My name is Vinnie! Foster mom tells me that I am an incredibly special puppy! My littermates and I were named after some much loved RAGOM dogs that crossed the Rainbow Bridge last month. I was named after my foster mom’s very own Vinnie 12-382 . Not only is my foster family helping to take care of me, but I am helping to take care of THEM! Nothing helps a broken heart quite like puppy kisses and silly puppy antics! They especially love it when I get silly and get the puppy zoomies! Or when I snuggle and fall asleep on their laps.

I was born on 1/18/14, which makes me 12 weeks old. RAGOM wasn’t sure if my siblings and I were purebred Goldens or if we were Goldendoodles, but after seeing the three of us, everyone thinks that we are purebred Golden Retrievers. I am a very light color and have the fluffiest fur! I even have a cute little white spot on my forehead, which will likely fade as I get older. Foster mom says I just have the best personality and that I am a pretty laid-back puppy. I love to play, run, and be wild, but I also love to sprawl out on a dog bed in the evening and chew on a toy or curl up next to my foster mom. I am learning how to walk on a leash and I fight it sometimes, but I love to follow foster mom so much that I don’t mind the leash!

I get along great with Finn, the 2.5-year-old resident Golden here, though I can’t get him to play with me yet! He’s still pretty sad about losing his brother. I make sure I snuggle with him a lot and don’t bite his ears and I think he likes that. There are two cats here, and one is afraid of me, and the other one I’m afraid of! He’s mean and hisses and growls at me! I stay away from him! My foster family also has a 2-legged child and she’s 9 years old. I like to lick her hair a lot and she giggles whenever I do. I also like to follow her around and bring her my favorite toys. My foster mom loves to snuggle with me and play with me. She always has yummy treats and I love it when she rubs my belly. I love to explore the fenced-in backyard here. I usually stay pretty close to foster mom or Finn, but sometimes I like to explore or find tight spots that only puppies can fit. I also like to find things to eat that I probably shouldn’t. Unfortunately, foster mom has done a pretty good job at puppy proofing! I could go to a home without a fence, as long as my forever family was dedicated to training and teaching boundaries. I love to play with other dogs and spend time with them, but it’s not necessary that I have another dog in my forever home either. Since I’m a puppy and I like to jump, lick, chew, etc on everything, I would like to go to a home with kids over 5 so I don’t hurt them and they don’t hurt me.

I am eating my puppy food three times each day and doing my business outside most of the time. Sometimes I forget and accidentally pee inside… but I’m working on it! My foster mom says it’s ok, that I’m a baby and still learning. I nap sometimes in a crate and I feel really safe in there. I don’t cry at all. At night and when my foster mom is gone at work, I stay in a small puppy pen. I will even go in my puppy pen to sleep on my bed when I’m tired! I usually wake up once during the night to go out to go potty, but I’m able to hold it a little longer each night. My forever family should plan on still getting up at night with me for a while, especially during the transition period to my new home. They should also have a plan in place to let me out during the day if the adults in the home work. I cannot go all day without potty breaks. A good rule of thumb is my age in months (3) plus 1, and that’s how many hours I can hold it during the day in a crate. But, when I’m out of my crate, I definitely need to go out more often than that! My foster mom usually makes us go out about every hour right now while I’m learning and I usually go each time!

I went to the vet last week and weighed almost 18 pounds! I am healthy except that I tested positive for giardia in my fecal sample, so I have to take a few medications to clear that up. In addition to the medication, now that I’m in a clean environment, my poop is picked up right away, and things are sanitized, it shouldn’t be too difficult to clear up. It is possible for people to get it, so everyone is making sure they wash their hands a lot! I still need to be neutered and have my microchip implanted before I’m adopted, but I can certainly start meeting families that might want to adopt me!

Here are a few things to remember before you race to email your placement advisor:

• Puppies are a LOT of work in their first year!
• Puppies have small, immature bladders and cannot go a full work day without being let out. You will need to make arrangements for a midday break until I am about 6 months old.
• Puppies NEED obedience, manners training, and socialization! RAGOM gets many unmannered and undersocialized dogs in due to a simple lack of training and socialization when they are young. This is a crucial time for puppies to learn so many things!