Adopted
Rusty's the best
friend you ever had—if you let him live indoors with you. Outside, where he
lived the first 20 months of his life (with his brother Forest, also a GRR
Golden now), he was a “problem.” We hear that word so many times from owners who
don’t understand that golden retrievers are “inside-with-the-rest-of-the-family”
dogs. Rusty’s the best example of that we’ve seen in a long time. Once he became
accustomed to living indoors, his lover-boy side really came out. He’s a cuddler,
a stuffed-toy fanatic, and an all-around great buddy.
Rusty’s reddish-blonde good looks earned him his name. He is a medium-size,
solid, strong young boy, and loves to go on walks and to play with our two older
Goldens. He walks very well and doesn’t try to lead or put pressure on his
leash. He was neutered in mid-July 2006, so we had to keep his scar dry for a
week. But now that he can get wet, he’s learned to swim in Town Lake, and he
loves it! A favorite game is fetching tennis balls from the water and bringing
them back for one more throw… and another… and another...!
He likes to play “antelope dog” when he plays with our other dogs. He will
“find” them and jump straight up in the air and go run after them until they
play. It’s hilarious to watch! We don’t know how he’ll be with cats, but when he
meets dogs out walking, he’s very calm unless the other dog is noisy or
boisterous. Then Rusty doesn’t know if they want to play or what, so he barks
until their disposition is decided or we tell him to keep walking—whichever
comes first.
He was afraid of cars when we got him ten days ago, but now he understands that
going “bye-bye” always results in more fun, so he hops right in. He loves to
chase balls, kongs, stuffed toys, and almost anything else thrown for him, so
it’s easy to find fun things for him to do. He was hesitant about eating his
food, but now he understands he doesn’t have to save more for later, because
he’ll be getting more at the next mealtime. He’s nicely housebroken and has had
no accidents. When he goes outside to do his “business,” he does it
efficiently—and then quickly runs back to the door and asks to come back in.
(Obviously he thinks he may be left out there again!)
He’s a thief – if you let him into your closet without supervision. He’ll bring
your shoes to you, your old socks, and he particularly likes flip-flops. He may
also chew on the corners of throw pillows, but he knows to stop when told to.
He’s not habitual about his chewing habits, just a normal, curious,
taste-everything young Golden Retriever. We have to remember that he’s catching
up with those dogs that have spent their entire lives as indoor family dogs, so
it’ll take a few months for him. But he’s smart and will surprise his family
with his “specialness.” He learned in a few short days that when you go fetch
the paper from the driveway and bring it to the kitchen, you get a dog biscuit!
He can lounge around and be calm, especially after he’s had a good time swimming
or going for a nice walk. He’s great on walks and doesn’t pull or lag. When he’s
near your hand, he expects it to be rubbing his head or tummy! – he probably
hasn’t had that kind of love before, and he soaks it up. We’re proud that his
personality has started to shine through. It’s funny to hear him come up behind
us with a toy in his mouth and give a “big-dog growl,” to let us know he’s got
something that might be fun to play with. We especially like his smile, because
he didn’t have much of one when he became our 66th foster dog. But now he’ll lie
quietly at your feet and smile, and it makes us smile to see him looking so
happy!
Rusty is crated when we leave the house for a while. He can’t be trusted just
yet with food left within reach, or potential toys left on the table (such as
cloth napkins), or with stuffed toys stored in closets where he can reach them.
But he can be trusted to bring all the love a family could want.