Well, our A/C is on the fritz. Thank goodness we have a reserve for the next couple of days while we wait for the repair guys, and Duke is patiently waiting as well.

I will tell you that while this buddy of ours might have a Lab body, he sure is Golden all the way through with his personality. He likes to put his paw up, likes to be touching you and also following you around. He also likes to snuggle and he is learning to respect boundaries. He likes to nuzzle, but he is learning that sometimes folks like to just "chill out." He also likes slippers, toys, slipper socks, mustard containers, and every time I try to get a picture of one of these things in his mouth, he knows I'm trying to take his picture and he takes it out and leaves it on the floor and goes to something else. He is a true Golden, though, as far as affection and companionship. Sometimes Duke and Casey (one of our residents) vocalize to each other when they are first put in their kennel; mostly it is at food time, but it is not an aggressive bark and I think they are both just letting everybody else know that, "Hey, we're eating and this is my food." We feed them in their kennels at this point. If Duke goes into a home with another dog, one possibililty would also be to feed them separtately so they can't see each other eat. We have also started feeding Duke upstairs as well, which seems to work out great. He does like to lick as well and I think that is his way of showing affection. All three of our dogs have different personalities and he has gotten along with all of them at this point. I think he would be fine either way in a home with another dog, but I also think that he could be a mighty great solo guy as well. We have not tested him around cats yet, but knowing his personality, this might not be such a bad thing. More to come in a few days from the H house. He will definitely make a great addition to any family.

I think the kitchen is Duke's favorite spot, but then again...any spot is his favorite as long as he is by somebody. I'm here to tell you that when he sleeps, he sleeps like a rock and doesn't move a muscle. I think he likes to be near people anywhere he is at the time. We are working on a few things like the word "down," that "down" means down, also since he has been taking some lessons from his foster brother about putting the front paws on the counter, we are working on getting that out of the mind...He has got the most even-keeled and mild-mannered temper that I have seen in a long time. I have only heard him bark one time while he has been here. He is a bit on the thin side, but he sure likes to eat and since we have him on four cups of food per day, he is in his glory!!! The little quirks that he has are far miniscule compared to the positive things about him. Gentle, loyalty, smiles, quiet, happy, content, gets along with all of our other dogs, hasn't been around cats or kids, but maybe that might not even be an issue. If you want a four-legged member of your family that will be flexible, happy, easy to be around, then Duke is your guy. I will say that he does tend to pull on the leash, so a slip lead is probably a better thing for him and while a fence would be good for him, he can probably be outside without a fence if he is supervised and with "his folks." Right now, he is sleeping away as I type this and he is very contented...He's a joy to be around. Stay tuned. We'll let you know what happens over the weekend.