John is an older male Golden and we aren't quite sure of his exact age. The vet thinks he is about 10 years old. He is a stray, and was in a little rough shape when he was finally turned in. The shelter that took him in neutered him, updated him on his shots, and gave him a nice warm bath to clean and fluff him. He turned out to be very handsome afterwards.
He also had a cyst removed from his elbow, and has several stitches that will eventually be removed. So far, my main concern is fattening him up. He is too skinny, but some love and comfort food will hopefully take care of that. He isn't much interested in eating, but a little chicken soup broth over his dog food sparked new interest today and he ate a good portion.
He has a lump (cyst) on his tail, but the vet checked that and decided to leave it. When the hair grows back, you won't even notice it. Right now, John likes to talk a lot, and barks sometimes for no reason. His voice is very raspy, because he is older, so it's not very loud. The vet also thinks John has problems seeing in dim lit areas, but I haven't noticed any problems in that arena. He was also diagnosed as HOH (hard of hearing). So far, he doesn't seem to hear much at all, but it could be selective hearing too. Squeaky toys and yelling loudly doesn't capture his attention at all, however loud clapping did make him jump and look. Today, when I came home from work, he was fast asleep, and even though my 1 year old was going nuts at my arrival home, John didn't budge until I made vibrations on the floor to awaken him. Noise didn't disturb him at all, so I think his hearing loss is more than less. He is also missing part of one ear, but it's just a little shorter when you look at him straight on. Adds character!
Now for his personality. Right now John is a little shy. He doesn't like to make eye contact, and hangs his head sometimes. He does like attention though, and asks for more when you pet him. His favorite thing is his new found girlfriend, my resident dog Sadie. He simply thinks she's the berries. He does quite a prance in the back yard (bouncy walk) and pushes his chest out showing her how handsome he is. He follows her around, and gives her neck hugs (drool and all). He also likes to try and mount her (even though he's fixed) but can't really do much because he's not very agile, but he gets an "e" for effort. He can't go up the stairs very fast either, but he makes it just fine.
So far he is fully house trained and there is no need to kennel him. He did like to sleep in the kennel though. No chewing or bad habits yet (except the raspy barking). He has been panting a lot, but that is just because of all the change. He will settle down just fine after a few more days. I also think more of his personality will shine through as he mends from all the change.
John has the classic white face that goes with so many of the Senior Goldens. He would make a wonderful mellow pet to a family that would want a lower energy dog offering much love and bittersweet devotion.
John's Guardian Angel
John Paul 03-314
