December 28, 2012:  Let's give a big RAGOM welcome to a big Golden girl! 

Grace comes to us from an owner in Iowa who raised her right. She is well-socialized to people and dogs. She likes men and women equally, and will approach a stranger for petting. Having had five litters of puppies, Grace is lucky now to be able to retire from motherhood early. At six years of age, she is in her prime--a healthy, happy empty-nester.

This curly, red-haired girl has a bright, lively spirit. She's as impatient as a puppy when asked to sit for a treat. Somehow that bottom of hers keeps popping back up. I sense that she has had little obedience training, but she is starting to learn. She's also a little too vocal at times (she likes to scold me when she can't get her way), but we're working on that too.

As a stay-at-home mom, Grace had little experience in cars. She's a nervous passenger, but I'm hoping that she'll settle down and relax as she learns that car rides usually take her to somewhere fun. She does needs to be tethered, or she'll join the driver in the front seat. 

Although Grace was an indoor/outdoor dog in her previous life, she is now learning to be an indoor-only dog in my home. She was reportedly not housetrained, but she's been flawless in the five days that she's been here. Either she prefers to potty outside, or she's modeling my dogs. For whatever reason, housetraining has just not been an issue.

Grace is my constant companion and follows me from room to room. She's content to lie at my feet, snoozing or gnawing on an antler. She likes to peruse the toys in my dogs' toybox, and it's fun to see what she'll pull out next. So far, she likes stuffed animals and tennis balls the best, though she isn't always gentle with them. I have to watch her to make sure she's not ingesting the bits that she pulls off.

The jury is still out on whether Grace is truly cat-friendly. She had never seen a cat until she met mine, and initially, she was quite intimidated by them. But now she's starting to stare, bark and occasionally flush them. She may eventually learn to ignore them, but for now, I would not recommend she go to a home with cats.

Now let's talk about, ahem, Grace's weight. You'd never know it to look at her, but this girl tips the scales at 105 lbs. Her ideal weight is closer to 60. Grace's New Year's resolution is to drop a few pounds, and I'll be helping her do just that with daily walks and a carefully controlled diet.

What does Grace's ideal home look like? She does not need to live with another dog, and probably should not live with cats. She has bullied my 22-lb "mini-Golden" and scared him badly, so I would be wary of sending her to a home with a small dog. She is reportedly good with kids, although I have not tested that yet. She does not need a fenced-in yard, but she will need daily exercise--walking, fetching, and when her weight is down, possibly even running or biking. She will bark when left alone, so I would not recommend apartment or condo living.

I'd like to see Grace go to someone who will commit to obedience classes. Once her energy and intelligence are constructively channeled, she will be an amazing dog. She is affectionate and loyal, and I would love to see her bond with a special person who will expand her horizons and show her the rich life that she has been missing out on. She's so social and largely unflappable, I could even see her becoming a therapy dog and visiting nursing homes and hospitals.

Don't let her weight issue give you pause. Experienced fosters say that an overweight dog is the easiest problem to have. Just control her diet and give her the kind of daily activity that every dog needs, and the weight will take care of itself.

Grace will be spayed on January 2, and she'll need a few days to recover before she can go to her forever home. In the meantime, though, she is available to meet interested families. So contact your placement adviser ASAP if you'd like an introduction. I suspect this pretty girl's dance card will fill up quickly.