11/20/15 Foster Update: Bonnie and Clyde have been living with Mister (my Golden) and me for 12 days now. From day one, I knew they were extremely special dogs. From day one, Mister knew the same. Throughout the years, I have fostered many a golden, and even more “golden-hearted” dogs, but I have to honestly say that these two pups are the most golden-hearted of the non-purebred Golden dogs that I have ever met. In fact, they are easier to care for and better on leashes than almost all Goldens I know (even Mister, but don't tell him I said that!) It was as if they had been obedience trained, yet they did not even know how to sit when they first came to me. Sitting was not part of their repertoire. They didn't even sit on their own. Now they both sit and wait patiently for their food, looking right at me for guidance as to when it is OK to commence gobbling.
On their first day here, they would go off into another room and play with each other, not choosing to interact with Mister. When they would sleep, they would lie together in that room, or down the hallway, away from the main area of household action. Clyde would come over sometimes and say “Hi,” but Bonnie was a bit shyer, still very sweet, but a tad hesitant of people. Clyde especially loved my 17 year old son and my husband. (In fact, he still does. He is all over my son when he comes home from school, but when I get home? Meh. I'll do, but he'd prefer Tommy! ) That first day they both sniffed around a lot and counter surfed. If offered a treat, they jumped on their back legs, but did not put their front paws on us. They also each stuck their noses into any treat that anyone got. Poor Mister! And when I went to leave the house, they did not come over to the door. When I returned home, only Mister was there at the door to greet me.
Fast forward a couple days, and B&C place themselves right near the door if I am about to leave. All three noses are there when I return. Mister, (the pure Golden) grabs a toy, Clyde walks around and wags happily, and sweet Bonnie whines and yelps and jumps on me (yes, she jumps on me. I'm working on it...) She is just SOOOO happy that I am back. In less than 5 minutes, she is settled down and is back to her calm, quiet self. In fact, she is so attached to me that apparently she whines when I am gone. That seems to be improving, with the whining period getting shorter and shorter. I think she is learning that I will always come back.
Clyde LOVES to be pet by everyone! Just like a Golden, he will sit in front of you and want his head stroked, all the while staring deep into your eyes. If you stop, he places his paw on your arm. The cycle continues. He will stop, however, when I make it clear we are “all done.” Clyde has made himself the star of the dog park, ingratiating himself to all the humans he meets – men, women, and children alike (although he REALLY likes men). I have told his story a million times as people wonder who this wonderful, sweet, gorgeous loving dog is with his paws placed gently on their chests, begging to be pet and hugged. (Yes, I'm working on that, too. Their jumping is just so gentle that it is loving and sweet! )
Surprisingly, Bonnie is the more independent of the two. Initially, it seemed that she was the one extremely attached to Clyde, but it appears that in actuality, it is more the other way around. She gets more confident every day, and now, 12 days in, she usually sleeps on the sofa while he sleeps on a dog bed. At dog parks, she will venture out and look for dogs to play with, loving to race around like mad and be chased. Again, she is sweet and fine with people, but she chooses to play with other pups in lieu of interacting with new people.
Training wise, B&C have made great progress. When it is time for treats, they both sit without being told. They are able to keep their noses to themselves. They have learned their names and are coming (eh, most of the time) when called. Clyde is never in a hurry to come, though he will saunter over when he is called. Bonnie comes running to me. No one can believe how young these two are because they are so calm and even keeled and they never pull at the leash or at other dogs.
The counter surfing has ceased. In fact, last night my husband left an open bag of potato chips out (on the floor!), and no one got into it. No one is stealing boxes of Quaker Oatmeal anymore (that was day two!) And meal time has gotten very calm and easy. They all sit and wait as I prepare their food. Mister gets his food first (he is the man of the house, after all) in one room. Clyde gets his next by the water bowl. And Bonnie gets her bowl in the dining room. I felt it would be best for them to learn to eat separately because Bonnie is still quite thin and I'm pretty sure when they eat together, Clyde gets most of the food. Bonnie is SO precious as she follows me into the dining room and just plops her little hind end down and then looks me right in the eyes, patiently waiting for my command.
While both dogs are extremely special, I truly believe that Clyde has a purpose here on earth and that purpose is to be a therapy dog. He is in love with humans, and has an innate knowledge of how to act according to the individual with whom he is interacting. He is gentler with women than with men. He does not jump on smaller children. He does not fear special health needs equipment, like wheel chairs and walkers. The very first time we walked near the glass front door of the facility, he placed his front paw on the door and gazed inside. He has visited my mother in an assisted living facility and remained completely calm and at ease. Oh... except for the stairs. Neither dog did stairs when they arrived into my care, but Bonnie quickly decided I was WAY more important to her than any awkwardness about those silly stairs. Clyde, on the other hand, is willing to just lie down and wait until people come back down. I will be working on that this weekend with his FAVORITE treat, chicken!! He goes up and down short flights, but does not like the full, tall staircase. My mom absolutely adores him, as well as Bonnie. Bonnie also showed no fear of the health equipment, but she is still a little more reserved.
Bonnie's calling is for obedience. With no training at all, Bonnie has a wonderful, loose-leash heal, trotting alongside me, tilting her head up frequently to gaze at me with those gorgeous golden eyes. I believe she would be incredibly calm in an obedience class, and would not be distracted at all by the other dogs. Well, she might bark if another dog were to bark. These two notice when dogs bark on TV and will sometimes join in. Since Bonnie is so responsive to 'her person,' obedience makes the perfect activity for her.
So how these two stray dogs could use their glorious looks and personalities to get themselves out of a kill shelter, into a wonderful rescue, up to the east coast, and into a last minute foster family's home to live with a wonderful, sweet, calm, loving older golden who can show them the ropes, is just beyond me. I believe they are each blessed.
Their Story: No, your eyes are not playing a trick on you, but talk about seeing double! That is certainly how you may feel when you look at Bonnie and Clyde! This stunning pair was found running around together in Mobile County, AL along with Venus. The shelter called our rescue to find a home for Golden mix, Venus, and asked us if we would consider taking in Bonnie and Clyde as "golden-hearted” dogs. They are such sweet dogs, we knew we just had to save them from an unknown fate and find them a forever home - together.
Bonnie and Clyde appear to be brother and sister and are very bonded. At meal time, they are given their own bowls of food to eat. However, they eat together from the same bowl and then go to the next bowl and eat from that one. When given a bath, they both had to be in the room with the while the other got bathed. And, when sweet Bonnie woke up from being spayed, she panicked until Clyde was brought into the kennel to be with her. Cute, right? Just like an old married couple!
This dynamic duo keeps their kennel clean and have had no accidents at all, a good indicator that they may very well be house-broken. They are good with other dogs, good with kids, and had no reaction to the cats at the vet’s office. We believe they are about 1.5 years old and may be of the Sennenhund family of dogs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_mountain_dog, probably a mix, or even a Saint Bernard mix. What we do know is that they are super sweet and super cute with their super-hero style masks on their faces. Brandy’s face has lighter coloring, in a creamy shade, while Clyde's face dons a more reddish-brown tint.
Bonnie & Clyde need some work on their leash skills – they do not pull, but they do not seem to know what a leash is for. They have each put on some needed weight while at our vet's kennel and now weigh between 62-65 pounds. They are both heartworm negative, up-to-date on vaccinations, micro-chipped, and were neutered/spayed.
If you have already been approved for adoption through SGRR, please contact
Donna to be considered to adopt Bonnie & Clyde.
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About Our Rescue
Before being approved to adopt, all potential adopters need to complete our online application and participate in our pre-adoption review process. The process includes the completion of an online application, a reference from the applicants' vet, a phone interview, and a visit to the applicants' home. The application process helps us determine what type of Golden would be best suited for the applicants' life style. In some cases, the specific dog you are interested in may have found a home before this process is complete or further assessment may find that this dog is not the right match for your family. We are regularly getting new Goldens in need of a home, so we encourage you to apply and get approved so that when the right dog comes along you will be ready.
The information provided on each dog is based on observations of our vets, volunteers, fosters and when available, trainers. While we do our best to report any and all issues, SGRR does not make any guarantees as to the health or temperament of any dog. Dogs evolve differently in different environments and we cannot predict with any certainty how the dog you adopt will act in your home.
SGRR Adoption Fees (subject to change)**
Puppies under 6 months $650
Young dogs 6 months - 6 years $550
Young dogs - Special Needs $450
Senior dogs 7 - 9 years $450
Seniors dogs 10 years and older $350
Senior dogs - Special Needs $300
Young Bonded Pairs $850
Senior Bonded Pairs $750
**Please note: The fees listed represent a slight increase and are effective for applications received after June 1 2014. We regret the need to increase the fees for our dogs, but found it necessary due to the increased costs we are faced with for each dog's care and placement.
A contract is signed the day of adoption. Under the terms of the contract, all adopters are required to bring the rescue to a vet within 7 business days. The dogs receive basic veterinary care prior to adoption. If your vet identifies an illness that an adopter is not willing to treat, then the dog is returned and a full refund is provided.
Many of our dogs are fostered in private homes and we do not have a facility to visit. We are committed to our dogs before, during, and after adoption! The rescue retains title to the dog and can never be released or sold. Should the adopters no longer be able to keep the dog, SGRR must be notified so that we can take the dog back into rescue and place it into another home. We reserve the right to remove a dog at any time should we find the adopter is no longer caring for their Golden in a way we see fit. Adopters then have to agree to follow up visits as needed.
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