Raven 12-161 [1]

I'd like to introduce Raven 12-161. She had been living alone because her owner was hospitalized with a terminal disease. Thanks to a GS she was brought into RAGOM.

Raven is 7 years old and weighs 70 lbs. Raven is a Golden Retriever-Black Lab or Black Standard Poodle mix. Very good looking dog with silky soft fur. She is her ideal weight. It has taken her a whole week to adjust to living here with me, 2 other dogs and cats. Raven wanted to chase house kitty but not kill her. They are fine with each other now.

When Raven arrived here, with help from RAGOM Transporter Pat [Thanks again], she had been treated for fleas the previous day and was a bit stinky so after intros she got a bath with flea shampoo just to be safe. She was pretty good about getting a bath. Once she dried she got curly and shiny.

Raven was very nervous the first night and started howling at 2am while in the crate. I tethered her to the bed and she was quiet the rest of the night but moved around a lot. Pretty normal for the 1st night in a new place.

In the morning she was very anxious to go out as soon as we got up. Raven wouldn't eat her breakfast. and was just pretty nervous so we went for a 3 1/2 mile walk. I had the leash on her flat collar. She can pull like a locomotive!! Since Raven was a little tired, I started clipping her hair. She hadn't been groomed in a long time. The hair on her feet was over 6 inches long and she had a large beard on her neck. About 20 minutes of that was all either of us could handle so that was all for the day. She was looking much better already!!

I kept Raven tethered in the house for the next few days for House kitty's safety. When kitty was outside I let Raven have free roam. She did do very well. No counter surfing at all. Raven did have a couple potty accidents in the house the first 2 days, but that has not happened again since.

We are walking close to 5 miles a day now using a Gentle Leader. She is now a dream to walk. No pulling at all. I tried using the Gentle Leader on other foster dogs with no success. It really worked for her.

Tuesday 4/24/12 I got Raven into the vet for updating her vaccines heartworm and Lyme disease tests. Both tests came back negative [yea!]. The vet said she was a very healthy dog. The bad news was that she hadn't been spayed and is in heat now.

She must be spayed and healed before she can be adopted. She can meet with potential adopters and have a pending adoption before she is spayed. I'm working on getting her spayed as soon as possible.

In the last couple days Raven has really started to settle in. She has caught on to the routine and is much calmer. Her pacing has stopped. She now has free roam with kitty in the house and taken a liking to toys with squeekers. She has also become more affectionate and gives the Golden nudge for some attention. She seems to be a very good dog and is eager to please and learn.

Here is a summary of what I know about Raven so far. There is much more to learn as she is just starting to come out of her shell.

• Raven comes when called
• Raven will sit, lay down, shake hands with both hands and stand up on her rear legs.
• Raven gets along with dogs and cats
• Raven is house trained and will howl or nudge you if she needs to go out
• Raven loves to go for walks
• Raven likes to ride in cars or trucks
• Raven takes treats gently
• Raven wants to be in the same room with her people.

I'd like to give a special "Thank You" to the "Good Samaritan" responsible for helping get Raven started to her new life. It is truly a pleasure for me to help also.

Without Donations and Sponsors none of this is possible. Thanks to those who help us help.

If you think Raven 12-161 may be right for you, please contact your Placement Adviser.