Momo 14-063 [1]

Meet Mozart, affectionately known as Momo, a 4-year-old purebred Golden Retriever. He has light coloring, a blocky head, and is 85 lbs of solid muscle. He is one big hunk. He is neutered and up to date on all his vaccinations.

Momo is a world-class traveler. His previous owner adopted him from a breeder in Germany when he was stationed there. He spent 2 ½ years oversees and then moved stateside to Louisiana. There were recent major changes for his family and they made the heart-wrenching decision to surrender him. Momo is the sweetest dog ever. It is evident that he was very loved. He is happy and easy-going and playful. He has the Golden nudge down like none other. And the best part--he is a complete love bug.

He LOVES to go for walks and get exercise, and I’ve been getting him out several times a day. Walking on a leash has been a work in progress. At first when I used a flat collared leash, I thought he was going to dislocate my arm he pulled so hard. I tried a Gentle Leader a couple of times and he HATED (hated ) that. The best approach for now is using two leashes. I use one leash connected to an Easy Walk harness and the second to a Martingale collar. He pulls the least amount with this combination. We have made tremendous progress in a short period of time, and I actually find myself daydreaming when we go for walks now because he is walking so nicely! When we get back in the house, he settles down immediately.

Momo is crate trained and his previous owner kept a crate available for him with the door open. He had free roam at all times. He’s had free roam here too since he arrived, and there have not been any issues at all. I have a crate with the door open next to my desk (I work from home) and he likes to nap in there. I haven’t been gone for longer than 4 hours, and when I come home, he is usually laying on a rug by the front door or in his crate.

He does fine with cats. The previous owner said he is great with children of all ages. A guy friend stopped over and Momo barked along with the resident dogs when they heard the car pull up. He greeted him appropriately (no jumping), and then followed him to the living room and laid down next to him. He is such a gem of a dog. Momo is very much a pack dog, and he looks to the other dogs for cues and companionship. He lived with a German Shepherd his whole life, and I feel he will do best with another dog in his forever home. He will need to have lots of options for socialization, with other dogs, with people, and visiting different places. He is sensitive and a little insecure at times, and this is really important for him to polish up his social skills.

Momo is used to having a fenced yard, but he is doing great here going out on a leash to do his business. When he is outside and he gets his head stuck on a smell, sometimes it is really tough to break that spell. He is running hot and cold with his recall. His new family needs to be firmly committed to boundary and recall training. I don’t believe he is a runner, so if he gets plenty of exercise and opportunities to play off-leash, and devoted focused recall training, he will not require a house with a fenced yard.

Momo will need a person or family that can give him consistent exercise such as long walks and throwing a ball/Frisbee. He seems to thrive with activity. He is so attentive and responsive to my commands, so obedience, manners, and agility classes would be awesome to physically and mentally challenge and stimulate him. He is like a sponge ready to learn!

If you think you may be a good match for Momo, please contact your placement advisor. We will update more as we learn more about him!