Sponsored by Laila, Wally, Nori, Christine, and Mark in honour of Willis Blair and Kerregan Wallder, whose lives were well lived and defined by their deep love of animals and people. Their laughter and compassion live on in Alan Walder and Margaret Blair, and in the comforting thought that Goldie will find a forever home with them watching over the journey.

Marigold, who we lovingly called Goldie, is more than just a beautiful face. She is a sweet girl with a slightly shy personality, having experienced so little in her first 7 yrs of life. Until recently, she has lived as a breeding dog kept in a barn.

Goldie has done really well with house training and now has free run of the house. She is let out every 4 hours as we continue to reinforce house training habits. Since she does not like the crate, we leave her loose now and she is able to hold her bathroom business overnight. She is not destructive either, so she is fine left loose for a few hours during the day as well. That said, Goldie would do best with someone home most of the time. She really enjoys human companionship now.

Goldie has a slow, gentle, and cautious disposition. Given her limited experience, Goldie can exhibit anxiety when she is overwhelmed or unsure what to do. Typically, this involves circling, often carrying a toy in her mouth. We have been teaching her how to calm herself, so this behavior happens less frequently now but we do expect her to resort to this when she heads to a new home. Having mill dog experience would be an asset (but not crucial), as this is common for dogs who have lived in confined spaces. We have worked hard in correcting this and teaching her how to calm herself.

Goldie has discovered several things so far that she simply adores! She loves stuffies and will carry them around, pile them up and will bring them to show you. (She will also bring you shoes and tea towels…but she does so with such pride it’s impossible to be upset with her.) She never ruins anything, simply likes to carry things around. She has learned fetch and this game brings her such joy. She loves when you clap your hands and praise her for good deeds. She also loves being brushed and told how pretty she is. The couch is also a newfound love.. you can tell she has never laid on anything so soft and wonderful.  Needless to say, she has certainly welcomed this new life and is enjoying everything it has to offer.

She will not care if her new home has a dog or not, she is neutral in her interactions with other dogs in the foster home.

She has been on some leashed walks and has done well but she will need someone understanding of her pace and be willing to take things slow. Short trips to start with. She will need a home with access to a yard, but she is not a dog that enjoys being outside unless she’s playing fetch or lounging nearby her people.

She is very nervous of the car and has needs to be lifted in. So, an adopter must be able to manage all 65 lbs of her to do vet visits or road trips. Once in the car, she sits quietly and she will now get out of the car on her own. Hopefully someday she will be brave enough to get in on her own as well.

The groundwork for Goldie is done, the rest of the work with her will be continuing to show her how wonderful indoor life with a family is. She will need someone who can build confidence, encourage her and keep introducing her to new things like pup-cups (which took some convincing but then she licked the cup dry!), Timbits, and more adventurous things like swimming and hiking.

For more information, you may contact Colleen (foster parent) at pugzus@gmail.com

**Adoptions within the province of Ontario only