Welcome Brandy into the RAGOM family! She is a petite purebred Golden Retriever waiting to come out of her shell. She is healthy, up to date on vaccinations (UTD), spayed, at a good weight, and is microchipped.

Brandy came to RAGOM by way of a commercial breeder auction in Missouri on August 6th. She arrived in Minnesota filthy and terrified. After three baths, several ear cleanings, and a month’s worth of care, she is feeling like a brand new dog. She will only know the Golden Life from now on.

First nap in foster care

First morning in foster care

Brandy has puppy mill (PM) characteristics, so has had very little exposure to the world. Please note that PM dogs require special care and patience.

Thankfully, she takes cues from our resident dog (RD) that there's no need to fear things like doorways, doggy beds, stuffies, and new people. For this reason, Bandy will require a large, confident dog that can help Brandy learn how to be a dog. The RD could be a bit grumpy at Brandy’s puppy antics, but he allowed her to share a doggie bed when she was scared by the rumble of the dryer.

Snuggling with Mitchell after being scared by the dryer

She needs gentle introductions to all new objects and changes in her environment. This includes stairs, garbage cans, a leaf in the wind, trees, her own shadow, doors, mail boxes, trucks, and dust pans. After a week of leaving the dust broom and pan around where she could see them, she finally gave her approval to my sweeping the floor. Brandy came up, sniffed the broom and pan, and snuggled up. As for her startling at her own shadow, I never dreamt of putting on a shadow puppet show for a puppy, and yet I did. The house looks like a modified obstacle course, with boxes and baskets being moved around to help her get used to the idea of a changeable environment.

Here are the knowns about Brandy:

• Sleeps 8 hours through the night.
• Eats her kibble well; she actually chews her food.
• Gently takes treats.
• Needs a potty break every 4 hours during the day and an hour after meals.
• Velcro dog in the making; she likes to sleep on my feet when I work at home.
• Zero storm anxiety! A big thunder crack had her look at me for assurance once.
• Knows “sit” and plays fetch.
• Her sire is in RAGOM; say hello to Boone !

Things we are working on:

• Crate training: she prefers to sleep on floor rug next to bed.
• Car rides: she needs to be carried in and out of vehicle, and is quiet but nervous.
• Housebroken! Zero accidents in September.
• Walking on lead with a Gentle Leader.
• Keeping paws off the couch, bed, counters, and tables.
• Jumping when she gets too excited.
• Inappropriate chewing redirected to toys.
• Nail clipping has gone great with a jar of peanut butter.

Chewing on Teddy

She is very much a puppy and needs training and guidance. Sudden motions and new environments can be startling, exciting, and terrifying at the same time. This morning, she ran back to the safety of the bedroom when confronted with a bin of dog food in the hallway. She decided that it belonged in the closet and not outside. She has all of her adult teeth and can easily destroy a leash if tethered without monitoring.

On to the fun stuff: Brandy has learned that she absolutely adores meeting people, eating ice cubes, chasing tennis balls, Kongs, rubs, and all her stuffie toys. She’s met over a dozen people in the month with us and she’s done wonderfully with children and adults. She has a beautiful medium golden color and the beginnings of light cream feathers. At her health check, she weighed in at 35 pounds.