Barkley 11-402

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Introducing sweet, adorable Barkley to all of you RAGOM fans! Barkley came into RAGOM’s care after being surrendered to a shelter by his previous owners, as they were no longer able to care for him. Our initial information was that Barkley was 9 years old, but after a thorough exam by a RAGOM vet, it was determined that his appearance, energy level, and physical exam were more typical of a dog with a maximum age of 5, possibly even younger. 

Barkley is a lean 67#, is fairly tall, and has a gorgeous silky, golden-colored coat. He was a bit stinky when he came into foster care, so much to his chagrin, first up was a bath and a good brushing!

He is neutered, up to date on all of his vaccinations, and is microchipped. His eyes are completely clear, his teeth are beautiful, and there’s not a bump or lump to be found on his body!  His fecal sample did test positive, so he will be treated with antibiotics for the next 10 days.  He possibly has some minor allergies, but that will only be treated with Benadryl as needed.

Here is what we know about our Barkley’s past: his surrendering owner only had him for a few years, and his history prior to that is unknown to us. He was totally an outside dog, and slept either in a doghouse or a heated garage. He was described as playful and friendly with children of all ages, and allowed cats to crawl on him, and rabbits to jump on him! He was trained to an invisible fence, and apparently had no problems respecting his boundaries. He loved running next to ATVs, loves to play fetch (though he doesn’t drop the ball), and particularly enjoys kongs and squeaky toys. In terms of dislikes, he is apparently afraid of loud noises - fireworks, loud thunderstorms, and gunshots. His intake form at the shelter also indicated that he might have some separation anxiety.

Now – here is what I’ve learned about this wonderful dog in the past few days: he is an absolute joy to foster!  He is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure to foster, and he doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. He initially was quite nervous and fearful, but that is rapidly changing, and he is just blossoming!  He has a tail that literally NEVER stops wagging! He is totally a velcro dog, and likes to be close to us or the resident dogs, Belle and Bear, at all times.  For an “outside dog”, he has adapted to our house very quickly, which leads me to believe that perhaps he lived in a house at some point in his past. He is not afraid of wood floors or stairs, promptly hopped up onto the couch to cuddle, and also decided that our nice, cozy bed was where he was going to sleep!

  

Though it was uncertain if he was housetrained, he has not yet had an accident at our house, but I’ve been very diligent about letting him out regularly.  Barkley has the energy level and manner of a very young dog, and his adoptive family needs to be more than willing to exercise and play with him regularly. He loves his walks and I’m sure he would be totally up for a good run or jog!  It is fairly clear that he had never been walked on a leash before, but we are making excellent progress with a gentle lead.  He plays non-stop with toys, and though I don’t have any soft toys in my house (his foster sister Belle doesn’t believe they deserve to live), he has been having a fabulous time with balls, hard bones, nylabones, kongs, etc.  He even manages to put 2-3 in his mouth at a time, which is extremely frustrating for his foster brother, Bear!

What would I like to see in his forever home? A lot of love, attention, and consistency. Exercise, play, and a family that will have fun working with him on his manners. He is very needy at the present time, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. He is smart and incredibly eager to please, and would absolutely thrive with obedience training.  I don’t believe he will need a physical fence, though he should be kept on a long lead until he has learned his boundaries. In terms of inside the house, he had a really tough time adapting to a kennel at the shelter, and until his new family is comfortable with giving him free roam, I would like to see him gated into a room if possible, rather than confining him to a crate.  Though full of energy and bounce, he is extremely gentle, so I feel he would be fine with children of almost all ages.  He loves the company of other dogs, but loves human company even more, so I could go either way on that one.

I have totally fallen in love with this sweet, vulnerable dog, and I know the perfect family is out there, just waiting to love him, and make him a valued part of their lives – forever. If you feel that you are that special family, please contact your placement advisor. Also, though I’m not sure of the exact timing for him yet, Barkley will be making his debut appearance at the Coon Rapids Pet Smart on Saturday 12/3, so come on out and meet him and all of the other wonderful RAGOM dogs that will be there!

At a Glance #11-402

Mixed Breed Born: November 2006
Male 65 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Introducing sweet, adorable Barkley to all of you RAGOM fans! Barkley came into RAGOM’s care after being surrendered to a shelter by his previous owners, as they were no longer able to care for him. Our initial information was that Barkley was 9 years old, but after a thorough exam by a RAGOM vet, it was determined that his appearance, energy level, and physical exam were more typical of a dog with a maximum age of 5, possibly even younger. 

Barkley is a lean 67#, is fairly tall, and has a gorgeous silky, golden-colored coat. He was a bit stinky when he came into foster care, so much to his chagrin, first up was a bath and a good brushing!

He is neutered, up to date on all of his vaccinations, and is microchipped. His eyes are completely clear, his teeth are beautiful, and there’s not a bump or lump to be found on his body!  His fecal sample did test positive, so he will be treated with antibiotics for the next 10 days.  He possibly has some minor allergies, but that will only be treated with Benadryl as needed.

Here is what we know about our Barkley’s past: his surrendering owner only had him for a few years, and his history prior to that is unknown to us. He was totally an outside dog, and slept either in a doghouse or a heated garage. He was described as playful and friendly with children of all ages, and allowed cats to crawl on him, and rabbits to jump on him! He was trained to an invisible fence, and apparently had no problems respecting his boundaries. He loved running next to ATVs, loves to play fetch (though he doesn’t drop the ball), and particularly enjoys kongs and squeaky toys. In terms of dislikes, he is apparently afraid of loud noises - fireworks, loud thunderstorms, and gunshots. His intake form at the shelter also indicated that he might have some separation anxiety.

Now – here is what I’ve learned about this wonderful dog in the past few days: he is an absolute joy to foster!  He is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure to foster, and he doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. He initially was quite nervous and fearful, but that is rapidly changing, and he is just blossoming!  He has a tail that literally NEVER stops wagging! He is totally a velcro dog, and likes to be close to us or the resident dogs, Belle and Bear, at all times.  For an “outside dog”, he has adapted to our house very quickly, which leads me to believe that perhaps he lived in a house at some point in his past. He is not afraid of wood floors or stairs, promptly hopped up onto the couch to cuddle, and also decided that our nice, cozy bed was where he was going to sleep!

  

Though it was uncertain if he was housetrained, he has not yet had an accident at our house, but I’ve been very diligent about letting him out regularly.  Barkley has the energy level and manner of a very young dog, and his adoptive family needs to be more than willing to exercise and play with him regularly. He loves his walks and I’m sure he would be totally up for a good run or jog!  It is fairly clear that he had never been walked on a leash before, but we are making excellent progress with a gentle lead.  He plays non-stop with toys, and though I don’t have any soft toys in my house (his foster sister Belle doesn’t believe they deserve to live), he has been having a fabulous time with balls, hard bones, nylabones, kongs, etc.  He even manages to put 2-3 in his mouth at a time, which is extremely frustrating for his foster brother, Bear!

What would I like to see in his forever home? A lot of love, attention, and consistency. Exercise, play, and a family that will have fun working with him on his manners. He is very needy at the present time, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. He is smart and incredibly eager to please, and would absolutely thrive with obedience training.  I don’t believe he will need a physical fence, though he should be kept on a long lead until he has learned his boundaries. In terms of inside the house, he had a really tough time adapting to a kennel at the shelter, and until his new family is comfortable with giving him free roam, I would like to see him gated into a room if possible, rather than confining him to a crate.  Though full of energy and bounce, he is extremely gentle, so I feel he would be fine with children of almost all ages.  He loves the company of other dogs, but loves human company even more, so I could go either way on that one.

I have totally fallen in love with this sweet, vulnerable dog, and I know the perfect family is out there, just waiting to love him, and make him a valued part of their lives – forever. If you feel that you are that special family, please contact your placement advisor. Also, though I’m not sure of the exact timing for him yet, Barkley will be making his debut appearance at the Coon Rapids Pet Smart on Saturday 12/3, so come on out and meet him and all of the other wonderful RAGOM dogs that will be there!

Updates

Monday, December 5, 2011

First of all, I’d like to sincerely apologize to the wonderful people who came out to meet Barkley at the event on Saturday.  We fully intended to be there, but then a very special thing happened to our Barkley – he met the one and only family meant just for him!

I almost come to tears when I realize that one short month ago, Barkley was living his entire life outside, sleeping in a garage. He was then surrendered to a shelter, and per the shelter manager, was having a very difficult time of it. I fully understand why – this is one of the sweetest, most gentle, vulnerable, loving dogs that I have ever had the honor to foster, and all he ever wanted was his very own family to love, and one that would love him very much in return. Well, believe me, he has found all of that, and then some!  Barkley has been adopted by an incredible mom and dad, 3 fabulously awesome brothers, 1 adorable little sister, 1 dog, 3 cats, 2 bunnies, 2 lizards and 6 fish! (Guys – did I forget anything?)

I always vow that my dogs will never move on unless they have found their perfect match – and Barkley has certainly found his.  Thank you to all the RAGOM volunteers involved in getting Barkley into RAGOM’s care – you all know who you are, and I am deeply grateful. And thank you to the very special K family for opening up your home and your big hearts to this incredible boy. I know he has a whole lifetime of fun, play, and love ahead of him, and I couldn’t be happier. Congratulations to the K family and of course, congratulations to dear, sweet Barkley!  Have an absolutely wonderful first Christmas together!!