Jack 13-207 [1]

07/26/2013:

Welcome to RAGOM, Jack! This gorgeous 9-year-old male Golden Retriever is a sweetheart and we just love having him around! Jack came from a family that had adopted him from a shelter several years ago. This family was no longer able to afford or dedicate the time that Jack deserves, so they lovingly surrendered him to RAGOM. It’s easy to see that Jack came from a very loving and stable home. He is so happy and he adjusted very quickly to our home and routine. He currently lives with 2 dogs (resident Golden, Finn, and foster brother, Vinnie 12-382), 2 cats (he ignores them) and my 8-year-old daughter. Jack quickly sought out the attention of my daughter and I would not hesitate to adopt him to a family with kids!

Jack had his vet visit and was brought up to date on vaccines, had a negative heartworm test, was microchipped and had bloodwork done. His bloodwork looked great! Jack does have some sores on his ear flaps and outer ear, but there is no infection. The vet thinks it might be gnat bites from him lying in the grass. We decided to just keep an eye on them, and they are already improving. His ear canals are very clean and infection-free. Jack was neutered when he was younger. Jack decided not to give up a fecal sample on the day we took him to the vet, so I will need to drop one off to be tested for intestinal parasites. I will keep you posted on the results of his fecal!

He loves tennis balls! Currently, Jack doesn’t have the stamina to play fetch very long, but it’s great exercise for him and he really enjoys it! He also likes to carry around stuffed toys, but has not destroyed them. Jack has a gorgeous coat and he will need lots of brushing to keep it mat-free. Part of his rear end, his feathering on his back legs, and behind his ears had to be shaved to get rid of the mats that had formed. They weren’t terrible, but it was easier on him to just clip them out than to try to brush them out. He has so much fur that it’s hard to even tell that he has a few bald spots! I did give Jack a bath and he did very well, though he did get tired and didn’t want to stand in the tub for the whole duration of his bath. It was a little more difficult to complete my task, but not impossible! He has had no accidents in the house and he is allowed free-roam during the day while I am at work. We have a fenced yard, but it was reported that he has opened the gate in his previous home and that he went on walks through the neighborhood by himself. We keep a lock on our gate to prevent him from opening up the gate. We have been going to a park the past few days and Jack has been on a 100-foot training leash. He does a pretty good job of staying close to me. He will definitely need to learn boundaries in his forever home if there isn’t a fence. At this point, Jack will not need a fence in his forever home. Jack gets along with our dogs, but he would do fine as an only dog. He really just wants attention from his people! Jack did very well in the car on his long transport before arriving at our home. He was a little sore the next day, but I think it’s just because everything was so crammed the day before. By the second day, he was back to normal. Jack would be a great match for almost any home and family!

Jack’s ONLY downfall is his weight. He currently weighs 115 pounds, and we are guessing that he should be closer to 85 or 90 pounds. His waist measures a whopping 36 inches! Due to his weight, sometimes he is a little sore after exercising and it’s hard for him to get up after he’s been sprawled out on the floor. We started Jack on a diet the first day he was here. He is on a measured amount of a high quality, grain-free food and is doing very well on it so far. We have also started him on a joint supplement. Jack’s RAGOM vet suggested giving him an NSAID (pain reliever/anti-inflammatory medication) as needed to keep him comfortable and keep him exercising while we are getting the weight off of him. We will give him this medication as needed, and hopefully it will keep him feeling good so we can exercise every day! I’m really looking forward to longer games of fetch and watching him move around easier as he drops the extra pounds that he’s been carrying around! We are confident that once he loses the weight, he won’t need the NSAID anymore.

Jack is seriously perfect! It’s been so easy to fall in love with him! Don’t let his age scare you, he is still very active and will make a wonderful companion for some lucky family! Senior dogs are the best! If you are interested in learning more about Jack, please contact your placement advisor today!