Bruce 08-423

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On Aug 25, Bruce, or as I prefer to call him, Bruce the Wonder Dog arrived in St Paul safe and sound and not a minute too soon. He was at the St Cloud dog pound and was probably going to meet the grim reaper that day or next. Bruce was picked up as a stray on Aug 8 by the city dog catcher so very little is known about him. But a couple of RAGOM volunteers sprung him out of doggie jail before the guards even knew he was gone. Another great escape by RAGOM! He is a gorgeous boy, with lots of energy, very affectionate and seems to love all people and other dogs. Soon as we get to know him we will provide details.

Update Aug 27

Well we are moving along with Bruce and are learning a lot about him. THIS IS A SWEETHEART OF A DOG. Loves everyone, gets along with all dogs he meets, met a couple of kids on bikes and seemed excited to meet them. We had a pretty good thunder storm in St Paul last night and no anxiety at all. Just to keep things moving he was neutered today and had a much needed dental cleaning. He is now update on all shots and here are the good things we know about him medically:

  • The vet confirms he is about 10 years old. But wow, does he have energy. We thought he would spend the days sleeping on couch. Not a chance.
  • His teeth were very tartar but now have been taken care of as well as some gum tissue removed. His teeth are great.
  • NO heartworm.
  • He was neutered today and the blood work done looks "excellent".
  • He was checked for parasites (you know what that means, a big bag of poop) and was clean.
  • Eyes, lung, heart sound good.

A couple of concerns:

  • He has hip dysplasia but he seems to have no problem walking, going up stairs and does not appear to be in any pain.
  • He has an enlarged prostate. The vet could do a test for a tumor but that has some risk. She said sometimes after a neuter it goes down so we will monitor that.

Now the really important things.

He loves people, loves to be brushed and loves the outside. He would rather be outside than inside. A possible hint to his background. Last night as he lay on the floor, the TV show we were watching had a baby crying. Bruce immediately perked up and looked around. Soon as he knew it was on the TV he went over to it with ears up and head moving back and forth. So maybe there was baby in his life. Of course he did the same thing when Animal Planet had a show with a bellowing baby elephant. So who knows?

More to come later.

   

At a Glance #08-423

Golden Retriever Born: August 1999
Male Weight not specified

Status: Deceased

Profile

On Aug 25, Bruce, or as I prefer to call him, Bruce the Wonder Dog arrived in St Paul safe and sound and not a minute too soon. He was at the St Cloud dog pound and was probably going to meet the grim reaper that day or next. Bruce was picked up as a stray on Aug 8 by the city dog catcher so very little is known about him. But a couple of RAGOM volunteers sprung him out of doggie jail before the guards even knew he was gone. Another great escape by RAGOM! He is a gorgeous boy, with lots of energy, very affectionate and seems to love all people and other dogs. Soon as we get to know him we will provide details.

Update Aug 27

Well we are moving along with Bruce and are learning a lot about him. THIS IS A SWEETHEART OF A DOG. Loves everyone, gets along with all dogs he meets, met a couple of kids on bikes and seemed excited to meet them. We had a pretty good thunder storm in St Paul last night and no anxiety at all. Just to keep things moving he was neutered today and had a much needed dental cleaning. He is now update on all shots and here are the good things we know about him medically:

  • The vet confirms he is about 10 years old. But wow, does he have energy. We thought he would spend the days sleeping on couch. Not a chance.
  • His teeth were very tartar but now have been taken care of as well as some gum tissue removed. His teeth are great.
  • NO heartworm.
  • He was neutered today and the blood work done looks "excellent".
  • He was checked for parasites (you know what that means, a big bag of poop) and was clean.
  • Eyes, lung, heart sound good.

A couple of concerns:

  • He has hip dysplasia but he seems to have no problem walking, going up stairs and does not appear to be in any pain.
  • He has an enlarged prostate. The vet could do a test for a tumor but that has some risk. She said sometimes after a neuter it goes down so we will monitor that.

Now the really important things.

He loves people, loves to be brushed and loves the outside. He would rather be outside than inside. A possible hint to his background. Last night as he lay on the floor, the TV show we were watching had a baby crying. Bruce immediately perked up and looked around. Soon as he knew it was on the TV he went over to it with ears up and head moving back and forth. So maybe there was baby in his life. Of course he did the same thing when Animal Planet had a show with a bellowing baby elephant. So who knows?

More to come later.

   

Updates

Friday, May 17, 2013

 

It is with great sadness that our fur-kid Bruce left us on Thursday, May 16th. We loved this boy so much and our home is so empty. I made Bruce promise me that when we adopted him at the age of 10 that he would give us 2 years of his life. He was with us for 4 + years. Bruce was the type of dog that everyone he met loved him and even people that weren’t dog lovers loved him. Bruce went with us everywhere camping, running errands, snowmobiling racing, visiting friends and family and we even snuck him into hotel rooms. He had the whole back seat of the truck equipped with sleeping bag for comfort, water bowl and food. Our lives evolved around this sweet boy. Bruce loved winters the most and how fitting that when our final snow left Bruce left us shortly after that too.

Bruce we love you and hope you are enjoying your walks in the woods. Until we meet again sweet boy, God speed.

Love, Mom and Dad

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

October 17, 2008, was the day I was adopted!  Happy 4th Anniversary to me!  My mom made me promise that I would give them 2 years of love and I have done that and more.  Always a pleaser that I am. 

From Bruce, Mom and Dad.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Our wonderful boy Bruce is loving life and continues to be a joy for our family. He's always happy and comes with us just about everywhere. We love him to pieces and he loves us. He will be 13 in October.


Friday, October 8, 2010

Bruce has been with his family for 2 years this month!  Boy time flies when you have such a loveable fellow like him!  Even though he is approximately 12 years old according to the vet, you would never know it. We have 2 wonderful parks near our home that we visit daily and the way he romps around you would think he is a pup. Bruce travels with us everywhere from camping trips, snowmobile racing in the winter and just small errands we run in the car. We love him so much and he loves us.

Enjoy the pictures, he may look very serious but he is a very happy man.

The M’s and Bruce

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

From Bruce's forever family...

We adopted Bruce in October of 2008 after going a few years with no dogs as pets just cats. Bruce is so awesome in every way! We can’t imagine not having him in our lives. I learned about RAGOM through our local vet and started the adoption process. At first we requested a female under the age of 6, then received the phone call on Bruce who is a male and approximately 10. At first that kind of scared us, but we fell in love with this guy almost immediately! He has his moments of puppy energy and makes us laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever kissed and hugged a dog so much and I have witnessed my husband doing this too. Thanks RAGOM for everything you do! Your program is the best and we truly are blessed with Bruce.

   
   

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Here's a quick update from Bruce's temp foster while his perm fosters are out of town. Bruce is an incredible dog, everyone thinks he's wonderful. We have one resident dog and one foster dog at our house but are currently dog sitting another resident and foster for a grand total of 5 dogs. In addition to Bruce there are 2 boys and 2 girls all under the age of 2. Bruce gets along great with all of them. The only difference between him and the youngsters is he's more well-behaved and trustworthy. You would never guess he's older than all of them put together. He has the same amount of energy and fits right in with the pack.

I'd like to point out two things you can't tell from his pictures. He's smaller in size than I expected, especially with such a big blocky head. I would guess he weighs about 60 lbs. He also has very soft, silky fur. The kind you just love to pet. He allowed me to clean his ears and clip his nails easily today. He loves going for long walks and behaves like a perfect gentleman. He is just a sweet, mellow boy. We are really enjoying having him as our houseguest.

   

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Bruce continues to do well and had a great time at the Ragom picnic.  We weren't sure if he liked the water but we found out. YES - he does. Of course he is not interested in chasing tennis balls, he just waits in the water until one floats close by then he grabs it. 

We visited the vet yesterday to have a closer look at his hips and we came up with a treatment plan.  We have him on a pain reliever called Tramodol ($4 a month at Target ) and the vet suggested upping the dose.  We did that yesterday and he seems very comfortable.

He does well on the stairs, getting in the car and long walks (2-3 miles) so his problem with his hips seems under control.  He remains a very sweet dog who happily gives all people a chance to rub his tummy.

He also works hard at the park keeping America safe from squirrels. 

He is a great dog.

Here are some pictures from the RAGOM picnic.

   

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Bruce has fully recovered from his neuter and we have started him on a regimen of Glucosamine for his hips.

He continues to be very active and has become very comfortable in his foster home. In fact at night, he no longer stays in the bedroom with us but rather goes downstairs to sleep on the couch. He loves his new diet of quality dog food (Proplan Senior). He has full run of the house and no problems of any kind. He does not seem to mind stairs or getting into the car. He occasionally gets a little growly with puppies getting in his face or younger dogs trying to jump on him to play. But hey, he is 9 or 10 and has earned his peace and quiet.

He is just a great dog!

   
   

 

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Bruce is a kind and gentile spirit. If I only had one thing to say about him, that would be it. He loves all people, he likes other dogs and seems to like to be with other dogs. He loves it outdoors. He has a lot of energy and does not seem to need daytime naps. But at night, he sleeps next to our bed and usually gets up about 7 AM. He now has run of the house and has been left alone several times with no problems. He likes his stuffed animals from time to time but is not obsessive about them.

Things that would work well in Bruce's forever home.

  • Another adult dog (Bruce is over the puppy stage and does not like energetic puppies getting in his face)
  • Older kids who understand he is about 10 and he does have hip dysplasia
  • A physical fenced yard since he loves being out.