Winnie/Dillon 07-381 [1]

6/18/07: I first saw Winnie when I met the transport from the shelter, and he was extremely upset and anxious...constantly whining and barking.  He was also filthy, matted and smelled just awful.  But as soon as we got going in my car, he started to relax a bit and soon quieted down.  Once we got to my home, I put Winnie in our backyard and the transformation was amazing!  He jumped into the kiddy pool right away and flashed me that big goofy Golden grin!  At that moment, I knew Winnie would be just fine.  He loves exploring the yard (especially trying to find the ground squirrels and rabbits that live under our shed) and rolling in the grass (with tummy rubs!).  He gets along very will with our resident Golden, Lili, even though Lili is still kind of giving him the cold shoulder.  The only behavioral problem I've seen so far is he's a bit aggressive towards our cats.  He doesn't seek them out, but if they get too close to him he snaps and growls.  I immediately correct him with a sharp "no" and then he gives me that "oh gosh...I'm really sorry...do you still love me?" look.  I think that Winnie is just overwhelmed right now and doesn't want to be bugged by cats when he's resting.  Hopefully as he settles in this will no longer be an issue.  As for health issues, Winnie seems generally healthy, but quite a bit overweight.  I'm sure we can get his weight down to normal through diet and exercise.  Somewhere under all that blubber is a handsome boy! Also, since Winnie isn't a very manly name (and he doesn't even know it...the shelter gave him that name), we've started calling him Dylan around the house (much more dignified!).I've attached a photo of Winnie (Dylan) relaxing in the kiddy pool....happy dog!