Second Chance Dog Rescue

Name: Willow
LOCATION: Newport, Wales
AGE: 2.5 years (Sep 25)
SEX: Female
BREED: Golden Retriever
SIZE/WEIGHT: Large 28-30Kg
NEUTERED: Yes
OTHER DOGS IN HOME: Yes
CATS IN HOME: No
CHILDREN IN HOME: Age 18+

Willow was oiginally rescued from Egypt, where she lived as a family pet, but was sadly being left alone for long periods when her owner began working away.

Willow came to the UK with hopes of a new beginning but sadly found herself back in kennels when, through no fault of her own, the new home didn’t work out.

Despite everything she’s been through, Willow has remained sweet, gentle, and incredibly resilient. She’s been a star during her behaviour assessment and training with Ollie at kennels and is now ready to find her forever home.

Willow is a playful, sociable, affectionate, and smart dog. She loves toys, enjoys a fuss, and adores a good brush and groom. Willow loves playing in the water and loves the paddling pool at kennels.

Willow is excellent with other dogs. She is intuitive and intelligent and has helped other rescues and reactive dogs with confidence building.

Willow walks well on lead. She may jump up when excited. She understands the physical cue of 'Sit', but she is still learning verbal cues. Willow also enjoys being off lead and sticks close by, but as with any dog, recall will need to be established with positive reward training alongside the development of your bond.

Sadly, Willow does show some signs of past trauma around food. She is anxious around food bowls and will only eat when left completely alone. Despite this, she happily takes treats during training, even around other dogs.

While she shows no aggression around food at kennels she will react if she sees food being prepared in a home therefore food will need to be prepared out of sight and left in her area for her to collect.

She has developed a special bond with her friend Malik at kennels and would love a resident male dog or more than one dog would be ideal for Willow.

Willow would love to find a home where the family are fairly active family. A couple or family with older children where everyone is willing to put in a small amount of work in terms of the jumping up.

Someone who is home most of the time and can give her the time and space to settle in at her own pace would also be essential for willow. You must be experienced owners and understand that Golden Retrievers are the same as any other dog when it comes to expectations and behaviours. You must also be prepared to work with our Aftercare Team to create a solid feeding routine for Willow.

Our dog trainer Ollie said, 'Willow is one of the most rehomeable dogs I’ve ever assessed. Someone is going to be very lucky to have her.'

Ollie's full assessment of Willow will be available to her adopter.