On November 3, 2018, we agreed to foster Duke for Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida. Between Lab and Golden rescues, we had fostered approximately 35 dogs over the years prior to Duke’s arrival. Our previous Lab, Shadow, was a foster through LRRoF whom we eventually adopted due to his behavioral issues making him a safety risk according to Rescue’s dog behaviorists. Shadow had died three years prior and we were ready to seriously considering adopting again. We are Duke’s (at least) third home. He was picked up by animal control in Indiana, and because he was microchipped, we learned his birthdate and that his real name IS Duke. The microchip company told us that they had spent months trying to contact the registered owners, but received no reply. At 5 years old, Duke was adopted from the Indiana shelter by Mary, who had owned him for about one year and brought him to her winter home in southwest Florida. He proved to be too much for her to handle. His energy level was off the charts and he was too strong for her to safely walk, his prey drive having ultimately landed Mary on the ground several times. Mary took excellent care of him and tried her very best, providing consistent training, veterinary care, socialization and mental stimulation. Mary decided to relinquish him to LRRoF and brought him to our home in Ft. Myers that afternoon. Once I saw him out of her car, I literally cried. I knew this was the dog I wanted to keep. Duke’s initial selling point? He’s so handsome! That first winter with Duke, a neighbor’s Golden Retriever puppy went into heat about half a mile away. For two straight weeks, Duke paced, panted, whined and simply could not settle down. He showed an unusual interest in females in heat and an unusual aggression toward other males for a neutered Labrador. Long story short, he wasn't fully neutered! I always knew something wasn’t right about Duke. He simply could not focus on us. I thought maybe he had been kicked in the head by an Indiana horse or something, resulting in a brain injury! He’s perfect around our horses, so I doubted that was it, though. He didn’t seem like one to actually learn a lesson. The effects of testosterone leaving his body displayed in his behavior within about two weeks, and now two months post neuter, he’s almost completely changed. He’s calmer, much more attentive, doesn’t mark on walks, has less pent-up energy, is less demanding. The vet said it can take up to six months for the testosterone to fully abate. Now even more handsome because underneath all his craziness, he’s always been a sweet boy. We don’t call him the “Kardashian of Dogs” or “The Pride of Terra Haute” anymore because he seems to have gotten his brain back.