Gold Ribbon Rescue Adoptables

Hello all, it's me again, Juicy. I had soo soo much fun today at my friend Meemo's birthday party. I got lots of attention & treats--- even doggy ice cream and hot dogs! I've attached a few pictures so you can see me and my friends. I'm not into that agility stuff but I do like to play and romp around with my buddies. I was told what a beautiful doggy I was by several humans there and one lady said she'd take me home if she could but lives in an apartment and already has a pretty girl named Jules. I won't give up though, I know my forever home is out there!

I continue to have fun at my foster home with my humans and their 4 legged boy Jaxon. Wrestle mania breaks out daily, usually several times a day, we play tug-of-war with a rope toy, I entertain myself with squeaky balls and explore the greenbelt to name just a few of the fun things I do. We've been going swimming at Bull Creek too. I loooove that! I will retrieve balls for a little while but mainly I just enjoy hanging out in the water. I'm a bit spoiled though, as I have learned that if I stop swimming, my humans will hang on to me in their arms and I can simply just chill. I sometimes put my paws up on my foster daddy's shoulders, like I am hugging him while he's hanging on to me too. My foster mom says "aww, where's the camera when we need one" when I do this, so it must be very cute.

I am continuing to work on those things humans call "commands". I've been told I'm a bit on the stubborn side as I don't like "down" and still won't do it without some gentle assistance but I am pretty reliable with "sit" and know how to "wait" when my food bowl is placed down in front of me and don't get to eat until I hear the word "ok". When it comes to going for a walk, "heel" is something I can do but gee, there are so many smells, critters and distractions that I do need help remembering where I am supposed to be. My humans tell me that every dog or person I see I don't need to go and say hello too, nor am I allowed to chase squirrels, deer, or birds. I tend to disagree but this easy-walk harness that is on me, combined with them telling me "no Juicy heel" usually wins out.

Hi! It's me, Juicy. I wanted to share what I've learned over the last 3 weeks since moving in with my foster family:

1) When humans go into the kitchen, follow them. Then, sit and look at them with big eyes because there is a treat jar on the counter and they won't be able to resist giving you one. Of course you may have to work for it.... for instance, they might keep telling you "down,” then making you lie all the way down on the floor... but it's oh, so worth it!

2) Peanut butter is delicious! Twice a day I have to take my medicine (I'm on pills to help with the itchiness from the sores that I had and also something to help with inflammation prior to starting my heartworm treatment) and they put it in peanut butter. They tell me to SIT, which I'm usually doing anyway as soon as I see the peanut butter jar, and then I get to lick the butter knife that has this gooey goodness on it. I love, love, love taking medicine!

3) I can swim! I showed my foster family how much I loved the water the first day they met me by climbing up into the water trough at the water park and lying down, so they took me to a lake and coaxed me out. I'm not very graceful at it, as it's new to me, but I like to retrieve balls and my humans throw them just far enough out where I can't touch, so I have to swim to get them.

4) Wearing an Easy Walk Harness makes walking on leash much more enjoyable. When I wore a flat collar, I heard "Juicy, heel" all the time and there was frequent snapping of my leash, but with an Easy Walk, I hear "good girl Juicy" much more frequently. I like being a good girl!

5) I'm a pretty, sweet girl. Yep that's right. Wherever we go, I get lots of compliments on how beautiful I am. Then I sit calmly and let them pet me and hear how sweet I am. like all humans, big or small, and I’m even real gentle with tiny ones in strollers.

Although I love the foster family that I'm living with now and amazed them at the dog park today when I responded to them calling "Juicy, come," it'd be nice to find a family that I can settle in with and call my very own!

Where does a girl begin? Well, first let me start by saying I never thought I would find myself on match.com, er, I mean grr.com. How did I get here? I’m not quite sure myself… on July 3, one minute I was at a dog park and the next thing I knew I was being given to this nice couple with a 19-month-old Kelpie mix named Jaxon. My other human said she didn't want me, but they said, "Sure, we'll take her." I don’t know what I did wrong or why I had to move, but hey, my new humans tell me my life from this point forward is going to be Golden, so let's not dwell on my past!

My name is Juicy, but they are also calling me "Juicy Ju" and "JuJu.” I hear "good girl" and "no ma'am" a lot also, so for all I know either of those could be my name too. But by any name, I am a real catch. Just let me tell you some of the "good stuff" you'll get if you choose me:

First, I am very sweet and gentle. I do not jump up on people (although I do paw at you when you are forgetting to pet me). I also do this really cute thing where I sit up with both paws in the air—it looks like I am "begging" for attention—and if you are standing when I do this to you, I might stand on my hind legs with my paws lightly on your chest to ensure you see me. But that’s the exception, not the rule.

Second, I am housebroken. I've had absolutely no accidents in my new home and will go to the door when I want to go out. I do not ring a bell, whistle, or knock, so you do have to see me go to the door and stand there—but if you happen to miss my sign, I will start pacing around from room to room until you get the hint. If you want me to learn a different signal to let you know, I'm open to the possibility.

Third, I take treats nicely. I do not growl or snap if a human comes near me when I’m eating or playing with my toys. I did give a low growl to my foster brother Jaxon one time when he started towards my food bowl, but then I heard "no ma'am" so I stopped and continued eating. I have only done it one time.... and my foster brother can be pesky! (My humans do not let him come eat from my bowl, so he too got corrected.) He takes my toys from me constantly (my humans say he can be bratty) and I don't mind; I either watch him until he's not looking and take it back, or go find another one, as there are plenty around

Fourth, I am not over-energetic and out of control in the house. I am fairly calm and keep myself content playing with toys or Jaxon. My favorite toys are squeaky balls. I will drop my ball, paw at it, toss it up in the air and have a grand ol' time, until it rolls under something (couch, end table). If that happens, I will try my best to get it, but usually need help from my human.

Fifth, I love to wrestle and play with other dogs. I am appropriate with them no matter what their size. I have yet to encounter a dog that I didn't like and want to be friends with.

Sixth, I love car rides! I willingly jump in and out. Of course, I prefer the front seat with you... but if I am told “no” and prevented from crawling to the front, I will lie down on the back seat and enjoy the ride. I do sit up and take note now and again but it's only to look out the windows to see where we are & to ensure you are not lost, but I’ll lie back down when I realize we are going the right direction

Seventh, I enjoy being groomed. You can comb my hair, trim my toenails, clean my ears, whatever you need to do and I will let you do it. OK, so I may pull a back paw away sometimes, but if you continue, I give in.

Eighth, I am at my ideal weight, just a smidge shy of 70 pounds. I don't look as silky as a Golden should, and my coat is really thin, but that will change in time as I continue to eat healthy kibble.

Ninth, I will help you wash the floors. OK, OK, so maybe my "drinking problem"—leaving a wet trail as I drink from my bowl—isn’t always a plus. I, however, prefer to put a positive spin on it: you supply the mop, I will supply the water! We can be a team!

Tenth, when I am really tired, I will retreat to a kennel (crate) or pet bed to sleep and I sleep quietly at night next to my humans’ bed when they turn the light off. That reminds me: when left alone, I can either be put in a crate with a toy or Kong or babygated to one area. I don't whine, bark or carry on. I don't know if I would misbehave if given free roam or not as I haven't tried it! My humans prefer for us to be confined so they can come home and be happy with us.

Eleventh, I am a smart girl who’s eager to please. For example, take those things my new humans are calling "commands.” Human talk started out as a foreign language, but I am learning fast to understand it! In the short time I've been with my new humans, I have learned that if they have something yummy in their hand and say SIT, I should put my bottom down because then I get to have the yummy treat! It's great fun and boy do I love treats. They also say that word without something yummy in their hand, like when we are at the door before getting my leash on to go outside, and well, I may or may not remember what to do right away. But when I do put my bottom down, I hear "yay, good girl" and get pets, the door opens, and we venture outside—which I LOVE! I am definitely starting to get the hang of what that "sit" word is all about.

The other word my humans are helping me with is "heel.” When I am on a leash and start to pull (which I do when something of interest, e.g. another dog, human, squirrel, deer, or fresh smell gets my attention), they say "no, Juicy, heel" and snap my leash. I’m no dummy and have quickly figured out that this means to stop pulling and walk nicely by their side, because when I do this (which I am doing more and more), they say "good girl" and there's no snapping of the leash. I've heard other words the last few days, like DOWN, WAIT, COME, and OFF. Still working on those, but with lots of practice and positive reinforcement, I will understand more and more human talk.

Now, of course, I am not ALL perfect! So, let’s lay our cards on the table from the start & discuss a couple of “work in progress” areas. Heck, we all have a few flaws, right? But trust me, mine aren’t bad, and anyway, I promise to love you, regardless of yours! So here goes:

I can be a sneak thief! Sometimes I just cannot resist the lure of paper towels in the kitchen trash basket. And it’s all too easy to succumb, because my humans’ kitchen garbage can is sitting out with no lid, so when I walk by, the smells coming from it are ever so inviting. But I'm real good about giving up that paper towel—and I ignore other goodies thrown in there too. Not to mention similar items (tissue) in the bathroom trash that do not interest me in the least. And I don't steal things from the counter, table or anything like that! So I think you’d agree this is a minor thing—and besides, hello!! put a lid on the kitchen trash, put it up or in a cupboard, and problem solved!

I also love to luxuriate on the couch. Depending on your house rules, this may not even be a flaw for you! My new humans don’t allow the four-legged family members get up on the sofa, though… but I'm pretty sneaky and crawl up on it without them hearing me. When I'm discovered, I hear "no ma'am off Juicy," which I now know means I have to go to the floor. I also am told "no ma'am Juicy" when I start to get up and they see me, so I stop. The first day or so they had to assist me in getting down, now I do it all on my own. (Told you I was smart! that's more human talk that I have learned in such a short time. I know I can get the hang of this!)

Finally, I have heartworms. That’s not something I can fix myself, but GRR is already making plans to get rid of that little problem. It does mean I’ll need some shots and to be quiet for a couple of months, but what better way to use my “down” time than learning even more commands and keeping my new family company?

So that’s all about me, and I think you’ll agree that my “pluses” are wonderful and far outweigh those few little “minuses.” I'm just a young, forever-learning Golden gal with a ton of love to give to the right person or family.

Juicy’s owner needed to find her dog a new home, so she went to a dog park to scout out prospective owners. Juicy’s foster mom needed to take a break, so she took her own dog to the park at the very same time. As a GRR volunteer, she naturally gravitated toward the pretty caramel blondie standing near the gates… and after she talked to the owner, it didn’t take long for Juicy to change hands. “I decided on the spot it was better for her to come home with me and find a home through GRR.” Talk about good ju-ju!

We don’t know Juicy’s background, since she came to us without vet records and few details from the owner, but we can tell she’s been through a scrape or two… literally. She has a big scab on her nose, scabbing on her ears, and scarring on the top of her hind paws. Foster mom also discovered that her hind claws are super long—professional clipping definitely needed! But it didn’t take a pro to deal with the dirt and mats, so Juicy was soon bundled into the bathtub, where she luxuriated in clouds of bubbles and emerged sweet-smelling and satiny. “She let me, a complete stranger to her until this evening, pet her all over, cut out mats, and bathe her with no issues. Whatever she's been through, it doesn't keep her tail from wagging, she's still got the Golden spirit, and I can tell she's a gem, after less than 24 hours with her... I'm sure her personality will blossom more when she realizes she safe and in her forever home!”