Jarek has been here for a couple of days now. He is a tall boy....weighing 80 pounds at his vet appointment on Friday. He could easily jump my four-foot fence but he has shown no desire to do so. He also honors the much shorter baby gates in the house. As I said earlier he met my two goldens with zero issues and there have been zero issues as he settles in. He is intrigued by the cat but has been very gentle with her and she is not at all bothered by him.

He spent Friday in a crate while I worked. He was fine. All was quiet when I came home later in the day. We had a vet appointment on Friday. He rode nicely in the back of my SUV. The bad news is he was pretty unhappy while at the vet. He didn't want anything to do with what they wanted to do to him. We muzzled him and he is now up-to-date on shots and his blood test came back free of heartworms or tickborn diseases. He's big and his behavior can seem scary as he has a loud deep bark. We left the clinic and he was back to his happy, goofy self.

He has allowed me to look in his ears, his mouth, to hold his feet. I have brushed him....he does not seem to shed...with no issues. He lets me lead him by the collar, again with no issues. He sits nicely while I put a gentle leader on him. He just seems happy to be having the interaction.

On Saturday, I took him for a walk through my neighborhood to see how he'd react. I live in the city and there are lots of cars and kids and noises. While on our walk we were charged by a husky on a 40-foot lead with a clueless owner tagging along. Jarek was fine, both with being charged by the dog and by the guy on the other end of that leash that reached out to pet him. We walked past several other people and Jarek ignored them. He actually walks quite nicely...although once he sees a squirrel or rabbit all bets are off. I had him on a gentle leader and a short leash so we managed just fine.

We then jumped in the car and went to Petco to see how he'd do there. We walked around and met lots of people. One of the groomers was sitting with a cat rescue and she commented that my current foster wasn't exactly the golden I usually bring there....so I told her our issues and she called him over to her. He went and within a couple of minutes they were best friends. He allowed her to touch him all over. He never barked or acted badly at all. Then we met the trainer, I told her about him and she offered him some treats, which he took, then he allowed her to pet him and pretty soon he was leaning on her begging for more. One lady walked by and reached out her hand and he barked at her.

So far, I've decided he's a sweet guy who needs to warm up new people. He seems to need proper introductions to new people. I'm not sure what was going on at the vet clinic, but I would suggest he be muzzled while at the vet and maybe while at the groomer and that maybe frequent trips be taken to those places with the intent of him getting treats and praise before any work is actually attempted on him. I will be looking to place him in a kid-free home. He should definitely be taken to obedience. He's very smart, seems more poodle-like than golden-like in temperament.

After that is all said, I need to say that he seems to be a super dog. He has bonded to me and I've only known him for a few days. My dream home for him is a quiet home with a dog-savvy owner who is interested in helping Jarek develop confidence and be exposed to as many new experiences as possible. Please email your placement advisor if you think you are that person.

Jerak enjoyed posing for photos with his foster brothers.

Jerak enjoys chewing on bones