06/25/2025
ADOPTION ALERT! The sweetest dog needs to be rehomed: DJ! It has absolutely nothing to do with his personality. The owner recognizes that this 7 and a half year old, Scooby-doo looking sweetheart needs a house with a fenced yard and at least one doggy sibling.
DJ has a lot of personality. He loves his friends at the vet and actually LIKES to go and say hi to all his friends. He loves walks, being outside, sunbathing, playing with his soft toys (he is not a toy destroyer), and cuddling. He mostly wants to be with you. He would do best in a home with someone who is retired or a homebody that works from home. And he would do really well with another dog or two (no cats). He’s not a lone-wolf as they say, he wants to be part of your pack!! He’s definitely not an alpha. He gets along with dogs of all sizes from little 10-pound pups to Great Danes. He’s very smart and knows how to listen and communicate with other dogs and people!
His owner rescued him 6 and a half years ago, when he was about 1 year old. His backstory is mostly a mystery but he was a stray in central NC. He was with another dog when he was found, but somewhere before he got to her (his owner) they got separated. He was fostered on a horse farm with 9 other dogs and because it was a horse farm, when he has encountered horses on walking trails, he is not scared or hyper, he’s calm and respectful.
His DNA results said: ½ pure golden retriever, then other ½ was a mix of german shepherd, doberman, and pittie. He definitely has the temperament of a calm, sweet golden retriever. He doesn’t bark much at all, the only time he barks (sounds deep because of his big barrel chest) is when there is someone who knocks at the door (thank you, Doberman) or when he’s hanging with a doggy friend who barks, and DJ will bark in solidarity. Also when he’s playing, if he’s really having fun he makes some grumbly noises and sometimes will “ruff” at the other dog playfully.
He loves to play with his humans as well. He will bring you a toy when he was wants to play. He will mouth (or play bite) your arms. Because he must have gotten separated from his mama too early, he has a squishmallow that he will suckle on. It’s adorable and he uses that to self soothe as well.
At home, he’ll likely take his toys to the middle of the living room, where he can play and be among his people. He also might bring out a sock of yours or a t-shirt you wore yesterday that didn’t quite make it into the laundry hamper. He’s got a great big doughnut bed that he loves sleeping in. He is not crate trained but might be able to get there. He is used to sleeping in the bed with his person/s but also will sleep on his doughnut bed (preferably in the bedroom with you). He might sneak up onto the bed in the middle of the night, but you can tell him what you want him to do. Like most of us, he does great with routine.
His owner has had him for 6 and a half years so she can fill you in on all the facets of DJ and will gladly do that. She loves him so much, she sees that he really needs someone with him most of the time and with another dog, he’ll be just be as happy as can be. She had to move into an apartment and he’s just not thriving there and has developed some separation anxiety.
He will make some household a wonderful new family member and brighten the days of his family as he has with his current dog mom. She is happy to get him into a home that can meet all of his needs.
