Mikey is such a happy dog. He’s happy when playing; he’s happy to go on walks or meet new friends at the dog park; he’s happy to just lie at your feet when it’s quiet time; he's happy to see his dinner bowl appear. And when it’s bedtime, he’s happiest snuggling next to you. Playful and loving are two words that describe him well. Mikey is a young dog approximately a year old and currently weighs just under 50 lbs.
Here is what else his foster family had to say:
Mikey appears to have been well socialized with people, including children. He met a four year old boy, and was well behaved towards the child. Mikey is not a Golden Retriever –-- he doesn’t NEED to go over to greet every single person he sees, but is happy to sniff and wag his tail when someone comes up to him. Mikey has not exhibited any aggression towards people at all. I can take a ball out of his mouth or food from his bowl without any problem. He appears to be comfortable around anyone he’s met so far. We have not been able to test him with larger groups of children yet (i.e. loud voices and running children), but I would not expect any problems.
Mikey is the same with individual dogs or groups of dogs that he meets as he is with the two dogs in our house with whom he is now familiar. Friendly, and then sometimes gets a tad assertive and rushes and barks at a dog who is not immediately willing to play with him when he (Mikey) wants it. He can be overwhelming to a timid or smaller dog when he does this. This would be something the adoptive family would want to work on correcting.
I’ve left Mikey out of the crate and alone with the two other dogs for up to five hours a number of times now without problem. There are lots of toys scattered about the house, so he has plenty to chew on if he wants, but I believe he probably just settles down and naps. Fearless Mikey afraid of anything? No.
Hard to pick just one thing he loves best. He loves to chase other dogs, and rough-house with them. He’s also quite happy sniffing around in the backyard as long as someone else in his pack is outside as well (dog or human). He is also very happy curled up on the bed, snuggling. Eating is another favourite pastime.
Mikey is well able to handle being quiet in the house once he’s had about an hour’s worth of exercise at some point in the day. Not necessarily all at once, but a good walk, and then a play session at some other point. He does get bored and restless if he hasn’t been able to get out much, i.e. if it’s been raining heavily, so he would need some play such as tug-of-war in the house in that case. He seems to be a fairly low-shedding dog. I’m not seeing huge clumps of hair anywhere, nor am I seeing a streak of white hairs left on my clothing after petting him.
He responds to COME, but any other command seems to be just a noise to him. He certainly is hearing the word “OFF” lots, but is stubborn, and just will not move off the bed when I’m trying to get in…… On the other hand, he does understand that OFF means get off the sofa. I caught him up on the sofa only once though. Mikey is house trained. Mikey was kept in a crate for the first three to four nights, and after an initial whining of maybe 2 to 3 minutes, he settled down very happily for the whole night. At the beginning of his stay with us, we would put him in the crate if he was too rambunctious with the other dogs, or if we were going to be out. He didn't like it much but settled pretty quickly. Mikey is quite comfortable in the car, by himself or with other dogs in the back with him. He’s not particularly good on leash. He does pull. He will try to slow down and obey for a short while after correction, but then the excitement of all the smells becomes just too much for him. Mikey’s house manners are basically good. When he’s in a playful mood, he may try to grab the sheets as you’re trying to make the bed, but lets go immediately when firmly told NO.
He does bolt out the door, but as the other two dogs do the same, I can’t fault Mikey. They all know they’re going either to the car for a ride, or over to the neighbour’s house for a play session, so are tremendously excited. As we live on a very quiet crescent, I’ve never bothered about this bad habit with my dogs, and so can’t really fault Mikey for copying their behaviour. With his forever home, I’m sure that Mikey could be taught to wait until his human has gone through the doorway first. He has started to learn the word “WAIT” when I start opening the car door.
Mikey is a very handsome dog, especially when he’s alert and looking at something outside. Certainly looks and behaves as a healthy dog should. He is a young dog and pushes his limits with other dogs when he wants to play. It doesn’t appear that he’s been put in his place by an older dog yet.
Mikey is a sweet-natured dog who really enjoys being part of a pack. A family with slightly older dog-loving children (7yrs+ ?) who will play with him would be good, as would an active retired couple, or someone with another young, active dog. Mikey does need exercise several times a day, and a large fenced yard would be best, so he could run and chase with freedom. He’s affectionate, and has bonded very well with me, and I don’t foresee it being a problem for him to transfer that affection to another loving human. Everyone who meets him thinks he’s going to be a wonderful addition to a dog-loving family.
If you would like to make Mikey part of your family, please submit an application for consideration.
