Atlas now known as Spencer.
To the delight of Spencer’s adopters, the 15-month-old golden promptly climbed into their car and slept for the 90-minute ride to their house.
After searching unsuccessfully for a new dog for 11 months, they were ecstatic when they brought Spencer home. Having him there made their family complete again, and several months later they adopted an older female golden, providing Spencer with a canine companion.
According to his mom, of all the goldens they’ve had, Spencer, now aged three, has been the calmest, most confident, and most independent. He especially enjoys going for walks in the morning, and having learned to stroll nicely on a leash, knows he can’t chase any of the squirrels, cats, raccoons or birds they encounter on their walks.
Unlike most goldens, however, he isn’t particularly interested in balls or toys, and isn’t a natural retriever. Although he has many types of toys that he’ll pull out of his toy box several times a day, each one only holds his interest for a few minutes. Not driven to get into the family pool (he must be lured into it), he likes the water once he’s in.
Sadly, for both Spencer and his family, he gets carsick very easily, and as a result, he seldom goes on any trips. A recent exception was a visit to the Daytona Speedway where the family’s RV was parked in the infield.
To paw-lish some of his rougher edges due to his independent nature, Spencer has accompanied his mom to basic manners classes several times and gracefully submits to the occasional refresher lesson. Currently, he’s being trained in scent work, which he both enjoys and excels at – despite throwing up on the way to the training center. In fact, his mom has already gotten his AKC PAL listing and plans to soon enter him in a trial.
