Daphne #3337, now Shadow
Shadow originally came to the United States from China in December 2020. Her foster mother, Sue, who had been keeping an eye out for the perfect dog since I submitted my application in 2018, reached out to me. I made the long trek in early February to meet Shadow who greeted me with love. Although I grew up with golden retrievers, I had never been ultimately responsible for the care of one and I was terrified. After visiting Shadow, I stayed overnight at a motel and called my mom the next morning. After a long talk, my mom ordered me not to call her again until I arrived home with Shadow in tow. The events culminating in Shadow’s rescue are unknown, but it appears she belonged to someone because it is obvious she has been trained. She’s intelligent and well behaved. For instance, the groomer said she presented her paw as if she knew what to expect. She doesn’t jump on the furniture and has never had an accident in the house.
Initially, Shadow was reserved. She never left my side and I coined her as my velcro dog; hence the name change from Daphne to Shadow. As she became comfortable in her new environment, her personality began to shine. She wants to chase birds and cats. As large as she is for a seven-year old female golden, she can’t catch them. As a first time dog dad, I bought all the essentials, including a bed and toys for Shadow. No matter how much I tried to encourage her to sleep on her bed or play with her toys, I even bought another bed that was elevated, she was disinterested until I gave her a round object beloved by many golden retrievers. She loves her ball so much that she will carry, squeeze, and sleep with it in her mouth. She also enjoys her walks and the times she’s off leash to be just a dog by frolicking and sniffing in a field near my home. Even though Shadow has free reign of the field, she runs back to me as if she’s making sure I’m still attached to her hip. Remember she’s a velcro dog! Chest scratches are a must with Shadow. She’ll tilt her head over her shoulder as a way of communicating that I’m due to give her a chest scratch.
When I approach her in the morning after waking up, or when I return home from running errands, or when I leave … I find myself wanting to return as quickly as possible. Shadow becomes so excited that she’ll scrunch her nose, give me love bites, and lean on me as she circles my person. She’s not a licker, but will try to give me a few kisses. I treasure these moments with her. She does get mad when I have to leave her behind. She bunches up the floor mat or towel on which I set her water and food bowls. One time she submerged the towel in her freshly filled water bowl! I can’t help but laugh and smile. Speaking of which, Shadow’s breath was rancid so she recently had her teeth, which were worn down, professionally cleaned and an abscessed molar removed. One day after having thrown the ball to her, she did not want to release it from her mouth. I then wondered if I would be able to brush her teeth more effectively with the ball in her mouth and to my surprise, I was able to do so!
Shadow has enriched my life in ways beyond what I could have ever imagined. I’ve become her velcro human. I am especially grateful and indebted to her foster mother and of course, if it hadn’t been for my mom, it would’ve been the biggest mistake of my life because she is, indeed, my perfect dog. Thank you, GBR!
Jon
Daphne (#3337) came in from China on December 28, 2020. Her foster family reports nothing but good things account Daphne. She is extremely calm and gentle, does okay with other dogs, walks well on the leash and has no issues in the car. Housetraining is going well and, although there have been some ruffled feathers over treats, she has been sharing a house with six others dogs and is doing just fine. It’s uncertain how Daphne would do with cats but she doesn’t appear to have any prey drive so the assumption is she would do well.
Daphne was adopted on February 11, 2021