Goliath first came into RAGOM in September 2002. He was adopted in October 2002 and loved by his family. However, they have decided that he is too desperately hungry for attention, and that their lifestyle does not allow them to give him the constant companionship they feel he needs. When we bring a dog into the RAGOM program, we make a promise to them that we will follow up on them for the rest of their lives. Anyone adopting from us signs a contract agreeing that the Golden will come back to RAGOM, if their situation changes and they can no longer keep the dog.
This from my notes in 2002:
Goliath is here with me now. He is a very sweet, stinky boy. He is a red 7 year old neutered guy with mats under his ears and in his feathers. His nails are very long and he has at least 10 lbs to lose. His behavior is that of a dog unaccustomed to being inside, but he is quickly learning how to do the stairs and behave inside. His tail is quite hard and the tip of it is bloody from the constant wagging and thumping into walls/furniture. His original family mentioned a problem with urinating when he is excited, although I have seen no signs of that and he is VERY excited right now. He is crate trained and rode well in my car for the drive here. He accepted the Gentle Leader with no problems and walks very nicely on lead, with the exception of a few times when he wanted to hold his own lead, and tugged a bit on it. We passed other dogs on our walk, and he didn't show anything but friendly interest. The family said that he gets along well with other dogs and children. He is a wonderfully sweet 7 yr old teddy bear. He was with one family for the past 7 years, kept mostly outside, or inside in his crate. They gave him up because their 2 year old was terrified of him and because of submissive urination. I have had him for 1 week and have seen NO signs of any submissive urination. He is a dear boy who is eager to please. Improper behavior (jumping on the kitchen counter) is easily redirected by saying “ah-ah”. He spent some of his time loose walking around their small town, and much of the time tied in the back yard. He has not had any accidents in my house and now has the run of the house when I am home. I have 3 cats, and he has shown gentle curiosity about them, but doesn't hassle them at all. He does well with other dogs and loves children. My kids are 6 & 8 years old, and I have been walking Goliath to school to pick them up. Kids crowd around him, wondering who he is, and wanting to pet him, and he just stands there, wagging his tail. He is so thrilled to be in the house and thumps THUMPS THUMPS his tail all the time. SO much wagging that he bloodied the end of his tail and I have spatters on the wall at tail height. I walked him to the elementary school to pick up my kids and he was wonderful with a crowd of youngsters reaching for him, touching him, all around him. He respects my 4' fence, never tries to run out the door if the kids held it open wide as they were coming and going, never has any trouble with any dog or cat. He is fine in a crate, respects baby gates, but really wants to be with people. He is a very sweet boy who is so eager to please, love and be loved.
