Maija Mae (formerly known as Claire) and her foster mom and dad have some great news to share. Maija has found her forever home….with us! We are all thrilled! Welcome home Sweetie.
"See how much I've grown!"
Welcome home.
Maija (Claire 13-399)
Profile
Nikki sends Merry Christmas wishes to Claire. She also wants to thank Kathie and Will, for all they have done, from rescuing her to going the extra mile to help her get to her forever home
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 11/16/2013 | Physical Only | Yes | Optional | Yes | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Claire is a happy-go-lucky exuberant one year old female Golden Retriever pup. She is a 49 pound bundle of adolescent energy who wins over everyone she meets with her goofy smile. Claire was found as a stray in South Dakota and was placed in an animal shelter. The two weeks she spent at the shelter were agonizing for Claire. She was literally bouncing of the walls in her kennel, so much so, that she rubbed some skin off her nose.
On her way to Northern Minnesota, she stayed with a generous RAGOM volunteer who brought her to the vet for her wellness exam. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and got her up-to- date on her vaccinations. Claire’s spaying surgery is scheduled for November 19.
This is what we have learned about Claire in the short time we’ve known her. Claire loves her people, craves their attention, cuddles with them and wants to be with them 24/7. She must have her people in view at all times.
She considers everyone she meets to be her friend including kids. However, in her exuberance, she may knock down small children. She has no issues meeting other dogs and she tolerates cats. She does not guard her food or toys. Claire prefers not to be crated (unless the door is left open) but respects baby gates. Claire came to us untrained. She is enthusiastic about learning commands. She has already learned to sit and lie down on command!
Claire is very playful. She loves to carry around squeaky toys. She’ll chase a Frisbee, fetch and return a tennis ball, make snow angels, go for long walks, and get the “zoomies” in the fenced in backyard. Because Claire was a stray and she does not respond to her name, a physical fenced in yard is a must.
Our biggest challenge with Claire is potty training. Claire does not give clear signals when she needs to go out. For unknown reasons, Claire will not go to the bathroom on walks or when she is on a lead. She is very slow to go potty in our fenced in backyard. It has taken her as long as 30 minutes to go (and at 2:30 a.m. that feels like a very long time). If we do not go out with her, she will just wait by the back door, not take care of business, come inside and eventually wet on the nearest rug. (She has never pooped in the house.) Giving her praise and treats as soon as she goes outside, seems to be working. When she’s done, she now comes to us to get a treat. Progress! At night, we baby gate her in our bedroom with us. She wakes us up if she has to go out. See, she’s learning.
When we leave her for short periods of time (at most, two hours), we baby gate a large area and find nothing disturbed when we return (and no potty accidents). Good girl!
Claire has brightened up our home with her cheerful disposition. We adore her! More updates to follow as we learn more about this incredibly sweet little girl.
At a Glance #13-399
| Mixed Breed | Born: November 2012 |
| Female | Weight not specified |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Nikki sends Merry Christmas wishes to Claire. She also wants to thank Kathie and Will, for all they have done, from rescuing her to going the extra mile to help her get to her forever home
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 11/16/2013 | Physical Only | Yes | Optional | Yes | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Claire is a happy-go-lucky exuberant one year old female Golden Retriever pup. She is a 49 pound bundle of adolescent energy who wins over everyone she meets with her goofy smile. Claire was found as a stray in South Dakota and was placed in an animal shelter. The two weeks she spent at the shelter were agonizing for Claire. She was literally bouncing of the walls in her kennel, so much so, that she rubbed some skin off her nose.
On her way to Northern Minnesota, she stayed with a generous RAGOM volunteer who brought her to the vet for her wellness exam. The vet gave her a clean bill of health and got her up-to- date on her vaccinations. Claire’s spaying surgery is scheduled for November 19.
This is what we have learned about Claire in the short time we’ve known her. Claire loves her people, craves their attention, cuddles with them and wants to be with them 24/7. She must have her people in view at all times.
She considers everyone she meets to be her friend including kids. However, in her exuberance, she may knock down small children. She has no issues meeting other dogs and she tolerates cats. She does not guard her food or toys. Claire prefers not to be crated (unless the door is left open) but respects baby gates. Claire came to us untrained. She is enthusiastic about learning commands. She has already learned to sit and lie down on command!
Claire is very playful. She loves to carry around squeaky toys. She’ll chase a Frisbee, fetch and return a tennis ball, make snow angels, go for long walks, and get the “zoomies” in the fenced in backyard. Because Claire was a stray and she does not respond to her name, a physical fenced in yard is a must.
Our biggest challenge with Claire is potty training. Claire does not give clear signals when she needs to go out. For unknown reasons, Claire will not go to the bathroom on walks or when she is on a lead. She is very slow to go potty in our fenced in backyard. It has taken her as long as 30 minutes to go (and at 2:30 a.m. that feels like a very long time). If we do not go out with her, she will just wait by the back door, not take care of business, come inside and eventually wet on the nearest rug. (She has never pooped in the house.) Giving her praise and treats as soon as she goes outside, seems to be working. When she’s done, she now comes to us to get a treat. Progress! At night, we baby gate her in our bedroom with us. She wakes us up if she has to go out. See, she’s learning.
When we leave her for short periods of time (at most, two hours), we baby gate a large area and find nothing disturbed when we return (and no potty accidents). Good girl!
Claire has brightened up our home with her cheerful disposition. We adore her! More updates to follow as we learn more about this incredibly sweet little girl.
Updates
Friday, February 21, 2014
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Claire’s “joi de vivre” (joy for life) is her most endearing quality. Sometimes Claire’s joyfulness is hard for her to control. A Gentle leader works wonders to help her calm down when she gets super excited.
Don’t be mislead, she is not always on the go. Claire does settle down for naps during the day and evening. Claire’s favorite thing to do in the evening is to cuddle on the couch between foster mom and foster dad.
Claire had a play date with our neighbor’s three year old yellow lab. They had a blast running around outside and playing tug of war. The entire time they were together, not a harsh “word” was spoken. Claire’s zest for life is contagious. She has helped our in-hospice granddog, Bella, get her spring back in her step.
Claire’s needs: obedience training; a physical fenced in yard; daily walks, on and off leash; play times; someone at home with her most of the time; to be allowed on the furniture, including your bed; and someone to cuddle with. Claire continues to be unsettled at night. She wakes us up three to four times, but, only needs to go outside once. We are working with her to help her to break this habit.
Claire will be at the Duluth Petco on Sunday, February 9 from noon to 2:00 p.m. When you meet her, call her Maija (pronounced my-ah). She does not respond to the name Claire.
Claire (right) settles down wearing a Gentle Leader.
First playtime, then nap time.
What a cutie!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Claire here….”Guess what? I go outside to potty and to play, all by myself, even at night! There are still some scary things in the woods, but, most of the time I’m brave enough to go it alone.
There are some games that I play outside all by myself: throw the ball up and catch it; zoom around the cedar tree as many times and as fast as I can; and, slide down the snow banks on top of my big bear toy.
Foster mom and dad take me on long walks in the woods and in the fields. I love to explore and leap through the deep snow. The mice under the snow think I can’t hear them, but I can. I pounce on them and try to catch them.
A little girl and I have so much fun playing together. We play a game where she runs, jumps on the couch and I run after her and land right on top of her. We have a great time. Foster mom didn’t think the game was fun at all and made us stop.
Sometimes I get sick riding in the car, but most of the time I like it. Foster mom and dad brought me to a place where there are many other dogs. I’m still scared there. But, maybe the next time I go there, I’ll try playing with them. I really have fun playing with other dogs, but not when there are so many.
Foster dad and I get pretty wild when we play (and he wants to play all the time). With foster mom, we play too, but I’m gentler with her.”
Good news to report! Claire goes outside, in the fenced in backyard, by herself…as long as we throw a ball or toy out the back door for her to play with. When she comes back inside, she usually remembers to bring the toy with her!
Claire loves to play with other dogs, one on one. She’s a bit overwhelmed with the number of dogs at doggie daycare. Maybe this week she’ll relax and find a playmate. She’s attending daycare for three hours, twice a week.
The little girl that Claire told you about is our four year old granddaughter. She shrieks with delight when she and Claire play (with adult supervision, of course). When they play, Claire knocks her down occasionally because Claire is an energetic puppy.
Some not-so-good news: Claire has been sick while riding in the car a couple of times. Also, she has pooped in the house a few times when the temperature outside was brutally cold. At 40 below temperatures, I guess I can understand her reasoning. Now that the temps have “warmed up” outside, Claire has not had any more accidents in the house.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
When a dog is first rescued and placed in a RAGOM foster home, it takes a few weeks to learn about them. This was true for Claire. We have found that Claire’s attributes definitely out weigh her challenges. She is: playful, lovable, the ultimate cuddle bug, intelligent, trainable, a devoted companion, kind, and a great walking partner. Her smile makes us feel good. She is a great stress reliever.
But, Claire is still a work in progress. She has her challenges: mild separation anxiety, must have her people in view at all times, easily stressed when meeting new people, does not know how to interact with other dogs (ignores them or rolls on her back in submission), is fearful of the dark, and wakes us up three to four times during the night. She cannot go outside to potty by herself, day or night. If we do not go out with her, she will stand by the door waiting for us. Claire was recently housebroken, and still has a few accidents in the house. Her signals to go outside to potty are not easy to read.
When she comes with us on car rides to run errands, she will bark excessively when she is left in the car for a few minutes. On day trips, she refuses to go to the bathroom until she gets home to the safety of her backyard. On two different trips, she refused to potty for 12 hours (no matter how often we stopped to let her out). We must have walked her several miles without any success.
We have also witnessed behaviors that indicate she was hit with a newspaper by her previous owner.
To help Claire work through her challenges, we maintain a loving, low stress, environment to help her to gain confidence. We spend most of the day with her, bringing her on two to three 30 minute walks per day. The longest Claire has been left at home alone is three hours. Nothing is disturbed in the house while we are gone. However, when we return, Claire cries a loud mournful cry and frantically climbs into our arms for reassurance. We continue to introduce her to new situations where she can be successful. Claire is making progress and we could not be any happier for her! I can’t say it often enough, we adore her!
 Claire sitting so pretty! |
 Granddog Bella and Claire (on right) Claire is recovering from the removal of a non-cancerous growth. |
Saturday, November 23, 2013
A message from Claire: “I can’t seem to forget that I was lost and I couldn’t find my way home. I was so scared. You can’t believe how scary it was at night. I was crying and no one heard me. That’s why I want to be close to you all the time. That’s why I can’t go outside by myself, I might get lost again. I know I will be better soon. But, in the mean time, just love me.”
Foster mom here: Claire is so easy to love. In the two weeks she has been with us, she has made outstanding advances in learning to be a contented respectful Golden Retriever. One of my favorite things about Claire is her smile. When she is “over the moon” happy, which is often, she wrinkles up her cute nose and shows off her pearly whites. Adorable!
What a difference a few days has made in Claire’s potty training. No more accidents in the house. Woo hoo! She now lets us know when she needs to go outside by standing by the back door. When she goes outside, we still must go with her. She’ll take care of her business in less than five minutes (versus 30 minutes a week ago)! Our routine is: go outside and play fetch for a couple of minutes, Claire goes to the bathroom, and, then comes to us for her treat. Also, she went potty on her walk today, not the norm for Claire! At night, Claire wakes us up every four hours by jumping up on the bed, giving us kisses and hugs. She’s telling us without saying a word that she has to go out right now! What a smart pup.
When Claire arrived one week ago, she was quite thin. The high quality food that she has been eating is helping her to grow into a gorgeous young lady. Check out the picture of her beautiful feathering. Her scraped nose is healing nicely too.
Claire had her spay surgery a few days ago. Now, if we can just keep this playful pup from making snow angels while she is recovering. Claire had a suspicious lump removed from her back hip. Foster Mom will let you know the results of the biopsy as soon as she knows. Dr. Dave is optimistic that all is well.
Claire is a lovable Golden Retriever, who wants to please us, and is learning appropriate ways to do that. It is exciting that she came to us untrained, because we who love her can have the joy of training her. Speaking of those who love her……some special visitors are driving a long distance to meet Claire next week. Stay tuned for “the rest of the story”.
Claire's beautiful feathering!
Claire and Foster Dad clowning around