| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 10/12/2014 | Fence or tie-out | Ages 8+ | Optional | No | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Welcome to RAGOM, sweet Sugar 14-334! She made the long trip from Pine Ridge, SD, along with 18 other lucky dogs and 2 kittens that went to several other rescues along the way! Big Golden hugs to 4 Luv of Dog Rescue for the transport and great work.
She is a Golden mix about 8 years old and is just the sweetest thing! It is clear she has been on her own for a very long time and needs a lot of TLC, but she is going to be so beautiful after spending some time living the Golden Life – especially so with winter on the way. She is believed to be spayed – which is uncommon for dogs from her situation. We also know she walks pretty well on a leash, doesn’t mind being in a crate, is good with my resident dogs, and will allow you to handle her, check her ears, mouth, etc. The picture is from en route; I will try to take a few better pictures of her sweet face tomorrow.
She will be hanging out with us here in Watertown, SD, until transport can be arranged to her permanent foster home. It has been a busy and stressful day for Sugar and we are just settled in. There was some concern because Sugar had not pooped or peed since being picked up yesterday and she had also been vomiting. According to the rescue transporters, it is not uncommon for people to throw food out the door to the dogs into the gravel driveway. The dogs are so hungry they just grab it up and swallow some of the gravel with the food...they have seen more than one dog blocked because the tummy was full of rocks.
Once we got her home, we were assessing her condition and giving her a little walk, and it was clear her tummy was very tender both to the touch and while she walked. Since she wasn’t interested in food or water either, after a few phone calls and e-mails between the vet and another RAGOM volunteer, we decided a visit to a vet would make everyone sleep better for the night. The good news – she is not blocked! But, she needed a shot for the nausea and tummy ache that was probably caused by her previous situation and stress, a Capstar for the fleas, some mild soft food, and a good lookover. If she is still here on Tuesday, she will see the vet for a more thorough exam. Since then, she has been able to relax, drink a little water, and eat a few bites of the food...which she will only eat off the floor! If you think about it – it makes sense that dog dishes were not part of her routine! We’re just going to take it nice and easy.
Her skin and coat are in terrible condition with clumps and sores. I cut some big clumps and matted hair off her tail that looked very uncomfortable (check out the pictures!) I am going to slowly work on some of the others over the next day or two so she doesn’t get too stressed again. This is the first time I have ever seen mats with trash wound in them...rags, plastic, metal! Some of this may need a professional groomer.
Well, it’s late – we’ll try one more drink of water and a walk – more later!
| Mixed Breed | Born: October 2009 |
| Female | 60 lbs |
Status: Adopted
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 10/12/2014 | Fence or tie-out | Ages 8+ | Optional | No | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Welcome to RAGOM, sweet Sugar 14-334! She made the long trip from Pine Ridge, SD, along with 18 other lucky dogs and 2 kittens that went to several other rescues along the way! Big Golden hugs to 4 Luv of Dog Rescue for the transport and great work.
She is a Golden mix about 8 years old and is just the sweetest thing! It is clear she has been on her own for a very long time and needs a lot of TLC, but she is going to be so beautiful after spending some time living the Golden Life – especially so with winter on the way. She is believed to be spayed – which is uncommon for dogs from her situation. We also know she walks pretty well on a leash, doesn’t mind being in a crate, is good with my resident dogs, and will allow you to handle her, check her ears, mouth, etc. The picture is from en route; I will try to take a few better pictures of her sweet face tomorrow.
She will be hanging out with us here in Watertown, SD, until transport can be arranged to her permanent foster home. It has been a busy and stressful day for Sugar and we are just settled in. There was some concern because Sugar had not pooped or peed since being picked up yesterday and she had also been vomiting. According to the rescue transporters, it is not uncommon for people to throw food out the door to the dogs into the gravel driveway. The dogs are so hungry they just grab it up and swallow some of the gravel with the food...they have seen more than one dog blocked because the tummy was full of rocks.
Once we got her home, we were assessing her condition and giving her a little walk, and it was clear her tummy was very tender both to the touch and while she walked. Since she wasn’t interested in food or water either, after a few phone calls and e-mails between the vet and another RAGOM volunteer, we decided a visit to a vet would make everyone sleep better for the night. The good news – she is not blocked! But, she needed a shot for the nausea and tummy ache that was probably caused by her previous situation and stress, a Capstar for the fleas, some mild soft food, and a good lookover. If she is still here on Tuesday, she will see the vet for a more thorough exam. Since then, she has been able to relax, drink a little water, and eat a few bites of the food...which she will only eat off the floor! If you think about it – it makes sense that dog dishes were not part of her routine! We’re just going to take it nice and easy.
Her skin and coat are in terrible condition with clumps and sores. I cut some big clumps and matted hair off her tail that looked very uncomfortable (check out the pictures!) I am going to slowly work on some of the others over the next day or two so she doesn’t get too stressed again. This is the first time I have ever seen mats with trash wound in them...rags, plastic, metal! Some of this may need a professional groomer.
Well, it’s late – we’ll try one more drink of water and a walk – more later!
Sugar is doing great! She has some news to share. She has been adopted by the perfect family for her.
She will be the only dog in the house and will get all of the attention from her new family!
Her new family has an older teenage son that will be caring for Sugar and taking her to some training classes.
Sugar has come a long way, being a stray from Pine Ridge Reservation to a house dog with her very own family!
We wish Sugar and her new family the very best!
Sorry we have not updated in a while. We have been very busy with a baby foster that required lots of care (Pandy 14-397) and the holidays, and then the flu hit our house. That lasted two weeks. We are finally starting to feel better around here.
Sugar is doing great and has settled in to our routine nicely. She is very comfortable going out in the yard to do her business and does not require a walk each day. We are thankful for that because it has been so cold out and Sugar does not like the extreme cold. Her feet get cold very quickly and she is hobbling around the yard if I leave her out too long. I do think she would do better if I put some boots on her feet to protect them. She was an outdoor dog and I think she may have gotten frostbitten on her feet.
She is getting along with our resident dog. They do play together. When Sugar has had enough, she will let the resident know it is time to stop.
Sugar is looking to be the only dog in her forever home or with a dog that is very mellow. She does need slow interdictions.
She would also do better with older children and no cats. If you would like to meet Sugar, please contact your placement advisor.
Sugar enjoying the warmer temperature today!
Sugar had a great time at the lake! Here are a few pictures of her playing with our resident dog and a few of her on squirrel patrol!
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Sugar has been very busy the past week. She spent her first weekend at the lake. She did great on the ride up and loved all the new smells outside. We do not have a fence at our cabin, so Sugar was kept on a tie-out; she did great with that. I tried to let her roam with a dragging lead, but her nose took her off and wandering and she did not want to stick around. So, I did need to keep her attached to a tree so she did not wander too far. She does not respond to her name yet, so calling her back when she got too far away was not working. She had a good time and even slept in a crate overnight with the door closed and did great.
The other big thing that happened this week was Sugar's surgery. She had a growth removed from her lower eye lid and had to have three teeth removed. She is healing up beautifully! The teeth are all in the front and do not cause her any problems with eating. She is not allowed to chew on any toys for two weeks. This is fine with her. She gets more snuggle time with foster mom. I added two pictures so you can see the before and after of Sugar's eye.
During her surgery, they shaved a small spot on her belly to see if they could find a spay scar. She does have a scar, so the vet is confident that she was spayed at some time in her life.
Sugar is doing great and ready for her forever home. If you would like to meet Sugar, please contact your placement advisor.
Sugar is doing very well. She went to her first meet-and-greet this past weekend. She was a little shy, but let everyone pet her and took treats form people.
She is getting along much better with the resident dog and likes to play and jump around with her.
Sugar has learned to like her crate. She will go in during the day and take a nap in there. I can even close the door for short periods of time and she is ok with that. I do not leave her in there when we are not home. She does fine with a baby gate. She would also be fine with free roam; she has not been destructive in any way.
Sugar has a growth by her eye that we are going to have removed. She also needs to get a tooth pulled and a few others checked out. She will be having her surgery on Friday the 21st. Once she gets that taken care of, she will be ready to go to her forever home.
If you would like to meet Sugar, please contact you placement advisor.
Sugar has been in her new foster home for 11 days. She is doing great and has changed a lot in a short time. She is off all medications. Sugar is a Golden mix believed to be about 5 years old.
She does not like to be crated, but will respect a baby gate.
She is fully house-trained. At first, Sugar would not even go potty in the yard; she needed to go for a walk to go potty. She is now going potty in one area of the yard. She will not poop in the yard and does need to go for a short walk to take care of her business. She loves to walk and does a great job on the leash. Hopefully, she will learn it is OK to go in the yard.
Sugar is let out on a tie-out. We do have a fenced-in yard. Sugar is a expert at escaping. She does not go over; she goes under. I think if she was able to roam around the yard, she may be able to poop out there. For now, we are fine with taking her for a walk.
When Sugar first came, she did not get along with our resident dog. My resident dog is a young, in-your-face, playful gal. Sugar did not appreciate that. We took them for lots of walks together and watch them very closely when they were together. Sugar has accepted my resident and they now are fine together and love to play. In her forever home, she will need slow introductions to dogs that may be in her home or that she will come in contact with.
Sugar is very sweet! she likes to climb up next to me on the sofa and hang out. She is starting to play with some toys and is chewing a little bit on bones.
Sugar will see the vet next week for a checkup and a booster shot. She is already spayed and appears to be in good health. She has a few teeth that need to be checked out. After that, she will be ready for her forever home. If you would like to meet Sugar, please contact your placement advisor.
Well, this is the last update I will be writing for our sweet Sugar, as today she moves to a most wonderful permanent foster home – I couldn’t have handpicked a better one!
Sugar is well on her way to making the adjustment from homeless girl to house dog! The best news this morning is that she final ate a real breakfast this morning – kibble mixed with a little wet food – AND out of a dog bowl! We didn’t load her up because she is going on a trip today.
Since the “terrible, horrible, no good, bad day” (read all about it below), with the help of a bit of anti-anxiety medicine, a few other tricks of the trade, and a consistent routine, she is just the best girl to have around. She has had free run of most of the house (not the bedrooms or bathrooms) since Thursday and there have been no accidents and no destruction – even when I leave for an hour or so. She sleeps on the floor next to her FD’s side of the bed. Sugar really likes her FD!
We take several walks a day – that is how she prefers to go potty – but we believe that if she had a fenced-in yard to meander and sniff for a bit, she would at least pee in the yard. She may always need to take a walk to poop, but it doesn’t take long (according to the Fitbit – about 1000 steps round-trip).
She is curious about play, but doesn’t really know how. In many ways, she is a like a puppy – needs to learn her name and all the basic commands, which we started – but is house-trained! Bonus! She responds to a whistle, gets along with the RDs and has claimed the corner of the loveseat to hang out on.
Our walks take us along the river in the backyard; she now pays curious attention to the ducks and geese and would definitely chase squirrels if I allowed her to. She also thinks I am crazy because I won’t let her go down and drink from that giant water fountain (river) and gives me such a look. It is comical. We also cross paths with many of our neighbors and their dogs and she is just fine, continues to walk like a dream on the leash (unless those evil squirrels cross her path), and even lays down if I stop for any length of time to visit with another human. Everyone loves to hear Sugar’s story and even asks for the RAGOM website so they can follow her story!
Sugar and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:
I had not left since we got her (I work from home), but Thursday morning, I had to leave for a meeting. When I returned, Sugar was waiting for me at the door! Fortunately, the only casualty was the crate door (which is only $10 to replace!); she did not destroy anything else. She was inconsolable, crying beyond anything we have seen with her before... I have always been able to distract her anxiety with some water, a treat, a walk, laying by her side, etc., but not today. I had already tried Rescue Remedy for dogs and lavender essential oil – both of which seemed to help in the past. I am sure that going from being out on her own to becoming a house dog must be incredibly confusing for her and me leaving just “flipped a switch.” This doesn’t seem like a true separation anxiety – no self harm, destruction, or soiling herself – but more of another phase of situational adjustment. It was time to call the vet for help and a game plan. While we were waiting for the vet to call, we took another walk – it helped her be a bit more tired, but no less anxious. I added some relaxing piano music when we got back and THAT actually seemed to help – heck, it worked with my kids, so why not try it? (The music still works very well, like a calming switch, so we are sending a copy of the CD with her.) To describe the feeling for me, it was like having a colicky baby that, no matter what you do, wouldn’t stop crying... I was to tears feeling so bad I couldn’t make her feel better.
I took her up to the vet to have a mini-blood panel done so we were cleared to use anti-anxiety meds, and her blood work was perfect. (I am still amazed at what a strong, healthy dog she is – given her past.) We started her on 100 mg of Trazadone every 12 hours. We can increase slowly if needed; I hoped this helped her over the worst of it. It is very fast-acting. I ended up rescheduling my afternoon meeting that day because I just didn’t feel comfortable leaving her. I had 3 meetings Friday that I couldn’t get out of; I was ready to see if one of my friends can doggie sit if the meds didn’t help.
Here is the good news! During all of this – no destructive behavior, no accidents (she hasn’t had a single one!). I didn’t want the tether to increase her anxiety, so she had free roam. I left for 3 different 1-hour meetings. She did fine. This is why I am hoping it is an acclimation anxiety because it is not typical.
The rest is history! There may be a few new adjustments in her new foster home; we were able to decrease her anxiety medicine by half.
Good luck, Sugar – keep in touch! We love you!
