Axel 20-090
Profile
At a Glance #20-090
| Golden Retriever | Born: May 2016 |
| Male | 80 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Updates
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Well friends, this is my last update as I am being adopted by my foster family! Even though my socialization skills have not improved a lot in the past year, they say they love me just the way I am and will continue to bring me out of my shell.
I HAVE started going into Mom's bedroom at night and sleeping by her bed, and I even let her pet me and talk to me without running away! That made her so happy! They could not bear the thought of me going somewhere else and having to start all over again.
So, thank you all for checking in on me all these months and I hope you find your fur baby soon!
Friday, April 23, 2021
Hey everyone! Sorry it has been such a long time since I checked in but I don’t have too much to say.
Winter is gone and now all the noisy vehicles are out in abundance. You can see in one of my pictures that I really don’t like loud noises. Mom talks to me and tells me everything is fine and she won’t let anything hurt me, but I am not sure about that.
I still spend most of my day sleeping in the addition, but when it gets noisy I try to go up to my kennel. But mean old mom keeps the door shut until bedtime because she doesn’t want me hiding out from stuff. She gives me a little medicine twice a day to see if it will help me relax a little bit.
I HAVE started sitting within reach of her at night when she is watching TV and I do like the pets she gives me. She is still waiting for me to come to her when she calls but I have not given in yet.
I love playing with my brother and my cousin Gus who lives right next door. We really tear up the house! Mom makes us go outside and run sometimes, and that is ok until the loud cars and motorcycles go by. Then I run up to the door and want to go in. But she makes me be brave and stay out and play some more.
I am getting better about letting people know when I need to go outside. I am a creature of habit, they say, so I do my business pretty much the same time every day. Although last night I had to wake them up at 4:00 a.m. because I REALLY had to go! I sleep in the kennel with the door open so I kept going in and out of the bedroom till someone finally woke up. They were very happy with me!
Well, I guess that is about all for now. Check out my pictures. Gus’s mom bought me a bowtie and I think I look pretty dapper!
Ta ta for now my friends!
Thursday, February 25, 2021
First of all, let me send out a big doggy thank you to my sponsor! That is awesome and I thank you so much! We are so blessed to have generous people like you to help us out.
Secondly, I LOVE SNOW. I love chasing my foster brother and I really love rubbing my whole body up and down the chain link fence. It makes mom laugh every time and she tells me how silly I am.
The picture of me sleeping was after playing in the snow. I was really tired because the snow in Iowa is really deep! I had a lot of fun and mom gave me one of my pills before so I wouldn't be too sore. She knows being silly can make me hurt due to my hip dysplasia. She does her best to keep me calm but she says I have to be a dog!
The other picture is me getting close to my older brother, Ovie. When I get scared by outside noises, he lets me lay with him. He is a great protector!
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. I will check in again soon!
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
I had a crazy Christmas because we had visitors from out of state. I liked two of them because they had four legs like me, but I didn't really care for the other ones that came along. There was a little one that I really didn't care for. He liked to chase me and make loud noises, and I didn't like that.
Mom told me I was a very good boy and would let me go into my kennel so I could be alone. I was glad after two days that our house went back to normal.
I've been struggling getting around a little bit so Foster mom took me to the doctor. He made me take a nap and I guess he took pictures of my bones. Seems I have something called hip dysplasia. Who knew? Now Mom's going to be trying all kinds of concoctions to help make me feel better. The doctor gave me some medicine to take on days when things hurt more than usual, so that is good.
Foster mom is still waiting for me to make the move and come over to her to be petted, but I haven't done that yet. I like to be petted and I will let her pet me if she comes to me. I just haven't been brave enough to make the step yet. She says with time she hopes I will do it. And I'm going to try my best to do it one day.
Well, that is all I have to say for today. I hope everyone stays happy and healthy and has a good 2021!
Friday, December 4, 2020
Hi all, Axel here! Sorry I haven't written sooner but nothing has really changed at my house. Well except my foster mom decided to put a new bigger rug down in my safe spot where I'm lying in the first picture and it made me so scared, I went across the room and tried to hide. I do not do change very well.
She finally got me to lay on it this morning when she put my old rug on top of the new rug and I decided it wasn't too bad.
There was another human here last week. I believe she called him her grandson. I wasn't very thrilled with him. He tried to make me his friend but I wasn't too sure about that.
I let him pet me but he made me very nervous because he was kind of loud. Probably not loud to a normal dog but loud to me. I still can't do loud noises—I hate those motorcycles and loud cars! Mom said she might talk to the doctor about getting some medicine to calm me down a little bit.
I have been making my foster mom crazy with my eating lately too. Sometimes a boy just doesn't feel like eating but she doesn't understand that. Eventually I give in if she puts enough good stuff on it. It works every time!
Well I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving and has a wonderful Christmas. I will check in again soon!
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Hi everyone!
Sorry it has been so long since I checked in, but I made a move and have been settling in. Now this move was not due to anything I did but my new foster parents lost their Golden and wanted another. Seems my foster brother was lonesome and wanted a playmate. I am adapting pretty well. I have been interested in balls a little but discovered bones and I love to chew!
I am still very skittish and will let people pet me on MY terms. You have to come to me and I must be in my safe spot, and don't reach for me if I am not as it scares me. I like it outside as long as my brother is with me, but if a motorcycle or loud car goes by, I run to the house.
I have tried going on walks with my brother but even with him, I am really scared of all the noises. I am happier at home where it is quiet.
I have to sleep in my kennel at night because my foster mom says I can't be trusted overnight. I guess she doesn't appreciate the gifts I leave her. And if I haven't recently pottied, I cannot really be trusted to stay out if they leave. I am working on it and getting better!
I can be a little stubborn sometimes about eating but eventually do. I have discovered pizza crust and chips! They are THE BEST! These are the only things that will make me come to you—they are worth it even if I'm scared.
Below are the things that are necessary for me:
- A strong fence because mom said I will be GONE if I get the chance.
- Another very confident dog as I watch them to see what is ok/safe to do.
- A quiet home with older children who won't chase me or be super loud.
- Someone willing to overlook my occasional accidents and be willing to take the lead on when I go outside.
- Someone who knows I am a work in progress and that it will be a looooong journey to get me to trust. That I may never be that Golden that people think of. I love to be petted and am trying to trust, but it is going to take time.
Well that is all for now and I will check back soon! Ta-ta for now friends!
Sunday, September 13, 2020
Oops, I've been lapse in letting you know how I have been doing. First, I need to let you know that I am down to 70 pounds! Yahoo! A lot of things are pretty much the same but I am making some baby steps here.
I've been going on some walks but I really do not like that. There are a lot of things out there that scare me. One time a cow mooed at me and I REALLY did not like that. I only wanted to go back home to my safe spot.
I have, however, been coming out down the hallway more and more to see what is going on. If I get "caught," a lot of the time I will just sit close to the wall and wait to be petted and loved on.
Also, the other day I went clear out to the living room on the other side of the couch and just sat there. Foster Dad was just outside the sliding glass doors grilling and when he came in, I let him love on me and I really liked that. Then I ran back to my safe spot but ended up coming out two more times to sit by the couch and let Foster Dad love all over me.
When Foster Mom puts the food into our bowls to feed us, I come clear down the hallway to see what she is doing. Some people might not think that this is a big deal, but it is for me. Foster Mom tethers me to her so that I am not staying in my safe spot all the time. That may be why I have been coming out of my safe spot sometimes on my own.
I still will not take treats from the hand. The treats have to be set in front of me and I eat them when whoever set it there walks away. But that is a baby step because at first I would not even eat the treat at all.
I love to be outside and run with the other dogs. At times I will even play with them.
I really am a sweetheart but to understand me you need to have lots of patience and understand a former breeder dog.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Axel here, back to tell you how I have been doing. First of all, my BIG news is that I have lost 7.5 pounds! I now weigh 72.5 pounds. I still could drop another 5 pounds or so.
The weight that I dropped was probably due to the fact that I did not eat for 3½ days after I got here, and then I would not eat a meal or two now and then. I am eating at every meal now, but I will only eat in my safe spot with no one watching me.
I am still a really scared boy. However, I will now and then walk about halfway down the long hallway to see what is going on. But if Foster Mom or Foster Dad looks at me I run back to my safe spot.
Foster Mom keeps telling me, “Baby steps, baby steps.” Another baby step is that I do not always hide my head in the corner when Foster Mom or Dad passes by me to go outside or if they want to just pet me. Also, they can look at me with me not hiding my face.
Foster Mom says that she would really like to get inside of my head so I could let her know why I am so frightened, but she really believes that with a lot of patience, my baby steps, and a whole lot of lovin’ that I will learn not to be so frightened.
I did not like having a bath in the bathtub. I really needed another bath so Foster Dad gave me a bath in the back yard and I did a lot better. I like it in the backyard. However, I will not let Foster Mom or Dad get near me when I am out there. I do not play with the resident dogs when we are out in the backyard, but I will run along with them when they run.
With a LOT of coaxing I have been out into the Great Room but I did not like it. Foster Mom says that is part of my baby steps. Also Foster Mom and Foster Dad have been making it so that I cannot always stay in my safe spot. They block it off now and then so I have to lay or sit somewhere else.
Because I am so frightened and fearful, I need to go to a home with children that are 13 or older if you have children. I need to go to a home with a medium- to large-sized confident dog. One of the resident smaller dogs likes to lay with me, but she is learning not to be so scared of some things herself so I think she really feels comfortable with me.
Also, I need to go to a home where you really know something about a very fearful and frightened former breeder dog. I am not going to get better in just a week or two. It is going to take some time for me to trust people, but I am a real sweetie.
At times I love to be loved on and petted. I will need a home where there will be a lot of patience with me and someone to give me the time it will take to get me to where I can enjoy the Golden life.
Monday, June 1, 2020
This is Axel here. Let me introduce myself. I came from a breeder and was taken out of the only life I have known for four years; I am a pretty scared boy. All I wanted to do was to hide my face in the corner of my safe spot by the back door just as you come into the house.
I did not eat for 3½ days and even now there are times when I will not eat for a meal or two. I need to lose some weight but don't know if that is the way to do it or not.
When I first got here, I was taken outside on a leash to do my business. The leash was kept on me so I could be caught to be taken back in, and it was a chore to get me to go through the doors. I did not like them. But in that category I have made progress because I will now go out on my own with the resident puppers and when they come in I come in on my own with them.
But I stay right inside the door in my safe spot. I will once in a while venture down the hallway, but if I see anyone then I run back to my spot. When foster mom or foster dad pass by me to go outside I many times will hide my face in the corner. If I am not hiding my face they will get down and pet me and tell me I am a good boy. Hopefully I will start to believe them.
Foster mom and foster dad keep telling me that it will get better and not be scary for me but right now I am not believing them.
Because it was late when I got here, I was not introduced to the resident puppers until the next day and I was just fine with them. I did make a friend with Squeaky the cat right away and I look for him when I go outside. Foster mom and foster dad do not know if there were cats at the breeder where I lived before, but I immediately let Squeaky rub against me and I washed his face and ears.
Foster dad gave me a much-needed bath the night that I got here because I was pretty smelly. He then gave me another one two days later. I still need another bath but foster das is waiting until I am healed from my neuter surgery.
Four days after I got here, I went to see the good doctor but foster mom and foster dad could not go in with me. This nice lady came and got me and to the surprise of foster mom and foster dad I only hesitated at the door for just a few seconds and then I walked in nicely with the nice lady. The nice lady was petting me and talking to me so I think that helped.
I got a good bill of health except I have an ear infection in both ears. Foster dad is putting medicine in my ears every night. I don't like it at first but I do enjoy his rubbing my ears and telling me that I am a good boy. I am overweight. I weigh 80.5 pounds and I need to lose about 15 pounds. The good doctor said that a good weight for me would be 65-68 pounds.
I did not get to go back home with foster mom and foster dad that day. The good doctor kept me overnight and I was neutered first thing the next morning.
So, I'm on to the next chapter of my life. It is really, really scary for me and I do not know what to expect, but foster mom and foster dad keep saying it will get better in time and I will learn to know what the real Golden life is.
My forever home needs to have another medium to large, confident dog to help me grow more confident and comfortable with this new life. And because I am so shy and scared of new things and noises, any children in my new home must be 13 years old or older. I’ll also need a fence to keep me safe.
Foster mom and foster dad are really patient and caring with me. They know that it will take a while but I just wish things weren't so scary. But as they say—baby steps. Sometimes it is two steps forward and one step back and sometimes it is one step forward and two steps back, but I have faith that in time I will get there.
It is just going to take some time for me to trust but I would like to know and experience what the real Golden life is. Stay tuned and I will let you know about my progress.