Chardonnay

Chardonnay,  age 2

AVAILABLE

WEIGHT: 52 pounds

Update 10/22/12:

Champagne is all settled into her foster home and doing great. Housebreaking “errors”?  Zero, zip, nada!  Reliable loose in the house? Yes! We only crated her for two days & then gave her free roam. However, be warned: she does like to move things around when left to her own devices. I have started calling her “the relocator”: she doesn't chew up anything but has moved bras, pillows, sofa throws, shoes, sox etc. Today she was "resting" around all of these things that she had brought to the front door where I had exited a few hours earlier!! 

Champagne is happy and calm with children. With other dogs, though she hasn’t had a full-on romp yet, she is warming up to it. At first she was a bit snarky, but is less so every day. Her new family will just need to be aware that she needs  time to acclimate and get comfy with other dogs.

As far as cats go, she is very interested, but hasn’t tried to bite  or grab the kitty. Would definitely give chase though!  

She’s a good little car rider and pretty good on leash, though she does pull some. She likes to carry her toys about and will happily prance around with a prize in her mouth,   all the while wagging her tail & making soft growly-moans.  Very cute!

We think Champagne would fit in almost anywhere she could have plenty of company and enough exercise to work off her young-dog energy. She is a good girl! 

Update 10/15/12:

Over the past several years, we have received many a wonderful dog from a shelter way, way down south, nearly at the Mexico border, so when an e-mail from the director arrived on October 1 with an attached photo of two bouncy young male dogs, we at once began to make intake plans. “They are real friendly and playful. Just happy kids. We had fun getting their pics. Very social boys,” read the note. She added, “We have some girls that I need to get pics of as well. I didn’t have time to hit our females section today in getting pics of the rescue kids but will do so tomorrow.” Sure enough, the next day pictures of three pretty girl Goldens came bouncing through. OK, time for the foster home hunt—we had just five days before FIVE young Goldens would come rolling up from the Valley! Intake director Jacki sprang into action—and on Saturday, October 6, the Golden group arrived in San Antonio for chipping and transport to waiting families.

The line-up: three blonde girls, all about aged 2 – Champagne, Chardonnay, and Spritzer; and the two boys, red-headed Merlot (about 1 year old) and caramel-colored Darnell, about age 3. Incredibly, all five are heartworm negative!

More about Chardonnay:

When Chardonnay came to us from the shelter, we could see right away that the shy little girl (just 52 pounds) had a sweet disposition! She’s the perfect size for cuddling, and she gets along fine with other dogs – she was comfortable with the other four pups who travelled north with her, socializing with them as the foster parents gabbed in the parking lot where we all picked up our Goldens. In fact, whenever she sees other dogs, she gets happily excited.

Sweet Chardonnay wasn’t totally healthy at the start. For one thing, she was covered in small ticks; for another, she had a little cough and seemed a bit droopy and quiet. We picked her up Saturday, and by Monday were concerned enough to whisk her to the vet, where she received a dose of antibiotics—but by that evening, she seemed worse & was feverish, so it was back to the vet, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She stayed at the clinic for a couple of days, receiving IV fluids and antibiotics—and by Wednesday October 10, she was so much better! No fever, and able to come back home.

Now Chardonnay is a different girl!  She is inquisitive about everything, even noticing the TV, and she barked her encouragement to the presidential candidates as they debated.    Each day we figure her to be younger!   Maybe 1 year or less?   The vet said 1 1/2 to 2 years, but who knows?. She is definitely a puppy at heart.

She lets us care for her—brush her, give pills, trim nails, etc.   We gave her a bath this past week and she did not seem to mind.  Her furis very soft. She lets us take away a toy or bone or touch her or her food while she’s eating.   She is learning to walk on a leash and does not pull.  She likes to chase a ball and actually returns it to us for about 2 times before deciding that is enough.  (Could be she’s still getting her energy back.)  She likes company while she is outside and is perfectly house trained – not even one accident, not even while she was so sick!   We do leave her for 3 to 4 hours at a time, and when we do, we babygate her in the kitchen.   She has not bothered anything.

Chardonnay sleeps on her “mattress” next to our bed all through the night, getting up when we rise. She lies down quietly in the back of our CRV, a good traveling companion. We also took her for a ride in our golf cart and she was a bit leery but sat still snuggled between us and seemed to enjoy it. The thunderstorm Saturday night and Sunday am did not bother her at all.   She greets people shyly but likes the attention when they pet her.   Loves to be petted. She takes treats very gently.   She has been fine around children, though we haven’t had her off lead around them. However, our cockatiel piques her attention and she wants to get to the cage, even putting her paws on our kitchen counter to reach the bird. 

This puppy just loves her “pack.”   And just wants to be loved back.  She likes to snuggle with us.  Isn’t she pretty?

Adoption Procedures