Emma 15-048

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Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
3/7/2015 Required Age 10+ Not Required Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Have you ever wondered to yourself "Hmmm, I really want to own a polar bear, but bears aren't very nice"?  Well, look no further!  Sweet little Emma is fluffier than a bear, sweeter than a bear, smaller than a bear, and won't come looking for your food in the middle of the night (Well, we can't guarantee that last part)!

Emma the sweet little puppy has come a long way to be here!  She is originally from Alabama, believe it or not.  She is believed to be a Christmas present gone wrong- someone gave (a much tinier) Emma as a gift for Christmas, and was promptly released to the streets.  Volunteers in the area spent weeks looking for an owner to step up and claim her, but alas, no owners were found.  So, a wonderful volunteer took her in to take care of her.

A few days later, little Emma was in the bathtub, and suddenly got very, very sick.  The volunteer, thankfully, immediately knew something was wrong and brought her to a veterinary clinic to get some answers.  After quite some time passed and much sickness, Emma was diagnosed with Parvo, a deadly illness in puppies.  The volunteer was devoted to saving Emma, so she slowly nursed her back to health, beating the Parvo virus!!! Emma is now a very healthy puppy, thanks to her wonderful foster mom in Alabama.

Emma was then healthy enough to make her venture up to Minnesota, where she is now looking for her forever home.  She is now current on all vaccines, and will be going in for her spay surgery on March 16 .

Enough with the medical nightmare- let's get to Emma's wonderful personality! "Marshmallow, polar bear, fluff, bear" all come to mind- with a very gentle and mellow soul.  They're guessing she's about 5 months old- she is losing puppy teeth and loves to chew.  So far, she's been chewing on appropriate things, like rope toys and balls.  She also loves to play with my resident dog, Sadie.  The vet (and I as well) think that she is a very mellow dog, despite her age.  She is 95% potty trained (once you know her cues and take her out on a routine basis).  She loves to cuddle while watching tv, and she loves to giddily romp around the yard- not fast, though.  There's a lot of dog to move when she runs!  They're guessing she'll be a petite Great Pyrenees at about 90-100 lbs when fully grown (and it's debatable whether she is all Great Pyrenees or a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix...)  She is also working on crate training- she will not go in on command, but she will happily stay in the crate while I'm at work and overnight (with about 2 minutes of whining initially).

One thing she loves, possibly more than life itself: WATER.  Boy, does this girl love water.  She lives and breathes (well, she wishes she could) water.  She is learning commands, such as sit and lay down.  Also, the command "wait" is on the to-do list, as I need some sort of relief from storming the water or food dish!

Please keep in mind- she is a puppy!  Puppies are a lot of work, especially in the first year.  She is going to need consistent training to become the best dog she can be.  However- she is SO worth the effort.  She will give you years of love!  If you think you can handle loving up this sweet little polar  bear Emma, please contact your Placement Adviser- she would love to get to know you!

At a Glance #15-048

Mixed Breed Born: October 2014
Female 35 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
3/7/2015 Required Age 10+ Not Required Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Have you ever wondered to yourself "Hmmm, I really want to own a polar bear, but bears aren't very nice"?  Well, look no further!  Sweet little Emma is fluffier than a bear, sweeter than a bear, smaller than a bear, and won't come looking for your food in the middle of the night (Well, we can't guarantee that last part)!

Emma the sweet little puppy has come a long way to be here!  She is originally from Alabama, believe it or not.  She is believed to be a Christmas present gone wrong- someone gave (a much tinier) Emma as a gift for Christmas, and was promptly released to the streets.  Volunteers in the area spent weeks looking for an owner to step up and claim her, but alas, no owners were found.  So, a wonderful volunteer took her in to take care of her.

A few days later, little Emma was in the bathtub, and suddenly got very, very sick.  The volunteer, thankfully, immediately knew something was wrong and brought her to a veterinary clinic to get some answers.  After quite some time passed and much sickness, Emma was diagnosed with Parvo, a deadly illness in puppies.  The volunteer was devoted to saving Emma, so she slowly nursed her back to health, beating the Parvo virus!!! Emma is now a very healthy puppy, thanks to her wonderful foster mom in Alabama.

Emma was then healthy enough to make her venture up to Minnesota, where she is now looking for her forever home.  She is now current on all vaccines, and will be going in for her spay surgery on March 16 .

Enough with the medical nightmare- let's get to Emma's wonderful personality! "Marshmallow, polar bear, fluff, bear" all come to mind- with a very gentle and mellow soul.  They're guessing she's about 5 months old- she is losing puppy teeth and loves to chew.  So far, she's been chewing on appropriate things, like rope toys and balls.  She also loves to play with my resident dog, Sadie.  The vet (and I as well) think that she is a very mellow dog, despite her age.  She is 95% potty trained (once you know her cues and take her out on a routine basis).  She loves to cuddle while watching tv, and she loves to giddily romp around the yard- not fast, though.  There's a lot of dog to move when she runs!  They're guessing she'll be a petite Great Pyrenees at about 90-100 lbs when fully grown (and it's debatable whether she is all Great Pyrenees or a Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix...)  She is also working on crate training- she will not go in on command, but she will happily stay in the crate while I'm at work and overnight (with about 2 minutes of whining initially).

One thing she loves, possibly more than life itself: WATER.  Boy, does this girl love water.  She lives and breathes (well, she wishes she could) water.  She is learning commands, such as sit and lay down.  Also, the command "wait" is on the to-do list, as I need some sort of relief from storming the water or food dish!

Please keep in mind- she is a puppy!  Puppies are a lot of work, especially in the first year.  She is going to need consistent training to become the best dog she can be.  However- she is SO worth the effort.  She will give you years of love!  If you think you can handle loving up this sweet little polar  bear Emma, please contact your Placement Adviser- she would love to get to know you!

Updates

Sunday, September 6, 2015

This will be Emma's final update.Emma is what we affectionately refer to in rescue terms as a foster failure. She is furever home. In the weeks that have passed since her previous update, the chemistry between her and her two resident foster sisters has been inspiring to watch evolve. It is undeniable in the eyes of many friends, acquaintances and collegues that the bond that has grown between the three companions has been immensely beneficial to each of them.

Emma came into RAGOM with several urgent concerns to address, and it has taken time and patience to sort all of these issues out. Which makes RAGOM such an exceptional organization in so many ways. Once a RAGOM dog, always a RAGOM dog. Emma is a perfect example of the dedication of many tireless volunteers giving of their time to see what a particular dog needs, and then providing the resources to meet those needs.

Emma arrived in the Twin Cities immediately post-parvovirus infection, only to be shortly thereafter diagnosed with psychogenic polydipsia. As RAGOM gave me the time to work with her on her water obsession, it became clearly evident that Emma had orthopedic issues as well. Emma was taken by referral to a vet with specialized training in orthopedic surgery, and after digital radiographs were taken, she was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans, a condition which results in cartilage damage. Because of RAGOM's commitment to its dogs, the organization has generously offered to provide surgery for Emma, under the skillful expertise of our very own Dr. Lara Rasmussen. After the damaged cartilage has been repaired, Emma should suffer no long-term impairment, and not have any recurring problems for the rest of her life. We are grateful to be extended this opportunity.

Emma is an exceptional canine and a remarkable companion.She brings so much joy and goodness to so many already. Because of this, I have chosen to make her a permanent member of our family, and her training has already begun towards following in her big fur sister's pawprints as a Pet Partners therapy dog, working with children with psychiatric concerns. She is a natural, and the need in this specific area is very great. From her RAGOM beginnings as a sick little puppy surrendered selflessly by a wonderful Good Samaritan in Alabama, to the halls of one of America's largest teaching and research hospitals seems like an impressive journey in and of itself, but for Emma, there is much healing to impart, and so her journey really is just beginning.

Thank you for following this chapter in Emma's life story. Rescue is full of so many unknowns, and yet we take one companion at a time, work with what we have been given, and advocate first and foremost in the best interest of that companion, and hope that we make the best possible decisions for each individual entrusted to our care and guardianship. It is an awesome and humbling responsibilty which offers rewards beyond measure.

Thank you for considering a rescue companion like Emma as the next member of your loving family.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

It has been too long since Emma's last update, and for that I apologize.  As I mentioned in her last update, Emma drinks and pees way too much water. We had hoped she had only had an urinary tract infection, but that has not proven to be the case.  As it turns out, Emma has an obsession with water that cannot be fixed.  As one vet told me, it has to do with the hardwiring in her head.  She was born with this, and there is no cure, so Emma is looking for a truly special family who will love her unconditionally, and be patient with her in managing this condition.  Emma cannot ever be allowed to just go get a drink of water by herself, as she cannot stop drinking on her own.  It is as if there is no "off switch" in her brain telling her she has had enough, and she should stop.  Emma will require someone to offer her water in small quantities several times a day, likely for the rest of her life.  This also means she will have to be let outdoors much more often than the average dog.Fortunately for Emma, she is one of the most happy-go-lucky, not-a-care-in-the-world puppies I have ever met.  She lives as though the world is one big, fun place, and she has no worries.  At a recent play and dinner date with another local RAGOM foster family, we decided that were she a human teenager about to be sent off to college, her grades would surely suffer!  She loves to have a good time wherever and whenever she can, and she is pure joy to be around.  She lights up the room just with her mere presence.  Not only is she bright and cheerful to a fault, but she is very intelligent, and there are times when I feel it is all I can do to stay one step ahead of her.  Great Pyrenees have a reputation for being willful, stubborn and independent, and Emma certainly helps to bolster that stereotype at times.  But that also means she definitely understands what is expected of her, and that she chooses, at times, when and where to obey her human's requests.  Having said that, she is still a puppy needing guidance and training as she matures through her puppy stages.  Sometimes I have to turn away to laugh inside, so as not to reinforce her obstinence.  Anyone who has to deal with a teenager should understand what I mean.  She is just trying to push the boundaries of what she thinks she can get by with, and as long as her safety is not at stake, there are times when I have to lose the battle to win the war.I get compliments on Emma virtually daily, and she goes with me many places.  I even had a woman stop her car in the middle of a parking lot just to tell me how stunningly beautiful she thought Emma was.  I also get many comments on how well-behaved she is, especially for being only seven months old.  We currently attend puppy kindergarten obedience classes together, and she is a very quick study.  She also towers over all of her classmates!  She now weighs 53 pounds, and she is only about halfway to her adult size.  Great Pyrenees puppies do not become physically mature until they are about two years old, so she has about 18 months longer to grow into her grownup body.In spite of her special care requirements, if you feel you would love to make Emma a permanent member of your family, I encourage you to contact your placement advisor.  I know there is an amazing family out there right now ready and willing to love her for all her quirks.  I would be overjoyed to keep her myself, as her personality far outshines her special challenges.Thanks for checking in on Emma, and please continue to follow her progress!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Emma has recently moved to Iowa City.She is thriving here,and fits in well with her foster family.She has four kitty siblings,whom she respects at all times,and two foster pup sisters.She absolutely adores her senior puppy mill dog foster sister the most.Maybe somehow she knows her foster sibling was really a mama.

Emma went to the vet for a checkup and shots last Friday.For the most part,she is fit as a fiddle,but we brought home some meds to put in her ears for a few weeks,and we are giving her a course of antibiotics for some possible urinary infection we aren't quite sure about yet.Emma drinks and pees way more than she should right now,so we are working to better figure that out.

Emma went to her first RAGOM Meet and Greet event at the Marion Petco last Saturday,and was a huge hit.Lots of people wanted to meet her.She loved all the attention,and was a tremendous crowd pleaser.Several people stopped to take her picture and ask questions about her.

We are working on all kinds of training issues,and not only is Emma very smart,but she is very eager to please.She defies the common notion that Great Pyrenees puppies are stubborn about learning to obey their humans requests.One of our biggest challenges right now is trying to break a nasty counter surfing habit.She thinks anything edible must surely be meant for her to sample.She is getting much better at walking on a leash,and if she had her way,we would walk several miles a day.Emma loves to follow her nose,and I have to be careful not to step on her when she darts across my path to track a scent.

Enjoy the photos from our recent debut public appearance,and please check back soon for updates on Emma's growth!