Oh.  All.  Right.  Guess it's time to break down and finally introduce my latest foster.  She's such a great dog, and fits in here so beautifully, that it's been easy to forget she needs to find a new family.  So RAGOM fans... meet Maggie!

Maggie Mae's a 7 year old PB Golden who's been a loved family member since she was just a puppy.  Sadly, Maggie's got some joint problems (more about that later) that made life with an active 4 y.o. human less than comfortable for her so her family made the heartbreaking decision to ask RAGOM to find Maggie a new home where she could be happy.

Maggie Mae's got great house manners and is perfectly housetrained.  She met my dogs politely.  Her SO said that Mags loved their cat, probably her best friend.  After seeing her happy, friendly reaction when my cat appeared I'd have to agree.  Felicity's met quite a few dogs over the years but she seemed a bit surprised at such congeniality from the latest foster!  Too bad she's not ready to be friends with a canine but quiet co-existence works for me.

Maggie weighs 60 lbs and passed her well dog vet check.  She does have some skin allergies which are easily managed with Medrol.  However, Maggie also has been diagnosed with arthritis that the SO’s vet said stemmed from a bad reaction to a distemper shot. She is in pain from the arthritis and is bothered by extended, vigorous exercise.  She does, however, love to retrieve Frisbees, go for walks, and swim.   She has no problem with stairs or hard floors.  Thanks to a fellow foster and her fenced backyard we've played some Frisbee and her SO wasn't kidding - she loves it!  And she can run and jump to catch it mid-air just like any other fetch freak.  She's seemed fine after these sessions but they were limited to about 30 minutes.  That seems to be her sweet spot; enough activity to maintain flexibility and muscle tone -- and good times, but not too much to cause her increased discomfort.  It'll be important for Maggie's next family to keep up with consistent exercise.  If you're looking for a walking or Frisbee fetch partner, Maggie could be the one for you.  If a jogging partner is more your speed... keep reading, RAGOM has lots of other dogs to consider. 

In a nutshell, Maggie wants/needs:

• An adult family.  She loves kids but to live with them they must be old enough to be respectful and understand that climbing on her or other rough play hurts her and could lead to air snapping or ???
• To be the only dog.  Similar to the caveat about kids, if you have another dog, it shouldn't be hoping for a new playmate.  Maggie gets along fine with my dogs but Mo was pretty disappointed when all her play bows went unacknowledged.  While I don't know if Mags was ever interested in doggie games, I'm sure wrestle-mania would be very painful for her.
• A dog friendly cat would be a big plus in her book!
• Regular exercise, 30 minutes +/- daily.  After that, she'll be happy to snooze on her dog bed, keep the end of your couch warm, watch the birds and squirrels play in the yard (I'm told she doesn't even bark at them), go for car rides, and just generally be your best companion.
• To never be given another distemper vaccination.    

Contact your placement adviser if you'd like to chat about Maggie Mae.  Assuming reasonable driving conditions, I'm planning on bringing her to Saturday's event at the Brooklyn Park Petco if you want to stop in and meet her in person!