Adopted
Rudy belonged to a family whose human members had some serious health issues. They
felt they couldn’t care for a dog properly, too, so took Rudy to the vet and,
worried that nobody would want a canine senior citizen, asked to have the old
dog put to sleep. Fortunately, the vet persuaded them to sign Rudy over to him,
instead – and then contacted GRR. And here he is! He’s living it up in foster
care. Says his foster mom:
Rudy has been such a treat! He may be an elderly gentleman (10 1/2 years old), but he’s at a perfect weight (65 pounds) and still has plenty of zip. He is a very gentle, no-hassle kind of guy who gets along great with his foster sister Scout and foster brother Bucky. He has a big beautiful head, light gold fur, and luminous dark brown eyes that melt your heart. He’s housebroken, of course, and he sleeps through the night without making a sound. In fact, he’d probably sleep in a bit longer in the mornings if we didn’t get up so early. I often need to call him and rub his soft little belly to wake him up so he can get downstairs and out for the morning potty break before breakfast. He waits patiently while I dole out three bowls of food with added fish oil and glucosamine supplements. He’s a good eater who doesn’t bolt his meals: he eats nice and slow and usually finishes everything up. He absolutely loves to meet new people and does a little dance for them—sometimes he even jumps a bit!
We have discovered that Rudy likes to swim. After a walk on our nature trail, Scout ran to the pool to go swimming. Rudy, ever intrigued with new experiences, decided that he wanted to swim, too. He saw where the steps were and down he went into the water to do a few laps. He enjoyed it thoroughly, and after emerging from the water and giving himself a vigorous shake, the Bathing Beauty ran around with new vigor! On a leash in the front yard, he’ll roll around on the grass and may pick up a toy and play with it. He is not a tennis ball kind of guy, though. Scout and Bucky play “fetch the tennis ball” every evening with Dad, but Rudy is content to look on and bark a bit. He really has no desire to chase and catch the ball, but he does want to be where the action is. If we put him inside while the other dogs are out, he will bark at the door. Just because he doesn’t want to participate in sports doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like to be part of the cheering squad!
Another nice thing about Rudy is that he is not thunderstorm phobic. We’ve had our share of thunderstorms this week, and he wasn’t the least bit bothered by the rumblings of thunder and flashes of lightning.
We took Rudy to the vet this week for a check-up. He rode nicely in the car and was very excited about meeting all the techs and getting lots of attention. The vet pronounced him a very healthy guy for his age! He does have some mild hip dysplasia that we are controlling with liquid glucosamine and Rimadyl as needed. He came into rescue with fleabite dermatitis, but since he’s now flea-free and getting good-quality food, that problem is resolving nicely.
All in all, Rudy has been the perfect houseguest. He’s very social and gets along with everyone, but he isn’t the kind of Golden who demands your attention. He loves pets, but if you stop he won’t pester you for more. He knows basic commands and will sit nicely for treats. He’s a sweet boy who will make a great companion—and don’t be fooled by his age, this little guy still has plenty of energy for walks and sniffs in the park!