22-063 Sophie is a 2-year-old spayed female Golden. In May when we were first contacted, the owner had to take care of her mother, who had become sick – she would be spending a lot of time at her mother’s, leaving Sophie alone at home in a crate by herself. Apparently, the illness did not persist and the owner changed her mind about the need to surrender the dog. Sophie was not actually surrendered until September when the mother became ill again. Sophie was up to date on vaccines, house trained and a very loving and friendly dog; she just needed testing for valley fever and heartworm. The VF test came back a weak positive, so she was retested in 3 months without being given medication in the interim . She was placed with an adoptive couple and their children in Gilbert. The adopter wrote: 

We LOVE Sophie! She has been with us since September 20th, and it is hard to remember what life was like before she joined our family. She was pretty overweight (92 pounds) when she came to us but has lost about 20 pounds now with daily walks and not eating people food anymore. She has tried every bed in the house even though she has two of her own. Sophie loves everyone and wants to meet every dog she walks by. She wasn't used to walking on a leash and really struggled with pulling – she is a strong puppy dog! We knew she would probably do better on a harness, with the leash clipped in the front, so we finally found one and what a difference! Walks are so much more fun – Sophie isn't choking against her collar and walks right beside me now. She knows every inch of her neighborhood and especially the Riparian Preserve! One of the most endearing things about Miss Sophie is how she tries to get your attention. She will run to find your shoe, a sock, even the remote control and bring it to you wherever you are in the house! She will wiggle her butt, wag her tail, growl just a little and keep it just out of your reach as you try to grab it! It's totally a game with her – she almost never chews on them, just wants you to chase her around and we do. We have horses, and she loves to bark at them if she thinks they are too close to the fence that separates them. And if one of the neighbor’s chickens gets in our yard, she tries so hard to catch it but usually only gets a mouth full of feathers! Sophie is so fun, smart, loving and has brought such joy into our lives. There is nothing better than having her meet you at the door at the end of the day. We love her and know she was meant to be with us. 

We agree!