Adopted
Castle.
Castle: A Love Story
EXTERIOR: A FIELD OF BLUEBONNETS, SPRING IN THE HILL COUNTRY OF TEXAS.
AFTERNOON.
MUSIC: Theme song to Mahogany in the background; Diana Ross sings, “Do you know
where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Do you
know?”
SCREEN LEFT: You are running in slow motion, your hands outstretched, flowers
underfoot, puffy clouds roll in the blue sky, your hair blows in the wind.
SCREEN RIGHT: A tall, lanky, and, well, downright dorky Golden Retriever bounds
towards you, ears flapping, paws thundering. He is mahogany. His name is Castle.
It is love!!
END SCENE.
Hollywood
gives us hope that there is love at first sight. Meeting this lovable goofball
in person is all it will take to make that fantasy come true. OK, it wasn’t
exactly a scene from a movie when I met Castle. Just a dog bounding out to see
me in the waiting room of the local shelter where he had been brought when found
roaming the streets. Open-hearted, instantly loving, and ready to go home with
me—he jumped into my car, and we were on our way.
Castle makes me laugh every time I see him. His long, gangly legs give him the
look of an adorable baby moose. He is just a funny boy with a personality bigger
than life. He could make a living as a circus dog with his amazing contortionist
feats: he can stand on his hind legs almost fully upright, sit straight as a
totem pole on his hindquarters, and he does hysterical yoga poses. His “downward
dog” is truly masterful.
He is totally trustworthy in the house: no accidents, no missing socks, and,
although he is showing a recent interest in counter surfing, he responds well to
a firm NO. He knows SIT and DOWN and STAY; he also knows that flipping a certain
light switch means it is time for bed and that “Let’s do e-mail” means we are
going upstairs to the office. Smart boy! He has bursts of happy energy but will
relax and hang out too. Although he is very interested in children, his youthful
exuberance would be too much for very young kids. He just doesn’t always know
how big he is.
Castle
came into the program heartworm positive, with a heavy cough, and a little issue
with regurgitating his food when he inhaled it too fast. He also had a coarse
coat and infected ears. A couple of months on, he has successfully completed his
heartworm treatment, he no longer has a cough nor any issues with eating, his
coat is silky and beautiful, and his ears look great! He had to spend a lot of
time crated in order to stay quiet during his heartworm treatment, and he was
amazing in the crate, especially for such a youthful and energetic dog. He
enters it willingly as long as there is food as incentive, settles right in, and
relaxes in there as long as required. He eats his meals and receives treats
there also to reinforce what a super place that crate is! When he is out of the
crate, he wants LOVE. If you’d pet him all day, he would be in heaven. Now that
his treatment is all done, he is just starting to be like the other dogs—going
on walks, car rides, playing with the other dogs. He is has the sunny, exuberant
personality of a dog who will always want to go on an adventure with you!
His favorite things are: being petted and loved, getting brushed, chewing on a
big Nylabone, and sneaking into bed with you at night after you are asleep. He
gets gleeful when someone dances or sings and loves playing with the other two
resident Goldens—he has become fast friends with my gentle Bud. It is rare to
find them in separate rooms; they just like to hang together. Castle is such a
love bug and a bit of a Velcro dog; he just loves being near you. When he first
came to me, I could hardly have a moment alone without him trying to get me to
pet him. He was a real attention hound! However, it did not take long for me to
assert my status, so that he respected my “Four on the Floor” requirement. No
petting, eye contact, or words until he has all four paws on the floor. Then he
gets gently petted. It is working great! Having all family members assert their
alpha status and using behavioral tools like this will be important to keep
Castle from being to overzealous with his affection.
Do you hear thundering paws in your future? Are you the right home for Castle,
and is that you on film running across the meadow to meet him? If you’d like a
dog that will love your human companionship above all other things, is ready to
go for daily walks and have play time with you, will steal your spot in bed,
dance with you, give you a few yoga lessons, and shine in all his mahogany
glory—then this is the boy for you!
CUE MUSIC: Another sappy love song…. And…
ROLL CREDITS on a background of you and Castle, living happily ever after!
Goofy Dog: played by Castle
Happy Owner: played by YOU