Welcome Ferris! Ferris is one of the Turkish dogs who came to the U.S. with 16 others on April 28, 2017. A healthy, approximately 3-year-old, neutered, male, purebred Golden Retriever, Ferris is 63 pounds with a beautiful, silky coat - a mixture of cream and golden colors. His head is stocky, but his body quite lean. He also has quite big paws. He was found in Ankara, Turkey (the capital city, population 4.5 million people) in an overcrowded animal shelter. He's now fostered in Ashby, Minnesota.
Ferris has had his wellness exam and is up to date with all his vaccinations and preventatives. He tested negative for all the routine tests. We did learn something important about him - he has had a nearly crushed trachea, possibly due to a tight or jerked collar, with tense muscles all along his upper backbone. For this reason, he needs to wear a harness rather than a regular collar. Neither his movements nor his activities are limited because of this previous injury.
Ferris is a delightfully sweet dog who has settled in and seems to really enjoy the rural area. He loves being outside, walking and exploring about. He loves his people, coming up for frequent pets and going wherever they go. He will fetch his favorite ball, but not always bring it back to you. We find that he likes to carry around your socks and bring them to you, or at least near you.
Of course, he had to begin learning English. He now recognizes his name and responds fairly consistently to "come" and "sit", especially when a treat is involved. We're working on "stay" and "down" currently, and he's heard the "no" command a few times.
