Rocky (he goes by Bear) had a troubled past before coming into RAGOM near the end of last year. He was in and out of shelters during his ~4 years. We don’t know a lot about how he grew up other than reports from the shelter that at one time, he had to have his collar surgically removed, as it grew into his neck. They told us he lived outside, tied to a tree for the last 4 years, and was malnourished. He looks like he never grew into his head or puppy paws.

When he came in before the holidays, he contracted kennel cough, which is like a cold for dogs, and had giardia and toxicara (worms). He recovered from these shortly after he arrived in foster care. Given all his troubles, he is a very resilient dog! He loves his people, he loves to play with the dogs, and he loves to snuggle when not bouncing around the yard or chewing on a toy.

Bear has been with us a month now. He had his neuter surgery at the end of December and healed well from it that first week. We have been working with him on commands and structure of how he needs to live inside to be a great housemate. He is told to sit before he gets his food dish or other random times to give him calmness and patience. "Stay" is still a work in progress. He is less stubborn now, meaning he did what he wanted to do when he was new here and stressed from all the change.

The first few weeks, he was so excited to play with the dogs, wrestle, run, and chew on them. Luckily, he has two Foster Dog brothers here, so he can play with one while the other rests and has some down time. Jack and Bear run around outside and wrestle for as long as Jack is willing. Tyson, resident dog and foster mentor, loves to play tug and keep-away from Bear. They all get along fine. They found their space together during the first few days and appear as longtime buds now.

Bear has been great for free roam with the boys during the workday, respects baby gates, and has no potty accidents in the house. He does not really like going into the kennel, so we only use it when the cleaner is here and we transport him to the cabin. Bear eats fine in the kitchen with the other dogs. He was slow to eat first, never finishing his food, and he was extremely underweight at 64 pounds. We have been working on him gaining weight and muscle mass. He now can eat all his food in a normal time.

Often Bear seems to be more like an 18-month-old puppy than over 4 years. He has tons of energy and loves to run and play. He would be best in a home with multiple dogs and a family who likes to be outside. We play catch outside and “get Bear” which is like tag to us humans. When it has been too cold, we work on training and tricks to stimulate him. He loves to give kisses, one after another, and another.

Bear can also calm down nicely after some time of playing, lay on the coach while we watch TV, and of course, he thinks it's cool when we get to sleep in his king-size bed. We don’t normally let the dogs sleep in the beg, but snuggling is allowed. We have pulled Bear off many nights to only wake up and find him snuggled in the middle of us.

For Bear to be successful in his next family home, he needs to be with other dogs that are active and playful, and he needs to be with kids 13 or older, with limited access to small kids (like grandkids or neighbors). At some point, Bear learned to mouth people like dogs when he is excited and playful. We keep working on this, but he reverts back to his mouthy behaviors when he is wound up. Also, he needs his family to give him structure and love, with plenty of time to snuggle.

A bonus for fellow RAGOM families, Bear has short hair and sheds very little. He likes to be brushed out. His coat is much shinier and not flaky now that he is eating better, grain-free food.