ADOPTED
I would like to introduce you all to Effie, she is a Golden Retriever who is about 5 years old and she has the most luxurious and smooth long golden coat that you have ever seen. Effie is a perfect sized girl and currently weighs about 60lbs, she has beautiful brown eyes and she will look directly into your soul as you pet her. Effie came from a puppy mill where she was made to have many litters and unfortunately she did not receive the socialization that she needed while she was growing up. Effie is a very sweet girl, with an old soul personality, but she takes some time to warm up to new people. Effie is also sometimes unsure of new things so will require lots of dedication and patience while she gains the confidence that she needs to be the best girl that she can be.
When Effie first came to us, she was very unsure of her surroundings, unsure of touch and a noticeable larger fear of men more-so than women. However, she did warm up to us very quickly and you can see how much she craves human affection and interaction. She will happily wag her tail and walk up to you and give you kisses and ask for pets, but she will go still while you pet her. In time I have no doubt that Effie will be a smiling wiggling happy girl while receiving affection from her people.
Effie is currently living in a home with many other dogs, she has gotten along with every single one of them from day one and really enjoys their company and looks to them to see how she should react to other situations. While the other big dogs in the home don’t really do a lot of playtime, we do have a puppy in the home and she quite enjoys rolling around with him and playing with some toys together. Effie is also living with a cat, she has not shown any interest in the cat at all though it is recommended that if there is a cat in her forever home that they be dog-savvy. Effie is also sharing her home with two young teens, she is very compatible with a medium energy level home and does well with people coming and going. That being said, I don’t believe that Effie would do well in a home with kids under the age of 10 and this is strictly due to the energy levels and noises that come with a busy household with young kids.
Effie has been on many car rides during her time with us including some short trips just into town as well as some longer trips of 3 hours up to our cottage, Effie has always been a great passenger and is more than happy to just curl up on the back seat and sleep the whole way there. Occasionally she will wake up and take a look outside the window and pant a little bit, but then settles back down for a nice nap. Effie has been on many walks and I believe that it is one of her favourite things to do (besides sleep) since getting out of the puppy mill. Effie is a very casual slow and steady walker, she is never in a hurry and she really likes to stop and smell the roses! But seriously though, Effie loves to take in the scents and sniff everything that
she can while she is on her walks, so if you’re looking for a dog that you can take for a quick walk around the block just so you can get back home, then Effie is not the dog for you. She wants someone who is not in a rush and who wants to casually walk and enjoy the world around her with her. Effie walks extremely well on her martingale collar, and more often than not she will be hanging out behind you and you will need to encourage her to keep moving on. Effie has not shown to have any kind of a prey drive during her time with us so far, she does not seem to care about squirrels or rabbits on our walks, and one time a skunk came out of the bush beside her and she had absolutely no reaction to it at all.
Effie’s favourite time of the day is probably breakfast and dinner, when she knows that you are getting her food ready she gets so excited and will follow you around to make sure that you prepare her kibble just right and then go and wait by her crate for you to feed her. While Effie does love her food, she does not always like to take treats from our hands. This is something that will come with time as she gains confidence in herself and gains your trust. For now we give her lots of praise as rewards for her. Effie is currently crate trained and she loves her crate! When its bed time or just time for us to leave for a few hours, she will go right inside her crate and wait for you to close the door. She has always been super quiet in her crate and does not bark at all while in it. While Effie is 5, I would still recommend her family to continue the use of a crate in her forever home, Effie has shown some traits of separation anxiety on a few occasions and in order to keep her safe it’s best if she continues to use a crate where she feels secure.
Overall, Effie has been an absolute delight to have in our home. She is a very calm and sweet natured dog and she has lots of life and love to give. She is certainly an adventurer, but she is a calm adventurer. Effie would love a home where things are a bit quieter, but with someone who will take her out for many sniff walks each day. Effie doesn’t require a large yard or a detached home, but she does need someone who is committed to her training and helping her to gain the confidence that she needs to become the best version of herself. A basic obedience and manners class is mandatory with Effies adoption, however Effie would really benefit from being able to take some advanced obedience classes to help her on her journey. She is a very smart girl and this will be an excellent way for her to divert some of her energy.
If you are looking for an older soul dog to join your family, someone who you can go on leisurely walks with and just enjoy the simple things in life, looking for a dog whom you can help to build trust and confidence through training classes and everyday exposure to life then maybe Effie is the dog for you!