Please welcome Alex to the RAGOM family! He arrived from a Missouri puppy mill late on Saturday night with several other dogs. Like the others, he was dirty and full of ticks. Also, like the others, he’s gorgeous!! Now that he’s had several baths, he smells quite nicely. He’s smaller and light blonde. He’s about 59 lbs, but the vet said he needs to put on some weight. I’m sure we can manage that! He is about 1.5 years old. He’s already seen the vet (thank you ACH in Richfield for getting him in ASAP!) and he’s pretty healthy. He has several sores from the ticks, but those should heal up quickly with antibiotics. He has slight ear infections, which will get better with his meds.

What do we know about him so far? Well, even though he’s from a puppy mill, he’s doing remarkably well and not showing severe puppy mill tendencies. I read some bios on the others, and it appears they are doing pretty good too. We know they were outdoor breeding dogs, but they aren’t near as afraid of humans as other puppy mill dogs I’ve had. He was leery of the stairs and doors, but is fine now. He loves my dogs and is just learning to play. He has no clue what toys are, so hopefully he’ll pick that up from watching my dogs. He has started picking up “wrong” toys in the house (papers, shoes, etc) and I’ve been giving him toys and bones instead. He reminds me of a little puppy just discovering all the wonderful things in life. His appetite is healthy. He seems a little itchy, but it could just be from his dry skin, poor nutrition or out of habit. He is not potty trained, but we’re working on that. Usually, in my past experiences, they already know they should be peeing outside; they just need to learn not to pee in the house ƒº I expect this to come quickly for him. He slept in his crate the last couple nights, but if you’ve read my other foster updates, you know my fosters always end up in my bed! So, he’ll continue with the crate at night, but as soon as I can trust him at night not to wander in the other room and pee, he’ll be allowed on my bed to sleep.

He had his first walk early this morning. He did really well. Also, today I went to work and he was in the crate from 7:30-10:30. Then, my teenagers got up and let him out. They said he was quiet and didn’t bark when I left. They kept him close by all day and he didn’t have any accidents (that I know of!). They also crated him occasionally during the day so he would get used to going in and out.

What are two things that Alex for sure needs?  Training and exercise.  He must find a family that will take him to obedience training.  He needs to learn the basics and the socialization with other dogs would be great for him.  I expect he’ll be a star in the class.  He’s very eager to please.  Because he is young, exercise is another must.  When he plays hard and has had a good walk/run, he sleeps like a baby.

He is getting neutered on Friday and will also be tested for some additional tick-borne illnesses that we’ve seen from other Missouri dogs. Hopefully, he’ll have a clean bill of health and be ready to find his new forever family. As you can see from his pictures, he’s adorable and I don’t expect to have him very long in foster care.