Ben is 4 years old now, was neutered at a very early age and is microchipped (complete with thermometer built in). His present owner, who is devastated at having to give him up due to being relocated with his job, says "He is great with children as he has been brought up with them. We rehomed him from a family who couldn't cope with him any more as he was too boistrous. Apparently, he used to get very excited when people visited so they would lock him in the utility room where he would sit by the door wagging his tail to the point he wore the hair off the base of his tail. He rarely got exercised and was overweight and he was very excitable then but has settled enormously now."

"Out walking, once he has settled down on the lead he is very good but we are still having problems with his recall. I think this is down to the fact that since our baby arrived, he really only gets walked by me so when I am away he only gets to run in the garden. I think with regular and routine exercise he will settle quickly. He does tend to get very excited when people visit but he rarely jumps up now and settles down in about 5 minutes. Again with structure and routine here I think he will be much better very quickly. We have his pedigree certificate too showing 5 generations. He is OK with cats but he does tend to chase them if they run. Our cat, Sasha, sort of tip-toes around him on the way to the cat flap. I couldn't say they are friends but he is not out to get her. He is bigger than average for a GR standing 26" (66cm) at the shoulder. He is great with other dogs, not being aggressive in the slightest but he is very playful so may not suit going with an older dog."

"He will be missed enormously but we really feel we can't give him the life he deserves in Singapore."

SETTLING IN NICELY

Jason tells us, "Beth has let me know that she thought the trial period was over and that the two dogs are getting on really well, playing together nicely and sharing toys, most of the time! The house seems really empty without him and we have twice as many rabbits in the garden than we ever had before."

Beth says "We're so happy to have found Ben.  He's a bright happy boy who makes us laugh when he goes out to the garden, flops down, and rolls around groaning loudly.  That kind of joy is contagious!  He's brought new spirit to our lab, Gracie, who lost her lifelong companion (our first Golden) in February.  They love to roll around together, playing in the garden.  Ben adores a good tug-of-war or a fast run through tall grass in the nearby fields.  We need to work on recall but other than that, he's a perfect gentleman.
 
Thanks very much to Jason, Maki, and Wataru for letting us take care of their special boy.

©2008 Irish Retriever Rescue UK