Nala is a beautiful six-month-old, 37-lb female Golden Retriever mix. Nala came into RAGOM by the way of a very caring animal humane society that wanted Nala to have the best chance at a wonderful life and asked RAGOM if we could help. Nala was surrendered to the humane society due to a bite to a child that required medical attention. So little Nala was incarcerated doing "hard time for her crime." What that means is she was given love and cuddles from the very caring staff at the shelter until her quarantine time was up. The staff noted during her stay that Nala was very frightened and would do rollovers with submissive urination. In dogie language, it is the ultimate sign for "I mean no harm; please don't hurt me." They knew Nala needed confidence building and that RAGOM would have more resources to help her.

Nala has a urinary tract infection and is on antibiotics for two weeks. Once that is cleared up, she will be spayed. Nala will finish her series of vaccines next week. This week, Nala had her quarantine exam, got her rabies shot and microchip, and was the hit of the veterinary clinic. She loved everyone there, giving tail wags and getting more than her fair share of attention. She greeted a very tiny dog in the reception area and the two began to play.

In her foster home, she is living with three resident dogs and one foster sister, Missy 13-061. She is also living with two cats and that is a work in progress. She is living in the country and is very frightened being outside. She is frightened of a car that goes by and even the wind in the trees will send her tail tucked to the steps of the house. Because everything frightens her, she needs a physical fence. At this time, she does not come to her name when outdoors. I have been taking her for walks with another dog and she gets confidence from the other dogs. I took her out alone and she is very skittish, so we are working on that. She loves the other dogs and I feel it might be helpful if she had another confident dog in the home. I also think obedience classes would help with her confidence and bond with her new family. She will need a home where there is a commitment to take her to classes and socialize her to the world. The really good news is she loves big people. She has been doing very well on her house-training and catches on to things quickly. We are working on a few issues that she needs help with and she is making progress each day. Nala is starting to trust and that is making all the difference.

Please be aware that Nala is a puppy with age-appropriate behaviors. She will try and counter-surf and chew inappropriate items. Puppies need lots of patience and exercise and long walks. If you are willing to put in the time and effort to help this special girl be the best she can be, please talk to your placement adviser.