Handsome, happy and sweet -- Archie is just a wonderful boy!  

Archie came to us from a commercial breeder and he is one of the happiest dogs we've met. It must have been a big change to suddenly become a house dog and he's handling this transition very well.

He's figured out that a television is ok, maybe even interesting. He's learned to *love* his food bowl and approves of the food we're feeding him although he was a bit suspicious at first.

We've had him less than a week, but he already acts like we've known each other for years. When we wake up in the morning he greets us with such joy you can't help but smile! He comes running across the room at full speed to give you that golden retriever welcome! He's enjoying chew toys and romps in the backyard with all the gusto a 7 month old puppy can muster.  

Archie is a big golden with shorter, wavy light golden hair. He weighs 57 pounds at 7 months which makes me think he's going to be a good-sized boy.

He went to the vet yesterday to get caught up on his shots and everyone fell in love with him - he's that kind of dog. Right now he seems very calm but I expect that he may get more energetic and rambunctious as he gets more comfortable in his new setting.

He really counts on our resident dogs to help him figure out this new world and he's doing really well. His forever home will need to have a resident dog to continue to be a role model for him.

Archie will also need a physical fence to keep him safe and at this time we believe he will do best with older children. This may change as we get to know him better but Archie is a big guy who could easily accidentally knock over small children.

Although Archie is big, we keep reminding ourselves that he's really still a puppy who hasn't had much opportunity to learn how to be a household dog yet.

His first day with us, he started to chew on a table leg -- well, of course he did, everything was interesting, exciting and new. We introduced him to chew toys and all has been well since then but that doesn't mean we aren't watching him closely!

He gave counter-surfing a quick try and we've quickly taught him that isn't the way things are done. He's a smart boy who just wants to please. Bottom line, though, he's a puppy and still has a lot to learn. He'd be a perfect candidate for obedience classes.

Archie is scheduled to be neutered in two weeks - in the meantime, we're going to take our time to get to know this happy boy better!