After knowing Melia for a few weeks, I've gotten a pretty good grip on her personality.
Every dog (and human) prioritizes things differently. Some dogs clearly put food before all else. Other dogs put play above all else. There are not usually Goldens! Melia has a golden heart. She values her people above all else in this world.
When we first picked Melia up, Carol said she wasn't that motivate by food. At the gas station in Winchester where we met Carol, Melia took no interest in the cookies I brought for her. The first night with us, she needed coaxing to eat her food-- a dry dog food for "sensitive stomachs" (she was finishing a course of antibiotics) and a little yogurt mixed in. She has changed her tune when it comes to food!
Nowadays, she gets a mixture of homemade food, her sensitive stomach dry food and a little yogurt or cottage cheese. She starts anticipating food as soon as she sees us vertical in the morning or when we walk in the door in the evening. Her "position" is to sprawl on the floor in the spot where she gets her food. Once she's sprawled, her eyes follow your every movement in the kitchen as if you are her prey! If we don't progress to feeding her soon enough, she'll let out a few whimpers to remind us she's there. As soon as you move to fill the bowl-- a soop of that, a little of this and a spoonful of that... she gets super-excited. This morning, she reared up on her hind legs with excitement and stood there like a little biped. Her tail wags out of control and as soon as we start to put her bowl down, her nose is there to greet it. I call her "Mommy's Little Piggy" because it reminds me of the scene in "A Christmas Story" when the brother of Ralphie eats his mashed potatoes and meatloaf. Her whole snout is involved with every meal! On more than one occasion, she's come to us afterward with a few curds of cottage cheese on her nose.
So, naturally, I thought Melia was a foodie and valued food above all else. Until this morning.
I was reading in bed this morning when Melia came to the side of my bed for a few pets. How can I possibly read a book with those super soft ears and those soulful eyes looking up at me. So, I scoot to the edge of the bed and have one arm wrapped around her back, scratching her belly and the other hand is caressing her soft ears and scratching her chin. She is in heaven and slowly slumps to the floor in a pile of limp puppy as I continue to pet and scratch her.
From the kitchen, I hear Kirk dishing up her breakfast. She hears too... I see her eyebrows flicker a little and she strains her head slightly to the kitchen for a moment. But she doesn't move. If anything, she inches a little bit closer to the edge of the bed and looks up at me with adoring eyes, as if to say-- "I choose you." We snuggled for a few minutes longer before I encouraged her to go get her breakfast before the other beast, Toby, beat her to it.
Clearly, the Golden Retriever genes dominate. She values her people above food and all else. In Melia's world of priorities, food is a distant second, followed by other dogs (Toby) and toys.
If you're interested in adopting Melia, please complete an adoption application at Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary
http://www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org/adopt.html
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