Let me introduce Casey, a beautiful little purebred Golden Retriever.  She is a lively, healthy puppy with a sweet disposition. She is a melt-in-your-arms sort of pup. You pick her up and she just relaxes – so nice! She was born near the end of August and is just about 12 weeks old now. She loves to run around and wrestle with our resident Golden Retriever, Lucy. Then she takes a long nap afterwards. Our other dog, a little Shih Tzu, is not often interested in playing with her. Benny will growl and air-snap at Casey, and Casey backs away appropriately. This is a good way for Casey to learn dog boundaries.

Casey came to RAGOM diagnosed with primary seborrhea and kennel cough. She has not had any symptoms of kennel cough since she arrived at our home, so she is well over that. She did have a scab on her back from her seborrhea, but that is gone and we have not had any other flare-ups. However, the vet did send her home with an anti-seborrhea shampoo which he told us to use once a week for two weeks, and then as needed. It was also recommended that she gets fish oil as a supplement to help. Her adoptive family will have to be aware that primary seborrhea is something that is generally with a dog all her life. Therefore, care will have to be taken to help prevent flare-ups, and any flare-ups will have to be treated. Your vet will advise you, but we were told that baths with medicated shampoo, fish oil supplements and diet are ways to help control outbreaks.

Housebreaking is in progress – two steps forward, one step back. She will go right away when taken outside, and we try very hard to anticipate. She doesn’t let us know yet that she wants to go out, so it is up to us. She sleeps in a crate at night and keeps it clean. So she is doing a good job.

Puppies need to be let out during the day. Casey’s adoptive family will have to either have to have someone at home during the day, or have a “puppy plan” until she is older. A puppy plan is a defined plan where you know someone – either family or friend – will reliably be available during the day to let her out for potty breaks.  I, the foster Mom, work from home most of the time and am able to let her out every two or three hours.  Our son-in-law will come over for puppy breaks on days I have to go into the office. While I am at my desk, Casey is baby-gated in the kitchen. After I let her outside and she relieves herself, I will give her a little “floor time” with our other dogs before she goes back in the kitchen by herself. She is so very quiet there – she has never once fussed while confined there. And while I am thinking about it, she is also very quiet in the crate. She might fuss for a tiny bit – seriously, less than a half-minute – and then just very quiet.

We hope to have her spayed next week, and once she is recovered she will be ready to go to her forever home. Are you hankering after a puppy? Don’t forget that puppies are a LOT of work. They need your time, training and patience as they learn to become a well-behaved dog. But of course, they are very rewarding as well. Please contact your placement advisor if you are interested in applying for Casey.