Chloe made the long journey from Turkey last week, and she has settled in so well. When her rescuers sent her information to RAGOM asking if we could take her, they described her as "total love." In the week she has been with us, we have found this to be so true. A sweeter, gentler, more loving Golden girl I have yet to meet.

Chloe quickly made herself at home in our house. After she shook off the jet lag, she explored the house and the yard and must have found it to her liking. She loves the freedom of exploring the yard, but also does not want to be left out alone and will be the first to the door when we are all heading in.

After that, she will find an unoccupied couch and snuggle in for a nap. If a person is sitting next to her, that is even better! She has the Golden nudge perfected and will paw at you to make sure you are touching her and petting her.

Unlike some of the dogs from Turkey who have spent their entire lives on the streets, in the forests, or in the shelters of Turkey, Chloe had lived in a home. Twice, in fact. Her first family, who had purchased her as a puppy, brought her to the municipal shelter when she had outgrown her puppy cuteness. Another family found her at the shelter and because of her awesome disposition and smaller size, took her home.

A few weeks later, she was found wandering the streets of the city. The family who had taken her home said that they no longer wanted her, and so she went to a rescuer with hopes she would find her way to a loving home in the U.S. Months later, here she is in Minnesota, ready to find her forever home.

Chloe had her vet visit last week, and she is very healthy. She is slightly overweight at 56 pounds (ideal weight is 48 to 50 pounds), but that weight will come off quickly with good quality food and lots of exercise. The exercise part is easy, as she absolutely loves going on walks and exploring her new country.

We walk every morning now that it is lighter earlier and every afternoon. If the leashes do not come out at the right time, she gets restless and hovers by the door as if to say, "Come on, it is time to go!" She will need a family that is very committed to ensuring she gets these walks, not only for the exercise they provide but the exposure they provide to a world outside of the home environment.

At her vet visit, we also had them look at her right eye. Evident in pictures sent to us from Turkey was a white spot on her right eye. RAGOM's regular vet was unsure what the spot was, and thought perhaps it was congenital, but did say she has sight in that eye. Chloe will be seeing an eye specialist in May to evaluate what the spot is and if there are any treatment requirements for it. We will update as soon as we have more information.

In the short time we have had Chloe, here are the most important things we have learned:

• She does not love a crate. We do feed her in the crate to get her comfortable with it, but have not yet left her in it for any period of time beyond meal time.
• She does great with free roam in a gated area of our home. Chloe has not had any accidents since arriving. Since I work from home, she has not been left for long periods of time. However, when we have had to both be gone at the same time, we gate her in one area of the house with our resident dogs, and she has been great.
• We leave all the dogs with a treat and as best as I can tell, she just curls up either on one of the dog beds or the couch and waits for us to return. At this point, I have no idea how she would do being left alone for a full work day and would prefer a home where someone is home with her more often than not during the day.
• She is good with other dogs. We have two resident dogs, and she does very well with them. They are older and do not really play, but they do provide guidance to her on the "rules" of the house. We did have a former foster this weekend who is younger and much more playful. Chloe was fine welcoming him to our house, but did not really engage with him a whole lot. Really, I am not sure she knows how to play and was not sure what to make of his invitations to play.
• Cats are a complete unknown. We do not have cats, and as far as I know she has never been exposed to them. Because "cat testing" dogs by having them meet cats in another foster's home is not the best way to see how a dog will actually live with a cat, any family interested in adopting her will need to have a plan in place to keep the cats separate and allow only very slow exposure until it is sure that she can live with cats.
• Children: Chloe has been very good with everyone we have met on walks, but we do not have young children in our home anymore. Due to her gentle nature, I am not too concerned. But she needs to be in a home where children are very respectful of her space, allow her to settle in to a new environment, do not grab or hug her unexpectedly, and with parents who will always monitor their children's interactions.

Chloe is truly a very special girl and deserves a forever home where she can settle and know she will never be abandoned again. She really is pure love and will bless the home of some lucky family with love.