Sophie 14-077 [1]

Sophie is a 6-year-old, spayed Yellow Lab. She is a pretty, sweet, petite girl with soulful eyes. Weighing 64 lbs, Sophie is up to date on her vaccinations and is currently taking HW preventatives. She is also housebroken.

She was vetted today (4/24/14) and her fecal test was negative. We screened her urine to test for a possible bladder infection, but there was no bacteria. The vet was concerned with the dilution of her urine, but this could be a result of large amounts of water she has been consuming (normal for a foster dog in a new environment). So we will retest in a few weeks to verify that she does not have any kidney issues.

Sophie was rescued by the Humane Society as part of the Pine River, MN, seizure last summer. She spent the first few years of her life being breed and living in outdoor kennels where she had very little human interaction. Thankfully, she was adopted by a loving family last fall and received much needed medical and dental care. Her life immediately began to change for the better. Sadly, her family recently made the difficult decision to surrender her to RAGOM, as they were working long hours and did not feel like they were giving Sophie the attention and routine that she needs to continue to thrive.

Here is a link to a YouTube video that was produced by the Humane Society about the Pine River event. It is a good overview of the life that Sophie (and hundreds of other dogs) have left behind. Be prepared - it may cause a few tears . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9He_zWyiNU&sns=em [2]

And more about Sophie:

She is a very calm, quiet, gentle girl. She is initially shy (with people, not dogs), but warms up pretty quickly and approaches for reassurance and treats. Once comfortable, she will lay at your feet and nudge you for attention and roll over for belly rubs. Unlike a lot of retired breeding dogs that were not socialized, she does not avoid being in the middle of the action. She will follow us around the house and lay in whatever space is convenient, although she is very happy to have a comfy dog bed in each room.

Sophie seems to be fine with most outside noises (garbage trucks, construction, trucks, planes, etc.), but does "startle" and step off from unexpected movement or sounds inside. Her reactions are not extreme, and she quickly recovers. She was in her crate yesterday while I vacuumed the rooms around her for the first time, and she just watched me. Being in a house is still relatively new to this cutie. One of her funny adaptations is taking the stairs 3 at a time . . . no idea why . . . but that's her deal.

Introducing her to my resident dog was a non-event. They sniffed appropriately, took a few treats standing side by side and that was it. She appears to like having another dog around, and will follow her into the yard and explore outside with her. They also like to lay touching each other when they are taking a nap. They share water bowls and I have reintroduced Nylabones with no guarding of any kind. Sophie will just pick up her bone and walk a few feet away before she lays down and chews.

Sophie is still in her rehabilitation and desensitization stage . . . her primary focus is on basic survival (food, water, potty) and learning that ALL good things come from HUMANS. She is learning to trust and with that security comes daily triumphs [allowing me to pet her while she is eating (Day 4)]. She is very food motivated - and checks the food bowls in the mud room a few times per day to see if anything has magically appeared. She is housebroken, but doesn't have a clear "ask" yet to go outside. Usually, she just paces and looks at me. Keeping her on a consistent schedule is helpful as well.

She does love to walk and, after only 2 days, is fine with wearing a Gentle Leader. She will not come yet to have her leash put on, but she does not shy away when I approach. Sophie is so happy when she is out walking - curious about her environment and very confident. She is getting better at tandem walking with my resident girl. She needs to continue to build her stamina, but we are going a little farther every day.

Sophie likes to go in the car. She will sit/lay on the backseat while you are moving, and has shared the backseat with my resident dog as well. I did attempt to leave her in the car while I did errands the other day, and she jumped in the front and knocked over the water bottle and helped herself to a few treats. Nothing major - just a reminder that she is still learning the rules.

She doesn't mind being in her crate, although she does get nervous crossing the threshold of the crate. She lays in her open crate when I am in the kitchen (closest soft spot) and stays in the closed crate when I am out of the house. She also sleeps in a soft crate in the master bedroom at night (mostly because she is so quiet and I worry that she may have an accident if I do not hear her moving around in the night).

Sophie will need to be crated initially in her new home. Her prior family and her temporary foster both reported some separation anxiety and/or inappropriate behavior (usually involving foraging for food) when she had free roam and the humans were away. She will do best in a home where she is not left alone consistently for long stretches of time.

I had her professionally bathed right away, and the groomer said she did great and seemed to enjoy the bath and was fine having her nails trimmed. She did not like the power blow dryers, so she needed to air dry. Sophie did okay at the vet, was anxious, but stood stoically on the table for all of the poking and prodding. She gave me big, sad cow eyes while she was being examined, probably hoping I was going to rescue her.

Sophie does not know any commands. We are starting to work on the basics, but she needs to feel safe and secure first. She is smart and has adapted to the routine in our household pretty easily, so once she can focus, I think she will learn quickly. Her adoptive family will need to be ready to do obedience training with her and to give her the patience and time she needs to reach her full potential.

This young dog is going to make such a great addition to a caring, gentle family. She wakes up happy and smiling every morning . . . and eager to see what each new day will bring. She loves to be outside and is enjoying the freedom to explore and run in the fenced yard. Sophie is smart and once she is secure in her new home and clearly understands expectations, she is going to be eager to please! So far she is ignoring the toys in the house, but there was a brief twinkle in her eye when I tossed a tennis ball a few days ago.

Sophie is a bit camera shy, so check back for updated photos.

If you'd like to learn more about Sophie or think she could be that "another dog" that you have been looking for, please contact your Placement Coordinator.