Our beautiful Buddy boy is doing fine. He remains very reserved and shy around strangers, and that will take a while (every household is different, of course). He continues to eat just fine (good appetite!). Even after losing almost all his teeth, he is great. Sometimes he will drool before getting a snack (the no-teeth thing). He does not seem to mind the cats at all (3), but he is just not sure what they “do” or are going to do… (Nothing; the cats are old!) It is cute to watch. But I am sure prior to our home, he never laid eyes on one. He even glances at the TV in curiosity, wondering where the sounds come from.

It is truly amazing how emotionally damaged they can be and uncertain about the world, having been just been used for breeding and kept in a small kennel area outside all the time. Learning to be safe is a big deal for these guys and just a slow, consistent process. He is getting more trusting each day. Buddy is just so loving and gorgeous. At times, I lay down by him and love him up, and I really think he enjoys that, handling the closeness well. This beautiful autumn has been great for him to be outside with me doing yardwork. When he is in full trot mode, it is so beautiful to see.

He continues to do great on our schedule. Never had an accident (he is left 6 hours). He stills likes his open crate/safe spot, where he is most of the time during the day until we close the gate for a while. He did have a quick visit at the vet, just to re-check his mouth and get a weight. He is at 73 pounds, so his diet is doing just fine. (Canned moist food and warmed-up, moistened dry kibble). His mouth (the worst our vet has seen in a large dog prior to the removal of almost all of them) seems fine. No issues at all. Could be iffy for the rest of the front small teeth, but time will tell. Buddy appears and looks so much younger than his age of 11. There are no other health issues with him and everything is great. Just amazing.

He also went to the groomer to get a good bath and trim. He was actually more uncomfortable at the vet's office than at the large grooming facility we go to (and have for years, Wags n' Whiskers). The gals are so good with these dogs there! They said he was outstanding. Once they praised him and got him to stand up, he was super. Looked around, didn’t act scared, and perhaps enjoyed the sounds of all the other dogs?? But he did so well, and this is a big place.

He would so love a warm, patient, slow-going family who will just love him for him, and sit back and enjoy the golden years, knowing he is a true rescue boy. A more quiet place. If you would like to SPONSOR or donate for Buddy 16-203, that would be very welcome too!

If you think you might be a fit for this lovely Golden boy, please go to our website and contact RAGOM.

Our Buddy boy is doing well--he has so many things behind him now. It remains amazing how these dogs move forward to each new day and past the hurdles in front of them. So much we (humans) can learn from them. What is new: he is learning more to go in/out the vehicle (pickup) and he has actually jumped up by himself. He remains laying down, but he is not buried under a seat--so that is a step. So he is learning going in a vehicle is an OK thing to do. Another big milestone was I found a very soft ball and tossed it out in the yard, and lo and behold, he ran after it! He then put it in his mouth (remember he has no teeth, really) and carried it around. How cool is that? So another step forward for him.

He has also been introduced to rubber toys (the thick, firm type) while in his crate (safe place). He has mouthed/chewed those as well and seems really interested in them. He actually really likes those and is happy to have them in his crate with him, along with old socks! His gums are very well healed, and this chewing is very good stimulation for his mouth. Buddy still remains the most comfortable in his extra-large wire crate (safe spot, and the door is always open!) most of the time, with his nice doggie bed and big towel covering it on the bottom. We keep a water dish inside in the corner so that is always available to him, and amazingly, it has never been knocked over or spilled!

He does have a voice when he is outside for a while and wants back in. It is a softer bark… not a big, loud one. He enjoys his time to roam and cover the backyard, and we continue to try to introduce new things and sounds. We have never had an accident inside the house, which is just amazing. Buddy, as with many dogs, has learned the schedule here so well, and that definitely helps him relax and build a little more confidence. Buddy has a good appetite. We try to vary and add other things for him in addition to the moist dog food. (He does like rice, pumpkin, sweet potato, soft cheeses, browned hamburger, chicken, etc., mixed in too.) We are adding a small amount of dry kibble now also. Yum… So for a big dog losing almost all his teeth at once, he is doing just fine. Buddy is such a beautiful boy--inside and out, and so deserving of that wonderful, patient RAGOM forever home. Cannot imagine the tough 10+ years he had before RAGOM, but that is all behind him now. Oh, those big, brown eyes and his gentle personality and soul. Awe... lots of baby steps and love now… Why, you have to love these rescue Goldens.

Happy to report Buddy had his dental surgery on the 1st of September, and we are all very glad that is behind us and that he is doing fine. Surgery lasted from 7:30 a.m. until noon. Lots of rotten teeth! He had 25 extracted. He already had some missing; 3 just fell out when he was neutered earlier (when they just scraped some of the horrible ick off his teeth). During the dental procedure/surgery, it was discovered many were abscessed and pussy; nerves were exposed; it was just a total mess. He did manage to keep a couple of canines and most of the very front smaller teeth on top and bottom. So something salvaged!?!?!?! He looks the same from the outside (we thought perhaps he might look more gaunt), looking handsome as ever. On a grade from 0 to 4 for periodontal disease, with 4 being the worst, he was a 4. His fecal came back also, and he did have whipworms, roundworms, etc.

We CANNOT imagine how truly awful he had felt and for how long. In time, he is going to feel 100% and eat just about anything again, pain-free. He already is doing great. With Buddy, and other puppy mill dogs, so much is really difficult to say, because of their prior breeding life. Everything now is so new, so different, so scary, but many things are oh-so nice!

We are so PROUD of him and how far he has come. (2 surgeries in 2 weeks!) He is doing so much better. Lots of reinforcement, patience, and love. Much better with food now, and we are eating "good dog food" (moist only for now, which is soaked like soup in water and mushed up). Buddy eats in his crate yet (we keep water in there, too, of course), but his crate door is always open. He eats when everyone else does, twice a day, and we make sure he eats in HIS own space and in quiet, as we do the other 2 dogs at the same time. So that is going just fine. When our 2 get a couple of treats around noontime when I get home from work, he gets his finely cut up cooked chicken for a treat. He likes that. We will introduce new things in time and as his healing allows. He is such a beautiful Golden!!!

 
A short time after Buddy's dental surgery

He is, of course, on pain meds and antibiotics, and I unfortunately need to put these down his throat… It makes me feel so bad to have to do it, because you know his mouth must be sore and he cannot chew anything at all for 2 weeks. What we have discovered works well is putting these (poopy-tasting) meds in a Pill Pocket and then down the hatch. He is so GOOD and tolerates me having to do that… so we are muddling through. Another 8 days to go... On the 14th of this month, Buddy will have a re-check of his mouth and how it is healing. We are still working on the get-into-the-truck thing. Not bad getting out at all, but going in… hummm… needs work.

Well, onward and forward. The big dental extraction surgery is done and over with.

We have posted some new photos of our Buddy boy. So much joy to try to capture how beautiful he is. He so beautiful inside, and we cannot photograph that, of course, but really want to try to convey just how lovely he is. Buddy is taking baby steps behaviorally from being a puppy-mill stud dog his entire life. Endless new things to learn--food, noises, people, other dogs/cats. Some scary, some not so bad. Buddy still likes to be in a safe spot in the kitchen (where everyone is) in his large crate, and the door is always open, even when we go to work. He can venture in and out as he chooses. There are times he just likes to stay quiet and safe in there and watch everything else go by. Then there are times when I am sitting in another place of the kitchen or down in the family room and even another room (!), and he will come to join me, and yes, he loves the gentle strokes of all the petting we give him. Confidence is the best thing we can try to teach and show him.

He is learning a little that we are here to keep him safe, and I truly believe he is learning that. It is a BIG WORLD out there that he has never gotten to learn, feel, or see, so we will just take our time. We have better days and times than others. He has learned that Eddie, the Corgi, is a very confident boy and also likes to herd and think he is a BIG dog…. and yup, that is Eddie’s ”job!”

Maggie (white one) IS A GIRL, so that is a bonus!  Cats, wellm he really does not care. We have 3, and he just lays back and observes. Lawn mowers…. That is a worry to him right now; he stays inside watching THAT loud thing go back and forth in the yard, maybe not so sure yet. Surprisingly, he is not bad at all inside with other sounds. Depends.

We are really trying and hoping his nose works better—it will open his world so much. I think Buddy knows we are truly committed to helping him and want him to try to relax a little with us. We are still working on him eating better, and that can be a challenge at times. We are just really not sure how much his teeth are achy, touchy, painful, or all of it. Dogs hide pain and discomfort well, which makes it difficult for anyone to know. It could be a combination of so many things, and we are just slowly experimenting and will do whatever it takes.

We are not looking forward to the dental surgery next week, when ALL of this teeth but 4 (incisors) will be extracted. Adult dogs have 42 teeth; he lost 2 just having the tartar removed during the neuter last week, so he will lose about 30-some teeth or so in all! Incredibly sad and frustrating to think about it, yet there is no doubt these teeth have to go. The sooner the better for him, and we are sure he will do well to just not have this pain/soreness. Whatever might be going on in his poor mouth, luckily dogs are so amazing at healing and moving forward with whatever life seems to throw at them. THANK GOODNESS he is in RAGOM’s care.

It will be a big blessing and relief to have this procedure safely behind all of us and for him to finally feel better. Please keep good thoughts for our boy for next week (Sept. 1st ). Buddy is a Golden Retriever who will need a family who truly understands what/where he came from and with understanding, patience, and a willingness to learn with him in life. In return, they will have one outstanding, gorgeous Golden Retriever.