Lucy 14-159

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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
 6/4/2014 Preferred   Age 4+ Optional  Not tested 
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Please welcome lovely nine year old Lucy to RAGOM.  She comes to us from a loving home where she had lived since a puppy. Sadly, the surrendering owner's wife passed away this past winter and the owner's work kept him working very long days. This left Lucy alone for long periods of time. He wants Lucy, who he describes as "the best dog I've ever come across in my life", to have a better quality of life than what she has now. At the recommendation of his veterinarian he placed a call to RAGOM and Lucy is now safely placed with us and being welcomed into the RAGOM community.

Lucy is a medium sized dog weighing 61 pounds. Her mother was a border collie and her father a flat haired black retriever. The result is an intelligent, lively and sweet-natured dog who seems much younger than her actual age. She has a beautiful soft, silky black coat with one white spot on her chest. She is a bit barrel shaped through the torso and needs to lose 5-10 pounds. She has been dieting since the day after she arrived and is doing very well with having some of her kibble replaced by green beans.

She went for her wellness examination on June 9th and, except for 2 items which need a closer look, is in excellent health.

  1. There is a small hard lump near her left ear. On July 8th   Lucy will have minor surgery to remove the lump and it will be sent to a pathology lab for evaluation.
  2. At the same time she will have her teeth cleaned and special attention will be paid to some broken crowns to see if infection has developed and if needed, extractions  will be done

That's it. Assuming all is well with the pathology report, she will be ready to go home with adopters...after a brief recovery period.

Lucy gets along with children very well. She still is anxious from the big changes in her life, so more on Lucy in the next update. She has made extraordinary progress in just this first week.

At a Glance #14-159

Mixed Breed Born: January 2005
Female 65 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
 6/4/2014 Preferred   Age 4+ Optional  Not tested 
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Please welcome lovely nine year old Lucy to RAGOM.  She comes to us from a loving home where she had lived since a puppy. Sadly, the surrendering owner's wife passed away this past winter and the owner's work kept him working very long days. This left Lucy alone for long periods of time. He wants Lucy, who he describes as "the best dog I've ever come across in my life", to have a better quality of life than what she has now. At the recommendation of his veterinarian he placed a call to RAGOM and Lucy is now safely placed with us and being welcomed into the RAGOM community.

Lucy is a medium sized dog weighing 61 pounds. Her mother was a border collie and her father a flat haired black retriever. The result is an intelligent, lively and sweet-natured dog who seems much younger than her actual age. She has a beautiful soft, silky black coat with one white spot on her chest. She is a bit barrel shaped through the torso and needs to lose 5-10 pounds. She has been dieting since the day after she arrived and is doing very well with having some of her kibble replaced by green beans.

She went for her wellness examination on June 9th and, except for 2 items which need a closer look, is in excellent health.

  1. There is a small hard lump near her left ear. On July 8th   Lucy will have minor surgery to remove the lump and it will be sent to a pathology lab for evaluation.
  2. At the same time she will have her teeth cleaned and special attention will be paid to some broken crowns to see if infection has developed and if needed, extractions  will be done

That's it. Assuming all is well with the pathology report, she will be ready to go home with adopters...after a brief recovery period.

Lucy gets along with children very well. She still is anxious from the big changes in her life, so more on Lucy in the next update. She has made extraordinary progress in just this first week.

Updates

Monday, September 1, 2014

Lucy is having a wonderful summer. It has become her mission to keep the yard free of bunny invaders and she is doing an excellent job and with no bloodshed....always my preference.

Senior designation doesn't really seem to apply to her because of her alertness, speed and agility.  Luckily so far the rabbits have had enough of a head start and make it under the fence or shed just in time.

Healthwise Lucy is in excellent condition. Her stitches were removed and her beautiful soft wavy, silky coat is filling in nicely. ( see picture)

Lucy can be trusted alone in your home and nothing will have been touched, moved, chewed, tasted, taken, jumped on or scratched while you were gone. She has never had an accident indoors while here.  She has never been crated, either here or with her original family and is perfect with free roam at all times. She does not need to be gated. Lucy is highly intelligent and has beautiful manners and been very well- trained in the past.

As soon as Lucy sees you are awake in the morning she will greet you with excitement, a madly waving tail and her happy circle dance. When you return from errands she will meet you with the waving tail, an accelerated circle dance and lots of kisses and lots of soft whimpers of relief that you have returned which make me so sad for her losses prior to coming to RAGOM.

Lucy truly is a one in a million dog who will thrive in a quiet household where she can be the only dog and make someone a devoted and loving companion and serve as an excellent watchdog.

 

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sweet Lucy had her surgery last week and the small cyst-like growth near her left ear was removed, examined and diagnosed as a non-cancerous fibroma. Her teeth were cleaned and examined and an x-ray done and no extractions were needed. Stitches will be removed July 21st. The accompanying pictures show the stitches for the fibroma.  Her ear is tucked back right now but was untouched by the surgery. It will all look normal once the stitches come out and the hair grows in.

Lucy is on no medications and is in remarkable health. She has no problems with her hips or knees.  Slippery wood steps are a bit of a problem going down, particularly when she is excited,
but she has responded well to a cautionary "easy, slow" and has devised her own method for going down safely.  It's very cute to see...and quite clever.

She has no problems running up stairs and no problems springing onto a sofa or a high bed. I do keep a dog bed along the high bed for a landing pad when she jumps down. She waits for permission before going on any furniture.  She has no storm or fireworks anxieties. Loves hopping into the car and rides beautifully.  She does well on a flat leash and has excellent recall.

Lucy continues to be a perfect companion dog.  She follows you from room to room watching and listening to whatever is happening.  She loves being groomed and is very affectionate.  She has perfect manners.  She is not demanding in any way....just very content to be in your company.  She sleeps soundly at night. She barks only when someone comes to the door, and never excessively. She has free roam at all times.  I cannot think of any bad habits...no chewing,
counter surfing, food guarding, etc. She has no allergies or skin problems. She eats with enthusiasm but neatly and at a moderate rate.

She is listed as good with children from age four and up and that still holds. She is never aggressive or growly with my young grandchildren and loves the belly rubs but is really not suited to be a child's dog on a permanent basis. She gets a bit anxious and withdraws when the noise and antics become too much for her.

For Lucy's forever home she will enjoy her "golden" years and be happiest in a quiet household where she can be the only dog. She also needs a home where she will not be left for long periods of time....this is very important to her. And in return you will receive the total love, devotion and steady companionship of an extraordinary dog.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Medically nothing has changed with Lucy except that the minor surgery and dental date was changed from July 8th to July 10th. She is continuing with her diet plan and hopefully we'll start to see a change in her silhouette soon. She came to RAGOM already spayed and microchipped and up to date on all immunizations and tests. She had negative results from the heartworm, Lyme's disease and fecal tests.

Lucy continues to be very anxious whenever I am out of  her sight. She tolerates me leaving for short errands and then does a very squiggly happy dance when I return. This anxiety is partly from her separation from her previous home and will abate over time. She has free roam with no problems. The previous owner said that Lucy is very social and will always want to be near her humans.  So you can always expect that she will stay at your side.

Behavior wise we have some border collie behavior in that she has taken on the duties of guarding her home and the people inside. She is a very alert dog with excellent hearing. She does bark to alert us to anything unusual that she hears or smells. This is not an unpleasant trait in freestanding homes but would not be popular in condos or apartments.

She has gotten along well with everyone she has met, including young grandchildren and their dog. She has shown no aggressiveness in human or canine interactions except for a warning growl when a terrier jumped into her face once too often. Her history states she gets along with cats. She does well outside but does bark at strangers and new dogs. She does not like to stay outside without her human.  In her previous home she had been boundary trained and because of that I put a fence was preferred but not required. She would not do well on a tie- out or an electronic fence. Lucy also had been trained to walk off leash with her previous owner. He said she is not a runner.

She came here with her favorite toy..a short rope with which to play games of tug of war.
She is a wonderful dog and a wonderful companion. She does not need other dogs for company and would do very well in a one dog family.

For you crossed paw lovers, please note the new picture of Lucy on the sofa!