Adopted
Rusty
...What
can I tell you about Rusty?
He is one big 2 1/2-year-old boy—he weighs almost 80
pounds. He’s not fat, though—we are pretty sure that 50 of those pounds are legs
and tail.
He has the longest legs I have ever seen on a Golden.
Another 10 pounds must belong to his head. He can fit our 50-pound Golden’s
entire head in his jaws when they wrestle! And boy do the two of them wrestle!
When Rusty came to us, we were pretty sure he had been a house dog whose
exercise involved only backyard excursions. Since being with us, he has
discovered that two walks and an hour of swim time each day, plus an
enthusiastic playmate, can really make life a lot of fun.
Rusty is very easy going and adaptable. He loves to chew his
toys, but is very good about chewing only the ones in his basket. Occasionally
he gets hold of something he isn’t allowed to have, but he never puts up a fuss
when you take it away. He would dearly love to sit with you on the sofa, but
he’ll get down when reminded that the sofa is for people. (Be prepared for a big
dose of sad puppy eyes when you correct him!)
Rusty is not food obsessed, though he gladly accepts
anything you might want to share with him. He doesn’t appear to be upset by
thunderstorms, but we did discover that hot air balloons scare the bejeezus out
of him. We encountered the balloon
while on a morning walk, and his response was to
make a beeline for the house at full speed!
He is good with children of all ages, although he can
sometimes forget how big he is and might knock little ones down. We have not had
him around many other dogs, but given that he allows our girl Golden to drag him
around by the throat, I’d say he is pretty dog friendly.
Like every young dog, Rusty would benefit from some time in obedience class. He’d be a star—he learns quickly and is eager to please, and he loves his people. He is very adaptable and will do well in just about any active home!