In memory of Sue- A lover of all creatures
" Hugs from Sandie." -Karin S
"Loving fan!" -Mary R
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 1/18/2014 | Required | Age 10+ | Not required, but would enjoy | Yes | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
So I bet you are wondering how a dog with the looks of Nina found her way into a Golden Retriever rescue. Nina was found running loose at the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation in Nebraska. She was found with Brit 14-016 . As Brit is a Golden mix and the thought was that maybe they were mother and daughter, it was decided that when we took Brit we would also take Nina. Nothing about Nina looks Golden. Not her face, ears, tail, or coloring. But I can tell you she has the personality of a sweet Golden Retriever.
She loves attention and comes to me for lots of pets. I usually end up getting a bath because the tongue will start licking if I stop petting. If she can manage it, I get licks at the same time she is getting pets. She is shy of new people and she will take "cover" under things when she feels scared. That might come from being on the run for a while. There was a thought that she might have been born on the reservation. However, I believe she was someone's pet at one time. She was not afraid to enter the house the first time, to go through doors, or climb steps. Most of the sounds of the house do not scare her. The occasional sudden loud noise startles her, but that happens with lots of dogs. She loves to sit by the window in a doggie bed watching the world go by outside. Her ears get perky when there is some action, but she does not bark.
She does not like the kennel. The first night, I kept her in the kennel. The next morning, I was able to get her to go back in as I left for work with treats. That night, there was no amount of treats that was going to get her back into the kennel. I took the chance and left her out. The next morning, there were no issues. So, while I am at work, she is gated in the kitchen. I have seen her go in a kennel at night just to lay, but that was only once. So, the biggest reason that I think she was someone's pet at one time - she has not had one single accident in the house. She has never peed or pooped in the house. I don't believe a dog born and living her life as a stray who now has run of a large kitchen would be willing to wait until I get home from work to go potty outside.
I have listed her as requiring kids 10+ years. My 5-year-old niece came to visit for a weekend. Nina hid from her and was very afraid when Claire was doing her "dancing." On the other hand, I had a friend stop with her 15-year-old daughter. Samantha had no trouble petting NIna. Nina was giving all kinds of kisses just like with me. We have many Goldens that are rescued by our group that do not do well with small children in the home. The dancing, yelling, running, wrestling is just too stressful for some dogs. It can be tough on Aunts as well...
Nina will definitely need a fence. Being on the run was probably fun as well as scary. With the high snow in the yard, she was able to jump my fence. She loved the "run" she got. I could tell she was having a blast as I chased her through the neighborhood. She stayed within the surrounding houses and did not go far. Even though I had her in my sight the whole time, it was scary for me. She did not come to me when I called, unless you call dashing past me within two feet going 90 miles an hour "coming to me." She finally came to me once she had run herself out. I don't want the family who adopts her to have to worry about her taking off from the yard. The fence will need to be at least 5 feet or she will be able to jump it.
I don't believe Nina would have to have another dog in her adoptive home. However, I think it would be best if she did. I would not have thought that when she first came. She did take a couple of days to warm up to my resident dogs. If she saw them looking at her, she would growl at them. There was never any lunging on her part, but just a steady growl of "keep away from me." She NEVER growled at me. She was shy, but wanted attention right from the start. Keep in mind she was "captured," taken to a kennel, vetted, separated from her fur-buddy and traveled from Sioux Falls, SD, to Minneapolis all within three to four days. I don't blame her for being a bit on edge. NOW - she has great fun with the other pups. She loves to wrestle, loves to be chased and to chase the other dogs. I have a great video of Nina, Coco, and Duster tearing around the deck in the snow. Sometimes, the wrestling with the other dogs has gotten a little rough. I have seen her react submissively to the other dog and I saw her stand her ground with growling/air snapping back. One word from me and both dogs have stopped immediately and walked away from each other. She plays some with the toys. The other night, she was playing with one of the balls and seemed to be quite proud of herself. She is quite the nighttime thief. At first, she would take my slippers in the middle of night to her doggie bed. This happened several nights. In the morning, I would find them on her bed unscathed. I thought it was cute. It was like she wanted me near her. Then, one evening, I went to the bedroom to get ready for bed and found one of the slippers up on the bed (she sometimes jumps up there during the evening while I study or watch TV). The slipper was "plucked" of all the fleece lining around the top!!! What!! This was no longer "cute." There were fleece tufts everywhere. I went searching for the other shoe and found that one on the floor partly chewed. This is the second pair of these fleece-lined leather slippers that one of my foster dogs has chewed up. Yes, it is my fault for leaving them out...but, but I love those slippers!
Nina does not counter surf while she is in the kitchen during the day. But I try not to tempt her by leaving stuff out. I feed her in the kitchen away from the other dogs, so I don't know if she would guard her food from the other dogs. With the fosters, I don't want to push them into a bad place with guarding of food or treats by having them eat in close proximity of other dogs. I know that she does not guard her food from me and that's what I feel is most important.
Nina does not walk well on the leash. She acts scared on the leash. Since we don't know her background, it is impossible to say why that is. But I think with patience and training, she will adapt.
Nina needs to be spayed and then she will be ready to go to her forever home. If you want to meet this love bug, please contact your placement advisor.
Nina and Coco playing in the snow
Nina doing a play bow with Coco
Nina jumping because she is having so much fun
Somebody was digging in the snow!!!
| Mixed Breed | Born: January 2013 |
| Female | 55 lbs |
Status: Adopted
In memory of Sue- A lover of all creatures
" Hugs from Sandie." -Karin S
"Loving fan!" -Mary R
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 1/18/2014 | Required | Age 10+ | Not required, but would enjoy | Yes | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
So I bet you are wondering how a dog with the looks of Nina found her way into a Golden Retriever rescue. Nina was found running loose at the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation in Nebraska. She was found with Brit 14-016 . As Brit is a Golden mix and the thought was that maybe they were mother and daughter, it was decided that when we took Brit we would also take Nina. Nothing about Nina looks Golden. Not her face, ears, tail, or coloring. But I can tell you she has the personality of a sweet Golden Retriever.
She loves attention and comes to me for lots of pets. I usually end up getting a bath because the tongue will start licking if I stop petting. If she can manage it, I get licks at the same time she is getting pets. She is shy of new people and she will take "cover" under things when she feels scared. That might come from being on the run for a while. There was a thought that she might have been born on the reservation. However, I believe she was someone's pet at one time. She was not afraid to enter the house the first time, to go through doors, or climb steps. Most of the sounds of the house do not scare her. The occasional sudden loud noise startles her, but that happens with lots of dogs. She loves to sit by the window in a doggie bed watching the world go by outside. Her ears get perky when there is some action, but she does not bark.
She does not like the kennel. The first night, I kept her in the kennel. The next morning, I was able to get her to go back in as I left for work with treats. That night, there was no amount of treats that was going to get her back into the kennel. I took the chance and left her out. The next morning, there were no issues. So, while I am at work, she is gated in the kitchen. I have seen her go in a kennel at night just to lay, but that was only once. So, the biggest reason that I think she was someone's pet at one time - she has not had one single accident in the house. She has never peed or pooped in the house. I don't believe a dog born and living her life as a stray who now has run of a large kitchen would be willing to wait until I get home from work to go potty outside.
I have listed her as requiring kids 10+ years. My 5-year-old niece came to visit for a weekend. Nina hid from her and was very afraid when Claire was doing her "dancing." On the other hand, I had a friend stop with her 15-year-old daughter. Samantha had no trouble petting NIna. Nina was giving all kinds of kisses just like with me. We have many Goldens that are rescued by our group that do not do well with small children in the home. The dancing, yelling, running, wrestling is just too stressful for some dogs. It can be tough on Aunts as well...
Nina will definitely need a fence. Being on the run was probably fun as well as scary. With the high snow in the yard, she was able to jump my fence. She loved the "run" she got. I could tell she was having a blast as I chased her through the neighborhood. She stayed within the surrounding houses and did not go far. Even though I had her in my sight the whole time, it was scary for me. She did not come to me when I called, unless you call dashing past me within two feet going 90 miles an hour "coming to me." She finally came to me once she had run herself out. I don't want the family who adopts her to have to worry about her taking off from the yard. The fence will need to be at least 5 feet or she will be able to jump it.
I don't believe Nina would have to have another dog in her adoptive home. However, I think it would be best if she did. I would not have thought that when she first came. She did take a couple of days to warm up to my resident dogs. If she saw them looking at her, she would growl at them. There was never any lunging on her part, but just a steady growl of "keep away from me." She NEVER growled at me. She was shy, but wanted attention right from the start. Keep in mind she was "captured," taken to a kennel, vetted, separated from her fur-buddy and traveled from Sioux Falls, SD, to Minneapolis all within three to four days. I don't blame her for being a bit on edge. NOW - she has great fun with the other pups. She loves to wrestle, loves to be chased and to chase the other dogs. I have a great video of Nina, Coco, and Duster tearing around the deck in the snow. Sometimes, the wrestling with the other dogs has gotten a little rough. I have seen her react submissively to the other dog and I saw her stand her ground with growling/air snapping back. One word from me and both dogs have stopped immediately and walked away from each other. She plays some with the toys. The other night, she was playing with one of the balls and seemed to be quite proud of herself. She is quite the nighttime thief. At first, she would take my slippers in the middle of night to her doggie bed. This happened several nights. In the morning, I would find them on her bed unscathed. I thought it was cute. It was like she wanted me near her. Then, one evening, I went to the bedroom to get ready for bed and found one of the slippers up on the bed (she sometimes jumps up there during the evening while I study or watch TV). The slipper was "plucked" of all the fleece lining around the top!!! What!! This was no longer "cute." There were fleece tufts everywhere. I went searching for the other shoe and found that one on the floor partly chewed. This is the second pair of these fleece-lined leather slippers that one of my foster dogs has chewed up. Yes, it is my fault for leaving them out...but, but I love those slippers!
Nina does not counter surf while she is in the kitchen during the day. But I try not to tempt her by leaving stuff out. I feed her in the kitchen away from the other dogs, so I don't know if she would guard her food from the other dogs. With the fosters, I don't want to push them into a bad place with guarding of food or treats by having them eat in close proximity of other dogs. I know that she does not guard her food from me and that's what I feel is most important.
Nina does not walk well on the leash. She acts scared on the leash. Since we don't know her background, it is impossible to say why that is. But I think with patience and training, she will adapt.
Nina needs to be spayed and then she will be ready to go to her forever home. If you want to meet this love bug, please contact your placement advisor.
Nina and Coco playing in the snow
Nina doing a play bow with Coco
Nina jumping because she is having so much fun
Somebody was digging in the snow!!!
Well, it finally happened, Nina has found her fantastic forever home!! I am excited beyond words for this girl that she found a family of her very own. I sure do miss that sweet gentle soul but I am comforted to know that she is loved and safe in her new home with the C family. Have a great life sweet girl. You have been through so much and nobody deserves this more than you! Love, FM
Nina had her very own photoshoot this week. A big thank you shout out to Professional Photographer Michelle K. for her generous donation of her time and talent!
As expected Nina was very shy in front of the camera but Michelle was able to capture the true Nina with happy face on and her expressive ears in their various positions!
Nina will be at the Edina Chuck and Don's event today. To meet Nina is to love this sweet and bashful girl!
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Nina continues to be just a gem and the easiest foster I have had. She has adapted to our day to day routine and just goes along with the flow. She has had a busy week with attending a meet and greet event, helping at the RAGOM garage sale and dog and house sitting for our friends. Here she is on one of our walks with her friends.
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Nina did well at the last event. She is very bashful compared to most of the other dogs, so we gave her her space and she stayed off to the side and accepted treats and loving from those who came to visit. Bonne at Chuck and Don's was especially smitten with her and loved her up but she also had other visitors who felll in love with this sweet docile girl.
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To know Nina is to love her! Just a recap and a few highlights of this sweet girl:
She is getting playful but usually does it when I'm in the other room as she is a little shy about it
Nina will be at the foster parade at Goldzilla on 9/13. Hope to see you there! She will be easy to pick out of the crowd! :)
Nina continues to do well in foster care. She is one of the easiest fosters I have had. She goes with the flow and loves to just hang out with you.
I have changed her update to show that she requires a fence. Not because she is a runner, but she is a bit afraid of sudden or unfamiliar sounds and she might take off if she is spooked. She honestly has great recall when inside a fence with free roam and fortunately I have not had to test her recall outside of a fence as I make sure she is secure on leash.
As reported all along, Nina needs slow introductions to new dogs, but once she gets to know them in a short time and feels safe, she does wonderfully!
Nina has a playful side to her and loves to run in the yard and sometimes she gets the zoomies. She does show some interest in toys and likes to chew on a nylabone or a kong with treats inside.
To know Nina is to meet this sweet and bashful girl. Come out to our meet and greet tomorrow at Chuck and Don's in Shakopee and you will see for yourself!
Hello there. Nina is back on the site with a vengeance and here she is again with another update.
She has had a super busy last several days, so I wanted to share more information about Nina and cute pictures.
This is what I know so far about Nina and some might be a repeat from her first foster, but I thought I would make a nice easy list:
As mentioned before, Nina is shy and prefers to come to you to meet you at first. That takes her about 10 seconds and then is will nestle in for a pet. Nina also needs slow introductions to dogs and would prefer that they not get in her space until she is ready. So far I have only seen a quiet lip curl to warn that she is not comfortable with the closeness yet. No snarl, no bark and no lunging. As you can see in the pictures, she is just fine being in the presence of new dogs. She does not react and she started to show signs of curiousity by reaching to get a sniff once they hung out for a while. Here she is with FM and sweet Chandler 14-292 at the event.
Nina, even though she can be a little skittish to unfamiliar movements or sounds, she seems to be quite comfortable around these two sweet girls. She even leaned in for more when they stopped petting her. I second her other FM that says she could go to a home with children 10 years or older.
Another right of passage for Nina is her meeting my good friend's Chocolate Lab as Libby can also can be uncomfortable meeting new dogs at first. These two must understand each other and this has gone without a hitch. Both respect the other's space and neither has shown any discomfort being around the other!
Here is she on the same walk with her high-alert ears. She is very interested in moving things outside, especially squirrels!
As you can probably tell, I am falling in love with this girl. She is just darling, so sweet, wants to please, up for anything and loves her people. Please consider this oh-so-not a golden. You will be delighted!
Hello Nina Fans!
I know it's been a while since she has been updated, but she is back! She is in a new foster home right now and all I can say is what a great job her FM Jeanine has done socializing this girl. She came in as a scared reservation dog with little social skills and probably very little time spent in a home. Now, she is soaking it all up, enjoying her people and dog friends.
As you can see Nina has been in foster care for a long time. We all know that you come to this site looking for a golden and we know you are not fooled into thinking that Nina is a golden, but oh my, what a sweet little thing she is. Her tail wags frequently and fast. Nina is a who-knows-what-mix with a brindle coat. She weighs about 45-50 pounds, nice little compact body. She has very expressive ears as they go up and then they go down and then she has her Yoda look.
I have only had her for a very short while, but already she is going with the flow. She seems to be so adaptable as she came from a foster home with multiple dogs, fenced in yard in a suburb to being an only dog, no fenced yard but plenty of walks instead with all kinds of new sights and sounds in the city. We have seen several dogs on our walks and she shows no interest in them at all. That is a switch from a golden who wants to befriend everybody and dog they meet. She is much more shy, and as you can see, if you let her come to you at first, she loves to meet new people!
Nina is very treat motivated and responds well to direction or redirection when enticed by a treat. She is a quick study while adjusting to new things by making the experience positive with little treats along the way.
Nina is a great eater, enthusiastically eats her meals at dinner time. I have also found out that she will eat carrots. The first couple were quite funny as she wasn't too sure what this was, but she was a trooper after a few crunches and spitting them out, she finally decided they weren't too bad! Now she likes them in her kong with peanut butter and other treats.
Our fist night together was very good and peaceful. We all slept well but she did like to come over to check in on me while sleeping to make sure I was still there. Once she got a little scratch and a rub, she went back to lay on her bed.
Nina will be at the meet and greet at Chuck and Don's on Saturday 7/25, so please come to meet this girl if you are thinking about our honorary golden and you will see for yourself that she is a gem in the sea of gold!
Hugs and kisses -Karin Sardvig
Hello, Nina fans, it's me sending in an update from my foster home. I bet you all have been wondering what happened to me and what I've been doing. Well, I'm doing just great!! I love living inside and being in a house. I am just very happy to have regular meals; a nice, soft, warm bed to sleep on; dog friends to hang out with; and a very nice human to take care of me. I am completely housebroken and can easily handle an 8-hour day or longer without issue. I am a quiet and clean girl who does not shed much at all. I love to be outside and did have a couple of adventures this winter when the snow was high and I could jump over the 4-foot fence. I am still working on walking on a leash. We don't practice a lot as we have a big fenced-in yard, but I would love to learn about walks. I am not afraid of the normal household noises or things in the house. I am a bit shy around new people, but warm up quickly. I currently live with 3 Goldens and a small white dog. I am fine with all, but do appreciate proper introductions to other dogs. I am spayed and current on all vaccines. I am microchipped and on heartworm preventive as well as flea and tick preventive. I have no health issues!!
I would like to thank my foster mom for giving me a temporary home until I find my forever family, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped rescue me and Britt as well as all the other dogs that they help. I am so happy I get to have a family all my own!!
I am ready for my new family. Here is what I would like in my forever home: another well-socialized dog so I have a friend who can continue to help me learn what it is like to be a dog and teach me all the fun stuff I need to know. I would like a family that has older children, or none. Young kids are a bit much for me to live with, but visits are fine. I would also like a securely fenced yard or someone who will be patient with me and walk me. I was used to running free, so no invisible fence for me. While I may not look like the typical Golden, I am told I do have some Golden traits. I love belly rubs and know how to use my paw to get attention and do the "lean."
Please contact your placement adviser if you think I might be a good fit for your family. Look for more updates... I heard a rumor that I might be attending some events soon!!
Your friend,
Nina
