Robyn

Robyn here, reporting on my Thanksgiving vacation! My foster family went out of town, so I headed over to stay with Becky and Eric, another GRR family, and their three dogs. That is more dogs than I am used to, but I settled right in. They have a cat, too, but she is MEAN and doesn't even want to say hello nicely, much less play-what a crab! I kept trying to make friends, but she actually started saying terrible things to me and conking me on the head with her paw, if you can imagine. But I decided that if she wanted to be huffy, well, so what! because I had more than enough fun playing with my new pals Lulu, Donna, and Tucker. That is Lulu and me having a blast in the photos, and then taking a break for some liquid refreshment.

Becky likes to work in the garden, and we all went out and kept her company. Donna and Lulu showed me how to dig up compost. It was pretty interesting excavating orange peels, eggshells, and my personal favorite, sodden coffee filters-but my hostess didn't seem to like that too much and scolded all of us! But there were all sorts of other fun things to do outside, such as chasing birds and butterflies, zooming after squirrels, and just meandering around the yard sniffing everything. Who could possibly get bored? It's just like the poet says: "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

Becky set up a crate for me in the living room but I didn't spend too much time in there except at night. I went right into my crate at bedtime and slept quietly until another day began. I do like to use my crate as a dining room, though, plus I take my Kongs in there to chew on.

Lulu, Tucker, and Donna have two big boxes filled with toys, and I had a lot of fun checking them all out. I am very thorough when it comes to toy boxes-I went right to the bottom and made sure to examine everything. Becky and Eric were surprised to see some of the toys I found-they had forgotten they were even there. Obviously I have impressive investigative skills (I can find fascinating things in trash baskets, too). I am also quite the acrobat. I can throw a toy high over my head and then do almost a 360° twirl underneath it and catch it again. I look like a corkscrew bouncing right across the yard!

Becky's note: Robyn is a total charmer, the personification of joie de vivre. She is sweet, friendly, affectionate, companionable-in short, she has a total Golden personality. She loves her walks and trots along with her tail wagging, looking in both directions so as not to miss anything! She gets along great with my dogs and did so right off the bat, even though she'd never met any of them before-and even though they are all about twice as big as she is. She is still taking her meds for mange (the type she has is totally noncontagious), but her skin and coat have improved dramatically since she came into rescue in August, and with time she'll keep on getting better still. If you want an active, petite young girl with an outgoing personality, this is the dog for you!
 

Hi! I’m Robyn and I’m a one-year-old sweetheart! Two folks from GRR who fell in love with me rescued me from the shelter. I wasn’t in the best of shape as I definitely had something going on with my skin and my coat, and they weren’t sure whether or not I had heartworms. My foster family took me right to the vet from the shelter, where the nice doctor checked me out. Great news—no heartworms! But I was diagnosed with mange – good news again, it’s not the contagious kind! I just have to take some medicine for a while and it will slowly get better. I’m a little on the small side, but my foster family is trying to fatten me up—just like Renee Zellweger for her next Bridget Jones role!

I’m an active thing, as you’d expect from a one-year-old golden, but I can be calm and relaxed too. I get along great with my foster family’s golden and with the big (and I mean BIG!) chocolate lab who stays at our house once in a while. My foster mom says I have to get over the thing I have about the cat—most of the time I behave, like I’m supposed to, but other times I just can’t resist messing with her just a little bit! I wish we could just play and be friends. We’re working on that. I love my foster brother and sister. They take good care of me and give me big hugs and tummy rubs. I’m good with small kids, but my foster mom says I have to learn to stop trying to hug them when I see them. Hey, I’m just excited when I meet someone my own height!

There is a pool here at my foster family’s home, but I’m not too fond of the water. I do like to go for walks in our neighborhood and everyone comments how pretty I am! I sleep in my crate all night long. Tennis balls are ok to play with, but I really love chewing on sterilized bones and playing with the family dog’s favorite stuffed animal, “Mr. Plaid”. I have my own bed I can lay on when I’m not in the crate and I really like that because it makes me feel like a grown up!

When I first came to stay with my foster family, we would go for walks and I would cringe whenever a car would come by. They would really scare me. But now that I’m surrounded by loving people that are taking wonderful care of me, I’m not as afraid anymore.

My foster mom likes to give me bubble baths because she says it will help my coat grow in nice and fluffy. I try to pretend like I don’t like it, but I really just can’t resist when I have all that great smelling soap and warm water all over me. I’m a sucker for a good bath, especially because I know I’m going to get a good massage with that big soft towel when it’s all over! I also like to eat, but I don’t beg for food. I take treats really nice, I eat my breakfast and dinner when mom and dad first give it to me, and I enjoy an occasional carrot or rice cake as a little treat.

I’m going to make someone a great family member and I hope you’ll consider bringing me to your home! If you’re looking for a nice young lady with a heart of gold, you’ve come to the right place!
 

Update 10/10/03:

Robyn is doing so much better! She’s a true pleasure to have with us. Her coat is growing in so nicely and she has put on a little weight. She’s now quite the eater, although still sits and waits patiently while you prepare her bowl (and then does the “Happy Dance” as you walk her bowl from the counter to the floor).

Here are some of the other wonderful things we’ve learned about Robyn:

After watching and learning from the neighbor’s chocolate lab, Robyn is now fearless in the water and loves to swim and fetch tennis balls. She also loves to play with our 10+ year old golden and our golden loves to play with her. Her interactions with our cat have improved immensely. The cat is out and about, roaming the house, and Robyn is often indifferent. They’re starting to become friends, although there is still the occasional chase!

She has a thing for cheap, plastic flip flops. And white socks. And little stuffed animals. But she doesn’t chew them up, just carries them around. Well, except for the flip flops. She also has a thing for trashcans, so we are careful to keep the lid on or closed off in a room otherwise her diet would also consist of tissue, toilet paper rolls, and the like. She does love ice cubes for treats but can’t catch a tossed piece of popcorn for anything -- it just bounces right off her nose!

She makes the sweetest squeak when she yawns and absolutely loves her big dog bed that she gets to sleep in at night. She is only crated when we leave the house and she’s wonderful about going in and rests quietly until we come home and let her out.


Going for walks are one of her very favorite things. She’s great for your own personal weight-loss plan because if she doesn’t think you’ve walked long enough, she’ll freeze at the end of the driveway, refusing to come in the house. As kids, she would have been the sure winner of Freeze Tag games every time we played. She also likes to keep her nose to the ground and inspect every bush, fire hydrant, worm, toy, or scrap of paper she might come across while walking.

While Robyn loves to be patted on the head, she’s doesn’t demand a lot of attention from you. She likes to be close, but pulls away a little if you overdue the affectionate hugs. She is so polite! When you walk down the stairs to the first floor, she waits at the top until you’re almost to the bottom of the staircase and then comes walking down after you.

Robyn is definitely not a show dog. She’s still recuperating from her mange and skin infections, so is not yet the thick-coated, fluffy golden she may well turn out to be. However, her coat is filling in very nicely, she feels great, and is otherwise very healthy.
She sits quietly when you put on her collar, remove a burr from her paw, or take a look inside her ears. She’s terrific with kids of all ages—although she is learning not to jump up on people when she gets excited.

All in all, Robyn is just a normal, well-adjusted, bouncy, silly, loving, smart, selfless Golden puppy! She is a quick study and learns a lot by watching other dogs around her. She is an occasional barker, generally prompted by a stranger at the door or something exciting going on in the backyard a few houses down. She is fairly calm in the house, considering her age, and does fine on those occasional days where we can’t fit time in for a walk. She has come so far in the time that we’ve had her, and will make someone a wonderful companion. She deserves a wonderful family that will appreciate how far she’s come and how really special she is.

 

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