A Golden Time?

Ten months after we lost our sweet girl, Monday, to cancer, we have decided it's time to bring a new dog into the family.

We were not ready before.  Monday's death hit us hard.  She was a twelve-year-old member of the family and we were sad to see her go.  But we've also missed the company of a dog, we've been promising the girls, the summer is over, and our busy travel schedule has slowed down.

We applied with Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue in August, and have been looking at other rescue organizations as well.  NRGRR is our first choice, though, because Monday was a golden mix and we fell in love with the temperament of the breed, shedding be damned.  Whose heart doesn't melt every time they see a picture of one of these wonderful dogs at the site of a tragedy, like the Boston Marathon bombing, or Newtown, lending their calm, docile personalities to people most in need?

Anyway, we finally went out on Saturday to one of their twice monthly events, to meet a few dogs.  There were some puppies we were interested in, but some slightly older dogs, too, and we thought we'd have a look.

The puppies were cute, but they were more labrador than golden and not quite what we were looking for.  Hubby liked a little golden mix named Diddie but G and I couldn't stop looking at Molson, a beautiful 10-month-old who was exactly the opposite of what we thought we might want.  Opposite in that he wasn't a she, and he was BIG.

But isn't that the way it goes?  After the event, and some discussion, we decided to put our names in the hat for Molson.

His foster and her son brought him out to the house yesterday which is a really beneficial thing for both parties involved.  It was a great opportunity for us to get to see him again, and on our own turf!  He is a big boy, a surprise for us since Monday was so short!  He was incredibly sweet and well-behaved.  He made himself quite comfortable as he checked out every room. The guinea pigs were of great interest to him.

I think the visit went well, but who knows?  Rescue organizations, especially breed-specific ones, can be very picky as they really want to ensure a good match.  We have two kids, a good-sized yard, previous experience with goldens, and a flexible work schedule.  But, we have an electric fence, not a wooden one, and no other dogs for him to play with.  Will it matter?  Time will tell.

The foster and Molson have some other home visits to make this week.  We will have to be patient and see.  I wouldn't allow hubby to slip a $20 under Molson's collar.   Bribery is tacky after all!   Stay tuned for more info!

To check out available dogs and learn more about Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue:
http://www.goldenrescuenc.org/