Meet RAGOM’s newest honey, Sweet Boy! He truly lives up to his name and is the sweetest, most gentle boy ever. He has a blocky head and stockier build, weighing in at 69 lbs. He will turn 1 year old in early July, so he is just a youngster.

He had his wellness vet visit and he is up to date on all his vaccinations and preventatives. He has whipworms and is being treated for that. Otherwise he is about as perfect as they come. Once he is neutered he’ll be ready to go home with his very own family!

Sweet Boy (that is his official AKC name) came from a small breeder who gave him to an organization who trains service dogs. They had him for less than a day and decided he was too shy for service work, so they reached out to RAGOM. We are so thankful they turned to us to find a forever home for him. Boy oh boy, did we hit the jackpot!

He is a happy boy when he’s on familiar turf. When we are out and about he is on the shy side, so he’ll need some help building his confidence. He loves getting petted and tummy rubs. He is like a sponge and can’t get enough.

He is very tuned into us—when we are in the house he likes to know where I am, and sometimes he whines when I am on a different floor of the house. When we are outside he keeps coming back to me to get a pet or two. We are working on recall but also encouraging his independence.

Sweet Boy has had a constant smile on his face since he got here. He has such a soft face—a reflection of his gentle soul. He loves exploring the yard and taking in all the smells in the country.

He can get cranked up too, though, and he loves to have fun with the other dogs. He has a nuanced practiced play style. There is a lot of pausing and checking in with the other dog.

This morning after breakfast I put the dogs out, and he got the zoomies and was running around like a nut. He isn’t exactly a speed demon, and at one point he jumped over one of the dogs like a hurdle and didn’t quite clear him. They both rolled with it and kept on playing—it was no big deal. It was hilarious.

He LOVES the resident dogs, and when they are on a walk and it is just him and I at home, he stands by the door waiting for them to come home. I think he’d be pretty lost as an only dog as he’s lived with other dogs his whole life. He isn’t as confident when it is just him, so for now I’m having another dog as a requirement for him. I’ll keep assessing this though.

Sweet Boy doesn’t have that crazy adolescent energy that a lot of young dogs have. He has quiet calm energy. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t had any type of obedience and manners training.

He is a sensitive boy and will need a very gentle hand with training. He is super eager to please, so it will be so rewarding to work with him.

He hasn’t had any accidents in the house since he’s been here, but we’ve been very careful to ensure his success with potty training. I don’t think he had been in a crate before, so he is getting used to that. He goes in when we are gone, and he sleeps in the crate in the bedroom at night.

He likes to grab stuffed toys and carry them around, and most of the time the toys end up in his crate. At one point yesterday there were about 15 toys in there. I had to cull his stash so I could throw some in the wash.

Sweet Boy is one in a million. I’ll check back and write more soon!