23-071 Rufus  is a 10-or-12-year-old un-neutered Golden Retriever (owner wasn’t sure of his age). The surrendering owner became  the guardian of  Rufus  when her mother passed away and no one could take him. Since she already had 4 dogs and 4 cats, she was unable to keep him.  Rufus  lived in an apartment all his life, so living in her house was an adjustment.  Rufus  knows the commands “sit” and “speak”. He is described as goofy, friendly and very lovable. An AGR member loves the old dogs (has  14-013 Rhys , now 11, and  21-051  Charley,  now 12), so when  Rufus  became available, he jumped at the chance to add a third senior dog to his household in Peoria.  Rufus  is now up-to-date on all his vaccines, has been neutered and had a small mast cell tumor removed when we had a dental done. Surgeon got clean margins, so there are no cancer worries going forward. The adopter commented: 

Rufus  came to me after the  passing of his previous owner. Upon first meeting this handsome  boy, I questioned,“Are we sure he’s a senior Golden”? He has grey on his face but is otherwise energetic, playful and very curious. I thought he might be experiencing grief, but I didn’t see evidence of it. He had some house rules to learn but otherwise is an absolutely perfect boy. I wasn’t aggressive on correcting his minor behaviors – knowing my other Goldens were teaching by example – so  Rufus  is still acclimating to his new home. A few weeks after this new addition, a sudden and unexpected departure – my partner died suddenly. I was devastated.  Rufus ,  Charley  and  Rhys  – my Golden heroes – were constantly by my side.  Charley  and  Rhys  were grieving my partner’s passing also – they loved him deeply – but we came together as a family and supported each other.  Rufus  quickly moved into the core of my family – all of us understand loss and healing. We are growing together. So grateful to have  Rhys  and  Charlie  and now  Rufus . I love my family.