Bear 09-194

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Someone is going to be so lucky to get this dog! Before I tell you about Bear, though, I want to thank the many wonderful volunteers who drove him almost 1,000 miles to get him safely to RAGOM. Thank you! Bear is eternally grateful and so are we.
 
Bear is a sweet, healthy, happy six year old male Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever mix who came to us from a shelter in Alabama where his time was almost up. He ended up there through no fault of his own when his family had to move and couldn't take him along. Their loss is someone else's gain as Bear is one TERRIFIC dog. There are so many good things to say about him I hardly know where to start.

Bear is calm, affectionate, even-tempered, well socialized, and very well mannered. After going through a ton of transitions including the loss of his family, a stay in a chaotic shelter, a two-day cross-country journey and several days with a temporary foster he's taken it all in stride and has remained incredibly sweet and well behaved. He accepts each new thing with grace and enthusiasm and has really impressed us with his wonderful personality.

Bear must have been an indoor dog because he seems to know how to live in a house and has settled in with no problem whatsoever. I think stairs were a new thing for him but after his first trip down, which was clearly scary, he realized that they were no big deal and now runs up and down like a pro. Bear is housebroken and doesn't seem to have any bad habits. He jumped up once when he wanted a really desirable treat but other than that he's doing his home state proud and is proving to be a true southern gentleman. He has really great manners. He barks when he's outside and people pass by but other than that he's very quiet. We have yet to hear him bark indoors, even when someone comes to the door. He gets along great with everyone and everything, both human and otherwise, and quickly wins over everyone he meets. He really enjoys attention and affection but isn't pushy about it and if you're busy he's happy to lay quietly and just keep an eye on you. He knows sit, come, and down (sort of) and he's so eager to please that he should be a snap to train. He also loves to retrieve and while he's not perfect at giving up the ball, he does eventually realize that you can't throw it again until he drops it. :)

So far Bear seems so adaptable that we think he could live in almost any environment. He gets along well with our resident dog but while he was at his temporary foster he was the only dog and he seemed fine with that too. He's been perfect with our cats, politely sniffing when they allow but backing off immediately when they tell him it's too much. The shelter reported that he lived with children and while he was at his temporary foster he spent the day with her five-year-old grandson and they really enjoyed each other so it looks like kids are fine. Our house is fairly quiet so we haven't yet seen how he does with a ton of activity but we'll invite our neighbor kids over soon to see how he feels about a lot of noise and movement. I think he'll be fine but until then that's an open question. We have a fenced yard which Bear enjoys exploring but he was on a tie-out at his temp foster's and he did fine with that. He does pull on a flat collar and hasn't yet adjusted to the gentle leader but with some additional training he'll be a great walking companion. He loves to go for walks and really loves to ride in the car. He's a fantastic traveling companion and sits quietly in the back seat enjoying the scenery or taking a nap. We haven't left him for long periods yet but he doesn't seem to have any separation anxiety. He sleeps quietly through the night and doesn't stir until he hears that we're awake. Overall he's just an exceptional dog and a terrific companion.

In summary:
No apparent issues or anxieties.
Another dog or only dog - either is fine.
Fence or no fence - either is fine.
Kids are great.
Cats are great.

I can tell that Bear isn't going to be in foster care long so contact your placement advisor and snatch him up before someone else does!

At a Glance #09-194

Mixed Breed Born: May 2003
Male 65 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Someone is going to be so lucky to get this dog! Before I tell you about Bear, though, I want to thank the many wonderful volunteers who drove him almost 1,000 miles to get him safely to RAGOM. Thank you! Bear is eternally grateful and so are we.
 
Bear is a sweet, healthy, happy six year old male Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever mix who came to us from a shelter in Alabama where his time was almost up. He ended up there through no fault of his own when his family had to move and couldn't take him along. Their loss is someone else's gain as Bear is one TERRIFIC dog. There are so many good things to say about him I hardly know where to start.

Bear is calm, affectionate, even-tempered, well socialized, and very well mannered. After going through a ton of transitions including the loss of his family, a stay in a chaotic shelter, a two-day cross-country journey and several days with a temporary foster he's taken it all in stride and has remained incredibly sweet and well behaved. He accepts each new thing with grace and enthusiasm and has really impressed us with his wonderful personality.

Bear must have been an indoor dog because he seems to know how to live in a house and has settled in with no problem whatsoever. I think stairs were a new thing for him but after his first trip down, which was clearly scary, he realized that they were no big deal and now runs up and down like a pro. Bear is housebroken and doesn't seem to have any bad habits. He jumped up once when he wanted a really desirable treat but other than that he's doing his home state proud and is proving to be a true southern gentleman. He has really great manners. He barks when he's outside and people pass by but other than that he's very quiet. We have yet to hear him bark indoors, even when someone comes to the door. He gets along great with everyone and everything, both human and otherwise, and quickly wins over everyone he meets. He really enjoys attention and affection but isn't pushy about it and if you're busy he's happy to lay quietly and just keep an eye on you. He knows sit, come, and down (sort of) and he's so eager to please that he should be a snap to train. He also loves to retrieve and while he's not perfect at giving up the ball, he does eventually realize that you can't throw it again until he drops it. :)

So far Bear seems so adaptable that we think he could live in almost any environment. He gets along well with our resident dog but while he was at his temporary foster he was the only dog and he seemed fine with that too. He's been perfect with our cats, politely sniffing when they allow but backing off immediately when they tell him it's too much. The shelter reported that he lived with children and while he was at his temporary foster he spent the day with her five-year-old grandson and they really enjoyed each other so it looks like kids are fine. Our house is fairly quiet so we haven't yet seen how he does with a ton of activity but we'll invite our neighbor kids over soon to see how he feels about a lot of noise and movement. I think he'll be fine but until then that's an open question. We have a fenced yard which Bear enjoys exploring but he was on a tie-out at his temp foster's and he did fine with that. He does pull on a flat collar and hasn't yet adjusted to the gentle leader but with some additional training he'll be a great walking companion. He loves to go for walks and really loves to ride in the car. He's a fantastic traveling companion and sits quietly in the back seat enjoying the scenery or taking a nap. We haven't left him for long periods yet but he doesn't seem to have any separation anxiety. He sleeps quietly through the night and doesn't stir until he hears that we're awake. Overall he's just an exceptional dog and a terrific companion.

In summary:
No apparent issues or anxieties.
Another dog or only dog - either is fine.
Fence or no fence - either is fine.
Kids are great.
Cats are great.

I can tell that Bear isn't going to be in foster care long so contact your placement advisor and snatch him up before someone else does!

Updates

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Bear is having another great week. It took him a while to train me but he finally taught me how to play fetch. I just need to use two balls and then he's a star retriever. He goes after the first ball, brings it straight back to me, and when he sees that I'm already holding another ball he drops the first ball directly at my feet and eagerly waits for the second one to be thrown. Someone obviously worked with him on this and he's really great at it. It's a pleasure to play with him and he'll happily retrieve for as long as your arm will last. He LOVES it. Don't be fooled by the fact that he's six - he has great energy and is more eager to play and requires more exercise than his three year old FB. He needs a nice long walk or good play session every day to keep him healthy and happy. He's not crazy energetic, though, and is happy to take a nap if you're busy or settle down with you while you engage in a quiet activity.
 
Bear also enjoys toys, especially chew toys and soft floppy ropes that he can shake. It's so cute to see him dancing and jumping around while he plays. He shows zero resource guarding with people and we can take anything from him, including really desirable treats and even his food dish. He's shown some very mild resource guarding from his FB when he has a really good treat or bone but it's a very appropriate "please go away, I don't really want to share this" message. FB listens and there's no problem. I'm not sure how it would go with a dog who didn't listen so he might not be the best fit with a dog that likes to take things directly from other dogs' mouths. He's fine with sharing things that are laying around on the floor though and he's even fine with sharing his "good" stuff once he walks away from it. If he comes back and finds that FB has it, that's fine with him and he just stands by and waits until he's done with it.
 
The bones and chew toys that he enjoys are also helping Bear's teeth. His teeth are strong and healthy but he has some pretty significant tartar and his smile is already looking much prettier. With some more good stuff to chew his teeth will be pearly white in no time. I haven't tried brushing his teeth but I think he'd be just fine with it. He's so tolerant. When I cleaned his ears (no infection, I just like to do preventive maintenance) he was a little confused at first but once he realized what I wanted to do he came and sat in front of me and remained as still as a statue while I rubbed and scrubbed. I didn't even have to hold his collar - he didn't move a muscle. What a good boy!
 
When he first arrived Bear was somewhat picky about his food and treats and wasn't interested in most things. I thought perhaps he was finicky but we see now that it must have been a symptom of anxiety. Now that he's settled in he happily eats just about everything, including all dog treats, his regular dog food, and healthy people food that we sometimes use as treats. So far he enjoys carrots, strawberries, blackberries, and chicken, but not celery or peas. He's like a little kid - no green stuff! He doesn't beg or counter surf and seems about as trustworthy as a dog can be around food. All dogs will be tempted eventually, of course, but I feel comfortable turning my back or even leaving the room briefly when there's food on the counter. Assuming it's not too tempting, of course...I'm not going to leave any dog with a steak!
 
I'm sure Bear will have more adventures to share soon so please stay tuned. Thanks for reading up on him!

Friday, May 29, 2009

It's really hard to describe what a great dog Bear is. He's been with us for over a week now and he's just a delight. He's so easy to have around and he brings such a happy, sweet energy to our household. We'd love to keep him but we know that there's a great family out there waiting for him and more dogs who need us to foster them so we have to sadly conclude that we shouldn't be his forever family. Which means YOU might get to be his forever family, and you have no idea how lucky that will make you!

Bear's barking while outdoors has gotten much better. I think he just needed time to get used to the neighborhood and its sounds so he could decide what's concerning and what isn't. He still has to let us know if there's something exciting like a squirrel in the tree or a big truck driving by but he's barking a lot less than he initially did. And he always stops instantly when we ask him to be quiet (he's SO obedient!) so as long as you're outside with him it isn't a problem at all. He's just not a good candidate to be left outside by himself in a busy neighborhood. But really, what dog is?

Bear has been having a wonderful time with our neighbor kids. Our dear neighbors have an extra gate in their fence so that our dogs can run back and forth to their yard and when they aren't outside Bear sits by the gate hoping that the kids will come out to get him. He really loves them and wants to be with them every chance he gets. He doesn't mind a bit when they get loud and active and is so gentle with them. He's thrilled if they'll play with him or pet him but if they're busy with non-dog games he's content to just hang out and be near them. Kids aren't a requirement in his forever home but I think he'd make a wonderful family dog. He obviously has a special place in his heart for young ones.

Yesterday Bear and I went to PetSmart to see what he thought of it and he was great. I think the busy parking lot and huge store were a new experience for him so he was a little overwhelmed at first but he relaxed right away once he realized the building was full of nice people and 50,000 bags of dog food. :) He really enjoyed smelling all the good smells and didn't try to shoplift, even when we walked down the treat aisle. He especially enjoyed all the people. Bear really loves to meet new people and greets them so perfectly. I wish all dogs were as good as him! He approaches everyone he sees calmly with a happy, hopeful expression that says "Hi! Pet me, please?" If the person was willing to give him a little attention he stood quietly with his head under their hand but if they didn't acknowledge him he just moved along. He's pretty irresistible though so he got a lot of pets!

Bear is proving to be a very well-balanced, confident dog and we have yet to see him startle or show fear. Some new things seem to make him a little uneasy (like the stairs or the automatic doors at the store) but he's willing to try anything we ask of him and once he examines or experiences the new thing he's always fine with it. Loud noises don't startle him and he isn't afraid of the vacuum cleaner. He even came up to ask for pets while I was vacuuming - brave boy! We need a good rip-roaring thunderstorm just to be sure he doesn't have any storm anxiety but I'd be very surprised if he does. Nothing seems to bother him.

Bear is also proving to be a dog of very orderly habits. If he were a person I think we'd call him "organized." He loves to play with toys but leaves them where he finds them, so the outside toys stay outside and the inside toys stay inside. In fact most of the time he keeps the inside toys in the same room where he initially found them. He does his business in the same section of the yard every single time, no exceptions, and he sleeps in the exact same spot every night. He likes new things and handles it just fine when we break his routine but when left to his own devices he's obviously a creature of regular habits.

Speaking of sleeping at night, Bear is the best nighttime companion we've ever experienced. The moment we pull back the covers to get into bed he flops down on his dog bed and he literally doesn't make a sound (except for his cute little snores) or set a foot off of it until the alarm goes off the next morning. Even if we or his FB get up in the middle of the night, he stays put - I've never seen anything like it. And if you don't set an alarm, he lets you sleep in! If you're not a big fan of a cold nose in your face at 5:00 AM then Bear is the perfect guy for you.

Even though Bear is settling in so well and is so happy 99% of the time, every once in a while I notice him staring off into space with a slightly worried expression. With all the changes he's been through I'm sure he's wondering what in the world is in store for him next, poor guy. So we just try to reassure him that what's in store next is a wonderful, happy life with a new loving family who will never abandon him. Would you like to be Bear's "next"? I can promise that the love you give him will be returned ten thousand fold, and the joy of his companionship will enrich your life in ways you could never imagine. He's such a wonderful, special dog and he has everything it takes to make some lucky family very happy. If you think you'd like to be that lucky family, contact your placement advisor!