We keep notes on all of our animals: any medical concerns, their behavior in play groups, how they do with our volunteers on hikes, or even which staff members have fallen in love with them. For some, like Goku, the notes are less bullet points and more of a novel. He has many, many notes detailing all of his quirks.
Goku arrived in January with boundless, goofy energy and very little control. It quickly made him a staff favorite. And a bit of a staff headache when we had to clean up his chaos. His kennel card said “On a scale of 1 to 10, we rate Goku over 9000!!”
We knew it would take a very special adopter to handle him, and we were going to do everything we could to make that happen.
Our behavior team worked with him multiple times each week, learning his quirks so they could advise potential adopters (and so they could try to teach him how to use the agility course, with varying results). Our volunteer groups took him for off-campus hikes, where he was able to work off some of his boundless energy.
Eventually, he was placed with a foster who had a big fenced-in yard for him to roam.
His foster family said he was basically a giant puppy with lots of love and zoomies. He wants to be good, he just needs somebody who can manage his playful madness.
Finally, seven months and three almost-adoptions later, Goku met his person. When she saw Goku, he reminded her of a beloved dog she’d lost who had also been a bit of a handful. “I really know how to pick them,” she laughed. “He’s really smart, but he’s not that bright.”
We knew he was a bit of a rascal, so we offered his adopter our Canine Manners class free of charge. Our training classes help owners learn to communicate better with their dogs and work together to reward reliable behaviors.
Since being in the class, Goku has shown remarkable improvement in his obedience and overall behavior. And, as a bonus, the mental stimulation of training actually tuckers him out when long walks barely scratch the surface of his energy.
Now he’s a Canine Manners graduate, and his superlative is Most Improved! His adopters said that with training Goku becomes a better companion every day.
Goku’s story was a part of our 2025 September Match campaign. You can read more stories from the campaign, among others, in our Stories tag! And of course, you can always be a part of the mission and donate to support stories like these.
