Lacey 13-222 [1]

08/22/2013:

Welcome Lacey to RAGOM! Lacey is a 2-year-old purebred English Cream Golden Retriever. She weighs 65 pounds and is an absolute beauty! Lacey was surrendered due to being diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Before coming into RAGOM, it was reported she had primarily been in a kennel run, but had some contact with kids and limited exposure to a house. Lacey has been in RAGOM’s care for about 2 weeks now.

We fell in love with Lacey the instant we saw her. She has large deep brown eyes and a beautiful coat. She rode home in our vehicle really well. Once we arrived at our house, Lacey was eager to enter with us, but then was a little nervous with all the new sounds. It was obvious that her experiences were limited. She would stare at the dishwasher strangely when it started running, couldn’t quite figure out the air conditioner and really liked her crate. Lacey did learn to appreciate an open garbage can in a hurry, but quickly responded to a “no.” :) Lacey met our resident dog with no problems and ignored him more than anything. He really wanted to play and she continued to ignore him. She was in heat when she first arrived, so we weren’t sure if she was just irritated with him or not interested. On the third day, he had tried to initiate play one too many times and she was snarky towards him. He took the hint and backed off. She did this a few times again in the first week, but a few minutes later, they would be laying or sitting practically side by side. When Lacey met our very old resident cat, she ignored her. A couple of times she has barked at her, but we don’t think she would do anything at all.

Lacey has had no accidents and simply wants to be around people. If there is a new noise, she would retreat to her crate in our kitchen a lot the first couple of days, but by day three, she was staying where she was. She loves to lounge and stretch out on the couch, as well as lay under our legs when we are at our table. Lacey loves our kids! As soon as they walk into a room, her tail will wag so hard, eager for some extra attention. Our children, ages 6 and 8, started by meeting her very slowly and let her approach them. This was no problem for Lacey and she went right to them. They will sit on the floor and she will come and lay with her head in their lap. Each time the kids stop petting her, she gets a little closer, looking for more attention, until her head is on their shoulder!

Lacey walks really well on a leash, with no pulling. If we are on a walk and a loud vehicle goes by, she does not get startled. She ignores it and keeps going. She LOVES to lay outside in the sun and grass! Lacey also really likes to find large flower patches to lay in!

Lacey has met multiple neighborhood kids on our walks. We have her approach them and she loves their attention. Lacey ignores dogs we meet and just keeps on going. She would really like to get a hold of a rabbit, though! I swear she licks her lips when she sees one!

Lacey has been spayed, is up to date on all shots, and tested negative for heartworm. Lacey has received heartworm preventative and Frontline. She is on pain medication, is being treated for an ear infection, and started taking glucosamine for her hips. Lacey also had a cyst removed from the top of her head. She has about a 3-inch incision where it was removed.

After we had Lacey for about one week, she visited RAGOM’s wonderful Dr. R to determine if her hip dysplasia was causing her pain and if there was anything that could be done at this time. Lacey does seem to favor one of her back legs and we are not sure why. The doctor who looked at Lacey’s hips also said Lacey has some decreased muscle tone in one of her knees (minor muscle atrophy). Right now we are playing the “wait and see game” so we can learn more about Lacey and determine what parts of how she acts are behavioral and what is because she is in discomfort.

Lacey would like to say a special thank-you to Jean and Kris for letting her stay with them while she visited the doctor nearby. She had a great time at both of their homes and got along well with their resident dogs. RAGOM has wonderful volunteers that go above and beyond each time it is needed. Thank you, RAGOM, for all you do for these dogs!!

So…what does Lacey need in a furever home? Right now, we don’t know for sure because we need to give her some more time to settle in, so we can evaluate her medical needs. What we do know is that Lacey LOVES kids and is very calm outside. Right now, I couldn’t imagine she would need a fenced-in yard. She would do just fine in a yard without a fence. Keep watching for updates on her health and personality! She is absolutely wonderful!