Sam is a Canadian-born purebred Golden from a kennel that breeds dog for field work (hunting, retrieving birds, etc.). He was the runt of his litter, so the breeder decided he could not be used successfully for this activity and sold him as a family companion animal to a Prescott couple. The husband passed away not long after Sam arrived, and the wife could not handle this high-energy, untrained puppy. By the time Sam was a year old, the wife realized she needed to surrender him to Rescue. Fortunately, Sam was up to date on all his vaccines, including bordetella, so after having him tested for valley fever and heartworm, we immediately enrolled him in a 3-week intensive training program at a training facility for behavior modification of unmanageable dogs. When we have a dog trained there, we require the potential adopter(s) to follow through with 8 weekly personal and group-class sessions. Two reasons: one, so that the dog does not forget what he has learned, and two, so that the adopter learns the training techniques and can then enforce them. Because of these requirements, it is necessary for the potential adopter to live within a reasonable driving distance of this facility. His adopters who live in Phoenix were up to the challenge of learning how to work with Sam. They have been a terrific match for this fabulous dog. The adopters wrote:

Sam is doing great and we are so glad he is part of our family! We just finished the sixth beginner agility class and will probably sign up for more. He learns really quickly and enjoys the mental and physical activity. We even set up a jump in our backyard so he can practice. Our neighbors have a small husky named Loki– he and Sam are best friends and play almost daily. Sam also enjoys trips to the dog park and to a friend's pool – he is quite the swimmer! Sam wakes me up every day about 5:30 and we go for a 2-mile walk to start the day before it gets too hot. He loves seeing the other people, dogs, and birds that are out. Sam loves ice cubes and watermelon in addition to his dog treats. Sam loves to devour his chews, ropes, and stuffed toys – he’s earned the nickname “Sam the Destroyer.” We are going to San Diego for a week soon and can’t wait to introduce Sam to the ocean! Most of our friends and family have dogs, so he will make lots of new friends.

Happy new life, Sam!