ADOPTED

Willard is a little 3- to 4-year-old blonde boy with a gentle personality and one mission in life: to be a love object. He would cuddle from sun-up to sundown if given the opportunity! He’s small for a male Golden (less than 60 lbs.) and likes to snuggle like a lap dog. Someone gave him a summer shave before he got lost on the streets, so he looks like a yellow Lab—with a bushy squirrel tail! He wears smoky brown eyeliner which enhances his very expressive eyes, and he is cute, cute, cute. When that blonde fur grows out he will be stunning.

Willard (aka Willie and Will) was picked up as a stray, delivered to the Town Lake shelter, promptly “fixed,” and then sent to a GRR foster home for recuperation. As if his head wasn’t spinning already, a minor complication from surgery required that he wear an Elizabethan collar and be confined to a small space for several days – a combination of events that clearly made him decide, “enough is enough!” Willard was not a patient patient! He had a hard time relaxing in his stiff plastic neckwear and cramped quarters. Once released from the confinement of the laundry room and the hated E-collar, however, he relaxed into the pleasant routine of being a placid Golden Retriever and pampered house dog.

In his former life he must have had free run of the house, because he looks crushed when shooed off couches and beds. He does know our house rules now (thanks to a little help from a squirt bottle), but telltale signs do indicate that when left alone he still hunkers down for a cozy snooze on the forbidden furniture! Other than that, his house manners are lovely, and he’s perfectly housebroken. He sleeps by the bed without making a peep and rarely barks. He does some jumping up on people but responds to a firm “no.”

I don’t think Willard has had any obedience training, but he wants so much to please that he’s very receptive to new commands. He can do a good “sit.” His first outings on a leash were quite a struggle, as he tugged, towed, and zig-zagged—but his leash-walking skills are improving daily, and when he sees the leash come out, he wags his whole body in anticipation!

When the GRR intake team first checked out Willard at the shelter, they worried that there might something amiss with his hind legs, because they trembled quite a bit. He didn’t look all that nervous—but when a GRR vet gave him the once-over, she didn't find any real problems with his joints. Her diagnosis was, “he is just bit anxious.” In fact, he sometimes does the full-body shimmy when he meets a new person or dog—guess he’s just so excited going out in the wide world and meeting all kinds of new friends!

Currently, Will is living as an only dog, but I expect he would happily adapt to doggie siblings and children. He heaps on the guilty looks when left for long stretches of time, and while he seems happy with a relatively low level of activity, I think he could thrive in a busy household too. He is usually very calm and quiet around the house, then out of the blue will go on a “tear,” running from room to room as if on fire. He doesn’t show much interest in toys, and this is one Golden who doesn’t know what to do with a tennis ball! He just wants to shadow his foster mom and dad and make himself available for any tummy rub or head pat that may come his way. Potential forever families should line up for this little sweetie!

View Pictures Here