Please welcome Miss Annie to RAGOM. She is 5 years old and just a tad over weight with a beautiful red coat. Annie's family loved her enough to give her up to RAGOM so she could be vetted for some serious ear issues. So, Annie, welcome to the RAGOM family.
Due to the bad weather and the need for some 'need now' vetting, Gretchen picked up Miss Annie, got her to the vet where she needed some surgery on her right ear flap and the removal of a 'bump' from her left front leg. By the time Annie was out of the vet's, Mary was able to pick her up for transport on Thursday and meet me. As luck would have it, I happened to be in the cities and we were able to save everyone a long transport. (Not to mention I got to REI for a quick gift pick up:) So a big THANK YOU to Gretchen and Mary.
Miss Annie is so sweet, she hasn't barked, is house trained, loves to have ears scritched and moans when you do. Because she has stitches in her ear (see picture) she must wear a collar and protection to keep her from scratching and shaking the ear around. Her ear is now starting to heal/itch and she loves to go out and just bury her head in the snow and slide. It's hard to keep her and the ear dry. We were told she does like to dig, just a FYI LOL
Upon arrival I found she wasn't pleased to come in the door or down the hallway. We were told she is a bit skittish on vinyl floors and now with this big collar she has no sense of where the floor and walls are. The first night, Thursday, she wouldn't leave the kitchen and the big dog bed, except to go and do her business and only then if I opened the sliders all the way. After the snow fall, we worked on going out via the garage. FInally last night I was able to convince her to come down 7 steps from the kitchen to the family room. Then when it was bedtime she decided she was up for climbing the other steps and spent the night in the bedroom on a doggie bed. She's eating good twice a day considering she was free fed before. I have to make sure to point out the water bowls to be sure she gets enough water. It's sad to see her pick up a bone and not be able to hold it between her paws and be able to chew it:(
Today Jax, my cocker, finally got past the collar and played bowed and tried to engage her in play. This was a big deal as he is afraid of everything. She came off the deck and they ran and chased a bit. I think feeling better with no collar she would interact very well. She did live with 2 chi's so she is accustomed to being around little dogs.
Right now we are looking at 2 weeks till the sutures are removed, so Miss Annie will be staying put. She is sweet, loving, loves the attention but at this time isn't showing that velcro behavior but I think it's due to the collar. She is fine around my 3 cats, just ignores them. We are working on taking treats 'nice' and I'm sure she'll have it down pat soon. It's hard to say exactly who Miss Annie is since I feel the collar really inhibits her. But she's making progress going in and out via the long hall and garage door. With time and getting comfortable with the collar I think we'll see more of her personality.
Annie will be able to meet prospective families in the near future. If you think she could possibly be a fit with your family, please contact your placement advisor and we can chat on the phone. Meanwhile we'll just sit back and watch Annie show us her true personality.
By the way did you ever wonder how the dogs get their 'number'? The 10 stands for 2010 and the 373 means Miss Annie is the 373rd dog brought into RAGOM this year. Amazing isn't it? Without our volunteers and the generous fans and donations we couldn't do it. So thanks to all who made Miss Annie's vetting and arrival happen!!
Foster Mom and the crew
Miss Annie, Jax and kitties Bailey, Coulter and Sedwick III
From Skye and Scout