Major

“I need to re-home my 8-year-old Golden. I hate to do it, but it is for his own safety. He is neutered, housebroken,  and a very loyal and sweet dog. He has a fear of thunderstorms and gunshots though. I recently moved and people out here in the country are firing off guns all the time, plus he keeps getting out of the yard when it storms, and I don't want him to get hurt one day.”

… and that is how Major travelled many miles into Austin to become a GRR Golden!

Major is gorgeous to look at and fun to be with.  Like most Goldens, he is demanding of time and hugs—he loves to be cuddled and petted. When he wants some time on his own, he still stays close.

When we first saw Major, he was not a happy pup.  He had just undergone  some big life changes, and he was frightened of everything and everybody.  He objected to getting into the car, and then to getting out of the car.  But now,  just 10 days later, he is comfortable with almost every human and every canine—don’t really know about felines—and hops into and out of the car when he has the opportunity to go on an outing.

At first, he was startled at every little noise or movement.  He still looks around at most noises, but not with the fear he demonstrated initially.  He didn’t like the sight of our ceiling fans and looked up very cautiously every time he passed under a fan; now he still looks up, but passes confidently through every room.

He is definitely thunder phobic, but not severely so.  We pulled  a snug T-shirt on him and gave him lots of hugging, and he did very well in the couple of storms we’ve experienced within the past week or so. 

Major has a very nice bed next to our bed—he’s on my side, Abby on John’s side—but he prefers to turn the bathmat that is in front of the shower door into his nest, and that’s where he sleeps.  That’s fine with us, as long as he sleeps through the night.  And he does.

Instead of barking, he emits a high-pitched whine to get our attention.  He does, however, bark at the doorbell.  He is reliably house trained.  He lets us know when he needs to go outside by running around, turning in circles and generally being extremely active.  He doesn’t necessarily go to a door, but once you learn what those “energy  bursts” mean and let him out, he does his business immediately. 

He eats nicely without being protective of his food.  He and Abby eat within 3 feet of each other and pay no attention to each other.

He is fairly good on a leash, but pulls very strongly if he spies a squirrel or a person he would like to visit—so keep a good grip on the leash. A bit of training and he will be a superior companion on a walk.

In this short time, Major has blossomed into a much calmer dog who is very obedient. He knows sit, down, and stay—lasts only an instant, but with training would reliably sit and stay.  He is a big, soft, silky love bug who needs a home where he will get enough attention and all the hugging he likes.  He does get up on the sofa, but Abby taught him that!He loves to snuggle with anyone sitting there with him.  He seems more comfortable with women initially, but he has learned to love John and respond to male visitors.

With his high energy level, he needs lots of supervised outside time—long walks and playing in the yard.  He likes a lot of different toys and will occasionally carry a tennis ball around for a while.  He will run after a ball, but doesn’t really retrieve.  He could easily be taught to bring it back.

He’s a total love.

Adoption Procedures