This little bundle of puppy joy is Barley, an approximately 6-month old Golden Retriever.  Barley was found as a stray and ended up at a local shelter.  He was nothing but skin and bones, and covered with sticky oil or sap all over his fur.  Thankfully, he loves food so he is putting on weight now he is being cared for and fed nutritious food. After a lovely bath and good brush he is back to looking and smelling like the puppy he is!  He is trying really, really hard now to grow into his ears. :) 

Barley is at a foster home with three other large dogs and gets along with them very well. Surprisingly for a puppy he does very little to annoy the other dogs. He respects everyone else when they are eating and does not hassle them or try to take things from them.  He has started playing with the other dogs and really enjoys it!  He will also cuddle up with the other dogs. 

Barley LOVES bones and will seek them out in the yard and lay down and have a good chew. And, he also loves people and is incredibly sweet. He wants nothing more than being as close to you as possible for lots of belly rubs, tickles, kisses, and pets.  He also likes to get as close to his foster mum as he can when she walks from room to room, so care should be taken when doing so as he can get tangled in your feet. 

Barley likely has never walked on a leash before and is figuring out how to walk in a straight line at the moment. His foster mom has been working with him on leash and he’s definitely improving. He does not pull at all. He will bark if he sees another dog, but just to give a quick hello and then he moves on.  He is extremely treat motivated!  He will now happily go into his crate to sleep at night as small training treats rain down from above.   He will sleep all night long as long as the crate is in your bedroom and he knows you are close by.   

He has learned the doggie door at his foster home and is doing really well with "sit”, “high five”, and “shake”.  He is learning “off”, as he does counter surf and jumps up on friendly people, and stay - though that is really, really hard for a puppy!  Luckily, as we noted, treats will help. He is learning his potty training and is doing pretty well with lots of positive reinforcement.  Barney has not been cat tested, but we think with dog savvy cats he would likely be just fine.  

We're looking for a really special family for a very special puppy. One that will give him all the love he deserves, will take him to training classes for family bonding, and will show him the big, amazing world outside!

If you’re interested in Barley, please complete our adoption application. Questions can be directed to nancy@roversretreat.org

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