Piper (Cara 11-028)

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Lilly (also known as Cara) is going to a RAGOM vet this Tuesday for the rest of her total treatment, including microchipping, heartworm testing, and spaying. Now you know what all of those adoption fees go toward paying!
 
Lilly weighs around 50 pounds. A little on the skinny side, but those rib bones we can see on her now should disappear in pretty short order with regular feeding of a high quality dog food.
 
In very short time, Lilly has acclimated herself well to a new environment. No problems or encounters with any of our own three dogs, four cats, or humans in our household. She is quickly learning the "Sit", "Down", and "Stay" commands. Also did very well with adapting to the Gentle Leader on her first try. She needs to work on her sitting when foster dad stops walking, but she will learn that quickly too, I am sure.
 
Lilly loves car rides and stays in her seat, especially when all the other dogs are in the car at the same time! She is calm, well-behaved, no destructive chewing, and respects the other dogs' food bowls. Has some work to do on her housetraining but had formerly been fed table scraps only and her system is adjusting to high quality dog food.   She is getting better at that, with the other dogs showing her by example day by day, dinner by dinner.
We'll give you a new update on Lilly when she returns home from the vet and has had some time to heal from her spaying. Until then, if you have high interest in this lovely lady, please advise RAGOM through your placement advisor.

 

At a Glance #11-028

Golden Retriever Born: July 2009
Female Weight not specified

Status: Deceased

Profile

Lilly (also known as Cara) is going to a RAGOM vet this Tuesday for the rest of her total treatment, including microchipping, heartworm testing, and spaying. Now you know what all of those adoption fees go toward paying!
 
Lilly weighs around 50 pounds. A little on the skinny side, but those rib bones we can see on her now should disappear in pretty short order with regular feeding of a high quality dog food.
 
In very short time, Lilly has acclimated herself well to a new environment. No problems or encounters with any of our own three dogs, four cats, or humans in our household. She is quickly learning the "Sit", "Down", and "Stay" commands. Also did very well with adapting to the Gentle Leader on her first try. She needs to work on her sitting when foster dad stops walking, but she will learn that quickly too, I am sure.
 
Lilly loves car rides and stays in her seat, especially when all the other dogs are in the car at the same time! She is calm, well-behaved, no destructive chewing, and respects the other dogs' food bowls. Has some work to do on her housetraining but had formerly been fed table scraps only and her system is adjusting to high quality dog food.   She is getting better at that, with the other dogs showing her by example day by day, dinner by dinner.
We'll give you a new update on Lilly when she returns home from the vet and has had some time to heal from her spaying. Until then, if you have high interest in this lovely lady, please advise RAGOM through your placement advisor.

 

Updates

Sunday, February 1, 2015

 

On January 6, 2015, our 5 year-old girl finally gave in to cancer and peacefully left our sides. She was surrounded by a loving family to her last breath. The ticky-tack sound of her nails on the floor still echoes through the house as I type my last ode to her.

Her cancer was discovered at the end of Summer 2014, and we watched her carefully as the vermin progressively chewed away at her hips and back leg bones. Piper continued to jump and dance every day, though, and could have cared less. She just wanted to fully enjoy every minute of every day alongside us and make sure we were as happy as she could keep us. Although the morning jogs with dad stopped, and some days were hard on her, Piper pulled it out through Fall and stayed with us through the Christmas holidays - saying her last goodbyes with leaps and dances for her whole family. To the very end, she went out of her way to keep all of us happy. That’s why she came to us in the first place and she did her job so perfectly.

Never has there been a better friend and companion to us. She is sorely and achingly missed. We do not feel cheated for her abruptly short life as she was such a perfect friend for every day of her years with us. “The light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long,” they say. Piper burned so very, very brightly. She lit up our lives with such amazing warmth and laughter, and we are forever thankful for how she danced into our lives and then quietly left us on a sunny blue day.

Goodbye, beautiful girl. Until we meet again.

We’ll all hop and dance together then.


Waiting for the last hike


Fishing with the boy she raised


Coffee and sunrise with dad

 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

It's been two years since RAGOM picked her up, brushed her off, gave her a pat on the butt, and sent her on to her new, Golden Life.

We just wanted to say that we can not believe what a dedicated, loyal family member we have received into our home.  Despite such a tough start, our girl (now known as 'Piper'), has smiled, danced, and run her way into this wonderful life with us.  Time before her is a blur, and time with her has made us appreciate just how much a companion of this caliber can offer.

Since coming home with us, our girl has endured obedience school, long hikes through the Northern extremes of Minnesota, lazy days at the cabin in Wisconsin, moving to a new home, and now the arrival of her baby brother.  Piper has become such an attentive girl - answering the cries of the baby with a lick on the face, and following new, tired parents from room to room just to make sure that they get there okay.  She waits patiently with us, and endured the first several sleepless months of parenthood with us - staying up late into the night even though she didn't have to.

While she still suffers from separation anxiety, it's often mitigated by a visit from her RAGOM cousins, Harvey and Charlie.  They also helped teach her to swim at the cabin.  Before this, Piper wasn't sure what to think about water beyond drinking it.  Now, she's fulfilled her natural call as a Golden, and swims with the best of them (well, Dad spent a few weeks helping her acclimate, too).  And, while it took another two years of slow work, she's now become an able fetch partner, too.  

I'd say the skinny, tired girl that we took home two years ago has now become a full Golden in every respect.  The ribs aren't visible anymore, and her hair has come out to a beautiful coat that we never realized it could.

She dances for her food, sleeps on our laps, guards our baby boy, and fills every one of our days with reasons to smile. We hope we've made her as happy as she's made us.

PS: Piper would like for us to let anyone who's reading this know that every Golden you see here has it in them to be the most unbelievable friend you'll ever have.  You just need to patiently love it out of them, and they'll repay you twice for your effort.


Drying off on her favorite spot on the dock.


Taking a break during a long Spring hike.


Watching her cousins swim.


Pretending she likes having her picture taken.
Who could've known she'd turn out so beautiful?


Fetching snowballs at the lake; showing the boys how it's done!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sweet Miss Lilly is on her way up north to continue her new golden life!  She was adopted the morning of February 6th by the S family and is going to be a Minnesota gal.  She will be the center of attention at her new home and will have Ragom golden cousins to play with.  Congratulations Miss Lilly and have fun at the cabin!!