Butch 11-364

back to Memorials

Profile

Butch joined our foster family this week. He was surrounded because his owner didn't have enough time for him and 6 months ago, he was in a shelter in eastern MN. Nothing else is known about him and why he is a nervous, skittish 4 year old boy that wants to be constantly near us. Butch was transported from 4 hours away to the cities, so thanks to Jeff, Bear and Buddy for bringing Butch into RAGOMland! All the boys played for awhile in the backyard with out any introduction issues when meeting our GR,Tyson. It wasn't long before we realized how bad Butch needed a bath and lots of brushing out of matted hair. He has a problem standing on non-carpeted areas, so giving him a bath was a little adventurous. He now smells better, we have combed him 5 times and he still has lots of hair to comb out, but the mats are gone. He is up to date on shots and is already neutered. He had really dirty ears and we are working on cleaning up an ear infection. Tonight, a nail flew out of his ear, so hopefully that will fix his problem!!!   He weighs 84 pounds and is about 10 pounds underweight, so he gets lots of treats as we are trying to teach him behaviors like sit and stay.
 
He has met several adults without issue and some of the neighborhood kids during trick or treating without any concern. We were nervous about how Butch would handle all of the Halloween activities, but he did fine behind the babygate just watching what was going on at the front door. He is scared of the vacuum cleaner. As we know more about him and his behaviors, we will give an update.

 

At a Glance #11-364

Golden Retriever Born: October 2007
Male 70 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Butch joined our foster family this week. He was surrounded because his owner didn't have enough time for him and 6 months ago, he was in a shelter in eastern MN. Nothing else is known about him and why he is a nervous, skittish 4 year old boy that wants to be constantly near us. Butch was transported from 4 hours away to the cities, so thanks to Jeff, Bear and Buddy for bringing Butch into RAGOMland! All the boys played for awhile in the backyard with out any introduction issues when meeting our GR,Tyson. It wasn't long before we realized how bad Butch needed a bath and lots of brushing out of matted hair. He has a problem standing on non-carpeted areas, so giving him a bath was a little adventurous. He now smells better, we have combed him 5 times and he still has lots of hair to comb out, but the mats are gone. He is up to date on shots and is already neutered. He had really dirty ears and we are working on cleaning up an ear infection. Tonight, a nail flew out of his ear, so hopefully that will fix his problem!!!   He weighs 84 pounds and is about 10 pounds underweight, so he gets lots of treats as we are trying to teach him behaviors like sit and stay.
 
He has met several adults without issue and some of the neighborhood kids during trick or treating without any concern. We were nervous about how Butch would handle all of the Halloween activities, but he did fine behind the babygate just watching what was going on at the front door. He is scared of the vacuum cleaner. As we know more about him and his behaviors, we will give an update.

 

Updates

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Hi~

We are saddened to report that our gentle giant, Butch #11-364, was euthanized on May 15.  We made the painful decision to let him go after his Laryngeal Paralysis/GOLPP was taking too much of a toll on his breathing and the related hind-end weakness was getting worse, to the point where he could no longer stand up on his own or control his walking. 

He was diagnosed in May 2016 with the LP/GOLPP and at the same time, scans revealed a large mass in his abdomen.  An x-ray in April revealed the mass was now grapefruit-sized; and as if that wasn’t enough for this poor guy, he also had a slow-growing soft-tissue sarcoma on this upper torso.  There were too many health issues for this wonderful dog to continue to struggle with so we let him go, freeing him to cross the Rainbow Bridge, breathing freely, running and climbing hills again.

I feel an intense loss.  He was truly a velcro dog, my shadow…a very loving dog.  And his brother Kobee 07-088 is also quite lost without Butch to keep him company and snuggle with.   I know we made the right decision in saying goodbye but it’s still hard.  

A friend of mine, a fellow dog-lover, sent me these words which I find very comforting:  "Dogs show unconditional love their entire lives. This is the only time we demonstrate something similar when we think of them and their being freed of pain over our own love to have them be with us longer.” 

Attached are a couple photos, one from his day with us and one with his brother from a different mother, Kobee.

Thank you to RAGOM for everything you do to bring these incredible dogs into our lives.

RIP, Beautiful Boy.  I will hold you in my heart forever.  

Roberta J and Gerard B

Monday, November 14, 2011

Butch has been with us for 2 weeks now and has settled in to his new surroundings. He is still skittish at times, but not as often as the first few days. He and res GR, Tyson, get along very well – he follows Tyson all over the house and yard. The only place he doesn’t follow is when Tyson jumps into the car. Butch does not like car rides – he sits well, but is tense the whole ride.

The first week Butch was here, he had several accidents in the house; which was frustrating because we were home and he had recently been outside. The first time was after he came home from the vet – understandable since he was nervous in the car and at the vet. Another time, he did it after the dogs were left home for 5-6 hours, so we were nervous to leave him at him this week. Instead, he did fabulous – no accidents at all this week when FD went back to work. He was able to remain at home for 9-10 hours without any issues – he has been babygated in the kitchen and hallway. He does fine when Tyson is home with him, but on a few short errands (when he didn’t want to get in the car) we left him home by himself and he knocked down the babygates then greeted us by the garage door. No issues when he was home alone – he just didn’t respect the gates.

Butch has become much more playful and cuddly. In fact, we have determined that he is even more jealous than Tyson in terms of wanting attention. He is submissive to Tyson (really no issue with dominance here), but when Tyson is getting petted Butch pushes his way in closer for some loving, hugging and petting. He has found several favorite toys to chew to pieces this week. We had brought some new toys and bones home – the boys had a busy night playing. One by one, Butch went to the toy pile and brought one to chew on – it was a good day! He focuses his chewing on the dog toys and has never chewed anything he wasn’t supposed to. When we watch TV, he has his spot right by the couch and will relax we us. He doesn’t jump on the furniture or bed – sometimes he will step up on front paws to get closer for petting.

We thought Butch was going to find an adopted family where he would need to use the stairs, we checked to make sure he knew how to go down the stairs  - nope – scared silly of the stairs. We had Tyson run up and down the stairs as a demonstration for Butch – nope he just stood at the top and barked at us like we were in danger. However, we put some treats step by step and an encouraging pull down the stairs he eventually ran down and up several times – no more issues with stairs.

Most days, Butch goes for a walk – he walks very well on a flat leash without pulling. Tyson is on his long lead and Butch stays close to me. We have never been able to walk other fosters at the same time, so this walking arrangements works well for all of us. He likes to take is morning dooper on the walk – better than in the house – we have our morning routine down pat now.

Today, we had a visitor, Biscuit, soon to be a lucky RAGOM boy. Biscuit is in boarding right now waiting for a foster to free up to take him in. We had a play date to wear some of his puppy energy off. Introductions were done without any issues, however Butch was nervous when the hyper puppy was jumping all over the place and barking at the boys. Butch didn’t like Biscuit that much and tried to put the pup in check – both boys showed Biscuit what good puppy behavior is and how to play nice with the toys.

Last Sunday, Butch made his RAGOM debut at the Petco event. Once he got over the ride and realized the adoption event was all about meeting new people, new dogs and getting lots of attention and treats – he loved it. He handled meeting lots of different dogs and people without any issues or concerns. Lots of people studied Butch hard to see if he would be right for their family. He was told he was a good looking red haired boy. We discussed how his hair was very matted and included 4 years of fur.  We comb him out every day or so and we are slowly making him into the best looking boy by removing lots of mats. His coat is shiny and he looks much better than when he arrived, including gaining some weight.

We needed time to get to know Butch and what he needs for his forever home. He needs stability in his home life. He needs a family that will understand when he is nervous and help him to understand he is safe and loud noises are okay (lawn mower, hair dryer, garage door opener).  He does well with kids, but with his nervousness of sudden movements and loud noises – a family without kids is probably better. He needs to be in a home with another dog that is older, calmer and confident to show him good adult dog behaviors.  He needs a family that will find ways to keep him entertained, play with him, give him great attention and some physical activity each day. If you have the right household to give Butch the best life, contact your placement advisor today. You won’t be disappointed in this great, beautiful boy once he settles into your home like he is in ours.

You Recently Viewed