Rush

Success Story/Update 12/2005

Rush is doing great! He has settled in well. Our other Golden, Maggie, was a little bent out of shape at his arrival, but has since deeply bonded with him. In fact, one day my husband took Rush out for a half-day-long walk (too long of a walk for old Maggie Girl) and Maggie was devastated that Rush was gone. Maggie is much more interested in getting Rush's attention than ours—she LOVES playing with him, and Rush will always oblige her with a romp. However, he really loves the attention of the less furry creatures in our house, namely us. The kids, my husband Josh, and I are very attached to Rush. We love him. He has not only made his place in our home but also in our hearts. My youngest, Seth, who is almost five years old, said, “Mommy, I am glad that Rush is a part of our family.” Rush has settled in so much that he has become a little territorial and sometimes gives us a heads-up growl when unfamiliar people or dogs walk by his house.

He has taken to training really well. In fact, he is even a little more obedient than Maggie (who has won a first-place ribbon in obedience). He no longer jumps on people or surfs counters. He knows SIT, STAY, DOWN, COME, OFF. He’s been working really hard his leash-walking, too. He was always fine on lead, but only when the walk was in our neighborhood and if he was walking ahead of us. He was a challenge if we were in public places or if he wasn't in the lead (and he is a big and very strong boy!). But he’s been working hard on the whole “leash” thing and is doing better. We have been slowly working our way up to taking another walk around Town Lake (we're not quite there yet).

When we brought Rush home, he had a skin condition due to food allergies, he was a little overweight, and he was uncomfortable with the stairs in our house. But with the help of his new vet, Rush has his skin condition under control, his fur is now nice and soft, and he’s even lost a few pounds: he was 82 lbs and is now 79 lbs. And he’s now very comfortable going up the stairs by himself. What is really cute is in the evening when the family sits down to have dinner and the dogs are asked to leave the kitchen, Rush, if tired, will disappear. The first time this happened, I discovered where Rush had gone. He had headed upstairs, jumped on our bed and was sound asleep, snoring.

He has the heart of a Golden. He loves having a yard, a pool and a family who love him very much.

We'd like to thank Golden Ribbon Rescue for all that you do, rescuing and helping Goldens and for making our “match.”

Sincerely,
Laura Abramowitz

 

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