Feta

I would like to introduce you all to Feta, she is a Golden Retriever who is about 3 years old and she has the most luxurious and smooth long golden coat that you have ever seen.  Feta 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.  Feta came from a puppy mill where she was likely made to have many litters and unfortunately she did not receive the socialization that she needed while she was growing up.  Feta is a very sweet girl, with an old soul personality.  Feta is generally unsure of new situations and surroundings 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.  That being said, Feta loves basically every human that she comes into contact with, if you’re able to pet her, then you’re her new best friend!  She will gladly plop herself directly in front of you, stare up into your face and let you rub and pet her ears and head.

When Feta first came to us, she was very unsure of her surroundings, unsure of walking through doorways and was very skittish with loud noises and sudden movements in her direction.  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, she will sit on your feet in front of you or try to climb into your lap just so that she can get as much loving in as possible.  She still is a bit skittish when we approach her to give her some affection but this is improving every day and in time I have no doubt that Feta will work through this.  Feta is completely housetrained, from day one she has not had a single accident in the home.  That being said, sometimes Feta will let out a little “submissive pee” as I call it, and basically that is if you approach her and reach down to her she will go into a submissive position and pee a little.   These are becoming fewer and further between, but it is something that her forever home will need to continue working on with her.  She does sometimes need a bit of coaxing to walk through our patio door to go to the outside, but then she gets the hang of the door again and all is good.

Feta 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, if she’s unsure she will check in with the other dogs and if they are confident and comfortable then she is significantly more confident and comfortable.  While Feta tolerates the other dogs in the home, she doesn’t necessarily interact with them or play with them.  Feta would love to be an only dog in the home, or else have another laid back and chill dog to hang out with during the day, Feta would not enjoy a playful and rambunctious dog in her forever home.  Feta 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.  Feta 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 Feta 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.

Feta has been on many car rides during her time with us that are mostly shorter (about 25 mins) Feta initially is a little anxious in the car and will pace back and forth in the section she has in the backseat, but she does usually settle down, she is not loud in the car, she mostly just likes to pace and she wants to try to be with you.  Feta has been on many walks and once she gets over the initial being scared and not liking the leash I believe that walking are one of her favourite things to do (besides sleep) since getting out of the puppy mill.  Feta 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, Feta 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 Feta 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.  Feta is a pretty strong girl and sometimes when she gets excited on her walks she can pull a little bit, because of this we are currently walking her on a gentle leader head halter to help better correct her and foster a positive experience with walking.  Most of the time she will be hanging out behind you and you will need to encourage her to keep moving on, then she will go and sniff some areas up ahead, and if she feels you start to slow down she will plop herself right in front of your feet and just stare up at you and ask for pets.  Feta 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, she also seems very disinterested in other dogs that are in yards or walking on the streets, even if they are barking at her.

Feta is doing really well with eating her meals, though right now we are still mixing in just a wee bit of wet food to help make it a little tastier.  When we are getting her food prepared she is happy to just lazily lay down near her crate, as she knows that’s where we bring the food to anyway!  Once we bring her food over she pops right up and waits patiently while you open the crate for her to go in and enjoy her meal!  While Feta 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.  Feta 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 Feta is 3, I would still recommend her family to continue the use of a crate in her forever home as we have made it a safe place for her to go to when she needs to get away and it’s really beneficial for the dogs to have a place to call their own.  Feta currently loves to collect toys in her crate, while she doesn’t play with any toys, she will pick them up and happily walk around the house carrying various toys in her mouth, we like to call them her baby when she does this.  She loves to bring them into her crate with her and is growing her nighttime collection!

Overall, Feta 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.  Feta would love a home where things are a bit quieter, but with someone who will take her out for many sniff walks each day.  Feta 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 Fetas adoption, however Feta 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, as well as to continually build her confidence.  Her confidence is something that her forever family needs to be committed to developing so that she can really enjoy life to it’s fullest!  Training classes will initially be a lot of work for her people because of her lack of confidence, but that’s what will make it that much more rewarding at the end when you see the beautiful confident dog that she becomes!

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 Feta is the dog for you!