Golden Bond Rescue of Oregon

Permanent Foster February 2011

Major (#1663) first came to Golden Bond Rescue in 2007 at the age of 8 years old. He was adopted in 2008 to a young couple.  This young couple decided to start a family and the addition of children to Major's world began a period of sad times for Major.

Major was originally given to Golden Bond because his first owners had 3 dogs and a baby and didn’t have time for him any longer. Major may have sensed that the same thing was going to happen when child number two came along.  Major was not happy any longer and started growling at the young child as it crawled around the house. His family #2 then contacted Golden Bond Rescue to take him back.

In addition to not behaving well around little children, Major has a strange desire to chew on rocks.  Because of this odd behavior, Major must be supervised at all times when he is outside.  Major was diagnosed in 2011 with a low grade form of lymphoma.  Golden Bond Rescue decided that with Major's advanced age, odd and unpredictable behaviors, and his illness, that it would be best to make him a permanent foster.  This gives Major the best chance for a secure and loving home.

Here is a note from his foster mom as of June 2011:

Major had a senior blood panel on the day he came to us (Feb 21, 2011) and was found to have an abnormal blood count. After a course of antibiotics and seeing a specialist, it was determined that he has low grade lymphoma. The vet said that dogs with this diagnosis live on average a year after diagnosis. His lymph glands are enlarged and it’s easy to feel the ones in his neck. He’s lost 5 pounds just in the last 2 to 3 months which is the major symptom we’ve seen so far. His vet said his appetite and activity level will decrease over time. He does sleep a lot, but he loves his walks and he loves to swim.

He is our first foster dog and we weren’t sure what to expect. He was fairly subdued when he came to us and would just sit and look into your eyes. No paw on the lap or nudging your hand with his nose. He has good manners, but I don’t think he received much training when he was young. He knew “sit” and that’s about it. He’s learned to shake and do down with the help of cookies and watching his foster sister Abby. He does have some issues—he eats rocks for which he’s needed surgery in the past, he eats poop, he does dig—more scratching at the lawn because he also likes to eat dirt. He drinks a lot of water and needs to go out frequently and has had a couple of accidents.

It didn’t take long to fall in love with this sweet, sweet boy. His expression always brightens when you come into a room and he always meets you happily at the door with a ball if you’ve been gone. He gets along well with our 6 year old golden and rides well in the car. We’ve been traveling back and forth to our house on Hood Canal a lot to prepare for a wedding and he loves it up there. He can run off leash in the pastures, swim and relax on the deck and watch what’s going on.

Sounds like Major has finally found “the good life” with his forever home.

Available Story

Do I have a sweet face or what! Not only is my face sweet, but also my foster says I am as sweet as they come.

My name is Major (#1663).  I am an 8-year-old, 99-pound male who would like to be an only dog if possible since I just love to get all of the attention. In fact, I am what is called a "velcro dog": the more loving the better.

I have lots of good qualities: I like all other dogs, I am totally housebroken, I sleep through the night, I am good with children (in my former home I lived with a 1-year-old), I come to my name, I know how to sit very nicely, I like to retrieve, and I am totally easy to have around. I enjoy being outside, but I also love the comforts of home. I also love soft toys and just about always have one in my mouth. If I come in and can't find mine, I look for it until found.

In my former home, if a cat jumped the fence and got into the yard, I would chase it; if I caught the kitty, there wasn't a happy ending. However, when I was at the vet's office, a cat was sitting on the counter, and I just looked at it and nothing more, so inside they are fine. If you have a cat problem in your yard, I can help with that! I really don't have any aggression to any person or animal, just please, cats, stay out of my yard!

There are a few interesting things you might want to know about me. When on a leash, I get very excited and pull very hard to go wherever we are going, so it is a good idea to have a special collar or harness when walking me. I could use some obedience training, but that will just bring you and me closer together (they say that can be very bonding between owner and doggie). So wouldn't that be nice? Also, I can have a stubborn streak sometimes. If I am not ready to move when you think I should, I may just sit down - you have to be firm with me or else strong enough to push me where you want me. However, I am not that way very often.

I guess that is just about it. If I sound like a nice doggie for you, please inquire about me, Major (#1663), and perhaps come and visit. I love visitors and really like everyone and everything. And just think, I have all this maturity and am only 8 years old, so you have many years of being my best friend.