Golden update

Less than one day after being approved to adopt a Golden from RAG of AZ, we have already ruled out all the possibilities about whom I posted yesterday, plus one other dog.

As noted by Emily in the comments, Greeley is in the process of being adopted. Our GET member confirmed last night that a family who met him this past weekend has decided to adopt him. (Too bad for us, but great for Greeley!)

Gavin's foster mother contacted me this morning in response to our request to set up a "meet and greet" with him. Her email said that Gavin" is extremely active and will want to play with your dog non-stop. I have 3 dogs now and he drives them nuts."

One concern that MM has expressed about getting a second dog is whether the new, younger dog might overtax Sebastian. With his mitral valve insufficiency, mild though it is at this point, he needs more rest and can tolerate less activity than before. However, Sebastian doesn't know that he's sick and still thinks that he is a puppy himself. As long as there is another dog around who wants to play, he will continue playing.

We think that having Gavin in the house might not be good for Sebastian. He might overdo it and make himself sick. On the other hand, it might be OK, but we need to think of Sebastian first and foremost. Given Sebastian's health, we don't want to take a chance.

Our third possibility, Buddy, would not be a good fit either. His foster mother reports that he has separation anxiety and needs to be placed in a home where the owner is home most of the day. Because we are away from home for at least 6-7 hours a day for work, Buddy would be alone a lot (with Sebastian, but no people), so this would not be the ideal situation for him.

One other possibility I saw on the RAG of AZ website yesterday was Nathan. But when I asked about him today, I learned that he will be having a surgical procedure to treat cardiac stenosis in the near future, so he is not available for adoption just yet.

So it looks like we won't be getting a Golden any time soon. Our current plan is to just wait and check the RAG of AZ website periodically. Given that this organization has rescued over 2300 Goldens in the past ten years, I feel confident that the right dog for us will come along soon.

Especially given that we already have Sebastian and that he is our primary concern, it makes sense to wait for a dog who will be right for us. We are in no hurry.