| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 9/30/2014 | Not required | Yes Age 5+ | Optional | No | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Please welcome Cocoa to the RAGOM family. Cocoa, and his big foster brother Champ (14-278) were found wandering the countryside in Alabama and have now made their way to Minnesota to start living the Golden Life.
Cocoa is a little peanut of a guy. We know that he has some Terrier and Chihuahua in his background (and who knows what else). Unlike the Golden Retrievers that we’re used to, Cocoa doesn’t walk around with a big smile on his face. Instead we say that he smiles with his tail. His tail is constantly wagging and its speed increases the happier he gets! He loves kids, adults and other dogs. At some point he was obviously loved and cared for as he has no fear of either dogs or humans. He likes to be wherever you are if you are active but, when things settle down, he heads for one of the big comfy dog beds. Here he is sharing a bed with our 11 year old foster girl Sandy.
In the week we’re had him he has had no accidents in the house. He loves kids and loves to cuddle up on your lap. Here he is with our grandson Owen.
He walks well on a leash although he has a strong prey drive and would like to chase whatever critters he sees. Unfortunately his definition of prey includes cats. He will bark and chase them. Although he hasn’t harmed our kitties we feel that his forever home should NOT include cats. We think that both boys are about 8 years old. Champ has white on his muzzle but still has a lot of young dog energy. He has free roam and has been just fine in the house for 5 – 6 hours with no problems. He has had no accidents in the house and does well with free roam.
Cocoa and his buddy Champ have settled right into our house and routine. They get along well with resident dog (RD) Harley and foster-sister Sandy. Cocoa weighs only 19 lbs. but he has no problem or fear moving among the three much larger dogs (65 lbs., 80 lbs., and 84 lbs.) On walks he wants to stay up front with the two big boys. His favorite indoor activity is to find a nice warm lap to curl up in. At night he likes to burrow down underneath the bed covers and curl up in a compact ball at the foot of our bed.
Cocoa has had his wellness exam (everything checks out fine). He has been neutered so we think that he is ready to meet his forever family. At this point we believe that he and Champ are not a bonded pair although we’ll get a bit more insight about that in the next week. If indeed they are not tightly bonded they would be able to be adopted separately although it’s clear to us that they are best friends and would certainly love to live the Golden Life together. We’ll know more in a week.
If you are interested in this great boy please let your Adoption Advisor know. We would love to talk to you about Champ and Cocoa.
| Mixed Breed | Born: September 2006 |
| Male | 30 lbs |
Status: Adopted
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 9/30/2014 | Not required | Yes Age 5+ | Optional | No | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Please welcome Cocoa to the RAGOM family. Cocoa, and his big foster brother Champ (14-278) were found wandering the countryside in Alabama and have now made their way to Minnesota to start living the Golden Life.
Cocoa is a little peanut of a guy. We know that he has some Terrier and Chihuahua in his background (and who knows what else). Unlike the Golden Retrievers that we’re used to, Cocoa doesn’t walk around with a big smile on his face. Instead we say that he smiles with his tail. His tail is constantly wagging and its speed increases the happier he gets! He loves kids, adults and other dogs. At some point he was obviously loved and cared for as he has no fear of either dogs or humans. He likes to be wherever you are if you are active but, when things settle down, he heads for one of the big comfy dog beds. Here he is sharing a bed with our 11 year old foster girl Sandy.
In the week we’re had him he has had no accidents in the house. He loves kids and loves to cuddle up on your lap. Here he is with our grandson Owen.
He walks well on a leash although he has a strong prey drive and would like to chase whatever critters he sees. Unfortunately his definition of prey includes cats. He will bark and chase them. Although he hasn’t harmed our kitties we feel that his forever home should NOT include cats. We think that both boys are about 8 years old. Champ has white on his muzzle but still has a lot of young dog energy. He has free roam and has been just fine in the house for 5 – 6 hours with no problems. He has had no accidents in the house and does well with free roam.
Cocoa and his buddy Champ have settled right into our house and routine. They get along well with resident dog (RD) Harley and foster-sister Sandy. Cocoa weighs only 19 lbs. but he has no problem or fear moving among the three much larger dogs (65 lbs., 80 lbs., and 84 lbs.) On walks he wants to stay up front with the two big boys. His favorite indoor activity is to find a nice warm lap to curl up in. At night he likes to burrow down underneath the bed covers and curl up in a compact ball at the foot of our bed.
Cocoa has had his wellness exam (everything checks out fine). He has been neutered so we think that he is ready to meet his forever family. At this point we believe that he and Champ are not a bonded pair although we’ll get a bit more insight about that in the next week. If indeed they are not tightly bonded they would be able to be adopted separately although it’s clear to us that they are best friends and would certainly love to live the Golden Life together. We’ll know more in a week.
If you are interested in this great boy please let your Adoption Advisor know. We would love to talk to you about Champ and Cocoa.
Cocoa Bean has been adopted to a wonderful family. He will have a mom and dad and 17 year old human sister to love him to pieces! We are so happy for him and congratulations to Cocoa and the S family! Here is a picture of Cocoa and his girl before they left with big smiles on their faces!
Hello Cocoa followers!
Cocoa continues to do well and he is still looking for his forever home. He is such a great dog and I know the only reason he is still with me is because people who typically come to this site are looking for goldens! Well, let me tell you, Cocoa is golden at heart. He is a sweet, senstive dog who just wants to be with his people, just like the big dogs.
Cocoa is an easy dog, but he has needs too, just like our goldens. Cocoa, wants to be included in what you are doing, not in favor of getting left behind and always wants to know where you are when you are home together.
Cocoa has been kind of a hit and miss eater, but I feel like lately, I have found the silver bullet combo of what he likes to eat. He seems to like Natural Balance Limited Ingredients Sweet Potato and Fish dry kibble along with a couple of dollops of either plain Greek yogurt or Natural Balance canned formula. Cocoa enjoys just about any kind of treat offered.
I took Cocoa to the vet just to follow up on his knee surgery and the good doctor said he looks like he doing great. He uses it more and more every day. He seems to use it when he is walking at a slow pace or running very fast. When he is running at a medium pace is when I notice he still may pick it up. In any case, all is good on that front.
Here are some pictures from today taking a walk on Boom island in Minneapolis on a chilly but a beautiful sunny day. Cocoa loved all the goodness out there and enjoyed hanging out with his pal Libby.
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A little 1:1 time with FM.
Cocoa continues to do well. Slowly but surely he is using his back leg after his surgery so I think his recovery is right on schedule.
We have been to some events recently and he is the guy that stands out in the crowd. He enjoys his attention and he seems to really be a hit with the younger children!
Also, one of our volunteer's daughter had a little gift package for Cocoa that included a hand made Cocoa-size blanket, a pull toy and a nyla bone. All of his favorite things. Thank you so much to Lucie S. and her thoughtfulnes with Cocoa. He loves them all!
Now that spring is here, we are getting out and about more. Cocoa loves getting out and getting fresh air. With the warm weather we are experiencing, one thing I have discovered is that he is not fond of bikes, roller skates and skate boards. If any goes by, he is ready for the chase and the bark! He is easily redirected with persistance! Below is a picture of our nice walk on a sunny afternoon recently with his pal Buddy near a city lake. As you can imagine, the smells are quite captivating!
Cocoa continues to do well and is still recovering from his surgery. He is still a little reluctant to put too much weight on his knee, so I will continue working with him with his PT.
Cocoa will be attending the event at C&D in Shakopee today, so he is resting up.
Sorry it's been a while since I did an update for sweet Cocoa!
Cocoa, continues to heal well from his knee surgery in January. We have done our PT so I think we are on schedule with him returning to normal. Currently, he is able to put his weight on it when he is standing or walking slowly, but he picks the leg up if he wants to walk or run faster.
Auntie Nurse Shannon removing stitches in Cocoa's knee. What a good boy!
One thing I should mention about Cocoa is that he has a pretty pronounced heart murmur. I have forgotten to mention this on the site mainly because I see no effects of this for Cocoa. It came up before his knee surgery when they were doing a pre-op check and Dr. Q. said: Holy Heart Murmur! There was some concern about putting him under for his surgery, but they decided it was safe as he had already been under before for his neuter. As you can see all went just fine.
My only other ‘health’ concern about Cocoa is watching out for his other knee. The chances of the second knee going out is fairly high, but I think it could be prevented if you don’t let him jump from high places or let him get trampled by bigger dogs. He does think he is one of the big guys!
Just to prove that Cocoa does like to do things other than just curling up in his bed, :) here are a few pictures of him spending time with me and his foster brother outside of his bed.
He continues to be such a good and easy dog. He is a love and just wants to please and be with you!
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Enjoying a peanut butter kong treat with his foster brother.
Cocoa didn't really need a bath as bad as Buddy, but he didn't want to be left out.
Out of his bed cooling off!
John, Mary and Annie 12-425
Merry Christmas from: Byron, Larry, Brody and Betsy Bruhn
Merry Christmas from Santa to the Golden Seniors!
Cocoa had his knee surgery this week and is in recovery mode. He seemed pretty sore for the first few days but I am seeing improvement and he's slowly getting back to his old self. Cocoa continues to be such a sweet boy and has been a real trooper in his recovery and I think he's been enjoying the extra TLC, including getting carried alot, by FM. :)
A selfie with FM giving him some loving after he got home from his surgery.
A big thank you to Pat S. for delivering Cocoa safely to me from the hospital!! Also a BIG thank you for Dr. R. for her time and expertise in performing the surgery and also the lovely staff at IGH Vet Hosptital, especially Dr. Q and Mary for their kindness and concern for Cocoa and loving him as much as I do!!
Cocoa has a family interested in him, but since they are unable to adopt him for a couple of months, they want me to keep Cocoa available just in case another perfect family comes along! They already love him, but know that there could be another family out there that could be a great fit for Cocoa too. So if you are interested in meeting this sweet boy, please let your placement coordinator know!
It is so great to know that Cocoa has so many people who love him and I know, no matter what, Cocoa will forever be in a loving and safe home, never to be on the streets again!
Hello Cocoa fans!
Well we have some good news and bad news on Cocoa. First, the bad news is that sweet Cocoa tore a ligament in his back right leg, so we will be scheduling surgery to fix this for him very soon. Cocoa seems to be taking it in stride, but he is not able to put any weight on it but he seems to be easily getting around on 3 legs. He also enjoys it when I carry him. If he was a golden, I would not be able to do that!
The good news is that Cocoa has a family that wants to make him part of their family! Stay tuned for more news on this later.
In the mean time, Cocoa continues to be the great dog and good boy that he is. He does not enjoy this weather as I'm sure coming from the south he has never experienced such cold weather. We bundle him up for our walks and I'll bring a blanket and carry him if he starts shaking too hard. Otherwise, he enjoys his walks, sniffing and marking along the way.
Cocoa and his pal Buddy heading out in the cold!
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When Cocoa is not out being brave in the cold weather he is such a snuggler and is happy to keep you warm too!
First and foremost, THANK YOU to John, Mary and Annie (12-425) for the bell, Byron, Larry, Brody and Betsy B. and Santa for the mitten for Cocoa!! This guy couldn't be any better and thank you for acknowledging him as a deserving and special guy! I love him so much I can't even express how happy your donation and gesture makes us feel!
Cocoa is still looking for his forever home and he knows he is a special guy here on the Retrieve a Golden of MN website. He also knows that good people come here and they will notice what a great dog he is and see how well he fits in just about anywhere. Having said that, we are still looking for that family that is a perfect fit of mutual love for Cocoa and his forever family!
Hello Cocoa fans! Cocoa is just a joy to have around he just wants to be with you. As I write this he is curled up on his bed just in the other room. He knows I'm here and I think he is just restful knowing you are there, he is safe and loved.
Cocoa gets along with everyone he meets. He has got great social skills. He is always interested in meeting whoever he may see out on our walks, but always willing to move on when prompted.
I just can't say enough good things about this guy. I sense sometimes that he is wondering what happened to his family as he is always so curious when he see's a car drive up. It's like his ears go up and he stretches his neck and is looking so hard to see who is inside. Are you my family? He so deserves his very own forever home.
Cocoa sharing a sniff with his pal Buddy.
Cocoa is doing well and loves hanging out with his friends.
Cocoa is now in Minneapolis!
Cocoa was transferred to me because he was a great fit for my condo life style and I did not have any cats. Apparently Cocoa was a little too interested in his previous foster's cat, so they decided to give him a break and find a cat-less foster home for Cocoa. Since I don't have a cat, Cocoa has been the easiest foster ever. As you can imagine, most of our fosters are much larger, and I have to say, having a sweet little 20# dog in my condo has really made things a bit simpler.
Cocoa has adjusted so well here, meets all the other small neighbor dogs without incident. He hangs out with my 15 1/2 year old resident dog golden Buddy just fine. Even though they don't interact much, they seem to have a great understanding of each other and I really believe they enjoy each other's company, especially while I'm at work. Here is a picture of his excitement in greeting me and his playful side.
I think southern boy Cocoa is adjusting to this crazy cold weather we are having. I have gotten him a jacket and sweater along with little boots, I'm sure nothing he's ever experienced before, but he has just gone along with the program and has adjusted.
Cocoa, really has great recall, stays with me as we walk down the hallway in my condo. He really wants to do the right thing and he usually does. He is still learning the lay of the land here and he is doing great.
Cocoa wants to be with you, stay warm and just cuddle. He is not going anywhere once he has attached to his person/people.
I took Cocoa to an event this weekend and he was a bit out-shined by the big dogs at our event, but he took it in stride and he had reassurance from his people that he is a great dog and the right family will find him when the time is right.
I know you might be looking for a big or golden dog, but this guy really is the best if you are even thinking about a smaller dog!
Hi Everyone, Cocoa here. I’m getting my first chance to write my own update. This keyboard is really big (almost as big as I am) but, from Foster Dad’s (FD) lap it is pretty easy to reach. I love sitting in laps so it’s a lot of fun!
So far I like almost everything about my foster home. I get fed regularly, we go for walks every day (and FD and FM let me walk in front with the big dogs), I have laps to sleep on, and, best of all, I get to burrow under the bed covers to go to sleep at night. It sure beats wandering around in the countryside wondering what would become of me and my friend Champ (14-278). The only thing I think I would like better would be my very own forever family.
FD and FM told us that they don’t think that we are something called a bonded pair. That would be two dogs who are so dependent on each other that they must be adopted together. I think they are right. I really like Champ and would enjoy being with him but I think I’d do just fine on my own. I like other dogs too but being an “only dog” could be a lot of fun. I love dog beds, even those you may have for your big dogs.
I know that I’m not a big, golden retriever like many of you are looking for here but I’m a wonderful little guy who can show you a lot of love, make you laugh, and keep your feet warm in your bed at night! Please give me a chance to show you.
FD here…I have to echo Cocoa’s words. We consider ourselves big-dog people but we have fallen in love with Cocoa. He is surprisingly low key and calm (except for his aversion to cats). He is not the yippy ankle-biter that we had expected. He is a great little companion who would love to share your home with you. He is very low maintenance - he doesn’t need a fenced yard, would do well with one walk a day, and would easily fit into a small apartment setting. Please consider him. He is ready for his forever home. Let your Placement Advisor know of your interest. We would love to talk to you about him.
