01/20/07: Please give a GReat BIG welcome to the latest addition to RAGOM’s family—Teddy! He arrived a few days ago from the Nowthen/Elk River area. He wandered on (or was dumped) on a good samaritan family’s farm. They have been kind enough to feed him and take care of him since the end of August, but being they already have 2 big dogs they decided they really didn’t want a 3rd big dog to feed and take care of. We are very grateful that they gave him a safe place to live and graciously gave him to RAGOM so that he could find his very own family!

I took him to the vet and he weighs in at 82 lbs of love! We call him our Big Teddy Bear, or our Gentle Giant. He is not overweight at all--he’s just a big-frame type dog. He is now microchipped and up to date on shots. Someone in his past was kind enough to neuter him and his heartworm test came back negative. The vet guesses him at about 2 yrs old. He has a big block head and has the greatest facial expressions! He most likely was bred for hunting. The good samaritan family took him hunting with them to see if he was afraid of guns, and he was not. But, I don’t know if he actually hunted.

He’s been adjusting to the indoor life very nicely. Prior to RAGOM he did not live inside, but I do believe he loves the indoor living a lot! Out of all 3 dogs here, he’s the first one with his nose at the window to come in from outside. He has not had any accidents in the house—yahoo!! My experience with previous outdoor dogs is they learn very quickly that they still pee outside but LIVE inside. He met all the dogs just fine and Winston is hoping he will start playing more. I think he’s still trying to figure out his spot in our home. He watches the other dogs play and you can tell he wants to join them. I predict he will be joining in very soon. He loves to play catch and run around the yard. I’ve had him on a leash a couple times, but plan to take him on a longer walk tomorrow to really check out his leash walking skills.

This Gentle Giant is really sweet! He has the cutest big head and expressions. He knows sit but he is way too grabby with treats. We are working on him being gentle when he takes treats from your hand. This may take a little work. He is really food driven and LOVES his treats. However, I do think he’ll be a quick learner with a little training. He is returning to the vet on Tuesday for x-rays. He has a “funky” looking right rear leg. I wonder if it was broken before and did not heal properly. Or, maybe it’s just the way he is with a unique figure :) When you look at him straight on, he’s bow-legged in the front and back! At any rate, RAGOM wants him to have x-rays just to make sure everything is okay. We’ll let you know next week!

If you’re an approved applicant and would like to meet Teddy Bear, let your Placement Advisor know and we can set up a date!

******Teddy will be at Petco on Saturday January 27th, 2007 from 11-1 only.**********