Adopted

Gabriel

Sent: Thursday, March 12, 2009 6:29 PM
Subject: Gabe update!

I adopted Gabe last summer and just wanted to give you an update on us!
 
According to my vet, Gabe has topped out at a very healthy 105 pounds... he is a huge boy!  His skin problems have disappeared (knock on wood) and his coat is more beautiful than ever.  Everywhere we go we get the same set of questions and comments:  He is the biggest Golden I have ever seen!  How much does he weigh?  Is he really a Golden?  How do you feed him?  My what a beautiful dog!  He still loves riding in my back-seat... sometimes I think he would rather ride around in the car for hours rather than go to the dog park! 
 
I graduate from UT in December, went home to Illinois for Christmas (where Gabe got to see snow!), and moved to Florida for grad school.  Gabe loved every minute of the road-trips!  The new terrain in Florida has him curious about everything.  The abundance of small lizards in the bushes keeps him on the lookout every time we go outside.  He is constantly stalking the bushes and pushing his head into them when he hears the lizards rustling around.  The weather has gotten beautiful just in time for spring break, so we headed out to the Atlantic coast for Gabe's first trip to the ocean.  He had me laughing out loud... we were in an inlet at a dog-beach, so the water was very tranquil.  Small waves were breaking on the beach due to the wake of boats going by; the biggest were no higher than 6 inches.  But even these tiny waves had my giant-Gabe scared to death!  He would dart into the water then dart out at first sight of another wave coming toward him.  I finally got him to realize that the waves were not attacking him and romped for an hour before flopping down on the sand.
 
Gabe and I are doing great!  I attached a few pictures.  I appreciate everything you guys do with the goldens.  I did not know anyone in Florida when I moved here, so without him I can only imagine how hard and lonely this move would have been!   I hope to get another golden in the next couple years as Gabe gets a little older... hopefully I can work out a long distance deal with you guys and come pick one up =)  I wish you continued success in saving these amazing dogs!
 
Sincerely,
 
Brittany

Update 6/6

Gabe is all done with his heartworm treatment and now, 2 months after arriving in GRR care, he’s  ready for his forever home! Here’s a summary of all the great things about this guy:

Gabriel is absolutely adorable.  He is so big—87 pounds and should be at least 90. His paws are bigger than my fist!  He is friendly, happy, kind, funny, and affectionate. He is sweet, attentive, and really patient.  He really likes the other dogs—no surprise, since he came in with three females (Cora, Hemi, and Sophie).  We are having a blast! He fits in my home and with my animals so well.

Gabriel  loves the crate and even goes in on his own when he wants to meditate. He rides great in the car.  He takes up the whole back seat!  He loves mealtimes and always eats with gusto.  He loves fresh veggies... seems like that will help his heart health.  He also gets olive oil on his food, and he’s on the Super Blue Green Algae products that I use.  His coat is getting quite gorgeous.

He is quite a character.   He can open doors on his own (both at home and at the vet’s!) and he loves for me to floss his teeth—yes, floss his teeth.  He came into the bathroom one day when I was doing mine and kept looking at me like  “Do mine!”  ….so I did, and we have been doing it ever since.

Gabriel is a great ambassador for GRR!   The groomer at Dirty Dog said he was fabulous and was her favorite dog she groomed that day.  He is very social, just loves to be around people and other animals.  He commands lots of attention & admiration wherever I take him. He needs a  home with other dogs to keep him company, and he’d love it if his humans were home a lot, too.