Meet Jack, RAGOM’s newest little hunk! You couldn’t ask for a nicer dog. He is affectionate, calm, and silly. He is a gem.

Jack came to us from a commercial breeder. He is 6 months old, and the vet thinks he’ll be around 75 lbs when he is fully grown and all filled out. She said he is about as perfect as they come, and she wanted to take him home. :-) He is cream-colored with some tan on the top, and his fur is super soft. He looks a lot like our resident dog Charlie who is an English Cream Golden Retriever. Jack is now up to date with vaccinations and preventatives. He did have hookworms and roundworms and is being treated for those. He gets neutered tomorrow, and after that, he’ll be ready to go home with his forever family!

He immediately settled in when he first got here. He gets along great with our dogs and he loves the cat. He definitely does better when he can follow the lead of the other dogs. He also keeps a close eye on me, and if I’m in a different room, he’ll frequently check in with me (bathroom included). I work from home, and he lays in front of my chair when I am working. He’s picking up on the Velcro quality really fast!

At 6 months, Jack is at a transition—no longer a puppy, but he’s getting a big-dog body (he weighs 50 lbs now). For that age, he’s been amazingly good about not jumping up on us, or barreling into the resident dogs’ space. He seems to pick up on the cues of the other dogs really well and is responsive to subtle corrections, facial gestures, and body language. He wants to be a part of the dog pack and readily follows their lead. He’s slipped into our daily routine without missing a beat—he’s really easy to have around.

He isn’t too happy with being crated, and we are working on that. He actually sleeps better outside of the crate, so I may continue just having him on a dog bed and crate him when we leave the house. He is in a serious chewing stage of his development, and the kitchen cabinet knobs and rungs of the dining room chairs are his favorite naughty things to chew on when I’m not paying attention.

I just started working with him on some basic commands. He is food-motivated, so he’s “all in” when we practice commands. He hasn’t had a potty accident since he has been here. I take him out often, though, and am working on potty training as if he is a young puppy.

We are going for lots of walks. I have him in a "heel" position for some walks, and there is some pulling when we first start out and when he sees something interesting. It is getting easier walking him with each outing. I also use an expandable leash if we are walking in a wooded area. These are more laid-back walks, and he loves to explore all the interesting smells at his own pace. At first, Jack was anxious in the car. He got in and made himself really small and didn’t move an inch. We’ve been going on lots of fun outings, and now he jumps right in and out of the vehicle.

Today I was throwing a tennis ball for the dogs, and on one throw, Jack grabbed it and then brought it back to me. I thought I was seeing things, so tried it again. Darned if he didn’t run after it, beat the other dogs to it, and bring it back. Either someone has been playing ball with him or he has an incredible retrieving instinct!

Jack has really calm energy and loves to be with people, so I think he’d make a wonderful therapy dog.

To be the best dog that he can be, he’ll need obedience training, regular exercise, and lots of socialization to continue to build his confidence. He is an incredible boy!

I’ll update his page as I learn more about this sweetheart!