Tito

#12-163 Tito, age 8

Weight: 85 pounds (tubby)

AVAILABLE

“Needs attention and lots of love.”

… just like every Golden does! When Tito’s “dad” passed away, mom found herself dealing with a move and mountains of paperwork and other arrangements, and she just did not have the time and attention that her senior Golden deserved. He’d moved in with the family as a young adult dog, so the shift to a foster home and a whole new group of people took some adjusting—Tito was very timid at first, but “he is soooo very sweet though and loves pets and cuddles.”

One thing he REALLY likes is grooming: “When we gave him a bath he sat there so nicely.  Then while we are brushing him he sits there very proudly. He must have a lot of experience with grooming and seems to enjoy it!”

Tito  arrived in GRR care with an assortment of older-dog bumps, so in mid-December he had surgery to perform several lumpectomies. One of the lumps looked suspicious to the vet, but the pathology report was good news—ALL the lumps, including the funny-looking one, were completely benign. Tito probably found the horrid plastic “conehead” a lot harder to take than any post-up discomfort; in fact, he hated it so much that foster mom threw up her hands and took it off. That made Tito feel better!

Tito hadn’t had enough exercise for a while, so he came to GRR quite plump and out of condition. Now that he’s had his surgery (and now that the weather is so brisk) he should be able to drop the excess poundage over the course of a few months.

Foster mom says, “I’d suggest a home with no kids or older kids for Tito. He startles easily, and tends to bark defensively when somebody enters the house unexpectedly. He is doing better with my kiddos, but he really gets stressed when there is a lot going on in the house.  I'm sure that you can imagine how crazy the holidays have been!  When it all gets particularly crazy, he tends to head for a ‘safe place’ in a corner or under a table. Once things have calmed down, he'll venture out looking for love and pats.  He really is a sweet dog and loves human attention, but he is going to need a home with a quiet environment, and a family who has a lot of time and patience. He does like things to be very calm and predictable. A peaceful  household who wants a cuddle-up companion dog—and who’s willing to work on trimming Tito down—would be just right.”