Sorry for the long delay on this update. We have been very busy. Noel and her foster family have moved. Lots of packing and boxing things up. Noel is such a big help. 

We have settled into our new home. We are getting back into a routine, which is good for all of us. Noel is now being fostered in Frazee, MN. She likes this new place and there are a lot more fun things to chew on out in the yard. We still have lots of snow on the ground. She loves to play in the snow! 

Noel is doing well, growing and getting around very well. We did see a specialist about her feet. We wanted to get some recommendations on what to expect as she grows and gets older.

The vet recommended that we put Noel in a 4-wheel wheelchair to help take some weight off her front feet. This chair would only need to be used for taking Noel for walks and on longer outings. RAGOM had a wheelchair and they bought a front wheel attachment. 

The chair arrived on moving day, so we didn't get a lot of time to use it yet. She has been in it a few times. I will start putting her in it daily so she can get used to it. The first time I put her in she did not move; it was scary for her. The second time she went in she did a little better. With some treats and encouragement she did take a few steps. I think she will become a pro at it quickly.

The other thing the vet said is some time in the future when Noel is fully grown she may be a candidate for a prosthetic limb. Right now Noel gets around great. She is a little slower than other dogs her age, but that does not stop her. She is a playful, happy girl. 

We have decided to make Noel available for adoption. She is healthy and does not need to have any further surgery. When she is fully grown her adoptive family can decide if she needs additional medical intervention. It would not be medically necessary to do anything else.

What is Noel looking for in her forever home?

• She needs some good puppy training/obedience class. I recommend this for all puppies. 
• Noel loves to play with other dogs. She can live with or without another dog in her home. If there are no other dogs, she would love some play dates with some.
• She will need a fenced in yard. She is a dog that will not be able to take long walks so she will need some back yard play time to burn off some of her puppy energy. 
• She is crate trained and does beautifully in the crate. She can do a shorter work day: 6 hours or be let out mid day. 
• She is playful and still does a lot of puppy chewing. She does need to be watched when not in her kennel.
• She can be a bit mouthy so I feel very small children may not be the best fit for her. 
• She is house trained. Before we moved she had some bells on the door that she would touch with her nose when she wanted to go outside. At our new place we have a little different setup and have not used the bells yet. I let her out often and watch her closely. So far no accidents!  

Noel thought we should check in and let you know what she has been up to. She has healed enough that she does not need to wear the cone anymore. She really hates that cone. She was using a soft cone and by the end of her two weeks of restriction she had learned to bend the cone in such a way that she could get at her foot and was taking off her bandage. She would remove it several times a day. She is persistent! We tried putting some bad tasting spray on the bandage to see if that would help; it did not. We think she likes the taste of that spray.   

This weekend we went on a road trip to our lake home. Noel does get car sick so we were prepared for that. We held back her food in the morning and gave her a pill that was supposed to help. It did not; she got sick three times on the way to the lake. 

She had a great time once we reached our destination. She jumped in the snow and played with the big dogs! It was a bit cold so we could only spend short periods of time outside. Her feet would get cold if we stayed out too long. 

On our way home she slept most of the way. She did get a little sick once. I sure hope she grows out of this. 

Once we got home she was just fine. She ate some food and laid on her dog bed chewing a bone. She does have two more weeks of restrictions. She needs to stay on softer surfaces and no walking on concrete or rough pavement. While on restrictions, we will work on getting Noel more comfortable on the stairs. She does a great job going up the stairs but does have trouble going down stairs. We have five steps she needs to go down to get outside and take care of her business. Most of the time I carry her outside. She is getting big (26 lbs) and getting harder for me to handle. She will need to learn to do this for herself. 

We want to thank Noel's sponsors and nice people that decorated her page with icons! 

We would like to thank Noel's sponsors! It's wonderful people like you that allows RAGOM to rescue dogs like Noel. Pawsitively wonderful! Thank You!

Noel is doing well, growing and playing like any puppy her age. She just started puppy socialization class and is doing great there. 

She went to the vet this week to get a booster shot, she weighted 16 pounds. Her front legs are growing, maybe not as fast as her back legs. When she walks she does use both of her front legs most of the time. She can play and keep up with the other dogs in our home. 

Because the front legs are shorter then the back legs her hind end is up in the air and her front side is closer to the ground. 

Here is a video of her and how she moves around.

Noel and Walley 17-232  love playing together, they can be the best of friends and also can turn on each other in a matter of seconds. Very typical brother / sister love.

We will continue to monitor her growth and update again soon.