Floyd

Floyd is a three-year-old soon to be neutered, microchipped golden retriever whose owners are emigrating and are unable to keep him. This is what they said about him.

"Floyd has lived with us and our two boys for 3 years. We have had him since he was a puppy. He has also always been with our older dog Bowie until now. He is slightly nervy but not to such an extent as it is a problem. He is generally obedient and will stay out of a room with the door open if you train him.
He sneaks – commando-style – on his tummy if he thinks he might get away with it. He sits to command and lies down. He is good on the lead but loves to run free.

He generally comes when called but can sometime chase birds, deer or rabbits for some distance but he always returns.

He is great with the family especially the kids where he will follow them endlessly as they ride around the garden on their bikes. He plays well with dogs but can be over-excitable and sometimes a little too much for some. He has an excellent temperament and loves attention and company and cuddles. He can be left alone (with our other dog) but we are now going to experience how he is without our other dog Bowie who has already been rehomed through Labrador Rescue.

He loves his walks and eats well but given the option prefers a walk to food. Floyd does not eat scraps but has a complete food. He has not been problematic when switching foods. Floyd is house-trained and has never had any toilet issues in the home. He talks and can be demanding if routines are broken – he will make it clear if a walk has been missed.

Floyd has been a fantastic dog for us, he has been loving and
fun and everything you would want in a dog."

I

Floyd has now gone to his forever home in East Sussex after a short period of foster with Jane, and family and their cats and dogs, in the Midlands.

UPDATE ON FLOYD (THE GOLDEN BOY) FROM HIS NEW MUM, ANN

"What can we say? We picked Floyd up only 2 days ago, and already it feels as if he has always been here! I think that we have struck lucky and feel guilty that
we couldn't have helped with a more difficult dog to find a home for.

Of course, its early days yet, but his good nature and wanting to please is just infectious and already everyone that he's met, at home and away, loves him.

His recall is amazing (except when he's chasing rabbits – of which we have many!); he takes treats gently from your hand; he and Hardy are eating together side by side; and he wants to be with you all the time. I think he would have made a wonderful helping dog for the disabled or similar as he is constantly aware of everything around him and eager to please. He also loves retrieving a ball (something I could never get Hubbell or Hardy to do!) and will play all day if we let him, however this hot weather is too much and we don't want him to get heat exhaustion. Hardy has pretty much accepted him (he is so laid back anyway) but I think it will take some while before they become firm playmates.

The only negatives are that he is a poor traveller in the car and seems to be constantly on edge. I wonder if he is getting excited that he may be going home to his family; it grieves me that he has left all his loved ones…….. He also has a tendency to want all the attention and has grumbled at Hardy a couple of times when I am giving them both attention; but just a quiet 'no' from me and he wants to be forgiven. In fact 'no' is something that he hates to hear, so I'm trying to find other ways to correct
him that have a more positive effect. He does appear to be very submissive and occasionally flinches and definitely has a bit of a problem with his paws being touched, but I'm working on that. Being a sensitive chap though, he may just be finding his place in the pack and is probably a little unsure of himself at the moment.

Floyd doesn't seem to want to sleep on any kind of bed (including his own) but due to the hot weather he may just want to sleep on the cool tiles. In any case, he seems to have made himself at home. I am trying to put thoughts of him missing his family to the back of mind because, as you know, we will give him as much love, if not more, than he could ever want.

I am so delighted that this experience, so far, has been a very positive one. In no small way is that down to what you and everyone at IRR do. Can I just say a big thank you to you, Pauline, for all your hard work in the liaising and Jane for keeping him safe and happy for a couple of days. And, of course, Sandie who started this wonderful set-up. I know there are many more people involved now and every one of them deserves a thank-you."

UPDATE 31.8.09

Ann said. "Floyd loves the car and whenever we open the back he usually jumps in excitedly, even when we’re not going anywhere. I think he associates the car with going for lovely walks, so this is a rare picture of Floyd lying outside the car with the back open. We took Floyd and Hardy up on the heath where they had a long walk - he met lots of other dogs and was very friendly to them all. He then had a lovely gallop on the gallops!

He is excellent both on and off the lead, so long as he doesn’t get a rabbit in his sights! He is becoming more relaxed as the days go by too and Hardy’s laid back nature has had a great influence on him.

Although Hardy is a bit too old now to play boisterously with Floyd, as you can see, they have become good friends. They sleep together at night and eat next to each other with no problems whatsoever.

Our 5 year old grandson, Samuel, came to stay for a few days this week and Floyd has been absolutely great with him. After a couple of days Floyd seemed to stick with him more and more (especially when Samuel threw the ball for him!). I had asked Samuel to be gentle with Floyd as he was new and a little unsure of himself but I needn’t have bothered because, as all little boys do, he forgot and at one point gave a heavy pat on Floyd’s bottom – he didn’t flinch! Floyd has subsequently met my cousin’s two boys of 8 and 10 years old and loved playing games with them.

He has a truly gentle nature and loves nothing more than being by your side on the floor and having his tummy rubbed."

FLOYD ON HOLIDAY

Floyd had a wonderful holiday in Norfolk - with glorious sandy beaches and lovely weather for lots of walking he was in his element. I can thoroughly recommend Holkham Forest and beach – it is great for dog walking. Floyd enjoyed paddling in the water but he wasn’t as keen on the waves coming in, so I don’t think he is a swimmer – unlike Hubbell and Hardy who both loved the sea – but he did like chasing the ball on the golden sand. He prefers still waters and the dirtier the better!

He and Hardy have become firm friends even though they haven’t quite worked out how to play together yet; when Floyd wants to play a little rough Hardy just ignores him and lays down and then when Hardy fancies a little game Floyd is so surprised he doesn’t know what to do! He has, however, found a girlfriend to play with in our next door neighbour’s one year old Weimaraner and they play really well together, until he’s had enough.

He is definitely a short bursts Golden but, boy, when he’s on a burst he is so fast. Whilst we were in Norfolk he scented a hare (something we don’t get down here) and was able to keep up with it until it managed to get through a thick hedge and he couldn’t follow! However, I’m afraid the rabbits in our garden and fields are a little bit too slow for him and he has caught too many to mention in his short time here (much to my distress but not Malcolm’s!!). He has also chased and picked up a friend’s rabbit-coloured Shi Tzu dog – luckily he has a very soft mouth and no permanent damage was done! Generally, he is very friendly with other dogs and is very gentle with my brother’s 16 week old black Labrador puppy.

UPDATE ON FLOYD NOV 2009

Ann says "Well, Floyd is making himself at home and everyone he meets falls in love with him. His good looks are getting lots of admirers but it is his loving, friendly nature that makes everyone who meets him go gooey! He has a wonderful way of gently inveigling himself into your space without it being invasive. If you lay down on the carpet he will immediately get up and snuggle up to you. He particularly likes to lay under my chair when I am on the computer – so I have constant round the clock guard duties as he and Hardy take it in turns to be by my side. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t like his own space too and he more often than not prefers to be in the hall or by the doorway where you are – the cooler, harder floor tiles seem to suit him best. My dear old Hubbell was just the same and Floyd reminds me very much of Hubbell – very comforting!

By far his favourite pastime is anything to do with being outdoors. He is still one of the fastest big dogs I have ever seen – akin to a greyhound when he has a rabbit or anything that moves in his sights. However, I stopped using the ball thrower because I didn’t think it was good for his joints, as he had a tendency to get to the ball so quickly he was invariably twisting to pick it up. He was such a good retriever too, but now if I throw the ball he will chase it and then invariably drop it and go off and have a good sniff. Although it was something he had loved to do before he came here, I think he was a bit obsessed with it so it’s good that he has decided there are much better things to do with his time; running alongside the tractor being one of them and makes him very happy! We have also found a rather interesting side to his nature – he’s a phantom stealer of food left anywhere that is coffee table height or lower. This has only happened twice (won’t be letting it happen again!). It is funny really because he is not a food motivated boy and will often look around him when he is eating his meals (unlike Hardy who doesn’t pause for breath!!!!). We have even found him with his head up and Hardy with his head in Floyd’s dish – an art Hardy perfected with Hubbell.

This is Floyd with Hardy. As you can see, he has become very much a part of the family."

SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM FLOYD

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE AT IRR.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND HELPING ME FIND MY FOREVER HOME

WITH LOVE FROM FLOYD, MY NEW BUDDY, HARDY AND THE ‘GIRLS’, TOPSY AND SASHA