George

-----Original Message-----
From: Hilary
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2007 5:11 AM
Subject: George

Hello,
I wanted to submit an update to you all on George. We adopted George a year ago..What a blessing he has been! We just love him so much! He is such a sweet boy, always happy, gentle, and loving. He pretty much pretends our little Pomeranian doesn't exist..but he is kind enough to allow her one mouthful of his dinner when you fill his bowl before he digs in. His relationship with the cat is hilarious. He really scared me at first with the cat, I really thought he wanted to eat him. He would bark, whine, and chase him (George is 11-12 years old, so it really has to be worth it for him to chase something). Then one day he actually had the cat cornered, and he just kind of tilted his head, confused, then looked at me like, "Well , now what do I do?" Ever since then, he just kind of wimpers when he sees the cat, I think that whole experience was quite disappointing to him.

He is so funny...ALWAYS has a "baby" (stuffed animal, actual baby doll, bone, a pillow...) in his mouth. We have three girls, so we have LOTS of babies. When it's time to go outside, George will search around for anything that resembles a baby to take with him...our 2 acre lot has babies hidden everywhere!

George breaks my heart daily when Jeff gets home from work because that's when I become chopped liver. He follows Jeff everywhere. Jeff is always working outside. George typically prefers to stay inside, except when Jeff is out, George must be out with him. Last weekend, Jeff worked out in the yard ALL weekend. It was cold and drizzling yuck out there, George laid in that yard all weekend watching him work and he just looked so happy to me.

I wanted a senior dog because I think they deserve a long, happy life too..doing a good thing for a dog who hasn't had it easy. Well, George doesn't need my charity. He is giving us much more than we can give him with his big heart and his fun, quirky ways. He's always making us smile! Thanks so much for him and for all that you do, I've attached a few pictures..notice the one of him sliding down our driveway with my children during the ice storm. He's got a frozen 'baby'!

Hilary

On a Wednesday just 11 days before Christmas, GRR volunteer Martha was at the San Antonio shelter waiting for another dog … just as a bedraggled older stray Golden was being unloaded from the animal control wagon. It didn’t take Martha long to cover his cage with “hold for rescue” stickers—and when no owner appeared by that Friday, the old fellow escaped from the “concrete slammer” (much to his delight) and checked in at the vet’s, with a little photo-op in-between. In fact, he got his name at the photo shoot. Said Martha, “Picked up doggie this morning when the shelter opened & then ran by a friend’s home—she’s got a digital camera—got her out of the bathtub and put the dog in her backyard.  When she came outside in her bathrobe with camera in hand, she hollered, ‘Hey George! Come here and pose!’ And he trotted right over—stopped ‘watering’ her bushes and posed.  So, if y’all don’t mind, can we name him George?”

            After a weekend at the clinic for check-up and neuter surgery, George settled right into his foster home and was pronounced just about the nicest Christmas guest ever! He impressed everyone with his gentle personality and good manners. His foster dad has listed  some of his attributes, and here they are:

“15 Things to Know about George”

# 1.  He must be near to humans.  He follows me around the house no matter what I am doing.  In fact, while I was painting the bathroom yesterday, he was at my feet the whole time “supervising” my work.  He is a great companion. Has lots of love to give!!!!!!

# 2. He always has something in his mouth: a ball, a bone, or a Kong. He’ll give it up readily if you ask him to – just likes to have it there for chewing enjoyment.

# 3. He is a shorter-haired Golden—fur is very soft.

# 4. Loves to be groomed and must be petted!!

# 5. He may be older in age, but his spirit is that of a puppy. As he feels better and better he is getting friskier.

# 6.  He knows many commands, such as sit, stay, etc. Walks great on leash and actually walks at heel. The best command is “Nite-Nite,” where he will lie down on his side and sleep. Must have had a loving owner in the past.

# 7. He was a big  favorite of the people at the vet hospital. When I brought him back the other day, everyone came out to see him and say hello.  He stole all their hearts.

# 8. Has one crooked canine tooth that sticks out when his mouth is closed. It is NOT unattractive, just different!

# 9. Great eater!! … which is good, because:

# 10. He is a tall dog with big paws, and needs a few pounds added to his frame.  

# 11. He settled into our house in just a few hours—never even needed a crate.

# 12.  Gets along well with our two Goldens.

# 13. Great traveler, rides well in the car.

# 14. I see him as a dog for a family with children or for an adult who is around a lot, as he would follow them everywhere. I don’t think he would do as well if left alone all day.

And of course:

# 15. If we did not already have two dogs, he would never leave this house!

View Pictures Here