Lulu (Karla 18-233A)
At a Glance #18-233A
| Golden Retriever | Born: March 2016 |
| Female | 82 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Updates
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Karla—now known as LuLu—hit the jackpot! She met a wonderful family, just perfect for her. They welcomed her into their home where she has dog buddies to play with and devoted owners who will help her continue to grow and blossom.
She will enjoy country living, and we're pretty sure she'll find a welcoming spot on the couch. We couldn't wish for anything more for LuLu—we know she's just where she needs to be!
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Karla had her spay surgery the day after Thanksgiving, and it took her just a bit longer to recover than we had thought. We are so glad her puppy-raising days are behind her. She's in good shape now and ready to just enjoy being a family dog. It was such a good feeling when she finally showed us her happy, bouncy personality again after her surgery!
The weather has turned cold, and Karla doesn't really seem to mind -- she's still anxious to go outside whenever the opportunity presents itself. But to offset those treks in the cold snow, she's learned the joy of sleeping in the sunshine, sometimes on the rug and sometimes in a warm and cozy spot on the couch.
She's lost a little bit of weight, but she's still a big, playful girl, still learning about family life and pretty much liking everything she tries!
We had a houseful of company recently, and Karla and her dog buddies spent the time upstairs, with a baby gate in place so they could watch it all. Karla did very well, with no barking or whining. She just sat there and watched it all very quietly -- what a good girl!
OK, and here's something I have to share -- we're no longer calling her Karla; we now call her LuLu. We have another RAGOM foster dog named Carley, and the names were just too similar, no one could keep them straight! So, for now, she is quite comfortable responding to LuLu, and we're glad that works for all of us!
Monday, November 19, 2018
This girl is learning so much—each day she's happier, bouncier, and more affectionate. She now gives me gentle kisses on my chin and bounces over to me whenever I sit down, just so she can be petted and told what a good girl she is.
She is exceptionally happy, and it's heartwarming to see how she's trying new things, trusting her people and enjoying life as a RAGOM girl.
Big steps for Karla this week—she's earned privileges at night to sleep on a dog bed outside of her kennel, and she's handled this very well. We're also starting to give her a bit more freedom during the day if we're away for very short trips. She still occasionally goes into her kennel all on her own, but clearly prefers to be out with the resident dogs whenever she can.
Karla has also developed much nicer dining habits—at first, she didn't seem to know what to do with a dog dish or even what to do with the food we were giving her. She seemed puzzled by it all, and we had to entice her to eat her dry food by mixing in some canned food.
Slowly, we withdrew the canned food, and now she eats dry food with much gusto and typically cleans up any food bits that might have fallen on the floor. She is not protective of her food or her toys, although she does have some favorite toys that she clearly doesn't want to share.
Karla accompanies the pack that drive to work with me each day—they all get quite excited about the phrase "time to go to work" and wait at the door to the garage and then pile into the car in a somewhat orderly fashion. The first few times, Karla wanted to be lifted into the car, but now she sails into the back row of the SUV and finds her place and settles in.
Yesterday, we took her to our favorite dog-friendly store so she could learn the joys of shopping, and she was a bit nervous. We didn't take any of her dog buddies with us, and that just made her a tad uneasy.
She didn't accept any treats from anyone in the store even though several nice people tried to entice her. We're going to have to get her out and about a bit more so she can meet more people.
She goes into the vet for her spay surgery the day after Thanksgiving and will need a bit of time to recover. She's a healthy girl, and we know she'll be glad to see us when we go to pick her up—her happiness is just contagious!
Here are some pictures of Karla from this week.
Monday, November 12, 2018
We're absolutely loving Karla -- she is such a happy girl, full of exuberance and energy. Karla is a young, retired breeder girl and in many ways just a big puppy herself.
She's been with us for about 2 weeks and quickly learned very important skills, such as:
- Eating out of a dog dish: It seemed as if this was very foreign to her, but she's totally on board now and loves her meals, yet she is not extremely motivated by food.
- Mastering the stairs: Her first few attempts were awkward, but she's got it down pat now.
- Waiting for her turn: We have several dogs, and they've all learned to wait their turn for treats. Karla quickly learned that, too. She's more excited about being with her buddies and waiting than she really is about the treats, but then she never turns one down!
- Napping on a dog bed (and occasionally the couch): Karla loves a good dog bed, but we've also let her up on the couch to snuggle, and it's amazing how compact this big girl can be when she wants to be snuggled and petted.
- Riding in a car: The first few times were a bit frightening to her, you could tell, but she's all about going for a ride now. This week, we're going to take her shopping at our favorite store, and she'll get to add that to her list of accomplishments.
Karla is kenneled when no one is around to keep her safe, but we're getting close to letting her sleep outside of the kennel at night. She has not had a single accident in the house -- not one!
Karla is in good health and scheduled to be spayed after Thanksgiving. We'll give her time to recover and spend some more time teaching her basic household manners and routines.
She is a big girl and energetic, so an ideal home would ensure that she gets sufficient exercise to burn off some energy each day. She is exceptionally sweet and loves her people and playing with her dog buddies.
She has a short coat and minimal feathering, but that could be because she has had a litter recently; it's hard to know.
We'll keep you posted as Karla gets ready to find her forever home.
