**YOUNG, GENTLE, very sweet AUSSIE MIX WILL MELT YOUR HEART (pics!)**

Meet Goldielocks.

Goldie is an approximately 8-month old Australian Shepherd mix. She is about 45 lbs now and will probably grow slightly larger. She is spayed, microchipped, heartworm tested, and current on her shots.

Goldie had been rescued from the Oakland Animal Shelter by Milo Foundation in Berkeley and was on the verge of what seemed to be a nervous breakdown. She has an intense fear of being crated, and we are not sure if that stems from her experience at the shelter, or if the fact that she was being crated was the reason she seemed to be having a breakdown. Either way, a very kind lady at Milo convinced me to take her home to foster so that she would be removed from that environment.

We have had Goldie as our foster for about a week now. In just that short time, Goldie has begun to step out of her shell and continues to blossom everyday in a way that is immensely gratifying to witness.

Whoever had Goldie for most of her life so far does not appear to have socialized her to very much. She is shy and cautious with strangers and dogs she does not know. Goldie is not the type of dog who will pounce up on you in unabashed exuberation. She is watchful and careful but very obviously curious.

A perfect example of this happened the second day Goldie was with us. My boyfriend was at his desk in his workroom. At first, Goldie would just stand right outside of the door and look at him from there. Then perhaps fearing that she had gone too far, she'd rush away. Some 30 seconds later, she would approach the door again, and this time place one paw inside. Since the room has hardwood flooring, we could hear the single tap of her paw inside the room. Once again, unsure of whether she had done too much, she would rush away again. The next time, she placed 2 paws inside before rushing away. Little by little, the number of taps inside the room would increase until finally she made it all the way to my boyfriend's desk, where she promptly received a good petting.

Goldie really is a shy one. She'll often be found with her head just peeking inside a room to see what's going on. She was rather standoffish with us at first, as if she did not know what to expect, but she has started to come out of her shell. She follows us around the house and usually comes to us when we tell her to, although she will still sometimes run away first and then come back.

Outside, Goldie stays close to us. Even offleash, she is never more than a few feet away and if she gets ahead of us, will turn around and wait until we catch up. I took her back to Milo Foundation today for a visit and I think she thought I was going to leave her there because when we left, she kept turning to look at me to make sure I was still there. When other people came up to pet her, whenever she was unsure, she would nudge up to me. It was then that I realized just how trusting she had become of me, although I know she is still sometimes wary.

Goldie is housetrained. She is also fine when left alone in the house. We prefer to crate all of our dogs when we leave the house but since she is so terrified of being crated, we don't crate her. Both of our dogs' crates are located in the living room, and when we are gone, she lays in the same room with them (I know because I peeked in on them once through the window).

Goldie is also a very quick learner. She had (and probably still does have) a tendency to pull on her leash when we go for walks. But a few gentle tugs on her prong collar will slow her down and have her walking at a near-perfect heel. She also had no idea what "sit" meant when we first got her, but after placing her in that position and having her see our other dogs do it, she is now understanding. I think for the most part she has it down now, but since she still hasn't lost all of her timidness, she sometimes backs away when she hears the forcefulness of the command.

Goldie is a "soft" dog. Loud or harsh noises will make her jump. She requires a human with a gentle hand--one that won't yell or strike out. She follows us around the house but will sometimes flinch when we reach out to pet her or make unexpected movements. Due to her skittishness, we do not think she should be placed in a home with young children.

Goldie is the same with dogs as she is with people. We don't think Goldie is quite ready for the dog park just because she doesn't seem to have been very socialized to dogs. On walks, she will cautiously sniff other dogs, but she will snap at them if they sniff her too aggressively. When we first got her, we were afraid she wouldn't get along with our dogs because she snapped at them when they crowded her. She wasn't trying to bite them (if any dog wants to bite, they will successfully bite)--she was just scared and was telling them to back off, which they did. Within an hour though, she was engaging in puppy chase antics with my 1-year old (who you see in most of the pictures). At first, they both played with a little uncertainty, doing the crouching with the butt in the air and then running off the second the other dog looked like she was going to chase the first. But now, they have gotten to be so comfortable with each other, they full-on wrestle.

Goldie is also good with my other dog, who is not as friendly. He is clearly the leader of their pack and Goldie will give him his space when he demands it. Yet she is so good-natured that she also engages in play with him as well, though it did take a couple of days for her to get comfortable enough with him. She especially loves to run beside him when he fetches balls, and I think just watching him is teaching her to do it because she has fetched a few balls herself.

While Goldie is not a rambunctious puppy, we have noticed that she wakes up every morning at around 7:00 (which sucks for us because we usually rise later than that) and begins to pace until she is taken out. The rest of the day, she is quite mellow. Given that she is still so young, she does require some exercise. No marathons or anything like that, but a good walk will do. We do not consider leaving her alone in the backyard "exercise." We have a feeling that's what her previous owner did. Goldie doesn't play too much with toys but is slowly starting to a bit. And she definitely doesn't chew on anything she's not supposed to.

Goldie needs stimulating companionship. She needs to be an inside dog so that she can be a part of the family. Continued socialization is EXTREMELY important both towards people and other dogs, and it would be ideal if she could be provided with intellectual stimulation in the form of training as this will not only help with obedience but will help her gain confidence.

Goldie would do well in a household as an only dog but she clearly loves to play with other dogs she is familiar with. A younger, playful dog could serve to break her shyness more quickly, and an older dog could also teach her how to go on. Goldie is a great follower and allows herself to be guided by our other dogs.

Goldie will pester and bark at cats, so it would be best if she went to a home without any.

If you are looking for a gentle, soft-spoken, easily trainable dog, Goldie is it. If your heart can melt, just spend a week in this sweet dog's company and it will surely do that.

milo@pacific.net.
(510)527-PETS
www.milofoundation.org