Dakota 13-138

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Profile

Sponsored by:

Tina, Mike, Quila (12 years young!) and Reyka (2 years)

Please welcome Dakota to the RAGOM family! Dakota is a 9 year old red PB Golden who has spent her whole life working in a breeding operation being a mommy. She is ready to retire and begin living the good life. We took her to the Vet yesterday. She was heartworm free and her blood work was excellent. Dr. Jean said that she is at a good weight for a girl her age (65 lbs), has good teeth. and a nice coat. We're treating her for hook worms and some other parasites as well as an ear infection but these can be easily cured. We will be bringing her back in to be spayed next week.Dakota came to us a week ago as a very scared girl, having likely never left her home in her life, never ridden in a car, never been in a house, or interacted so much with humans 24/7. Our job is to help her turn this from a scary situation into a fun adventure.Already we can see her come out of her shell a little bit every day. She didn't know what treats were for so when we would offer her one she would sniff but then turn her head away. Of course our RD figured out this pattern quickly and would come over and scoop up the extra treat! Yesterday she still turned her head but brought Harley up short with a quick little growl when he got close. He backed right off and she proceeded to eat her first treat and gave us a big smile.We don't know a lot yet about the real Dakota - the girl who is just beginning to emerge. Here is what we do think we know so far:- Dakota is afraid of many things, loud noises, quick movements, unfamiliar objects. The one thing she is not afraid of is interaction with people. She must have been treated kindly in her past life as she has no fear of touching, petting, scritchies, etc. She's a real sweetie. We can see her growing in confidence, bit by bit, every day.- She gets along well with our resident dog (an eleven year old neutered male GR) and our two cats. She ignores the cats but has no problem with them getting close and they have no fear of her. From what we know right now we believe that she will need a confident dog in her forever home.- She has had no accidents in the house. Because she has been an outside dog we have been taking her outside every few hours.She does fine for 8 hours at night. We've been gone for 2 1/2 hours without any problems. She was very afraid of her kennel so we have given her free roam with our resident dog and she has not had any problems. She starts the night on a rug in the living room but ends up on her dog bed in our bedroom by morning.- She survived a house full of people over the Memorial Day Weekend, including 4 dog-savvy kids (ages 8 - 13). For now she has her safe places in the house but comes out when something interesting is going on.We know we're in for a lot of adventures over the coming weeks and we'll let you know all about them. Stay tuned!

At a Glance #13-138

Golden Retriever Born: May 2004
Female 75 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Sponsored by:

Tina, Mike, Quila (12 years young!) and Reyka (2 years)

Please welcome Dakota to the RAGOM family! Dakota is a 9 year old red PB Golden who has spent her whole life working in a breeding operation being a mommy. She is ready to retire and begin living the good life. We took her to the Vet yesterday. She was heartworm free and her blood work was excellent. Dr. Jean said that she is at a good weight for a girl her age (65 lbs), has good teeth. and a nice coat. We're treating her for hook worms and some other parasites as well as an ear infection but these can be easily cured. We will be bringing her back in to be spayed next week.Dakota came to us a week ago as a very scared girl, having likely never left her home in her life, never ridden in a car, never been in a house, or interacted so much with humans 24/7. Our job is to help her turn this from a scary situation into a fun adventure.Already we can see her come out of her shell a little bit every day. She didn't know what treats were for so when we would offer her one she would sniff but then turn her head away. Of course our RD figured out this pattern quickly and would come over and scoop up the extra treat! Yesterday she still turned her head but brought Harley up short with a quick little growl when he got close. He backed right off and she proceeded to eat her first treat and gave us a big smile.We don't know a lot yet about the real Dakota - the girl who is just beginning to emerge. Here is what we do think we know so far:- Dakota is afraid of many things, loud noises, quick movements, unfamiliar objects. The one thing she is not afraid of is interaction with people. She must have been treated kindly in her past life as she has no fear of touching, petting, scritchies, etc. She's a real sweetie. We can see her growing in confidence, bit by bit, every day.- She gets along well with our resident dog (an eleven year old neutered male GR) and our two cats. She ignores the cats but has no problem with them getting close and they have no fear of her. From what we know right now we believe that she will need a confident dog in her forever home.- She has had no accidents in the house. Because she has been an outside dog we have been taking her outside every few hours.She does fine for 8 hours at night. We've been gone for 2 1/2 hours without any problems. She was very afraid of her kennel so we have given her free roam with our resident dog and she has not had any problems. She starts the night on a rug in the living room but ends up on her dog bed in our bedroom by morning.- She survived a house full of people over the Memorial Day Weekend, including 4 dog-savvy kids (ages 8 - 13). For now she has her safe places in the house but comes out when something interesting is going on.We know we're in for a lot of adventures over the coming weeks and we'll let you know all about them. Stay tuned!

Updates

Thursday, January 16, 2014

As Dakota’s new “forever family” (forever dad) I’m so happy to provide the first official update since the date of adoption last month (12/16!).

Our very first comment though has to be one of extreme thanks to all those that helped Dakota find us and helped us find Dakota.  We recognize the caring efforts of Dakota’s foster family (thanks Mike and Rosemary—they are now our new forever friends), Dakota’s supporters, the RAGOM administrative staff including Cheryl our placement advisor and Tracey (and her loyal dog, Stanley), our home visit guests.

Our very second comment though has to be about what a remarkable dog and noble animal Dakota is.  She will be known to us as the most incredible dog ever!

A Health update – once her ear medicine ran out, Dakota’s infection came back right away so we’re finishing up a new regimen.  Dakota gets a liver treat after each application which she absolutely adores. Teeth cleaning will be next up.

Well, Dakota continues to teach us so much, I’d best give her a turn at the computer to explain what’s happened over the last month and in her own words as she so aptly has done throughout her foster.  Dakota….?


Hi, Dakota here!  My new mom & dad and boy tell me that since not everyone knows who they are that I should introduce them.  Well OK.  Mom tells me I don’t have to ever be afraid of going to the vet because she’s my new doctor (even though I really liked my previous doctor I always have worries about traveling)!  Phew!  Even so, she says all the nice people at Southview really want to see me (that sort of makes me blush).  My dad seems to be a pretty nice guy because when he works from home he lets me help him—I’ll snuggle near his feet while he works at the computer and while he takes calls and he sure does an awful lot of both (he’ll also pet and hug me between calls just to let me know how valuable I am to his work).  My new boy is a high school senior football player, boy he’s big and he says he likes me especially because my name reminds him of where he’ll go to college in the fall (North Dakota).

   

The day my foster mom and dad dropped me off (only I didn’t realize that I was going to be dropped off even though I sort of suspected something was up because I was seeing an awful lot of the people I now live with, but I wished I’d been braver about waving a paw), was very hectic but I soon settled in.  My family has an indoor tree that they put on lights and things they call ornaments.  I really like that and never saw an indoor tree before so sometimes I just look at it and sleep by it when my people are somewhere else.  Here’s a picture of me by the tree.

   

My new people tell me that they really wanted a dog just like me because they had another dog that looked like me that went to the rainbow bridge suddenly and unexpectedly about a month before I came to live with them.  I’m told that Rocky was a RAGOM dog, too, and he lived with them for over 13 years.  Well, they wanted me to see what Rocky looked like so here’s a picture in December 2010.  Note the indoor tree in the background, too—I think we are very similar in tastes.

Adjusting to life here has been my primary goal and there is a lot of training my new people need.  First, they have to learn to walk me on the left side of the street (can you imagine walking on the right side of the street, how can cars see you??), next, I like to go out back at night and tunnel into the snow and build a snow bed (the first time I did that they couldn’t find me out back and looked and looked—I had fun watching them from my snow bed but they say they were so worried about me that now I’m wearing a glow collar outdoors at night just to be “on the safe side.”  Not as much fun for me but I’m OK if they like it.  I wear the glow collar on walks, too---just in case, and I love my walks even though my new mom/dad made me wear a coat and booties when the extreme cold temperatures hit.)

That’s all for now but I’ll update you all more soon!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Hi everybody – Dakota here. It’s been a while since I last wrote to you so I wanted to give you a little update. I had a great time over Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day Harley and I went with FM and FD down to Mankato to see my four buddies (FM calls them the grandkids). In spite of the noise and all the people I had a good time but was ready for bed when I got home. Friday thru Tuesday I got to go to Shannon’s house and hang out with her and Kyah for a few days while FM and FD went to the Cities.  Shannon is really nice and Kyah was great – she was really laid back and let me do my thing. I don’t think I did my usually grrring thing when I first met her! I followed her around and learned lots of new stuff.

Well, I made it to my third Meet and Greet Event – this time in a place called Burnsville. Each time I go things are getting a little bit less overwhelming. My best buddy Harley has been going with me and this makes me feel a little better. There are still so many dogs, so much noise, and so many people that it gets to me after a while and, by the end, I have to admit I am a little bit cranky because it takes so much energy to try to be a brave girl and be on my best behavior.

I absolutely LOVE the attention that I get from the humans but it’s just so hard for me to meet so many dogs, so quickly. I like to have a little time and a little space when I meet four leggers. I have to tell you that I met some really nice people at the Meet and Greet. FM and FD told me afterward not to get too excited yet, but I am excited.

 Much as I love FM and FD I think I’m ready for my own forever family! Here’s a picture of me at the Meet and Greet (some guy in a red suit named Santa Claus is standing behind me).

That’s about all for now. FM and FD have been telling me about Christmas. I’m really looking forward to seeing a Christmas tree and to be spending the time indoors in front of my very own fireplace.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Dakota the Approved Ramp Dog

 

Hi everyone, this is Dakota. Here’s how it happened. My foster brother, Harley, turned 12 this month. For some reason this seemed to send FM and FD into a tizzy. I heard them telling each other that Harley was getting a bit stiffer in the joints now and that they should buy a ramp so that he could get into and out of the car without risking pulled muscles or a twisted ankle. Sure enough one day last week a big package was delivered to the house (Harley and I barked so loud that the delivery guy just dropped it at the door and left!).

When FM and FD got home and opened it, sure enough it was a "Tri-fold Portable Dog Ramp With a Roughened Surface For Dog Safety". FD and Harley went out to the garage to set it up and try it out. They came back in a few minutes and Harley was really embarrassed. Harley, who isn’t afraid of anything or anybody, said that he was so frightened on the ramp that he couldn’t use it. In my gentle way I told them that I’d show him how to do it but FD said no way because I’m scared of everything at first and I’d just make Harley worse. So every day FD and Harley would go out to the garage by themselves (FD with his pocket full of dog-treats) and he and Harley would practice using the ramp. Finally FD told us that Harley had finally figured out how to use it and wasn’t scared anymore.

Last Saturday morning FM and FD said that we were all going to a Meet and Greet at the Petco store in Coon Rapids. We all headed out to the car and there was the "Tri-fold Portable Dog Ramp With a Roughened Surface For Dog Safety" – all set up and ready for Harley. With a bit of pushing and shoving (and the promise of a treat) Harley finally went up the ramp. As FD was getting ready to fold it up and stow it in the car I raised my head and said: "wait just a minute, I’ll show you what a brave, smart girl like me can do". I headed to the car and walked right up the ramp and into the back – with no practice, no treat, and no fear!


Ramp Girl getting into car

FM is always telling me that people out there look for my updates on the RAGOM website and are maybe thinking about being my forever family. Well, if you’ve been thinking about it, maybe this is the push you need. If you have a ramp already (or have always wanted to have a ramp at your house) then I’m just the girl you’ve been looking for. I’m good with older kids (10+) and cats. I do need a medium or large confident dog but don’t need a fenced in yard as long as I get my walks. And now, most importantly, I am officially RAMP APPROVED! If I can do ramps what else is there to stop me from doing whatever you need your forever dog to do? Who could ask for anything more? Please ask your Placement Advisor if you can talk to FM and FD about me. You’ll be glad you did!


Ramp Girl and Harley in car (I’m on your right)

Saturday, November 9, 2013

 

Hi, Dakota here again. Brrrrrrr…the weather is sure starting to get cold! I’m starting to understand why dogs want to live the “golden life”. It is SO NICE to go out on my walks and then be able to come inside and curl up on my rug. My favorite spot in the TV room is right in front of what FD calls the gas fireplace and is it ever cozy. FM says that we will soon also start to have fires in the wood fireplace upstairs and guess where my rug is! This is the first time in my life I have a “warm” option to choose from.

 

 

FD here….Dakota continues to do well and continues to take baby steps each day toward being the happy, confident dog she wants to be. This week she is starting to become more interested in what is going on in the outside world. We heard a low growl the other day and there was Dakota at the window staring intently at a chipmunk eating at the bird feeder. In her five months with us this was a first.

Dakota loves her routines. She will do her best, we think, with a family that leads a relatively structured life. She has had free roam from day one and has always done well. She has no separation anxiety or resource guarding. She is cat tested and approved. She needs time and space to get used to new situations in her life (new dogs especially) but she will soon adjust. A confident resident dog is a must but she will not need a fenced yard if she gets her walks every day for exercise. 

 

 

Dakota will be at PETCO in Coon Rapids next Saturday (November 16th) would be a great time for you to come and meet her if you have an interest. If you can’t make it please contact your Placement Advisor if you’d like to learn more about this sweet girl.

 

Monday, October 14, 2013

Dakota had a good week. The highlight of her day (other than her walks of course!) is becoming family time in the TV room downstairs. After the dishes are done and the dogs have a quick trip outside the whole family (FD, FM, 2 cats, Harley, and Dakota) troops down to the TV room. 

 

For the first time this past week Dakota really bought into the program. She will now run to the stairs to be first or second to go down. Once there she has started (tentatively) to play with toys as well as to roll on her back on the carpet. We looked up once and there she was carrying a small book across the room. This was the first time we had to tell her to drop something!

 

Here she is with just a hint of her playful smile – “I think I’m going to surprise them again with the new things I’m learning to do!” 

 

If you’re looking for an entertainer for your next party Dakota is probably not the dog for you but if you are look for a quiet companion with a sometimes sly sense of humor Dakota is your girl. Let your placement advisor know if you are interested. We’d love to talk with you.

Friday, October 4, 2013

What I Did On My Fall Vacation

by Dakota

Hi Everyone,

The last few weeks have really been busy ones for me.  FM and FD went on a 12 day vacation.  When I heard that they were going away and that I was going to someone else’s house I’ll have to admit that I got pretty worried.  It was hard enough for me to come here four months ago and now I’d have to go somewhere else?!!?  WOW.  And to top that off I had another big worry too.  I hate to admit it but I have trouble riding in the car – I mean I can ride just fine and I sleep or look out the windows but, sooner or later, I get car sick.  How was I going to manage the trip so that I’d meet the new dogs looking and smelling like the cute girl I normally am?

Luckily for me FM and FD had been working with Dr. Jean on a plan for my car-sickness.  After trying a couple of treatments that didn’t work they gave me some Dramamine (Bonine) pills cleverly hidden inside my favorite treats.  Guess what – they really worked!  I made it all the way to and from Barry’s house without a problem.

Barry’s place turned out to be pretty neat.  It is way out in the country with lots of great views and different smells than I’ve been used to lately.  Barry had a whole crew of dogs to welcome me.  Ziggy is the head dog.  She seemed pretty calm – at least compared to the other two – Charlie and Shep.  They were quite the pair.  At first I just didn’t know what to do with all of their attention.  I’ll have to admit that I got a bit snarky with all three of them – especially Charlie.  Later, when I realized that Charlie has trouble with his eyes and doesn’t see very well I felt bad about that.  I think Charlie forgave me but I don’t know if Shep ever got over being just a little bit afraid of me.  As I usually do, it took a couple of days for me to get my golden confidence back and I think I was pretty good after that.  Here’s a picture of me (on your left) with my new friends Charlie and Shep when FM and FD came to take me home.  Shep is a bit of a goofball – you can see Shep’s head peering around FM’s leg in the right of the picture.

I was glad when FM and FD came back to pick me up but I’ll miss Barry and the dogs.  I learned some good things too.  I learned that I can adjust to new situations, people, and animals.  It still takes me a little while but I know I can do it!  I found out that, with my pills, I can now go on car rides.  FM says that means that we can start going to Meet and Greets where maybe I will meet my forever family.  Meeting lots of people still sounds a little scary but I think I can do it.

I was really happy to be home after all that excitement – with foster brother Harley and foster cat sisters Twinkle and Sweet Pea.  Here is another picture of me, or actually of my nose (you can just see my nose in the middle of the picture between Harley and Twinkle).  I wanted to show you one of the lessons I learned at Barry’s.  I learned that if I want all the golden attention I deserve I have to shove my nose right into the pile to make sure that I get everything that’s coming to me. 

Whew, this is more than I’ve ever written before!  Thanks for reading about me.

FD here – It’s been a good couple of weeks for Dakota.  She didn’t tell you but we found out that she had picked up a toy and carried it around for a while at Barry’s.  We gave her a rolled up pair of FM’s socks this morning and she carried them off to a corner and promptly chewed a big hole in one of the socks.  This was the first time since she has been with us that she has shown any interest in toys so it was off to the store this morning to get her some dog toys of her own.

We think that Dakota is ready to take the big step to her forever home.  She will need to find the right, relatively quiet environment with another (confident) dog in order to thrive.  Running and serious playing is not really her thing so while a fenced in yard would be nice we think that she would be just fine getting her primary exercise on walks (she loves her walks).  With Dakota it is many small steps vs. big breakthroughs.  It will take time and patience on your part but the satisfaction you’ll get in seeing her progress can’t be beat.  Please let your placement advisor know if you would like to meet this great little girl.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

 

FM here.  We have had Dakota living with us for a couple of months now and have seen a lot of improvement.  She is eating regularly, is totally house trained (she did that herself), absolutely no accidents.  She sleeps the whole night, sometimes on the floor in various places, sometimes on her or our Resident Dog’s (RD) bed (RD doesn’t mind).  She has the run of the house.  She and RD have been left for 8 hours and she is fine. She has started to go down stairs with us, but still needs a lot of encouragement for that.  She is a good walker on a flat collar, she does not pull and frequently the leash is loose.  She tends to keep pace with her other walkers.  She gets along well with new people after she has had a while to get used to them.  Kids are ok but she takes longer to feel at ease with them than adults.  She likes walking with a kid though, because then she gets to run.  She has discovered treats and will take them out of my hand and now will occasionally take them from other people. She has had two visiting dogs (Stella 13-172), for a long weekend and Tessa (13-217) for an overnight (while she was being transferred to her foster) and while Dakota was aloof at first, she got along with both girls.  Oh yes, she is getting into the car now on her own without RD going first.  

 Dakota went to the groomer yesterday and oh, is she pretty!!  

 

 

In all this gal has come a long way.  She should have some obedience training (we are working on come).  I think a fenced yard would be nice, but not necessary.  She is on leash whenever she is outside and is ok with that.  She mostly ignores cats except when one of them gets too close and she grrr’s, but they just give her wide berth.  She has been getting better in the car and Dr. Jean gave us a homeopathic solution to give her before car rides to see if it helps with her car sickness.  She will need to be in a home with a confident dog to take her cues from.

 

Yesterday, on our walk, a young girl on a scooter came past us and she froze, then quickly recovered, so yes, there is still work to be done, but this lady is so worth it.  

 

If you are interested in talking more about adding this girl to your family please contact your placement advisor.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

 

Hi everyone, this is Harley. Mom and Dad said that I could write about Dakota in this update. I’m an experienced 11 year old dog. When Dakota came to my house Mom and Dad started calling me their "Resident Dog" (RD). They said that my new job was helping Dakota learn the ropes about living with people. I’m a RAGOM guy myself so I know what a good deal I’ve got going!

Dakota was a pretty scared girl when she came to our house. I’ve been trying to teach her everything she needs to know but it’s been hard work. Finally, I think she is starting to figure it out. Last week we started going on walks together. After never leaving our yard for four weeks Dakota and I are now taking two half-mile walks a day! I’d like to go even farther and I think she will too when she gets into better shape! I’m very proud that I’ve taught her the proper technique for getting Mom and Dad off their butts to take us out. Here’s Dakota working the plan:

 

Give them the "look" – they’ll fall for it nearly every time

 

 

Head right to the door so they can’t possibly miss the message (you’d be surprised how dense some people can be!)

 

Walk in tandem with me – they think it looks better that way
(by the way I’m the big handsome guy on the left and Dakota is the red haired cutie on the right)

 

Enjoy! (always walk with a smile on your face so they know how much you like it)

 

 

I think that the light bulb has gone on with Dakota this last week. She walks around (like I do) with a smile on her face. We both go together to check out every noise and everything that is going on in the house. She’ll go to Mom and Dad for pets and scritchies. I don’t like that sometimes she squeezes in front of me to get attention but I do like it that she’s becoming a fun dog to hang around with.

I’ve got to go – nap time (again). I’m sure I’ll talk with you again soon.

FD here…..We think that Dakota has made a huge amount of progress this week. Now that she will walk and get the exercise she needs she seems a much happier dog. We’ve had assorted people and dogs visiting over the holiday and, while still shy, she now will slowly approach visitors for pets and attention. She has no problem with the visiting dogs and our two resident cats.

We all survived the booms and bangs of the fourth pretty well. Dakota was not bothered by the noises when she was inside the house but was a bit apprehensive when she was outside. Her curiosity is now coming out as she gets more confident. She, with RD’s help, has taken the stairs up and down a couple of times now. Car rides are a bit of a problem because she gets car sick. We think that she just needs some more practice. Next week we’re going to go on some short rides to some fun places (other than the Vet’s!).

She has her good days and her better days. It’s a joy and a privilege to watch this girl come out of her shell. More to come!

Here’s what we think Dakota will need in her forever home:

Another confident dog (she definitely looks for and takes her cues from our RD).

A quiet home environment. While she has done well with visiting children, unexpected noises and quick movements do tend to startle her. A single or couple with older dog-savvy (teen age) children or without kids would be great.

She doesn’t need a fenced yard but because of her breeder background she should be on a tie out or under your control at all times. She loves her walks and can get the exercise she needs without needing a large running space.

Dakota is still a work in progress but there is no doubt that she is a super sweet girl who we think is going to become even more affectionate as she gains more confidence. She will flourish in a quiet environment. If you think that Dakota might be the right dog for you please let your Placement Advisor know. We would be glad to talk with you about this beautiful girl.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Hi, it’s me – Dakota.  FM and FD showed me the computer in the bedroom.  Normally I’d be too scared to use it but they’ve left me alone and shut the doors (just like they do when I eat).  I’m not so scared sometimes if I can be by myself and can take some time to figure things out.  They told me I could write for my website.  They said that people like to read about how every RAGOM dog is doing.

 

Well, I don’t know about the other dogs but moving in with FM and FD was a BIG change for me.  When I was a breeder dog I knew where and what everything was for.  I’m 9 years old and was one of the oldest dogs there.  Dogs and pups looked to me to find out what to do.  My new home is so much different – I don’t know anything here.  Everything is new to me – new noises, new things, new people, and sometimes I get pretty scared.  And I should tell you about the other people and animals here – I think they’ve put me in the “old folk’s home”!  Harley, my foster (dog) brother, is 11 years old.  My two foster (cat) sisters are also both 11.  I’m far too polite to mention the ages of FM and FD but let’s just say that what hair FD still has left is pure white!  It’s been a long time since I’ve been the new dog who didn’t know anything and it’s been a bit hard to get used to.

I feel bad that I don’t always know what to do here and that I am afraid of a lot of things.  Harley tells me that I shouldn’t worry about it and things will keep getting better but it will just take time.  We were out on the deck this morning and FD came up to the gate to see how we were doing.  Harley, like he always does, went bounding to FD because he knew he’d get his ears rubbed.  I’ve been too shy to go to the gate but an ear rub today really, really, really looked like a good thing.  So I ever so slowly walked up and stood next to Harley so that I got my ears rubbed too.  Then Harley got jealous so FD could only rub one of my ears at a time because he had to rub Harley’s with the other but even one ear rub feels really good.

Another thing I like is smiling.  One day last week after breakfast I felt so good that I gave FM and FD a little tail wag and flashed my smile.  It cracked me up that when I smiled at them they smiled back at me.  I’ve found that if I smile they smile.  It also works the other way.  FM will smile at me and most of the time I can’t help it and I smile back. 

 

I discovered that I also kind of like baths.  FD has to lift me into the tub but once I get in there I love the warm water, the suds, and the rub, rub, rubbing I get.  My coat is really starting to look nice!  When we're done I'm able to jump out all by myself because I know we get to go to the deck and use the hair dryer and comb.  Here's a picture of me in the tub.

 

Well, I hear the door opening.  FD must want to use the computer.  I think I’ll try to do this again sometime.  Thanks for reading what I wrote.

 

FD here…..Dakota is a joy to have around.  She had her spay surgery last Friday and recovered well.  She took a few steps backwards following the surgery but she bounced back much faster than she originally did.  They say two steps forward and one back which is really true.  Dr. Jean had been a bit concerned about what felt like a possible mass when she examined Dakota prior to the surgery.  However it turned out to be part of the uterus which had thickened and hardened.  She said that this was nothing to be concerned about.

 

Each day seems to bring positive changes.  Dakota is now very interested in what goes on in the kitchen.  She will still not go in to see for herself but will station herself “near” the kitchen and watch very carefully what is happening.  We’re working to find high value treats that will really motivate her as we want to work on her confidence in walking with us so that she can get more exercise.  Our four grandkids were here for the weekend and Dakota was much more comfortable with this, their second visit.  She has also met one of the neighbor dogs up close and personal with no problems at all.

We’ll keep you up to date with her progress.