Congratulations on considering adding a
Rescued Golden Retriever to your family!!  

Goldens are wonderful dogs who have a lot of love to give and who crave love in return.  But Goldens are not the best choice for every family so please take time to think about whether a Golden is right for you. 

Is a Golden right for me?

Individual Goldens vary in size, color (including blondes, reds, and goldens), personality, and life experiences.  Generally Goldens are large dogs and need lots of attention and exercise.  They love people and want to be with their family as much as possible.  They do best as house dogs who are fully integrated into the family. 

Goldens are joyful and exuberant dogs.  It’s been said that to a Golden, life is a party with them as the guest of honor.   They do not make good guard dogs — even though they may bark at a stranger, they are likely to greet new people like old friends.  They may mellow as they grow older, but they often stay puppies in everything but size until they are 3 years old or perhaps even older. 

Jumping on people is common for Goldens although they can be trained to sit for petting.  A young Golden who is excited at your arrival home can jump and play for quite a bit before settling down.  A Golden can accidentally knock down a child or even an adult and has been known to knock over an occasional piece of furniture.  Then there is that tail!  Some Goldens seem to have a knack for cleaning off the top of a coffee table with a few tail wags. 

Goldens are intelligent dogs.  We strongly recommend obedience classes or similar training to help you and your dog learn how to communicate better.  Because of their exuberance, many Goldens pull on the leash until they learn not to do so.  You and your Golden will also probably enjoy participating in fun dog sports like agility or tracking.  Goldens love to learn, and the training process can help build the bond between you and your dog.  

Many Goldens like to relax around the house.  But please remember that Goldens were originally bred to retrieve ducks from icy water—all day long.  Some young Goldens can retrieve a tennis ball for hours.  All that energy has to go somewhere and so some Goldens need a lot of exercise.  If you would like a quiet, easy-going couch potato for a companion, then a senior Golden may be the dog for you. 

A senior Golden can still have more than enough energy for walks, swimming, and playing without the problems of puppy antics.  For example, Merlot, one of our senior Goldens, is more than happy to go on a mile walk.  When she gets home, she likes to lie down close to us. 

You can have many wonderful years with an adopted senior Golden.  Plus you will have the inherent rewards of giving a senior citizen a home.  The seniors often seem particularly grateful for the love and respect you provide and for a caring home.  If you’re thinking that a senior might be for you but are not quite sure, we will be happy to put you in touch with people who have adopted older dogs. 

Many Goldens like to carry things in their mouths.  Until they learn otherwise, they will not know the difference between the sofa cushion and their stuffed toy.  Golden puppies can go through periods of chewing when they can destroy furniture, woodwork or anything else they can reach within minutes.  

If there is water anywhere in the vicinity, most Goldens will find it.  If the water is muddy, so much the better!  You can expect to have a wet dog who wants nothing more than for you to pet him.

If you are concerned about dog hair in your house or on your clothes, then a Golden may not be the dog for you.  Brushing may help, but you can expect to find Golden dog hair (or fur bunnies) throughout your house, in your car, and on your clothes. 

Also you can expect that sooner or later your Golden will have an accident in the house and will throw up in the most inopportune spot.  We recommend having a good carpet cleaner! 

Owning a Golden can be expensive.  Goldens should eat a well-balanced premium dog food, not a grocery store dog food.  Then there are the vet visits, doggie supplies and toys, and grooming.  A rough estimate of the total cost is $700-1200 per year with higher costs possible if there is a veterinary emergency. 

 How do I apply to adopt a Golden?

There are a number of different Golden Retriever rescue groups and sometimes all-breed rescues or shelters offer Goldens for adoption.  You may want to check with several groups to see what each is like and what dogs are available.   Some may be located in another geographic area but be willing to adopt a dog “long distance” to a home approved by a local Golden Retriever lover. 

If you’d like to apply to adopt a dog from us, please remember that we are a small rescue group composed entirely of volunteers.  Even after you are approved to adopt a dog from our group, there may be a wait for the right dog.  However, we’re happy to work with you and hope that we can help you find a dog.  We are all volunteers who love Goldens and take very seriously the responsibility of finding a caring and loving home for each individual Golden in our care.

 While you’re considering adopting a Golden, please think about fostering.   FOSTERING a Golden may well save a dog’s life.  If you happen to fall in love with your foster dog, then we’ll work with you to make the adoption happen. 

 We generally REQUIRE that:

	You commit to make the dog part of your family and to keep dog the as a house dog and companion.
	The dog be spayed or neutered before adoption.  (We typically take care of that.)
	You have a yard with a physical fence.
	Newly adopted Goldens require significant focused time and energy as they adapt to their new homes and families.   For this reason Love A Golden adopts to families whose children are 6 years of age and older.
	You submit a completed adoption application and have a home visit which indicates that the particular dog appears suitable for your home.   Please be aware though that an adopted dog often goes through a settling in period.  No one can know for sure how a particular dog will settle into your home and get along with your other pets.  However, we’ll give you our thoughts on how the dog will likely do and be available for advice and assistance if you have any questions after the adoption.
	You sign a legally binding contract at the time of adoption.    Therefore applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

You take your adopted Golden to a veterinarian within a month of adoption for an introductory visit and to transfer your Golden’s records.  We suggest that your adopted Golden has a fecal test for intestinal parasites at this time.  Although we will have had the Golden tested while in our care, some intestinal parasites are difficult to detect.  Also you should pick up your heartworm preventative at this time.

You keep your adopted Golden current on shots and provide other necessary veterinary care.

You give your adopted Golden a monthly heartworm preventative and an annual heartworm test.  Please be aware that our heartworm testing will most likely not detect any heartworm infestation, which occurred in the immediately preceding six months.

If for any reason you can no longer keep your adopted Golden, you either return the dog to us or transfer the dog to a home approved by us.

You make a suggested adoption donation of $300.  These donations help defray the cost associated with veterinary care, spaying or neutering, and fostering the dogs and help us care for Goldens who have serious illnesses or chronic conditions.

We don’t want to discourage you from adopting a Golden, but we do want you to think about the responsibilities of doing so.  We hope that we have the Golden for you!  

For more information contact:  adoption@loveagolden.com