose a few pounds, he was given a clean bill of health.

I'm sure Buddy is wondering what in the world happened to him! He was used to living a life where table scraps were his main food source. You should have seen the look he gave me on the first night when he realized there was nothing in his bowl but high-quality dry dog food. It was similar to the look he gave me when I informed him dogs were not allowed to put their feet on the counter to see what was in the kitchen sink!

He also gave us a little scolding when he realized his bed for the night was a crate. But don't feel too sorry for him, as his crate is in our bedroom with resident Josie (Lacey 09-048) in a crate right next to him and resident Bailey on a dog bed right outside his crate door.

The good news is his scolding only lasted a few minutes, followed by a grunt and a heavy sigh, which I'm sure in dog language contained some colorful words. He slept quietly the rest of the night.

After refusing his first dinner, he now heartily enjoys his twice-daily feedings of dry dog food in the laundry room with the resident girls. He also knows keeping four feet on the floor in the kitchen earns him lots of hugs and praise. We know if we keep redirecting his bad habits and praising his accomplishments, good behavior will become the norm for him.

Buddy had not been exposed to other dogs. Our college-aged son was home on Monday and helped me with introductions out in the front yard.

We decided to introduce the residents one at a time, starting with Josie since she loves having fosters. Josie was so excited she dropped to the ground in her play pose. Buddy had no idea what she was doing, so he completely froze. Every time Josie moved an inch, Buddy jumped a mile - it was hilarious. Before long, the two were having a little wrestling match in the snow.

We then put Josie in and brought Bailey out. Bailey is our crabby senior girl. She marched right up to Buddy. He let her get to about two feet away and then fell right over on his side and exposed his throat in a completely submissive pose. Bailey took immediate pity on him and gave him a sniff to let him know he had nothing to fear, and they've been fast friends ever since.

I think it's safe to say Buddy doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. He even shares the water dish with the resident cat.

Buddy's house training and leash walking are a work in progress. We were told he didn't always go outside to relieve himself, so we have been keeping him on a tether with regular breaks outside to go potty. So far, so good - we haven't had any accidents.

He is crated at night and while we are at work, and he keeps his crate clean. He's not used to walking on a leash, so this weekend when we have a little more time, we'll practice polite leash walking.

Overall, he's a very sweet, mellow boy. Due to his size (80 pounds) and lack of training, he would do best in a home without small children.

He doesn't know the command "come" yet, so he will need a fenced yard or someone who is willing to take him out on a leash or use a tie-out when he needs to go out for potty breaks. We have been using a leash, and he's been very good about taking care of business right away.

He would be fine with or without other dogs. Dog-savvy cats are fine, but I think he might give chase if a cat ran.

If you would like to learn more about this handsome boy, please contact your placement advisor.