Fence Policy
Although we do not allow our Golden Retrievers to live as outside pets, we do have a fence policy for the safety of our Goldens when they are outside with their family. Goldens are in the top five breeds to be stolen and flipped on craigslist. Most have prey drives that will cause them to chase a squirrel, bunny, deer, etc. and often get lost quickly. Some wander off because that’s what they’ve known as strays and it only takes a second to disappear, even with a person standing outside. Finally, most are social dogs and will wander off to greet passersby on the street, children playing, etc. leading to the high risk of being hit by a car or getting lost.
Adopt A Golden Nashville (AGN) Fency Policy:
1) Secure physical fencing is REQUIRED for single family homes.
2) Condos/Townhomes where one must leash walk their Golden are acceptable for some dogs and not for others. Adopt A Golden Nashville reserves the right to decline placement of a dog to any applicant that is not a good candidate for a Condo/Townhome.
3) Invisible fences are not allowed. Invisible fences cannot guarantee a dog’s containment or safety. They also do not keep out predators such as coyotes, or even humans with evil intentions. They are much less likely to contain and protect the dog than a physical fence with locked gates. Most dogs will take the electric shock to chase prey, socialize with passersby, etc. because of their elevated adrenaline level. They will not; however, take the shock to come back into the confines of the invisible fence once that adrenaline level is within normal range. At this point the dog doesn’t know what to do or where to go so it is in danger of getting lost, stolen, hit and killed by a car, etc. as stated above.
This policy is not to punish applicants without fences. It’s for the ultimate safety and well-being of our Goldens which is our top priority as a Golden Retriever rescue. 1 in 3 dogs get lost in their lifetime. AGN must do everything in our power to make sure our Goldens are not among those statistics by taking all precautions possible.