Shuster 18-060TD
At a Glance #18-060TD
| Golden Retriever | Born: March 2013 |
| Male | 72 lbs |
Status: Adopted
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Updates
Monday, June 11, 2018
Shuster has found his forever home! He will be living with Mark and have him all to himself.
He'll be able to run around in his own fenced yard and watch all the squirrels come and go. He will get to travel to a cabin where he can explore and swim.
It has been fun having him as our foster. We'll miss you Shuster and so will Ferris, your foster fur brother.
Monday, May 28, 2018
Shuster has been chillin' this week with some cool indoor time on these hot summer days. He has also been a little more quiet lately and restful as we learned he had two infections in his intestines: Clostridia and Spirochetes. He's had some diarrhea and has had a few accidents in the house because of it.
Otherwise he's been normal: playing ball in the yard and walking with Foster Dad and Mom and eating well. We're giving him another 10-day regimen of antibiotics. Also he eats yogurt for his gut and a few green beans and pumpkin. The latter isn't a very tasty treat to him. Poor fussy Shuster.
We learned a different method of delivering pills. Previously we had tried hiding pills in hot dogs, cheese, or peanut butter. He'd fish out the pill and leave it laying on the floor. We resorted to sprinkling the capsule's powder in his food.
Now he has these big horse pills. New method: use marshmallows. He loves it, swallowing it whole. He should be fine in a few days.
Shuster doesn't bark very often. When he gets excited we'll hear him bark. He does whine at times, especially when someone leaves the house. Foster Dad has heard him howl.
Things that Shuster is working on: learning the commands "sit" and "down." He does come when his name is called. Shuster needs to tell us better when he needs to go outside. At the moment he comes up to us with lots of hand kisses.
Shuster is ready for his forever home. Are you a match for Shuster's needs?
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Shuster is really finding his niche. He's not the shy guy we thought he was initially but he's showing some spunk a little too. He's still Mr. Casual Guy though and so affectionate!
Water play: We head for the lake on our daily walks about every other day. He really enjoys this big drinking bowl. When he saw waves it caused him to back up suddenly wondering what that was all about. Now he fetches sticks thrown into the water and has even ventured out into the deep just a little ways and came back swimming. Wow was that exhilarating!
Eating: Now he is eating without being told and eats almost as fast as our speed eater Ferris. He still expects to see some rice in with his dog food though. Strangely he is a little reluctant to eat that cold, cold ice cream taste at the end of the day.
He's very good at catching some popcorn kernels that Foster Dad or Foster Mom throw to him. And he's gotten the idea finally that there are no treats from the grownups' dinner table. He lays beside the table hoping for a dropped morsel though. Oh, and Shuster has no food aggression issues.
Car rides: Does he get excited about these! Both dogs race to the door to be led out to the car. They both get the second seat but unfortunately Shuster hogs a full 3/4 of it by laying down and promptly going to sleep. Ferris prefers to sit and watch but sometimes Shuster has the center 3/4 taken up. So there isn't much room to sit. Shuster waits patiently while his humans are running their errands.
Home Alone: We have left "the boys" home for 2-4 hours at a time. Nothing was out of place, no accidents, no parties here. And we really receive a special welcoming home like there is no tomorrow.
Outside activities: Shuster would just as soon stay outside all day. There is so much to see, smell and hear! He and Ferris are quite the twosome racing each other out the door in hopes of seeing a rabbit, chipmunk, or squirrel. I'm afraid Ferris is teaching Shuster all about a prey drive.
He is so very aware of everything happening outdoors. He often sees something the other doesn't see. And then he whines to go in that direction. He's watched us taking care of the leaves, cutting down a tree, mowing grass, and planting gardens. And it's tick season outdoors now. So the boys are getting more pets just to check for ticks.
Children: We don't have children in our home or neighborhood but he passed casually by the neighbor's house where the grandchildren were outside playing. Recently Shuster met a little girl who was about 6-7 yrs. old. She came up to him with a quiet voice asking if she could pet him.
I watched closely to check Shuster's reaction. Her hands were petting him slowly and gently which I could see he enjoyed. This was a good experience for him - one I hope we'll be able to repeat again soon. Easy and slow introductions.
Inside play: Shuster likes to be by himself but has nothing against his fur brother Ferris. They haven't done too much direct interaction but one day they got pretty worked up over a toy they both wanted. It didn't last but a few seconds and they were back doing their own thing.
They go everywhere together though. Shuster likes playing with a stuffed toy that has a squeaker inside. He will be squeaking his toy and running back and forth across the living room flipping up the toy and then lay down and squeak it some more. Shuster's active time seems to be in the evening. But he can take a nap any old time.
Fears/Dislikes: Shuster doesn't seem to be afraid of thunderstorms though we've only had one so far. Most home noises are fine but he doesn't seem to like the vacuum cleaner. He'll stay in the next room away from it.
Strange dogs: He doesn't like when they run up to him quickly. He'll whine but soon the tails are wagging and everything is all right.
Boats: When he first saw boats running across the lake, he stared and stared at them. Wonder if he's seen a boat before? Then came the experience of riding in our boat. Everything is a piece of cake for Shuster. He stared at the motor roaring as we took off and soon he was laying on the boat floor feeling the vibrations.
He didn't seem to be concerned about anything: a crappie flopping in the boat, minnows, birds flying all around us. He certainly seems confident and comfortable with whatever is happening around him.
Wishes: If we could make a wish for Shuster, it would be that he finds the most perfect forever family that loves him just as he is and will care for him all his days. He's well on his way to living the Golden Life!
Monday, May 14, 2018
Shuster is such a sweet dog! He stares at you with those big brown eyes as his tail thumps the floor waiting patiently for you to get out of bed in the morning. He begs for pets and licks your hands whenever they are within reach. He’ll be waiting for you at the door when you come home from work.
Mild mannered Shuster Rooster appears to be a finicky eater. In the first few days Foster Mom fed him his kibble by hand. Well this worked for a while but stopped as soon as she put the bowl down for him to eat. He refused.
We’re using a bland diet of rice and hamburger or chicken at the vet’s suggestion. This works fine. We’re weaning him off the bland diet by adding more and more kibble with the rice. One wonders what Shuster ate at the garbage dump in Turkey?!
Well, you know they say we learn from our mistakes. That is so true, as in this little incident. We were preparing to give Shuster his first car ride since coming home with us, this time with his fur brother Ferris. We decided to put Shuster in the third seat, Ferris in the second and of course Foster Dad and Mom were in the front. We secured the dogs in place and everything was going well.
I looked back at one point but didn’t see Shuster way back there. So I presumed he was laying down as he did on the trip to our home. Suddenly coming from the second seat was a dog right behind me giving me sloppy kisses. Shuster looked so pleased with himself! And I noticed that in a matter of 10-15 minutes he had chewed clean through his RAGOM leash. That we didn’t know about him!
It will make using a tie out impossible without using something stronger than cloth rope or leather. Or not using a tie out and only walking him on a leash unless he has a fenced in area. A lesson learned!
Shuster loves his walks and we’re trying to do this with both dogs at once. Each dog has his own pace and endurance level. Our younger, more energetic Ferris is our pacer. Foster mom comes somewhat in between with Shuster generally by her left side. He walks right beside her with not a pull on the leash. He definitely has been taught how to heel.
His pace is leisurely and he has to stop more frequently to smell the roses … well, maybe the deer and rabbit smells or whatever else happens to be there. Today a turtle received a quick sniff and Shuster was ready to move on. Oh, we have seen him move pretty fast though as he’s getting the hang of chasing and fetching a bouncing ball for a brief time. What fun that is!
Shuster is a bit of a jumper which would surely knock down young children. We have also learned that he gets very stressed out with youngsters who are naturally unpredictable. Adults or older dog savvy children would be best for Shuster.
Shuster needs a family who:
- will provide time to walk Shuster at his easy going pace, likely no jogging
- loves receiving many little kisses
- accepts a carefree dog who just likes to take naps
- will provide a calm environment in which he will thrive
- will love him and care for him forever!
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Shuster was one of nine dogs who arrived from Turkey on April 21, 2018. He was found living with other dogs in a garage dump. Now he has the RAGOM life and awaits his forever family.
Shuster is getting to know many new things in his new life—a language and even his name in his new country. Imagine trying to learn so many new things at once. He is learning our routines and he's Mr. Laid Back all the way. He's goes along with most anything we do.
He loves his naps, car rides, walks and people. He's the perfect gentleman and most polite guest. He doesn't counter surf or get into the garbage. He has full run of the house and sleeps where he wants—usually in foster dad and mom's room near them. He hasn't had an accident in the house.
Ferris (our resident dog) and Shuster are getting along so nicely. They pretty much do their own thing but parallel one another. They walk together, nap in the same area and of course watch the kitchen for any extra food that may land on the floor.
A medical exam was given to Shuster, which turned out well. He is up to date on all his shots and preventatives. He had an ear tag which needed surgical removal. This was taken care of on Monday and is healing nicely.
He has an umbilical hernia which just needs to be monitored for change or if it bothers him. His right front leg had an old break that has healed. No medical intervention is needed at this time. And it doesn't appear to affect his gait.
