Hi, RAGOM friends! Finn reporting in after a quick vacation up to northern MN. While my Foster Mom was out of town, I visited with some other RAGOM folks. I took a long car ride (during which I was very good; I am a good car-rider) and ended up at a house owned by two dogs - Trek and Splash.
I was a little barky and anxious when I first got there and my ride left, but then Trek invited me to play, and that was all it took for us to become best buddies. You can see the evidence in the pics I've attached. We played chase around the yard, and wrestled, and barked at the squirrels and deer and stuff beyond the fence, and generally had a grand time.
I ran super zooming laps around the yard, and still had energy for more playing once we went inside. Temporary Foster Mom (TFM) may have had to remind Trek and I not to play too hard in the house a few times.
Splash is an older dog, and she didn't really like to play the way I do, so I left her alone for the most part. Although we did play a little when she wanted to and shared a big dog bed on a couple of occasions. She did have to tell me she didn't want to share toys a couple of times, but I took her word for it after a warning.
One evening, we all went to play with another dog at her house. At first, I was being what TFM calls obnoxious (I call this being really excited, and barking, and snapping my jaws), but eventually we figured it out and had a grand evening of running and playing.
While at TFM's house, I spent part of the day in my own room (otherwise called an office), and didn't cause a fuss or destroy anything. There was a crate available in there, but I preferred to just hang out on a nice cushy dog bed.
When TFM was home in the afternoon and evening, I was loose in the house, and other than chewing a little aggressively on some dog stuffy toys, everything was cool.
I respected the house rules of no dogs on the furniture, and slept quietly all night in my room with just a baby gate at the door (which I could easily have cleared if I wasn't such a good guy).
Because I had to work for whatever I got before I came into rescue, TFM says I can be pushy and grabby when it comes to toys, food, and attention. Because of this, I ate separately in my own room, and TFM made sure that she monitored us closely when we played with toys so there were no arguments. She also made us take turns getting pets, treats, and attention.
All in all, I had a great week up north and made a number of new friends, both canine and adult humans. Here is TFM's short list of my attributes.
- Lots of energy. Would love to have a partner that liked running, roller-blading, biking, hiking, etc., and has a fenced yard. Needs to improve his leash manners, but loves to go out and about!
- House trained and not destructive. Quiet except for the occasional alert bark. Can calm down inside if not being mutually instigated by another playful dog.
- Probably not much of a water dog (used a kiddie pool as a drinking bowl, but never even stepped in it).
- Needs careful introduction to new dogs because of lack of social skills. Enjoys playing (a lot) once a relationship is established. Other dogs do tend to get Finn ramped up, so a dog with some steadiness and ability to "chill" as a friend or roommate would probably be best. Probably not a dog park candidate at this time.
- Toy-, treat-, and attention-motivated, so will learn new skills quickly and get a lot of benefit from taking dog classes.
- Short, nearly maintenance-free coat; some shedding.
- Rides nicely in the car.
- Gives the sweetest kisses, and does great wiggling. Would gladly be a lap dog if you wanted him to be!
Finn is so ready to be in a home of his own! He will be a loyal and loving companion to the right person/people. He is truly fun to have around.
Happy New Year, Chief, from Mary S.!
"Go, Chief!" -Anonymous friend
