[Cody Dawg]

Okay, so any and all of you remembering one of my threads will remember that we agreed to adopt a Jack Russell terrier until we could find him a home? We kind of ended up keeping him.

That is, until someone smuggled him out of our back yard.

He turned up a couple of days later in a neighbor's back yard two blocks away. She saw our sign and she called us and brought him back.

She brought him back and started crying when she was going to give him back. I felt so terrible, that I let her keep the dog. After all, that was the purpose in taking him -- to find him a new home. (He was going to be put to sleep because he was sick and we took him instead and he turned out great -- see picture below -- we just never found him a new home.) She is all alone, just relocated from Alaska (she is an engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers and was transferred here), and the dog gives her companionship.

Now we are dog-less.

But, our children miss the dog terribly.

A friend wants to give us an AKC registered golden retriever.

What do any of you think of them?

Seriously?

I'm a "small dog person" so I'm not so sure about this, but the puppy in question seems very mellow.

Thoughts, any and all?

Thanks!

[wdlove]

From what I know of the Golden Retriever it should make a very nice family dog. They have a very friendly disposition. Since you have found a home for the Jack Russell Terrier, which I applaud your generosity. This is an opportunity from a friend that you shouldn't pass up, a gift with perfect timing.

[Kilbey]

I love big dogs and really love Golden retrievers. They are very loyal, intelligent, loving, cuddly, and have great temperaments. And they are awesome waterfowl hunting dogs.

The only negatives are that they drool and can need to be kept active or they gain weight fast. You really have to watch their diet.

ON A SIDE NOTE: I once saw a Golden Retriever and St. Bernard mix and I thought it was an awesome mix. Very nice looking and a great personality. I think it could be a great breed on it's own.

[brapper]

Neautiful dogs with great personalities.
Very smart and playfull.

[Gankdawg]

Originally posted by wdlove:
From what I know of the Golden Retriever it should make a very nice family dog. They have a very friendly disposition.

I grew up with Black Labs which are very similar to Golden Retrievers. Great family dogs.

[paully dub]

They're wonderful, trainable, intelligent dogs.



puppy pics!!! Yay!

[demograph68]

Gross

[Spliff]

Golden Retrievers have one big strike against them: cancer. They have roughly 40% chance of developing cancer before the age of 10. And because of inbreeding, their life expectancy has dropped to 7-8 years.

Other than that, they're a wonderful breed.

[TheBadgerHunter]

Good breed in general (I'm not a huge fan, but thats just my taste) and you should have no worries because of size. You have kids and obviously know a thing or two about animals so it shouldn't get fat. As for cancer.. you never know. I've had dogs with cancer that lived 13+ years.

[Cody Dawg]

Great posts, everyone!



Okay, okay, so I "let" my spouse and kids bring the puppy home.

He's very mellow, I'll say that much. I'm accustomed to terriers. This "little" guy (who is about 15 pounds already) will lay in your arms like a baby. He loves to just hang out on the floor, legs behind him, and chew on a toy. No running around feverishly, no need to inspect every single corner, he's just happy hanging out.

The cancer thing worries me.

Is there anything anyone can do to prevent it? I doubt it. Neutering him might help a bit, I suppose.

I'll post a picture or two later on of him. He was the smallest one in the litter.

Since it's Christmas season, I thought we might name him Nicholas, Nick for short. Any ideas or thoughts for a name?

The lady with the Jack Russell (whom we gave the Jack Russell to) is a really nice gal. She was all alone for Thanksgiving this year since her children (grown and in college) couldn't make it down here to spend the holiday with her and she told me how she started feeling sorry for herself for being all alone...when the Jack Russell came over and shoved his nose into her face and licked her on the cheek. It cheered her up and made her snap out of her sad mood. I'm happy for her. I'm going to meet up with her next week and we can walk the dogs together. Everything works out for the best.

[Spliff]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
Great posts, everyone!

The cancer thing worries me.

Sorry to scare you, but sadly it's true.

When my cat was being treated for lymphoma at the Animal Critical Care facility in my city, I noticed an inordinate number of golden retrievers (along with scotties and boxers) also being treated for lymphoma. I asked the oncologist about it and she said that golden retrievers are more cancer-prone that most breeds and that unscrupulous breeders had help to shorten the average life expectancy of the breed.

Lymphoma is a treatable cancer in dogs and cats. Some of them can last 2-4 years on chemo after diagnosis. Certain lymphomas are more treatable than others. But it is a lottery dependent on the dog's genetic makeup, the nature of the cancer, and luck. You can take two dogs or cats of the same age, with the same cancer. Give them the same treatment. One of them will only last six months and the other could last two years.

If you're lucky, your golden retriever has come from good genetic line that will, hopefully, ensure that he will live more than 10 years.

[agentz]

Beautiful animals. My sister and her family had a lovely Golden Retriever for a number of years, the gentlist, softest dog you could ever imagine.

My brother in law is in the air force so at the time was away from home fairly regularly, and when my sister found out she was pregnant with her second child they decided it was unfair on Max, it was getting more difficult to make sure he got the exercise he was used to and whatnot, so they gave him to one of their friends where he stayed until he died.

If I was in the market for a family pet I'd probably choose a retriever.

Lets see some pics!!!

[storer]

I have the most beautiful golden retriever, named Chuckie. He is loyal and friendly, and can always brighten up your day. Chuckie has never ever been violent or savage either, because I have a little sibling. And he's very cute. Fat, but that's our fault.

[Ghoser777]

This is the only goldie I want fetching me anything.

[mydog8mymac]

I have a half lab, half golden retriever, and he is the most mellow, smartest dog I've ever had. When I asked my Vet. about the cancer thing, he said there is cancer in every breed. The best thing to do is feed him/her a high quality dog food�like Eukanuba or Iams, and make sure they get plenty of exercise. (Kinda like humans)

[Spliff]

Originally posted by mydog8mymac:
I have a half lab, half golden retriever, and he is the most mellow, smartest dog I've ever had. When I asked my Vet. about the cancer thing, he said there is cancer in every breed.

Yes, but some breeds are more cancer prone than others. Golden Retrievers are one of those breeds, according to two animal oncologists I've talked to.

According to this site, 63% of Golden Retrievers will die of cancer.
http://landofpuregold.com/cancer.htm

Golden Retriever Pros and Cons

[Cody Dawg]

Hi Everyone:

We are watching It's a Wonderful Life tonight and sitting with the puppy.

Of all the dogs I've ever been around, he is THE most mellow dog I've ever seen. He's a joy to be around. I'll take some pictures and post them tomorrow.

I am feeding him a dog food called Solid Gold. Link to Solid Gold natural (chemical free) dog foods.

I've used Solid Gold for years. It's hard to find in some areas and might have to be ordered, but it is REALLY the best. My rule of thumb is to taste the dog food myself and when I tried Solid Gold, it was really good. I can see why dogs love it. I buy the lamb and brown rice formula. It has a really rich, nutty taste to it. (Sorry to those of you who find the fact that I taste it odd!)

I miss the Jack Russell terrier and another friend of ours wanted us to bring one of her puppies over from England (a border terrier puppy) to replace him, but I think the golden retriever is a better choice because I don't compare the golden to the JRT - they aren't similar in the least.

Anyway, so far we've had no accidents in the house, oddly enough. He goes potty outside every single time. I'm sure that's a fluke of nature, though! LOL!

Thanks for the well wishes, folks. It means a lot.

[disco_stu]

My first Golden, Max, died a few years ago from cancer. He lived to be around 12 or 13. The vets could never figure out what was wrong (even though his white blood cell count was very high). Very sad.

My wife and I got a female Golden puppy, Boston, a year and a half ago. She was the runt of the litter, too. She's an angel. I'm just reiterating what's already been said: great temperment, incredibly intelligent, very social, great family dog. She always looks like she's smiling and always brings a smile to our faces. There's nothing like coming home at the end of the day and seeing her wagging her tail.

She's sleeping at my feet right now, and, yup, she just farted.

[aberdeenwriter]

Ok, my two cents...

VERRRRY HAPPY that the JRT found a loving new home.

(I wonder if he misses your kids.)

The new 'baby' sounds delightful!

As for the cancer thing, I recommend looking at the role body chemistry (7.0 pH level) can play in avoiding cancer, and then finding out what the food's pH is (if that's possible). Does the food contain bone meal? (uh oh! I fear the prion thing.)

Then, I've also heard hip dysplacia is a problem with Goldens.

Harder to bathe than a JRT, they need more grooming and the warm weather will be harder on it.

Finally, obedience lessons!!!

But they are great, smart, mellow, loyal and loving dogs.

You and the puppy are lucky to have each other. Congratulations!

Pix and it's name when you can!

[Corintheus]

A 9 year old Golden Retriever just recently tried to maul my Siberian Husky. The Husky is about 7 months old. Took her to the beach one day, lots of dogs around, and ba-bam, it attacks my dog.

Just thought I'd throw that in, considering they say Golden Retrievers are extremely calm and gentle. I was quite surprised. As was the owner of the Golden Retriever.

[glyph]

my retriever troyley needs to be groomed often, his hair gets into everything if you don't keep up with his shedding. if he's in the weather too long, well - he reminds me of a wet mop.

i like to take pictures of him as he is really beautiful. he seems to know when i'm taking pictures of him so he is very cooperative.

he has a tendency to take off to the neighbors (they have a dog who runs loose) if i don't leash him. i suppose that's his friendly nature.

[Cody Dawg]

Good morning, All!

Well, he has just had his morning "shower" with me (I always take the dog into the shower with me...sometimes they just sit there in the corner of the shower and other times they get a good scrub if necessary) and is now laying on the floor at my feet, on his tummy with his legs out behind him, digging into the breakfast doggie food bowl. No yapping or whining last night - surprised the heck out of me with that one. Got up this morning and he was in his crate/kennel just snoozing away. No accidents in the house yesterday and none in the kennel last night, which is a fluke of nature with a 10-week old puppy, I know.

glyph: Your golden is absolutely beautiful. Where was that picture taken?

Corintheus: I was reading a book entitled, Dogs Never Lie About Love and the author mentions that his golden retriever became upset and went after another dog once, also. He said it was the first and only time and really shocked him. They're dogs, so I suppose it happens that sometimes they want to fight? I'm not sure.

The cancer issue is very interesting. I have a friend out in California whose dog got cancer. He put the dog through chemotherapy and everything.

aberdeenwriter, I know about hip dysplasia, yes. Apparently this guy has had his dogs hips cleared and has a line of goldens that are in good health, but apparently it can still happen.

My veterinarian, who came over last night for some coffee and to check the puppy out, says to limit the amount of running around and strenuous exercise while his legs and body are maturing. He showed me how the puppy's legs are very big and heavy (his feet are huge right now) in comparison to his body. He says that they weigh alot and that the hips of large breed dogs get a workout when they are small because the legs and feet are so big and heavy but the frame of the dog is small.

He thinks hip problems start when very small and the hips are being pulled and yanked on by big limbs, so he says to limit the strenuous exercise of the puppy right now until his body and hips catch up to his legs and feet. A lot of people take their puppies on long walks, but he says not to, to just let him play around the home.

Make sense, I suppose. Other than that, he says he is skinny but looks good.

The breeder/kennel where he came from supplies goldens to the seeing eye dog program, also, down here in Florida. His littermates (4) are all going into the guide dog program that is based here. I wanted to pay him for the puppy, but he wouldn't take any money. (He is a retired ophthalmologist.) His son works for my spouse as a manager. (And he's probably reading this because he has a Mac and lurks here!)

Well, time to try to get the Christmas decorations up on the house! And take some pics for everyone to see him, here.

[glyph]

glyph: Your golden is absolutely beautiful. Where was that picture taken?

it was taken along the seward hwy. here in alaska (turnagain arm). it's one of my favorite weekend-drive destinations.

troyley got into a fight once with some kinda bull dog. it really suprised me as i never seen troy angry before. i think the bull dog got the best of him, but troy didn't back off and ended up chasing the bull dog away. had i not been around, that bull dog might've maimed him, but troy sure was confident in himself. he was sore for a couple of days after that. since then, it seems he is a little more territorial when it comes to dogs comin' around.

[Cody Dawg]

Interesting...I thought that that picture came from somewhere in the Northwest. I am from Seattle and it looked suspiciously like somewhere along Puget Sound. Turns out that it was the Northwest...the Northwest Territory!



Anyway, I am starting to bond with this little dog. I don't bond with all dogs, especially not right away.

But, he's remarkably kind and get this: Not one accident in the house yet. We've had him for 48 hours and he is consistently "going" when I take him outside.

One of the reasons we got him is because is very small for his breed. He is 12 weeks old or 3 months old and only weighs 15 pounds. He was the runt in the litter and I guess maybe he'll stay small. He's also very mellow. They didn't think personality would make him a good guide dog because he's so laid back and that's one of the reasons we ended up with him (or someone else would have.)

Anyway, thanks for the posts folks!

Why don't all of you start posting pictures of your dogs, like glyph did? We'd all like to see them!

[AKcrab]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
One of the reasons we got him is because is very small for his breed. He is 12 weeks old or 3 months old and only weighs 15 pounds.

My newest is 3 months, and is almost 40 pounds.

Heya glyph.

[Josh Reid]

My best friends have a 3 year old golden girl named Alize. She is probably 35-40 pounds, a nice managable size. She is the sweetest dog I've ever come across, and I've been around and had many dogs. She is smart, well-behaved, never messes in the house or gets 'into' things, and she required very little training. If these pics don't convince you to get a golden, not much will:





Thanks!

[Cody Dawg]

That's a REALLY cool looking dog, you're right.

Her eyes glow!

[brapper]

Congratulations!
I have two puppies in my life right now, neither of which are mine unfortunately, but I'm having a great time playing with them.

[Cody Dawg]

What kind?

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by Kilbey:
I love big dogs and really love Golden retrievers. They are very loyal, intelligent, loving, cuddly, and have great temperaments. And they are awesome waterfowl hunting dogs.

The only negatives are that they drool and can need to be kept active or they gain weight fast. You really have to watch their diet.

ON A SIDE NOTE: I once saw a Golden Retriever and St. Bernard mix and I thought it was an awesome mix. Very nice looking and a great personality. I think it could be a great breed on it's own.

One of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen was a Golden Retriever/Chow mix. His name was Leo, and put me in mind of a mix between a dog and a lion.

[glyph]

My newest is 3 months, and is almost 40 pounds.

Heya glyph.

hiya akcrab

that's a big pup. don't let him steal your sandwiches.

i just weighed troyley, he's just under 90lbs.

[MilkmanDan]

May I offer up the option of an English Springer Spaniel to anyone wanting to get a dog? A nice medium sized, mellow dog, that is great with kids. My family has had two while I lived at home. A big smaller then your Golden Retriever, and a lot less hair. Great hunting dogs as well. (Congrads on your new dog)

This photo is of our old dog who died this summer. Not too long after these photos were taken. She was wagging her tail till the end.

[Cody Dawg]

Nice puppy, MilkmanDan.

Why do you think they have less hair, though?

AKCrab: What kind of dog is 40 POUNDS at 3 MONTHS?

And, glyph, your golden is 90 POUNDS?

[AKcrab]

Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
English Springer Spaniel ... A nice medium sized, mellow dog, that is great with kids.

I agree, BUT our springer was not mellow.

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
AKCrab: What kind of dog is 40 POUNDS at 3 MONTHS?

1/2 Newfoundland, 1/2 Lab...
There were 4 in the litter, 2 girls 2 boys. The girls looked just like labs, and the boys looked just like newfies.

The irresponsible pet owner dropped em off at the pund at three weeks of age.

[storer]

This is our pup, Louie:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/100_0106.jpg
This is our 8 yr old lab, Chuckie:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/100_0110.jpg

[mac-kerouac]

My wife and I have a two and a half year old female golden named Kodi (Kodiak). She is a joy! She loves to hike, run, swim, and play. She is great around the house, with guests and especially with children. We have 4 nephews and are around children all the time and she just knows how to behave around children, it is an amazing instinct.

She is very social with people and other dogs. We bring her with us every where and we are continually stopped. And she loves the attention.

I have done some obedience training with her and she is very responsive. We are beginning to think about gettting her sister, of the canine variety.

Here are some pics:

Kodi



Sleepy Kodi, after a hard day at play!



Kodi, Huck (my parents dog), and Levi w/ bandana (my sisters 11 yr. old who passed away in Sept. from old age)

[KeriVit]

My only input- that perhaps other golden owners have not experieced is that they should get obedience training. They accept it very well and are very smart dogs. We had one w/o training that took off constantly and jumped up on people- but the second accepted every bit of training like a gem.

I'd show some pics of my current pack- chow/golden, chow/lab, cairn...

But I don't think I can or I don't know how.

[MilkmanDan]

Originally posted by Cody Dawg:
Nice puppy, MilkmanDan.

Why do you think they have less hair, though?

AKCrab: What kind of dog is 40 POUNDS at 3 MONTHS?

And, glyph, your golden is 90 POUNDS?

They shed less. At least, a lot less then our neighbors Golden.

They usually are mellow. But I guess you occasionally get a nut every now and then.

[glyph]

And, glyph, your golden is 90 POUNDS?

yep, about 88lbs. he was up to 95 when i ran him regularly.

he had the biggest paws of the litter. and the lightest color.