Phil

I will repost the previous text here because it answers the reasons for the rehoming. For the adoption costs, we are not looking to make money by rehoming him; we simply want to know that someone is serious about adopting him.

Note: Phil was born in the United States (not Aruba – there was no “United States” option in the list).

Phil is a very cute miniature goldendoodle who has been with us since he was a puppy. He is an easy and fun dog in many ways: he does not have trouble being left alone for several hours at a time, and he generally likes other dogs. He has never chewed on furniture or been destructive. He easily sleeps all night in one of our bedrooms and loves a soft surface (his bed or even a human bed, if allowed). During the day, he likes to be lazy on the couch but is also very happy to run around outside. Because he is part poodle, he does not shed. He likes to be near his humans, although he is not overly affectionate.

Our main struggles with Phil relate to his barking and his nervous temperament. We live in Brussels and have guests in our home often, both personally and for our work. He barks a lot when people arrive in our home, and it can be unwelcoming. If visitors like dogs, he will quickly warm up to them and be very friendly, but it can be a challenge if visitors are timid around dogs. Additionally, we live in a shared building, and he barks every time he hears a neighbour entering/exiting the building. He also barks when he sees people walking by the window (outside the home), and he is generally a bit anxious on walks. He’s very afraid of the Bpost workers and other workmen, and he is on edge around runners and people on bikes, scooters, etc. We have worked on these behaviours over the years, and while we expected he would grow accustomed to these experiences, we have not seen much improvement.
For work reasons we need to spend the second half of 2026 in the US. In light of this long time away from Brussels and because of ongoing struggles we have with him, we have made the difficult decision to rehome Phil.

A better home for him would be with someone who does not live in a shared building or have new guests coming into the home on a regular basis. We suspect he would be more at ease with someone who lives in a peaceful setting (less urban/more rural), perhaps with a fenced garden and without close neighbours who could be bothered by the barking. He would also be happy in a home with another dog to help him relax.

He is a fairly needy dog in the ways we’ve described: his new owner should have some experience with dogs and want to love him despite his quirks and anxieties. We are confident that, in the right setting and with the right people, he will be a wonderful dog for many more years.

We are American and speak English in our home, but I’m sure he could adjust to French or Dutch.
Please feel free to reach out for more information about him.