Finnbar had his 5th birthday on March 12th and has now spent one year in the RAGOM family.  It is a miracle to his current foster that this beautiful boy with the silky soft coat and adorable floppy ears has not been adopted.  He is everything any dog lover wants in a loyal, well behaved friend and household guardian.  He barks when the doorbell rings or when it's heard from the TV.  His bark is very loud and assertive.  He is very loving, wants to be by your side and gives affectionate kisses.  He does not have separation anxiety and is very comfy in his crate.  He enters his crate freely when asked, so his foster can run errands.  He sleeps in his crate at night and never complains or ever asks to be let out.  He respects his foster's personal stuff.  Finnbar loves to chew rawhides and it is his favorite treat.  During the day, he loves to lay on his foster's bed but has never jumped on the living room furniture.  Finnbar is great on a leash during his walks but should be kept under control when other dogs approach.  He gets excited and his playfulness is not always accepted by unknown approaching dogs.

Finnbar should be placed in a forever home that has a fenced yard, with no more than one other dog, and where children under ten years of age are not present.  Finnbar is a very curious dog who is always smiling and wagging his tail.  He will be easily loved and fit in well with the proper applicant.

Finnbar has had a very active and diverse winter.  He continues to meet new people and other dogs.  He is showing less and less anxiety in meeting "selected" males that he formerly would fear.  His selection criteria is unknown but he appears to be losing his fear more each day and week.

Finnbar met his sister, Janette 16-052, (renamed Alice by her adopter) in February on two occasions in a private, fenced-in dog exerise area along with her adopter and male friend.  After both visits, it was apparent that Finnbar is more advanced in his socialization than Alice.  They both accepted each other at first sight and there were no visible negative memories of each other from their hoarding house experiences before both were rescued in March, 2016.  This was great news and Finnbar looks forward to seeing her again soon.

Finnbar shares "treat time" with two female Goldens living in his foster neighborhood.  He has always accepted female humans and felines but has had acceptance issues with "selected" males (dogs and humans).

Finnbar meets his sister, Janette 16-052 (renamed "Alice" by adopter) and takes a kiss from his sister!  Alice is from the same rescue, SD-11, and is believed to be from the same biological parents but it's not known if they are from the same litter.

Finnbar and Alice pause, pose, and put paws down for a photo shoot.

Finnbar spent 18 days with two larger GR males as his foster went away on vacation.  He passed a major hurdle by showing he can get along with other male dogs.  He did display "mounting tendencies" and was slow to get the message from these two strong self-defending males.  Nobody got hurt and Finnbar's socialization has taken a huge step forward.

A very lucky dog lover will be blessed if approved to adopt this sweet, loving, smart dog.

Finnbar left the kennel on December 15th to join his new Foster parent.  A new location for him was a challenge he adjusted to quickly because he came to a home where his new foster lives alone and has stayed with him most of the time.  He is only crated for 1 to 4 hour time periods when his foster steps out.  There are no other pets at his new home.  Finnbar adapts best to an environment that is less chaotic.

Finnbar acted happy and playful from the first minute in the car to his arrival.  He is extremely alert and curious. He must sniff everything and will check out every object in his surroundings where ever he goes.  He loves companionship and is part Vizsla and part Lab retriever.  Vizsla's are known to be "Velcro" dogs, meaning that they will stick next to your side.  At first, he did not respect my personal space.  He was always too close to my face and would lay on top of me when on the bed watching TV.  I have used a stiff arm and the "back" command and he is learning to not lick my face or breathe the same air as much as it was at first.

Finnbar enjoyed watching another Vizsla romp!

Finnbar is smart and learned quickly how to "shake" hands.  He is totally motivated by food due to his past when he had to compete for food.  He loves rawhide or chew bones and I give him one each morning.  If he doesn't get one, he will come up to you and ask for one by pawing at you.

    
Rawhide delight each morning keeps him content if not jumping for joy!

He is so cute with those big brown eyes and his many facial expressions.  Finnbar never left my side for the first two weeks.  If I left the room, he followed, always.  In the last few days, he has started to leave the room on his own and come back 5 to 10 minutes later .  He absolutely loves to lay on the bed with me as he did with a previous foster who had him for six months.  He can sleep on the same bed or will sleep quietly in his crate which is in the bedroom.  He also enjoys long walks and acts very calm outside while using a harness leash.  He is an adorable, playful, happy and energetic dog that wants to please you and wants to love and be loved.

Finnbar's many expressions will melt your heart.  He is just a lover.

Those are the positives.  Finnbar's adopter needs to be aware of his history and learn that he is a reactive dog that has triggers that can cause him fear or anxiety or discomfort and that causes him to hide or growl.  He has been on anxiety medication and RAGOM personnel are trying to determine his long term needs.  Finnbar is unpredictable when meeting new dogs and new people. He seems to make his own choices on whom he will accept or be afraid of.  When he is afraid, if he is allowed some time to process his situation, he can settle down and become nonreactive. It's best to let him approach a new person instead of having them approach Finnbar. Limiting close range eye contact may also be helpful during a first encounter.  As stated previously, he is a fast learner and his domestication and social behavior are progressing each day and week as he grows and matures.

Finn is ready for Christmas and hopes to get a visit from Santa Dog! He would also like to thank Sam & Nikki for the winter mitten icon in memory of Hawk 08-372 , who recently went to the Rainbow Bridge. You know how to make a guy feel special!

Well, this is the first update of Mr. Finnbar since he came to our house two days ago. As you can see from the first picture, he has already found a bed to be comfortable on with one of our resident dogs, Finnegan. We also just cleaned the bathroom, well...I can say that I cleaned the bathroom and he watched!!! He is very curious and wants to know about everything. He loves to be outside, but he also loves to follow you around and make sure he does not miss anything or miss anybody. We have three Irish Setters and there have been no tussles yet, true only thing that I could foresee is that maybe over a toy, but that is something that I monitor and make sure that everyone has one to play with and sometimes even in separate corners. I will tell you that when we are watching TV or doing something in the living or dining room, he is usually right beside us and as I am typing this, he is standing under the table and is just chilling out. He is a sweetie, now he has parked himself on the floor. He loves to eat and owing to the fact that he was in a hoarding situation, he (and our resident dogs) are all fed in their kennels, that way it is safe for him and he doesn't feel threatened. He has gotten a lot better about eating as well, he does tend to gobble his food so I use one of the bowls that have pockets so he can eat slower. He likes being around his folks and also around the action!! I'll let him talk to you a little bit.

Hi folks, Finnbar here. I just got to the H house a few days ago. There is a lot of action around here as there are three other dogs in the house as well. I get along with all of them, but the senior female kind of ignores me anyway. We get along though. I get my own kennel and my own bowl and the other three dogs are great. There are two males and a female and we all get along. I know it takes awhile for everybody to get used to each other. I will tell you, that because I was from a really crowded situation where I came from, sometimes I need some reassurance that it will be okay. I get a little anxious, but I take some medication at night and after I take it, I get a treat so it's all good. We're going on a walk today, it's a nice day and it should be really fun. Well, that's all from here now, more in a few days.

 Happy Spring Finnbar! Love, your fur sister Cait 16-045!

 Happy Spring! So glad you are a Ragom Rescue now! Thank you SFHS for your efforts! From RD in SD

Mr Finn had surgery on Thursday. He was neutered and had his left canine tooth pulled. The tooth was broken and looked very painful even though he showed no sign of pain The vet showed me the tooth afterward and I was amazed at how big it was. There must have been about an inch of tooth in the gum.They told me to keep him quiet for a week and then allow more activity in the second week. I could NOT get Finn to read the instructions. So far I have prevented Finn and Herky from playing rough, but that is about it. Finn goes from 0 to 60 and does not have a slower speed. Even the night of the surgery he was pretty much unaffected by the day he had. Not groggy at all. I have attached a picture of him in a Kong collar that I hoped would keep him from licking. It did not do the trick, so he is wearing a fabric cone now. He is taking antibiotics and pain medication and needs to go back to the vet in a week to get the stitches in his mouth removed. Once that is done, his status will change to available, and he will be looking for his forever home!