It’s been a while since I started thinking about getting a dog. But since we’re living in an apartment and we already have Gigi (momma cat) and her 4 little carnivores wreaking heavoc on our small terrasse we had some thinking to do. Getting a puppy was out of the question since they need so much time and energy that both my wife and I don’t have (as we want to put them into something more important). So we researched the breeds and weighed the pros and cons of each one. Then we tried to check out the local shelter to see if adopting an abandoned dog is an option. We even spoke with a breeder (who is also a friend) and asked him to reserve one of his upcoming puppies (Labrador retriever) for us when the litter arrives. And then, we got a call from a good friend who knew we were looking for a dog. He said that a couple had a Golden Retriever for a couple of years, but their situation changed and they are no longer able to keep him. Would we like to check him out. And he said that he went and checked out the dog himself and he thought it was the right one for us.
I’ll be honest, I don’t like GRs or at least I thought I didn’t. This one (named by previous owners ‘Tequila’) I loved! He’s affectionate, yet calm and obeys quickly. He will need training, and I’ll be starting that today. But so far he’s been wonderful.
The first day we spent getting him from his previous owners. The lady was crying and the man was obviously very sad to see the dog go. I know it’s not easy! My good friend sat in the back with the dog because they warned us he would be very noisy and might tear the backseat apart. No such thing. We came home, went straight for the balcony and he just sat there. My friend walked him a few minutes around the block and that was it. I had to drop off my friend and was a bit late to return, and my wife felt she had to entertain the dog. But, when I came back we just left him on the balcony and he was pretty content. In the afternoon we played with him for a little bit, then left him again. And at night my wife’s siblings came and they gave him another round of petting. Lastly, I took him outside for a quick jog for about 20 minutes. He came back and slept till morning.
I was expecting he would wake up early and start calling out for food, but that didn’t happen. I went to see him and he woke up, stetched. I took him outside to eliminate. He did that and went back to sit quietly. I’m taking 5 minutes every now and then to check on him. And will probably take him on another walk later. No accidents so far…
Turns out I really don’t like GRs! I simply could not bond with the sweet tequila and took him back to his previous owners after 1 week. Oh well *shrugh*