Dear Wonderful Women of Glendale Humane Society,

I was glad to get your nice note requesting an update on Ty (who we renamed Gus, after Olympic snowboarder Gus Kenworthy, who rescued so many homeless Russian dogs and puppies during the Sochi Olympics.)

 The dog formerly known as Ty is a fantastic dog, and we are so grateful to have found him, through you.

One of many  advantages of adopting Gus from Glendale Humane was that we got the benefit of the staff’s knowledge of his personality and temperament. It really helps to have some idea who you are bringing home! Even though he was probably only about nine months when we adopted him in March, his gentle and mellow character made his transition into a household where there was already a 12 year old dog, relatively easy. Gus is affectionate, ardent, cheerful, enthusiastic and sensitive. He loves company, human and canine. When he gets excited, he makes a lot of yodel-y noises that are

almost like speech sounds. Likely he is part Husky, and apparently they “talk” in that way. It’s very charming. His bark has matured from a kind of adolescent squeak that seemed to surprise him whenever it came out of his mouth, to a deeper, big-dog bark in keeping with how he looks, though he is not a frequent barker. The black part of his coat has gotten very silky. As advertised by you, his rescuers, he likes everyone: dogs of all sizes, and every human he meets, of any age. For a while, he had a crush on a goat that lives in the stable situated right on an Elysian Park trail where he often walks. Gus would stare longingly at the goat through the chain link fence and didn’t want to leave. The goat seemed to return his affection, coming right up to the fence and nosing through a chink when Gus visited.  Gus’ ardor for the goat has cooled lately, perhaps because he prefers the dogs in the park who can leap and play with him without the huge impediment of a fence in between. He likes direct contact.

Recently Gus hiked around what may have been his first lake, and he appeared to really like playing in shallow water. He even heaved himself in for a small swim. He also went hiking with Ted, his 12 year old companion. They have developed a very nice grandpa/grandkid relationship, I think. Gus has made everyone here, both human and canine, very happy!!! He is a complete joy.