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–NEW–
Jazzy was posted for sale on CraigsList for $75. A Good Samaritan, knowing what would most likely happen to an unspayed purebred Golden Retriever on Craigslist, quickly contacted the owner, purchased her, then contacted us to help. According to the person selling her on CraigsList, Jazzy has had at least 2 owners and was used as a breeding dog. Our guess is that she was being sold because she could no longer produce enough healthy puppies to ‘earn her keep’. Jazzy was a little ‘stressed’ physically and emotionally when we got her but has made tremendous strides in both areas and is ready to be a fabulous furry family member addition.
Her physical imperfections are insignificant and may be due to poor nutrition and numerous litters of puppies. Both of those things are in her past now! She has several benign sebaceous cysts. These are not uncommon and not dangerous. Worst case is that they potentially could rupture (or not!) or may (or may not!) grow or bother her and need surgical removal. We had one removed from her tail but the others have not been a problem in the past 5 months. She weighs 80 lbs. now (down from 83 when we got her) and could still stand to lose just a few more. Regardless, she will be a somewhat bigger than average female Golden. Her coat was thin, but has grown in thick and wavy. She has a tiny tuck on one earflap. It is hardly noticeable and our vet suspects it may have been injured, untreated, and scar tissue caused it to adhere to itself. In the photos, it may be detected that one ear flap is a tad shorter than the other, but we all have little imperfections, right? It’s actually kinda cute!
Emotionally, she has made great strides too! She has overcome the ‘overwhelmed’ state she initially had when surrounded by lots of activity and enjoys it now. She is great with people, young and old, and other dogs. She currently has two Golden foster siblings who’ve helped her find her true golden self and taught her the rules for canine play and wrestling. She has very good house manners. In addition to being thoroughly house-trained, she knows some basic commands (sit, down, leave it, come, hi5) and is pretty reliable with those. She is calm and happily lays at your feet (if possible) or nearby to nap. She will get antsy when she needs to go out, and happily trots to the door if questioned about wanting to go out. She does love the outdoors and enjoys sniffing every inch of the yard regularly before she finds the perfect spot to take care of business. She patiently waits for ‘paws’ wiping when coming back inside and loves being groomed. She is calm and un-fazed by storms and with fireworks noise.
She adores other dogs now and is not the least bit territorial about toys or other things. Her Golden foster bro is known for toy stealing (ok, hoarding) and she just sighs and gives her foster mom a look that asks “when are ya gonna teach him some manners?” She had a wonderful time marching with her peers in the St Patrick’s parade! She loves a good dog park romp but never roams too far. She’s welcomed many human visitors of every size, gender, and age, as well as a variety of dog breeds and is fascinated by our turtle. She loves a car ride, if only to be with you. We walk her with the easy walk front clip harness as she is still a little excitable on a regular leash. It’s perfect.
Ok, the issues (and they are quite minor!): she loves to shred toys, especially soft plushies. And if she hasn’t had any exercise or attention, a little anxiety may cause her to pretend her bedding is a toy…. probably a little leftover insecurity baggage! The reason we note her toy issue is that for families with younger kids who loved stuffed animals – she can’t really tell the difference and may sneak off with one and it may be autopsied. Just sayin’!. She has full run of the house when we’re gone and hasn’t touched a thing of ours. But that’s it. She is otherwise pure golden joy. She is a total snuggle bug. She makes sweet little growly, grunty noises of appreciation when you pet her. She’ll follow you around in case you’re going to do something interesting. Or in case maybe you might want a foot warmer. She sleeps at the side of her foster mom’s bed and is never the first one up.
Jazzy’s Forever Home needs to have:
-A structurally fenced yard
-Another kind yet playful canine buddy would be ideal
-Someone home during the day so she is not left along more then 4-5 hours total in a given day
Jazzy clearly craves pleasing her people. Her life as a working girl is in her rear view mirror and she looks forward to good food, soft beds, and loving hands. She so very much wants to be the cherished family member she deserves to be.
Check back for updates from her foster mom