Bailey (Hope 20-026A)
Profile
At a Glance #20-026A
| Golden Retriever | Born: November 2019 |
| Female | 30 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Updates
Monday, June 8, 2020
Hope is starting out her new life with a new name—Bailey—and is now happily in her forever home with the D Family! She is going to stay busy with her favorite play buddy, Harley, and even has two human siblings to explore the world with.
She's excited to learn what a "cabin" is, including how to swim, dock dive, and help her humans catch fish. And of course, all the love and belly rubs a dog could want!
Bailey (Hope) is in her element, and is grateful for RAGOM and all its supporters. Her future was looking bleak, living in a kennel with plans of being repeatedly bred so her puppies could make a profit. She is now a well-adjusted young lady, living a happy, healthy, and loving "Golden life."
Thank you RAGOM!
Saturday, May 16, 2020
A few updates that I thought you should know. Hope (we call her Squiggles or Squiggs) is moderately itchy, so she is taking Benadryl 3x/day and is on specific food to help remedy this. She has special shampoo and needs to be bathed weekly.
We're going to the vet next week so her routine may change, but is something that will likely be ongoing and may require extra money and attention for the rest of her life. Something her forever family will have to follow up on.
She's been a LOT more snuggly with me in the last few days. Looks like she's getting more comfortable—she's such a sweetie pie! She loves snuggling into the crook of my legs on the couch, napping next to me while making sure she is touching me, and will even bring bones onto the couch so she can lay next to me and occupy herself. She enjoys sleeping while using me as a pillow as well!
She follows me around the house, curious as to what I'm doing and if there is food involved. In typical Golden fashion, when Squiggles sees one of her foster siblings getting pets and attention, she realizes that she should be involved in this love fest as well. She comes over and squeezes herself in, happy as can be.
Squiggs can occupy herself when needed. She isn't a dog that needs constant human stimulation as long as she has another dog to play with and appropriate things available that she can play with. I have two bins of toys and bones and by the end of each day, I'm left to pick up a living room full of both, and oftentimes fluff as well.
She loves chewing on bones and will destuff fluffy toys with rally. She is past the "chewing" stage and doesn't chew inappropriate things such as shoes, furniture, etc. She does need a healthy supply of appropriate chew toys though. She isn't bitey towards humans at all.
She easily corrects with a firm "No" if she is doing something wrong. Like any puppy, she needs constant supervision to ensure she doesn't get into anything she shouldn't. If it's too quiet and I can't see her, I’m suspicious!
She hasn't gotten into any trash cans or really anything inappropriate that I can think of. She likes to pull napkins off the coffee table and will chew them up if she can, or drag the towel around (I have it at dog-level near their water dish to wipe up the extra water drops on the floor).
She needs to be supervised when outside, as she will eat sticks and get into trouble. Again, typical puppy stuff. Similar to having a baby—always needing to be monitored! She's pretty tolerant and will let me inspect her teeth, handle her paws, ears, etc. Like any puppy, she'll need lots of consistency, positive reinforcement, and training to be the best dog she can grow to be!
Squiggles did have one little episode the other evening. I was sitting on the couch, she was laying next to me, and my shepherd approached for some attention. Squiggies suddenly lunged, barked, and snapped at her.
Afterwards, Delta approached again from a different angle and Squiggles acted normal, licking her face trying to play. No contact was made and honestly this was pretty mild, but will just need to be watched. They were probably determining some hierarchy between themselves.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Hope, or as we call her, Squiggles, has been with us in her new foster home for about two weeks. Her previous foster thought she would benefit from a confident resident dog in the home with her, and boy was she right! She has progressed in leaps and bounds since being here for even this short amount of time.
She has amazed me with how she is able to adjust to a new environment, schedule, and people. When she first came to my house, she had some potty accidents, was afraid to go through doorways, refused to use any steps (was scared), darted around or froze in place on walks, and would spook at almost any loud-ish sound.
After a few days, she started getting used to the stairs and entryways, found her voice (she's a talker! Doesn't bark, but talks to her foster siblings), came to be okay with being out in the backyard without me there for short periods, and happily played with Rally (adult Golden Retriever of the house).
Today, Squiggies is a FULL blown puppy, playing CONSTANTLY with her favorite play buddy, Rally. They love playing bitey-face, wrestling, and tug of war. She runs around outside and makes sure the yard is free of squirrels with her foster sister, Delta (German Shepherd).
She hasn't had an accident for many days and is good as long as she is let out on a regular basis. She doesn't think twice about going up or down stairs, and is a great listener. She readily goes through doorways, though hesitates a bit when going into the garage because she's not a fan of the car.
She walks well on the leash. Pulls a bit, but walks out in front with the other dogs instead of darting around and wrapping me up in the leash like she used to!
Some other things about her:
- Food motivated (loves popcorn, cheese, lunch meat, pretty much everything! Is smart and enjoys food puzzles)
- Easily trainable (we're currently practicing sit, down, come, stay, crate)
- She's an angel in her crate (sleeps in there and is fine for 9 hours while I go to work a few days a week)
- Does okay with large and small dogs and listens well to other dogs' signals—gives my snarky shepherd space when she tells Squiggles she needs it
- Does well on a tie out/long lead
- Rides well in the car, readily jumping up into the car
- Is a talker, especially when playing or trying to engage in play
- Doesn't mind her nails getting clipped (we do this weekly)
- Loves playing fetch and brings toys to you to throw if the dogs aren't interested in playing
- Still nervous/jumpy around cars, loud noises, new things but with another dog around to show her it's okay, and some encouragement, she does pretty well!
- Doesn't bark; only talks during playtime
- Smiles a lot—she's a curious, happy, energetic girl!
Squiggles went to a grill out for a few hours where there were three kids - ages 13, 8, and 5. She did better than I thought she would. She was pretty jumpy and timid at first, but grew more comfortable and co-existed well with them. She got flighty with the sudden loud noises and quick movements of the little kids, but had enough room to move away when she wanted.
This event was completely outside and in a fenced yard (she was also on a long lead), so she may have been more comfortable in the non-confined space. Keep in mind that this is a very limited interaction and we feel children in her home should be at least 10 years old.
Things that Squiggles will need in her forever home:
- A confident, playful adult dog
- No small animals (high prey drive—too focused and has tried to go after my pet bunnies)
- A family dedicated to training and socialization
- If there are children in the home, they should be age 10+ as the unpredictable nature of smaller, younger children spooks Squiggles
- Lots of snuggles, patience, and love
- A family that will be understanding with her shyness and help her through what she fears
- Daily walks (more is better!)
- No electric/invisible fence
- Benedryl 3x/day for her itchiness
Monday, April 6, 2020
Hope is doing better all the time! She is now comfortable going in and out of the house; she even knows how to ask to come in and go out. Huge progress!
She loves other dogs, but we haven’t had any play dates given Covid-19.
We are working on sit, stay, come, and down. I would say she gets sit and down, but stay and come are works in progress. She is still not a fan of the leash. She loves being outside!
Inside games include a ball I fill with food, chasing a ball, rope toys, and bully sticks.
She is the sweetest girl! Loves her ears itched. She is just waiting for her forever home with a resident dog.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Hope is an extremely loving puppy. She was very shy when she first came home with me, but she is gaining confidence daily. What Hope loves most is playing with balls and rope toys and snuggling. Her favorite is ear scratches and belly rubs.
Because Hope came into RAGOM from a commercial breeder, she missed out on early socialization that is vital for confidence in dogs. She loves other dogs and will require a medium to large, confident resident dog to guide her to become a well-adjusted dog. Hope is playful and will enjoy playing with another dog!
Hope has not encountered a cat during our time together. It is hard to say how she will react to a cat.
Very young children and their sudden movements would tend to scare her, so children in the home should be age 10 or older.
She will be a wonderful family dog. She is still a puppy though, so she does need reminders and breaks to go outside. She is crate trained and on her way to being potty trained. A fenced yard is recommended to keep her safe when outside.
She is a lovely dog and will make a wonderful pet!
