Jack (Aspen 12-049)

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Profile

Aspen came to us a week ago after living in a shelter for 3 months. He was found as a stray and no one claimed him. Thank you to the shelter volunteers for taking such wonderful care of him, and thank you to the great RAGOM transport volunteers for getting him to us! Aspen sends sloppy kisses to everyone!

Aspen is an adorable Golden Retriever/Lab mix. He is house trained, crate trained and respects baby gates. He is approximately 2 years old, and aside from a minor ear infection, is in great health. He weighs 68 pounds and is at the perfect weight. He was a good boy at the vet today - a little excited at first, but overall he did great. He met 2 dogs in the lobby and said hi with his tail wagging. He asked me to take a picture while we were there so you could see what a good boy he was! :)

Aspen was a bit stressed when he first came to us, but who wouldn't be after all he's been thru! It took a few days to get settled in and get used to our dogs, and there were a few scuffles initially. Now he's settled in and thriving! We have 2 Golden Retrievers, ages 4 and 6. Aspen loves to play with them! He and Bauer love to wrestle and have such a great time together. He also loves to snuggle in next to Cooper and take a nap. Of course the minute I get up to take a picture, they move! :) Aspen has also discovered the joy of toys - but stuffed, fluffy toys, beware! Hard rubber toys are more "Aspen friendly" right now! :)

Aspen also loves walks! He fought the Gentle Leader pretty hard the first day, but now he's used to it and knows it leads to something FUN! We go for 2 walks a day and Aspen is the first one to the door waiting for the leash to go on. We laugh at him a bit because he doesn't seem to walk a straight line - our goofy boy does a lot of zig zagging! There are not a lot of people in our neighborhood that walk during the winter, so we haven't encountered any other dogs while we've been walking yet. However, when a dog barks at us from its yard, Aspen will jump up and down a bit and bark. We step in front of him and walk into him, saying "Aspen, no", in a firm voice. He is catching onto this and is already learning this is not appropriate behavior.

Aspen LOVES to play fetch! He doesn't always bring it back, but he sure loves to chase after whatever we throw! He is a good watch dog outside and will bark to let us know when he hears a noise. He has a very raspy voice, and you can hardly hear it, but bark he does! We are also working on this behavior as well. He has a lot of potential and we know he will overcome this behavior with a lot of consistency and training.

It is reported Aspen does well with kids, although we haven't had a chance to test him yet. Sometimes when we're out in the yard, the neighbor kids down the block are out playing in their yard, too. Aspen will sit at the fence and watch them - tail wagging in excitement the whole time. He wants to go see them so bad!

Aspen will make a wonderful addition to almost any home - he doesn't try to get on the furniture and is such a happy, sweet boy. He isn't perfect but has so much potential! He'll even help with the outside chores if you need him to!

Here's what Aspen is looking for in a forever home:

  • Someone committed to obedience training - classes are a must for this young boy!
  • He would love another well adjusted dog to play with, but would also be fine as an only dog
  • A fenced yard to keep him safe - he does not have good recall and loves to run and stretch his legs
  • Cats are unknown at this point, although the shelter reported he did fine with them
  • Someone who wants to walk with him - or run! He'd make an excellent running partner

Aspen can't wait to meet his forever family - how can you resist this sweet face?!

At a Glance #12-049

Mixed Breed Born: February 2010
Male 70 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Aspen came to us a week ago after living in a shelter for 3 months. He was found as a stray and no one claimed him. Thank you to the shelter volunteers for taking such wonderful care of him, and thank you to the great RAGOM transport volunteers for getting him to us! Aspen sends sloppy kisses to everyone!

Aspen is an adorable Golden Retriever/Lab mix. He is house trained, crate trained and respects baby gates. He is approximately 2 years old, and aside from a minor ear infection, is in great health. He weighs 68 pounds and is at the perfect weight. He was a good boy at the vet today - a little excited at first, but overall he did great. He met 2 dogs in the lobby and said hi with his tail wagging. He asked me to take a picture while we were there so you could see what a good boy he was! :)

Aspen was a bit stressed when he first came to us, but who wouldn't be after all he's been thru! It took a few days to get settled in and get used to our dogs, and there were a few scuffles initially. Now he's settled in and thriving! We have 2 Golden Retrievers, ages 4 and 6. Aspen loves to play with them! He and Bauer love to wrestle and have such a great time together. He also loves to snuggle in next to Cooper and take a nap. Of course the minute I get up to take a picture, they move! :) Aspen has also discovered the joy of toys - but stuffed, fluffy toys, beware! Hard rubber toys are more "Aspen friendly" right now! :)

Aspen also loves walks! He fought the Gentle Leader pretty hard the first day, but now he's used to it and knows it leads to something FUN! We go for 2 walks a day and Aspen is the first one to the door waiting for the leash to go on. We laugh at him a bit because he doesn't seem to walk a straight line - our goofy boy does a lot of zig zagging! There are not a lot of people in our neighborhood that walk during the winter, so we haven't encountered any other dogs while we've been walking yet. However, when a dog barks at us from its yard, Aspen will jump up and down a bit and bark. We step in front of him and walk into him, saying "Aspen, no", in a firm voice. He is catching onto this and is already learning this is not appropriate behavior.

Aspen LOVES to play fetch! He doesn't always bring it back, but he sure loves to chase after whatever we throw! He is a good watch dog outside and will bark to let us know when he hears a noise. He has a very raspy voice, and you can hardly hear it, but bark he does! We are also working on this behavior as well. He has a lot of potential and we know he will overcome this behavior with a lot of consistency and training.

It is reported Aspen does well with kids, although we haven't had a chance to test him yet. Sometimes when we're out in the yard, the neighbor kids down the block are out playing in their yard, too. Aspen will sit at the fence and watch them - tail wagging in excitement the whole time. He wants to go see them so bad!

Aspen will make a wonderful addition to almost any home - he doesn't try to get on the furniture and is such a happy, sweet boy. He isn't perfect but has so much potential! He'll even help with the outside chores if you need him to!

Here's what Aspen is looking for in a forever home:

  • Someone committed to obedience training - classes are a must for this young boy!
  • He would love another well adjusted dog to play with, but would also be fine as an only dog
  • A fenced yard to keep him safe - he does not have good recall and loves to run and stretch his legs
  • Cats are unknown at this point, although the shelter reported he did fine with them
  • Someone who wants to walk with him - or run! He'd make an excellent running partner

Aspen can't wait to meet his forever family - how can you resist this sweet face?!

Updates

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

We were Jack's foster family and were lucky enough to visit him last weekend! His family recently moved to Northern Minnesota and it was clear to see Jack agreed with this decision!  He now has a HUGE yard to play in and it was fun watching him run around and enjoy it!  When we fostered him we thought there was no way he would be able to live in a home without a fence.  Although his home in the cities had a physical fence, his new home up north has an invisible fence.  His adoptive family has spent a lot of time working on his training over the years and he has such great recall now and respects his boundaries!  They are such an incredible family!  He just loves being able to freely explore his great big yard and life couldn't be any better for him!  

Another big change in Jack's life is that he became a big brother! This past Spring his family adopted a sweet little girl named Casey and she and Jack are the best of friends!  It was so incredibly heart warming to watch them play and wrestle together during our visit.  It brought tears to my eyes as I thought about it on the way home - Jack just adores his little sister!  Between their wrestling matches and going in and out of the house over and over to run and play together outside, it was a wonderful sight to see.  It really made our day!  Those two are never apart and are such a great match.

Jack still goes hunting with his dad and we loved hearing about all of their adventures out in the fields.  Jack is a rock star and is a fantastic hunting dog!!  Of course, he still loves lounging from time to time....

Before we left, Jack took a quick break from fetch to take a picture with us.  He is happier than we ever could have imagined and we are so thankful he found such a wonderful family to call his own!  He is a lucky boy!!

Friday, November 9, 2012

From Jack's (formerly known as Aspen) forever family...

Jack is doing great in our home - we are eight months into ownership and he has learned a bunch and so have we! He has been through beginning Obedience classes, gone hunting in the woods, fishing in the boat, swimming, to the doggie spa, to doggie daycare and whatever he is doing - it is 100% - there are no half hearted attempts with this dog - we call him Jack the Jester - aptly named as my husband calls himself the king and Jack is always entertaining him! I call him the junkyard dog because as we sit down to have dinner, Jack will lay nearby and we'll hear all kinds of noises coming from him and he will eat anything! We are careful to keep our wastebasket lid on so he stays out of it, but he amazes me because he eats all kinds of fruits and vegetables - all around he is a great dog and he fits very well into our life - we are so in love with his personality! Thanks to Sam, Nikki, Cooper and Bauer for reminding Jack what "home" really is and for holding on to him until we showed up!

Here is a picture of Jack the logger dog - he loves the woods! (yes, he is on heartworm and flea and tick all year long!!!)

Pam M. 
Jack's proud owner!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

We've always known RAGOM has amazing adopters, and the M family is no exception.  They saw Aspen on the website and fell in love with a dog that was far from perfect.  They had read his web page over and over, knowing everything about him and his quirks.  They were so drawn to him that they came to an event to meet him, and we walked away already knowing they were "the ones."  Many email discussions followed, and we fell in love with this family who wanted to take Aspen in and love him not only for who he was, but for who they knew he could be.  On the day they came to our house, Aspen and Bauer got into a spat minutes before they arrived.  We went on a walk and Aspen was on his worst behavior, barking at other dogs.  Yet, this wonderful family asked if they could take him home and love him for the rest of their lives.  So with lots of happy tears, we sent Aspen home with his new family.  His forever family.  The family we had no idea was out there for him, but were incredibly lucky to find.  Aspen is now named Jack, and is living the good life with a kitty sibling and a mom and dad that already love him beyond words.  We couldn't be more thrilled for Jack and the M family, and are so happy they found each other!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Hi everyone - it's Aspen again!  Foster Mom is tired from working all day, so she said I get to write my own update again.  Yippee!  I had another fun weekend and got to house sit and hike in the woods again.  I had so much fun!  My recall is really improving and my foster parents are SO proud of me!  I am really attached to FD and listen to him the most, but I'm getting better about listening to FM, too.  They've taken me to different places and have been practicing my recall while I've been wearing a long line, and I've come to them every time they call my name.  See, I told you I had potential! 

FM also spoke too soon when she said I might not like car rides.  Um, hello FM - I hadn't been on that many car rides before I came to your house!  Of course I was nervous - I had no idea what was going on!  I'm so glad they're taking me to lots of fun places so I get used to being in the car.  I still pace a little in the beginning, but they said I'm not the same boy I was just a few days ago.  I am making lots of progress!

I still like to play with my foster brothers, but sometimes I'm not so good at sharing toys.  I think they're all mine and don't want my foster brothers to have them.  My foster parents can take them away from me very easily, though.  Some days I'm okay, then some days I get upset when one of my foster brothers has a toy that I think should be mine.  I haven't played with toys for a very long time, and even though my foster parents are working hard with me on sharing, sometimes I forget my manners.  My foster brothers don't like it very much when I forget, even though I tell them I'm trying very hard!  I think that's why my forever home should have a submissive dog, or have no dogs at all - I would love to be an only dog!  I would love to be able to have all the toys to myself and be able to have all the attention from my humans, too!  I hope you'll still take me on puppy play dates or to the dog park, though.  I do like to play with other dogs - I run and play with my foster brothers all the time when we go outside!

This week FD started brushing my teeth, and I am proud to report I've been a very good boy!  He wishes my foster brothers were that well behaved.  I also LOVE to be brushed, am good in the bath tub, and will let you clean my ears without an issue.  I do wiggle and squirm a little when you trim my nails, though!

I had lots of fun at the event this weekend, there were so many people there!  I let everyone pet me and loved it when they told me how cute I was.  Let's be honest - I'm adorable!!  There were even some special people that came out just to see me, Aspen!  I couldn't believe it - I was so happy!  I hope I get to see them again soon, they were so nice.  Here's a picture from the event when I was snuggling into FD - I just love to cuddle with people, I'm such a love bug!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Aspen continues to enjoy his time in our home and is making great strides every day. He is trusted with free roam all the time now - even when we're gone for a full work day! We usually come home to find him sound asleep on his dog bed. :)  We're so proud of him!  He continues to make progress with his barking outside, and will rarely bark unless he hears a loud noise or the dogs behind us start to bark at him first. His barking on walks has also improved, and just the other day when we walked past a fence with dogs barking at us, he kept his cool and didn't make a peep! However, his forever family should be willing to continue working on this issue with him, especially since warm weather is just around the corner and there will be more dogs out taking walks. He's still a work in progress but has a lot of potential if you're willing to work with him!

We've come to the realization that a fenced yard is a must for Aspen. As you know, we make him trail a leash in our backyard when we're out there -- even though we have a fence -- so we can work on his barking. Recently he chewed thru the nylon leash in the blink of an eye.  Not once, but twice.  Perhaps that's how he became a stray in the first place!  Even though his recall is improving, and there are many wonderful families out there without a fence, we've determined a fence is an absolute requirement for him. Just look at how much fun he had running around on his recent snow day!

The jury's still out on whether or not he likes car rides. As soon as you open up the door, he hops in, ready for his next big adventure. However, once you get on the road, he pants and paces a bit. He settles down after a while and will rest his head on our shoulder. It's the sweetest thing!  We also ensure there's a leash on him before opening the car door, because he likes to jump out into the open air as soon as the door is cracked. This may change as he becomes more comfortable in his new home and environment.  Right now we're taking lots of car rides and visiting a lot of fun places - Aspen loves to get out and see the world!

Aspen loves to snuggle and is a very affectionate dog. Sometimes he even curls up in bed with us! He's well socialized and seems to love people of all ages. Please come out and meet our handsome boy this weekend - he'll be at the Bloomington Chuck and Don's from 1:30 - 3 on Sunday. He has lots of kisses waiting for you!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Aspen is too tired to write, but he wanted me to thank everyone for stopping to see him at our event this past weekend!  He was SO well behaved - everyone was saying what a good boy he was.  Of course, his good behavior was no surpise to us!  :)   Aspen was all smiles the entire time and let everyone pet him and love him up - adults, kids, even toddlers!  He's a special one, our boy!   There was also a cat roaming the store while we were there. It was laying on it's belly, and Aspen sniffed it but didn't show much interest. He didn't try to chase it or anything, so I think we can say he's passed the cat test!  Everyone also commented on how handsome he was, and said his pictures don't do him justice.  If he's this cute in pictures, can you just imagine how adorable he is in person?!

  

Aspen is such a wonderful boy in so many ways - we just love everything about him!  The fact that he's a quick learner is one of our favorites.  His barking has improved greatly since he arrived.  He used to bark almost every time we went outside.  Now it's few and far between!  He still barks a little, but seldom is it unprovoked.  For example, we can be out in the yard while the neighbor dogs are out.  Aspen will look at them for a minute, and then continue on doing what he was doing.  But if they start barking at him, he'll give a few barks back.  Same with dogs on walks.  We can walk past a million yards with dogs out, and Aspen will just look at them and continue walking.  However, if they bark at him, Aspen will give a few barks back.  He is easily redirected when this happens.  He still loves his walks and we can now proudly say he walks a straight line!  No more zig zagging!  Well, not much anyway.  :)  He also "sits and waits" for his food before we feed him.  We put his bowl down, tell him to "wait", and he'll sit there for a few seconds until we release him to eat it up!  Did I mention how SMART this pup is?!  He also graduated to having fluffy toys in the house, and he and Bauer love to play tug.  However, he seems to still prefer the hard rubber ones if he has his choice.  He has also been given free roam for several hours at a time and has been a very good boy!

If you like to sleep in late in the morning, Aspen's your boy!  Bauer wakes us up every morning without fail between 4:30 and 5:00, even on the weekends.  Aspen just ignores him and doesn't get up until he hears us getting his food ready.  We feed them breakfast and go out for a potty break.  Aspen comes back into the bedroom, lays on his dog bed, and lets us go back to sleep for another few hours.  He's our first foster to do this, and we love him for it!  :) 

Aspen loves his life with us, but he is waiting for his forever family to find him - one look in his beautiful, big brown eyes, and it will be hard to resist! 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

We thought we would give you another update to tell you how GREAT Aspen is doing! But first, we wanted to share a picture that was taken while Aspen was at the shelter. Again, we send them a great big thank you for taking such great care of our boy! And thanks so much for letting us share this picture. :)

Aspen has been with us for over a week, but he fits in as if he's been with us forever! He is so sweet and loving. My absolute favorite thing about Aspen is when he comes over for pets. He puts his head in my chest, lets out out a big sigh, and his entire body relaxes as I pet him. It's an amazing, indescribable feeling. He is so happy to be in a loving home! When he's not getting pets or playing with toys, he enjoys laying in the sun and relaxing.

It appears as though Aspen had some form of training when he was younger. He knows sit, down, and shake - what a good boy! We are also working on stay, and he is doing fabulous! We do not allow the dogs in the dining room when we're eating dinner, so Aspen sits with our boys in the living room, where they can still see us. The first night, we put him into a "down", and told him to stay. He got up twice and we brought him back to his spot and told him to "stay" again, and he succeeded! He caught onto this a lot faster than our own boys did when they were training. :) His barking on walks is improving, and he is doing wonderful at being redirected. He is also doing better with barking outside. We have him trail a leash, and when he starts to bark, we pick up the leash and take him inside. He's quickly learning that if he's quiet when he's outside, he can stay out there longer and play with our pups. He is one smart cookie! His recall is also improving and he is starting to listen very well.

As mentioned in a previous update, Aspen is house trained, crate trained, and respects baby gates. He has free roam at night and sleeps next to our bed until the morning. Although, he would love to share the people bed if you let him. :) He does not counter surf, and we have even given him free roam during the day when we've ran a quick errand. We've come home to find everything in place. He's such a good boy! In time we believe he will be trustworthy for longer periods of time.

Aspen will fit into just about any home. He loves to play, but overall is a pretty calm boy. He is such a love bug and we will be sad to see him go, but we know there is a wonderful family out there for him. Aspen will be making an appearance at the Rochester Feed and Country Store this Saturday from 12-2. He loves to give kisses, so please come out and get some! One meeting with him and you will absolutely fall in love...

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Hi everyone - it's Aspen! I had the best weekend of my LIFE (so far!), and I just couldn't wait to tell you about it! It started with a nice long walk in our neighborhood where we finally saw some other dogs out walking. I barked at them, not a mean bark, but a "get over here so I can say hi to you" bark! Foster Mom (FM) said we need to work on that, though. Not to worry, I am a very smart boy and I know I'll learn quickly!

Then Foster Dad (FD) took me for a car ride all by myself to a local pet store! Oh my gosh, was that ever FUN! I met lots of doggies when we were in the store - I said hi to all of them without a single bark - I was such a good boy and just wagged my tail in excitement. We also saw some kids there - they all gave me pets and I loved it! I was SUCH a good boy!

Then the best part of my weekend happened - we got to house sit! Now, this is not just any house - it was on 23 acres! We went for a million walks a day thru the woods - I can't remember having so much fun in my entire life! I was still on a leash attached to FD, but it was over 30 feet long so I was still able to stretch my legs. It was just soooooo much fun!

We were all so exhausted that we napped as soon as dinner was over and didn't get up until our potty break before bed. FM and FD forgot there were even dogs in the house, it was so quiet! And the best part was that we woke up the next morning and did it all over again. Needless to say, it's time for another nap!

Your buddy,

Aspen