Giovanni (Gio)

Age 3

Updated 3/10/12 

“This dog is a prince. He’s the sweetest, gentlest dog ever. He just wants to feel secure in the fact that someone is around for him. He needs a quiet life, plenty of exercise, a safe ‘personal space’ spot to relax, and a calm & quiet family sensitive to his needs.”

That’s what Gio’s foster mom says about the young Golden who’s been living with her for about 5 months now.

Gio originally came to GRR just over a year ago; the lady who surrendered him to us had purchased him from a Craigslist ad, then found he was too much for her—and especially for her no-fence property! He was on a tie-out—and constantly anxious and trying to chew through his cable. When he arrived in foster care, he was still insecure and nervous (and heartworm positive, to boot), but gradually gained more confidence, and his sweet personality came shining through. He was adopted out to a wonderful family with two small children. They loved him and he loved them—but over the course of several months it became clear that Gio isn’t one of those bomb-proof Goldens who don’t turn a hair at lots of commotion. The typical noise & bustle & high energy of a household with little kids was stressing him out: on three occasions, he growled & snapped at the children when startled or disturbed when relaxing in one of his chosen “quiet spots.” The family called out a trainer, who commented, “All the incidents revolved around disturbance when lying down, and the bites directed at the kids were very inhibited. While I was there the family’s little daughter scooted towards him on the floor between his legs, wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and kissed him on the head—and Gio showed absolutely no tension or aversion.  He was in the ‘sphinx’ position and wide awake. Gio IS sensitive to loud noises; when I tested him, deliberately making sharp sounds, he flinched. This is a model Golden in many ways, but the young kids are too much for him... there will always be noise, activity, etc.””  

Gio’s new foster mom says:

Gio is very low-energy in house; in fact, I’ve never seen a dog so into “quiet time” in his crate as Gio is. Outside, though, he likes to run with a stuffed animal in his mouth or chase a toy around. (Actually he has a thing about stuffies and will carry them around indoors & loves to sneak extras into his stash. He is a nester who happily stockpiles plushies in his crate and then burrows down.) He’s happy to retrieve for you (though not so great about giving up his prize), but very good at playing by himself, too. Once he’s had his action spurt, he’ll rest happily on the grass.  He loves being outside in pretty weather—likes to soak up the energy of the earth and sun:)

Gio adores affection and petting. He likes to sit next to me on the floor and place his paw on my shoulder or leg so he can have contact.   He is definitely a love sponge; he willl allow you to love on him until he is mesmerized and nearly falling over. In the morning, he’ll glide into the room to ask for some pets. If I pretend I’m still asleep, he’ll quietly leave and come back later. When I get out of bed, he’s excited! He bounces around like “Look, Mom’s up! Yay!”

If I am not paying attention to him or gone for a while, he’ll take a shoe or a sock that was left on the rug by the front door and place it in his crate. If I come back from work and find two shoes in the crate I know I have been gone tooooo long! He doesn’t chew them up, though; he’s not a destructo  dog.

He’s chased cats, but when one swatted him he retreated and lost interest.

He is usually pretty friendly when I take him for walks. (He does pull a bit, but he’s fine in his harness.)  He was timid around a big serviceman who came the other day....seemed spooked by him. He also can startle and bark at loud noises outside. And if extra tired and resting on his own, he can startle and “air snap” at a sudden noise  near him (if you reach in for a toy or the like).

Gio is a sensitive little guy, perhaps more anxious than many other Goldens. He needs a no-kids household with someone who will be around a great deal. He needs a lot of loving, a good amount of exercise, a yard to run around in and personal quiet space where he can unwind and recharge. He has so much to offer to the right, understanding owner!