George 13-158

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Allow me to introduce George 13-158.  George just celebrated his 5th birthday on October 27.  He is a purebred English Cream and dare I say handsome as all get out.  George is neutered and up to date with all his vaccines, heartworm and flea/tick preventative.  He is getting drops in his ears for an infection.  His records indicate he may have had one, possibly two seizures over a couple years time, but he is not on any medication and has not had any seizures while we have had him, even under the stress of coming  to a new home.  George came to RAGOM when his previous owner made the very difficult decision to give him a happier life.  George lived with another dog that didn’t care for George very much.  He was a much loved companion who needed a home where he could relax and enjoy all the world has to give him.

Here is what I can share with you so far about George.  His first few nights were very difficulty.  He had a hard time relaxing and we spent most of the first two nights trying to get him to relax and sleep.  That was very understandable as he left a home he was familiar with and walked into our home with two dogs he didn’t know.  He grumbled at both of our dogs for the first few days but we had no major tifts.  He now seems to realize the dogs are not going to go after him as the grumbling has stopped.

By report he is crate trained, but it had been a while since he was in one and by day two, he had free roam of the house.  He is completely house trained and will pace and whine when he wants to go out.  He also is said not to like walks and will chew on his leash, but we have found that he does very well on the leash.  It is also reported that he gets along with cats.  He does like to be on bunny patrol in the back yard.

George has met our neighbor kids who are 8 and 10 and did very well with them along with some kids at our meet and greet.  George doesn’t really jump up and has a calm demeanor so I think he would do fine with younger kids.  He DOES think he is a lap dog from time to time and will try to crawl into your lap.  No counter surfing but he will come over to get a bit of peanut butter toast with the other dogs in the morning. 

I’ve seen no resource guarding with people.  He has guarded his food and toys when he first came with our other dogs.  Now he is fed in the same room with them and does fine.  He knows exactly which bowl is his and he leaves the others alone.  He is starting to share his toys with the other dogs.  He is still a bit skittish and won’t actually play with the other dogs.

He doesn’t like to go in the car.  He prefers to ride shotgun with you touching him.  He will eventually settle down and rest his head on your arm.  He rode perfectly in transport when someone was sitting with him in the back seat.  He just needs assurance and some confidence building.  It took him about 20 minutes to un-tuck his tail when we first got to our meet and greet and I was beginning to think we would have to leave.  As more people came to meet him he gradually relaxed, started wagging his tail and freely taking treats. 

George is going to need a home that understands he will need time to adjust to a new setting and time to build trust.  Once he has done that, the sky is the limit with him.  I think he would blossom in some training classes- that would really build his confidence.  He is quite happy just to lie next to you, paw you for some attention and lean in for all the scratches you will provide. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a Glance #13-158

Golden Retriever Born: October 2010
Male 70 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Allow me to introduce George 13-158.  George just celebrated his 5th birthday on October 27.  He is a purebred English Cream and dare I say handsome as all get out.  George is neutered and up to date with all his vaccines, heartworm and flea/tick preventative.  He is getting drops in his ears for an infection.  His records indicate he may have had one, possibly two seizures over a couple years time, but he is not on any medication and has not had any seizures while we have had him, even under the stress of coming  to a new home.  George came to RAGOM when his previous owner made the very difficult decision to give him a happier life.  George lived with another dog that didn’t care for George very much.  He was a much loved companion who needed a home where he could relax and enjoy all the world has to give him.

Here is what I can share with you so far about George.  His first few nights were very difficulty.  He had a hard time relaxing and we spent most of the first two nights trying to get him to relax and sleep.  That was very understandable as he left a home he was familiar with and walked into our home with two dogs he didn’t know.  He grumbled at both of our dogs for the first few days but we had no major tifts.  He now seems to realize the dogs are not going to go after him as the grumbling has stopped.

By report he is crate trained, but it had been a while since he was in one and by day two, he had free roam of the house.  He is completely house trained and will pace and whine when he wants to go out.  He also is said not to like walks and will chew on his leash, but we have found that he does very well on the leash.  It is also reported that he gets along with cats.  He does like to be on bunny patrol in the back yard.

George has met our neighbor kids who are 8 and 10 and did very well with them along with some kids at our meet and greet.  George doesn’t really jump up and has a calm demeanor so I think he would do fine with younger kids.  He DOES think he is a lap dog from time to time and will try to crawl into your lap.  No counter surfing but he will come over to get a bit of peanut butter toast with the other dogs in the morning. 

I’ve seen no resource guarding with people.  He has guarded his food and toys when he first came with our other dogs.  Now he is fed in the same room with them and does fine.  He knows exactly which bowl is his and he leaves the others alone.  He is starting to share his toys with the other dogs.  He is still a bit skittish and won’t actually play with the other dogs.

He doesn’t like to go in the car.  He prefers to ride shotgun with you touching him.  He will eventually settle down and rest his head on your arm.  He rode perfectly in transport when someone was sitting with him in the back seat.  He just needs assurance and some confidence building.  It took him about 20 minutes to un-tuck his tail when we first got to our meet and greet and I was beginning to think we would have to leave.  As more people came to meet him he gradually relaxed, started wagging his tail and freely taking treats. 

George is going to need a home that understands he will need time to adjust to a new setting and time to build trust.  Once he has done that, the sky is the limit with him.  I think he would blossom in some training classes- that would really build his confidence.  He is quite happy just to lie next to you, paw you for some attention and lean in for all the scratches you will provide. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updates

Friday, May 11, 2018

Our hearts are shattered today. We had to say good bye to our beloved George. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma - it was aggressive and very swift. 

George was our sweet, handsome boy. We were blessed to share his life for a short two years.

Our George was my shadow. He was happiest when schedules were routine and he could leisurely choose whether to take a nap next to me as I worked or chew on toys.

He enjoyed walks and the calming benefit of sniffing the network of scents on regular routes. He quickly discovered the benefit of having a Dad that kept the freezer stocked with wild game. Venison and elk were his favorites. 

George loved our sweet Copper. She was his mentor and his compass. When she passed in January of this year, George was a bit lost. 

In spite of our grief over the loss of our sweet George, we find comfort in the reunion George and Copper experienced today. Two incredibly beautiful souls we were blessed to love and nurture through the efforts of RAGOM. 

We love you George - see you in the next realm. 

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Guess what George found under the Christmas tree?   His very own forever family!  It’s the best Christmas present ever for this dear, sweet boy.  He will be spending Christmas, and the rest of his life, with the G family.  He not only gets new adoptive parents, but will have a fur sister, Copper (a former RAGOM girl) and a cat friend.  I’ve seen pictures of the squirrels that hang out at his new home and rumor has it there is a deer or two.  George hit the jackpot!  His new family has so much love for him.  A perfect match.  Going to miss you buddy, but this is exactly what you deserve. 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, November 30, 2015

Happy Holidays to all the George fans out there.  George survived Thanksgiving with all the extra company like a champ.  He even scored a bite of mashed potatoes that landed on the floor instead of the plate, his favorite part of the day.  George greeted all company with open paws and impressed upon them the need for all new people to pay attention to him.  He was wonderful with our three nieces, ages 8, 10 and 13.  However, he preferred to hang out with his buds and when he got tired of the commotion, he found refuge on our bed.

 

He also survived the dreaded Christmas decorating.  Curious, but respectful to the ornaments he assisted by just hanging out.  True to his Golden nature, he just needs to be where his people are.  After the events, he was just plain tired.  I’m sure there were visions of sugar plums going through his head, or at least turkey legs.  

 

George has so many great traits…House trained, free roam, non-destructive, calm nature, desires attention and affection in true golden form-the golden paw.  He has made progress on his leash.  We’ve walked him a mile and a half without anxiety.  Not sure if the other dogs give him re-assurance or if taking the same route has helped, maybe both, but he doesn’t mind the walks nearly as much as he did when he first arrived.  He still isn’t fond of car rides.  

 

He has not had another seizure that we are aware of since that first week.  Keeping his routine in check may help that as well.  His routine is simple.  Foster dad works from home, but is out of the house most mornings.  He is let out around noon and again when foster mom gets home around 5:00.  Meals are at 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.  He tries to get you up around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m. but a simple “lay down” settles him back down until 5:30.  If he barks, however, you know he really does need to go out.  He will spend as much time outside as you let him.  He loves the snow, birds, squirrels and rabbits.

 

All George wants for Christmas is his very own forever family.  Could you give him that present?  If so, contact your placement counselor.  

 

 

Monday, November 16, 2015

George has been with us for three weeks now and has settled in very well.  His demeanor is calm and his desire to be by his humans is strong.  He’s never very far and ready with his paw if he hasn’t had a pet in a while.  He’s as loving as he is handsome.

 

We do have a medical update for George.  We witnessed a seizure last week and brought him to the vet to look into it.  Blood work was negative, meaning there is no underlying cause for the seizures.  At this point, the vet has diagnosed it as idiopathic epilepsy meaning “unknown” cause.  Because his seizure was not severe and they are not occurring on a regular basis, we will just watch and follow along.  He does not require medications at this time.  Stress may be a factor.

We have also verified from previous reports that George does NOT like to go for walks.  He does fine on short walks, but he gets quite anxious when our walks are longer.  He starts to whine, jump up and nips at the leash or your arm.  We will continue with short walks, but George prefers to get his exercise in the back yard chasing squirrels, rabbits and stuffed toys. 

 

He has settled well with our resident dogs.  He still “talks” to our male dog if he walks by George when George is playing with a toy.  Bode is large, but he is quite and calm, so generally he and George do fine together.  He prefers to hang out with our quite female however.  The two of them can be found lying next to each other quite often.

 

So what is George looking for in his forever home?  

  Someone with patience to let him settle in

 A calmer environment to keep his seizures at bay

 Another dog is great, but one that is not assertive

 A yard to exercise in since walks aren’t his thing (fence, bunnies and squirrels preferred)

 A family that will indulge his need for frequent pets and lots of love