Rufus

Profile

Rufus is a male golden retriever mix, approximately 2 years old, being fostered in Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since Rufus was a stray, his real name was not known.  Being that he did not respond to the name Rufus when came to my home, I renamed him Simon.  He now comes to me when I call his name.

Simon demonstrates all the traits of making a great family dog.  However, he needs a yard to play in and be able to stretch his legs. Simon gets along very well with children (toddlers unknown), other dogs, and possibly cats.  He has not yet terrorized my neighbor’s cats.  He only looks and sniffs at them through the fence.

The first day I welcomed Simon into my home I could instantly sense his extreme kindness and endless love, and high intelligence and energy. Simon is very responsive to kindness and learns quickly through positive reinforcement. He adapted very quickly to his new environment and family.

Simon is an excellent house dog. He is very respectful of other’s property, does not jump up on people or chew (except his toys/nyla bone), and is not a big beggar. He has never had any accidents in the house, even when I have left him alone (not kenneled) for up to four (4) hours on several occasions.  He responds to the basics of sit and down (lay down).  We are now currently working on stay. Simon also likes car rides.

Simon loves to take walks to work off some of his high energy.  However, when he is walked on a simple leash/collar combination, he pulls quite hard. He does not seem to be familiar with being leashed. I found that he responds quite well to using a leash/body harness combination instead.  If Simon starts to pull, I just give a quick tug back on the leash and he relaxes. 

Simon is a big water drinker (much better for the lawn) and loves fresh cold water, especially when I put in a few ice cubes. He will bob for them and chew on the ones he manages to grab. He does not appear to mind bathing. The first day he came to my home, he jumped right into my tub, as though he was waiting to get a bath.

Simon likes to stay close to his owners. He loves to cuddle and will happily jump up on the couch or bed with you if you invite him. He also loves to be petted and touched, which I enjoy because his fur is so incredibly soft. I have experienced less than normal shedding with Simon, making it easy to appreciate his beautiful, soft, and shiny black cost. 

Simon has a tendency to alarm bark. However, I have noticed that his barking is lessening since he has been getting more comfortable with his neighborhood through more exposure to his environment. I have been working with him on this trait and he is responding well. Simon’s barking is getting more confined to when someone comes to the door or when people walk by the privacy fence.

Simon is one of the sweetest and most manageable dogs I have met in a long time.  His kindness and devotion is endless.