Belle 14-056

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Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
3-12-2014  Optional  Age 10+  Optional  Yes 
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

3/22/2014

Please welcome Belle 14-056 to RAGOM. Belle is a 10 year old spayed female Golden Retriever-German Shepherd mix. Belle was surrendered to RAGOM because her owners were moving from a 80 acre farm in western North Dakota to a small house in town. She was surrendered with Jake 14-055. Belle and Jake had lived together for a few years and were thought to be a bonded pair. I watched them closely for over a week and didn't see them really depend on each other at all. I made the call that they could be split up. Belle has lived around other dogs all the time known, so it is unknown how she would do as a only dog. Belle does seem to be independent and will lay and sleep by herself.

Belle and Jake arrived at my house and Belle seemed to melt right in with my dogs and cats. Belle was unknown about cats so this was a very good thing. A couple of days after Belle arrived a 8 month old Chocolate Lab puppy arrived.  Belle is not playful and gave the puppy a "knock it off" warning bark. Belle doesn't like a lot of commotion. When the other dogs start wrestling she seeks out a quiet place. I'm told she does the same with young kids. Belle is very gentle and mellow. She demands very little attention. Belle was given free roam of the house right away and caused no problems.

Belle went to the vet for her wellness exam, senior blood work, vaccines and to get a microchip. Belle's blood work came back very good. Belle did have hook worms and was treated for them. Belle was negative for heartworm and Lyme disease. Belle does have some arthritis in both rear knees. She has some loss of range of motion and doesn't "sit". She walks fine and has no problem with stairs. She can walk over 2 miles with no problem. Belle also has cataracts starting in her eyes. They aren't impairing her vision at this point.

Belle enjoys car rides and walks. She looks forward to her walks every day. We usually go close to 2 miles per walk. Belle has met the neighbors and their dogs with no problems. She does pull a little on a short leash. She does fine on a longer leash.

Belle will be going for a grooming today. She has lots of fur matts and could use some trimming and a bath. She should be even more beautiful for her next update.

Does Belle 14-056 sound like a good match for you? Contact your placement adviser to set up a meeting to find out.

At a Glance #14-056

Mixed Breed Born: March 2004
Female 50 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care Fence Kid Friendly Another Dog Cat Friendly
3-12-2014  Optional  Age 10+  Optional  Yes 
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

3/22/2014

Please welcome Belle 14-056 to RAGOM. Belle is a 10 year old spayed female Golden Retriever-German Shepherd mix. Belle was surrendered to RAGOM because her owners were moving from a 80 acre farm in western North Dakota to a small house in town. She was surrendered with Jake 14-055. Belle and Jake had lived together for a few years and were thought to be a bonded pair. I watched them closely for over a week and didn't see them really depend on each other at all. I made the call that they could be split up. Belle has lived around other dogs all the time known, so it is unknown how she would do as a only dog. Belle does seem to be independent and will lay and sleep by herself.

Belle and Jake arrived at my house and Belle seemed to melt right in with my dogs and cats. Belle was unknown about cats so this was a very good thing. A couple of days after Belle arrived a 8 month old Chocolate Lab puppy arrived.  Belle is not playful and gave the puppy a "knock it off" warning bark. Belle doesn't like a lot of commotion. When the other dogs start wrestling she seeks out a quiet place. I'm told she does the same with young kids. Belle is very gentle and mellow. She demands very little attention. Belle was given free roam of the house right away and caused no problems.

Belle went to the vet for her wellness exam, senior blood work, vaccines and to get a microchip. Belle's blood work came back very good. Belle did have hook worms and was treated for them. Belle was negative for heartworm and Lyme disease. Belle does have some arthritis in both rear knees. She has some loss of range of motion and doesn't "sit". She walks fine and has no problem with stairs. She can walk over 2 miles with no problem. Belle also has cataracts starting in her eyes. They aren't impairing her vision at this point.

Belle enjoys car rides and walks. She looks forward to her walks every day. We usually go close to 2 miles per walk. Belle has met the neighbors and their dogs with no problems. She does pull a little on a short leash. She does fine on a longer leash.

Belle will be going for a grooming today. She has lots of fur matts and could use some trimming and a bath. She should be even more beautiful for her next update.

Does Belle 14-056 sound like a good match for you? Contact your placement adviser to set up a meeting to find out.

Updates

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

 

Today was the day I hadn't been looking forward to. It was the day I had to say Good Bye to Belle. Belle was getting very weak and the glimmer in her eyes was gone. As much as it hurt me , I had to do what was best for Belle and help her cross The Rainbow Bridge.   Our time together was only 2 years. When Belle first came to my house, she settled in within minutes.  I think she knew she was "home" for good. I was only temp fostering her until a perm foster could be found for her. Within a couple weeks, I found out that my resident girl Ziggy 11-256 had cancer and had maybe a couple months left to live. I adopted Belle the same day I got that news. Belle was very well suited for the job of resident dog. After Ziggy crossed the Rainbow Bridge, Belle took over as head resident and did very well at it. I foster, temp-foster and dog sit many dogs. Belle accepted them all from puppies to seniors. Belle also went to many  "Meet & Greets" and loved all the attention , pets and treats.

While Belle wasn't a real outgoing dog , she would come to me several times a day for pets and rubs. Belle was always ready to go for walks. She loved to visit the next door neighbors, Sarah ,Tom and Moe. They would give her treats and pets. She would "talk" for them some times.

It seems the things I will miss most are all the small things. While I am heartbroken to lose Belle after only 2 years, I know I gave her a good life and lots of love while she was here. I have many fond memories of Belle that will last forever.  So long sweet girl , until we meet again.

 

 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Hi again, Belle here,

In foster news, Diver has met a great family and will be adopted on 2/5/16. I'm so glad he finally has a family of his own. He has been in foster care for a year and a half. No new or temp foster dogs. Dad said he needs to spend time with me.

Last week,Dad trimmed my fur and brushed me. The next day we went for a ride to a groomer in Cokato. I got my claws clipped, ears cleaned, and then Dad gave me a bath in their big tub.  Dad said it was a "hair storm" when he blow dried me. There was fur everywhere!  The groomer, Dad and anyone else has seen me says I am even more beautiful.

Friday we took another ride. We went to the vet's office this time. Vet Tech Allison drew some blood from me to run kidney tests. The results were very bad. One reading is off the charts. The others are very bad. Dr. Jim was surprised that I was still able to keep my food down. His guess is that I only have "days" left before I will have to be helped to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Dad was very sad about the news. He gave me lots of pets and hugs. Dad promised he will never forget me. He wished we would have much more time together, but it just wasn't in the cards we were dealt.  Dad says I will be going to a better place and will have no aches and pains. He says I will be with my foster sister Ziggy and many other very nice dogs. The only bad part will be that Dad won't be joining me for a while.

Again I want to thank all the people of RAGOM and all the RAGOM supporters. The last part of my life has been the best.  Thanks for checking in on me, Belle 14-056.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Hi, Belle here again [finally],

My dad got after me to write another update because it has been so long and so much has happened.

Foster sister Skylee moved to Iowa and was adopted a few days later. Dad said her adopter was a very good match for her.  I miss Skylee's silliness.

I went to a huge dog event called "Pet-A-Paloosa" at the fairgrounds in St Paul. I'm not a huge fan of car rides but it was worth it. Chandler was with us also. He met a woman that was very interested in adopting him. We both got to meet lots of people and dogs. We got lots of treats also.

We also went to a Meet & Greet in Elk River. Chandler had the same lady come to visit him there. We also got to see former foster brother Yukon. He is doing well and is very loved by his new mom.

A few days later, the lady that was interested in Chandler came to our house with her dog. Chandler turned on the charm again. A few days later, Dad took Chandler to their house and came home without him. She adopted Chandler.

For a few days it was just me, the kitties and Dad. So, I zoomed in on Dad and took lots of lovin' while I could. Make hay while the sun shines.

One day Dad left and came home with Joe 15-216. Joe was a stray that was brought into a shelter in Alexandria MN. Joe was nice but a little shy. After Joe's vet appointment , the next day, Dad adopted him ! Dad said he could see that Joe was something special and would make a great resident dog. So, now I have to train Joe. Dad took some "time off" fostering to let Joe get comfortable here before starting his training.

Rusty 04-374 and Diver 14-220 came for dog sitting for a few days while their foster mom visited family. Joe did very well on his first training session.

A few weeks later, we had a temp foster dog, Shadow 15-316, come for a week before he went to his perm foster mom. Again, Joe did very well.

Two days after Shadow left Dad left to pick up a pair of temp foster dogs that were urgent. Lobo 15-320 and Zoey 15-321. They were here for about a week before they went to their perm foster. Sadly, on New Years Day, Lobo had a massive internal bleeding and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. RIP sweet boy Lobo.  Again, Joe did great in the resident role.

On Christmas Day Rusty 04-374 and Diver 14-220 came to stay while their FM visited family. Dad made us a "dog friendly" turkey dinner. We all loved it and had seconds. It would be great if Dad cooked for us, like that, every day. Rusty went home the next day, and Diver stayed to be a foster brother.

That was the good news, now for the bad news.

Earlier last year, Dad took me to the vet for my yearly wellness exam. They drew some blood and did tests. My kidney values had doubled in the 1 year since my last test. This was not good. Chances were very good, that my kidneys were starting to fail. I got switched to lower protein food to help. We went back to the vet to test again, 5 months later. The values had doubled again and I was declared "Hospice". My diet has been changed to whatever I will eat. For now, that is chicken and rice with warm chicken broth and some dry kibble mixed in. I eat most of the time. Dad gets very worried when I don't eat. My strength is fading, so Dad walks me by myself, when I want to go.

My days I have left are few. I'm very grateful that I became a RAGOM dog. I am loved by my very large RAGOM family and all of RAGOM's supporters. I couldn't ask for a better life than what I have had. Thank You RAGOM for making the last part of my life, the best part.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

 Hi, Belle here,

Dad just got after me to do a update since I haven't done one in quite a while.

We have had a few visitors. At Thanksgiving we had Rusty 04-374 and Diver 14-220 come and stay for a couple days. Dad made a dog friendly turkey dinner for all of us. It was really good but he didn't let me have seconds.

At Christmas we had dad's sister and brother in-law come with their dog Annie. Dad's former foster Charlie came and stayed for 10 days and Rusty and Diver came again while their foster mom visited family. With foster brother Chandler and foster sister Skylee, we had 7 dogs here! We all got along well!  Diver stayed a couple extra days so dad could help him get to a Dr appointment in the twin cities.

Skylee moved to a different foster in Iowa and was adopted a few days later.

Dad has done a few RAGOM transports in the last week. Dad likes to help dogs get to their foster parents to start their new life. He said most of them are pretty scared of all the sudden changes. Many times he checks up on them a couple days later to make sure they are doing good. Dad said I was very calm as soon as I got here. Maybe I knew I wasn't leaving, and this would be my forever home?

I haven't had any troubles with things growing on my eye or any more cysts on my legs. I have been blowing my heavy winter coat. dad says I should be bald with all the big hair balls I have been leaving around the house.

We walk 3 miles most days. I think I might like 2 miles better. Once and a while the neighbor, Sarah comes out with her dog Moe, and gives us treats. I really like Sarah and will "talk" with her.

Dad says I have become a "picky" eater. I won't eat my dry kibble unless he mixes chicken or scrambled eggs with it. I think I just have "good taste" to need that on my food.

My friends Rusty and Diver are back visiting again. They will be here for 6 weeks this time.

That about catches me up for now. Thanks for checking on me, Belle 14-056

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Hi, Belle here again.

It's been a while since my last update and Dad has been getting after me to do one. Lots of news, so here we go:

We got another temp foster dog. She was big and fluffy. Her name was Sadie 14-216. She was nice and loved to play with Skylee 14-136.

On a very sad note, My sister Ziggy 11-261 crossed the Rainbow Bridge. After she crossed, Dad found out she had liver and spleen cancer. Dad donated tissue and blood samples for cancer research at the U of M. Ziggy is still helping other dogs, even though she is gone. We all miss Ziggy very much.

Sadie moved on to a perm. foster. Shortly after that , Dad left and came home with a Chocolate Lab named Lady 14-287. She is nice. She was very out of shape and took a while before she could walk with me and Skylee.

Less than a week after Lady got here, Dad left and came back with a Golden Retriever boy named Chandler 14-292. He was in tough shape. He has horrible allergies and has a spine injury. He is doing much better now but his spine injury can't be fixed.

Now on to me. I had a growth of some kind on my right upper eye lid. Dad took me to see Dr. Vanessa. I got some antibiotics and some ointment for my eye. Dad said I was a real big baby about getting the ointment put in. The growth shrunk but I still needed to have it removed. I went in for the surgery and they removed the growth, pulled 3 bad teeth, cleaned all the rest of my teeth and removed a cyst on my left rear leg. I was still pretty out of it when Dad picked me up and wasn't feeling too well until noon the next day. Dad says my breath is a million times better and my teeth are whiter. My leg and missing teeth didn't really bother me at all. Dad says I am even more beautiful now.

Last Friday Dad was in a panic and left with my cat sister Itsey in a carrier. Sadly she crossed the Rainbow Bridge on his way to the vet. Dad also got news that day that his first foster dog Cheyenne had crossed the Bridge in the beginning of summer. Not a good day at all.

On Monday Dad got us up early, fed us and walked us in the dark. He went to transport 4 dogs that came from a puppy mill near where I used to live in western North Dakota. He was gone all day. We were very happy to see him when he got home.

That about wraps it up for now. Thanks for checking in on me. Belle 14-056


Skylee 14-136 and Sadie 14-216


Lady 14-287 and me


Chandler 14-292


Me!!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Hi, Belle here again,

Since my last update, Shadow got adopted. I'm happy he found a loving family and even happier that he isn't trying to get me to play and just being annoying to me. A couple days after Shadow left,  a new foster sister arrived. Her name is Skylee 14-136. She is 14 months old so she is better than a 14 week old. Skylee was very stressed when she got here. Dad took me and her for a long walk. It seemed to help Skylee some and it gave us time to get used to each other. Within a couple days Skylee settled in and became a normal 14 month old dog. Dad is working on her to teach some manners and commands. She seems to be catching on. 

 Skylee has a family interested in her. Dad is taking Skylee to a event called Pet-A-Palosa and then stopping on the way home to meet the family.

My sister Ziggy is still doing ok. We have to walk extra slow when she comes along. Dad says he doesn't have any idea how much longer she will be with us, so we need to do whatever it takes to make Ziggy happy. I think having foster brothers and sisters makes Ziggy very happy and keeps her going. She does sleep a lot. I do like my sister Ziggy. We lay together on the kitchen floor. I will surly miss her when she is gone.

Thanks for checking in on me, Belle 14-056

Monday, May 26, 2014

Hi Belle here,

My new dad thought I should send a Happy Endings update so here goes.

I'm really comfortable here and have fallen into the daily routine. WE usually go for a long walk in the morning and a shorter walk in the evening. Some times we stop and visit with the neighbors. Neighbor Sarah gives treats sometimes. She has a Beagle mix dog named Moe.

My foster brother Leon 13-402 got adopted last weekend. I hated to see him leave. He was a very nice brother to me. I did get in a fight with Leon's new sister but I guess Leon gets along fine with her.

Last week I got a new foster brother. His name is Shadow 14-132. He is a 15 week old puppy and can be a bit annoying sometimes. I do have to give him the "knock it off" bark some times.

My sister Ziggy 11-264 is very sick. Dad makes her special meals. Sometimes she doesn't finish them so I help her. Dad says she won't be with us much longer so I have to be super nice to her and learn from her how to be a great resident dog for all the foster dogs. She still walks with us every evening on our short walk.

That's about all for now. Thanks for checking in on me.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Hi folks, Belle here this time.

Since my last update, I finally got in to a groomer at Petco in Monticello, Mn. We had to make 2 trips because the first appointment got messed up. I got all my mats trimmed out, my feathers trimmed, toenails trimmed, undercoat brushed out [furminated] and a bath and blow dry. FD said he didn't hardly recognize me when he came to pick me up 2 1/2 hours later. I am soft fluffy and beautiful.

My friend Jake went to another foster. He has a family interested in him.

Now for the not so good news. My Foster Sister Resident Ziggy got sick and quit eating. Foster Dad(FD) took her to see Dr Becky. She didn't come back with FD. She had to stay and get her system flushed out with IV fluids. FD picked her up that night and took her back the next day for more flushing. Ziggy has very bad liver problems. FD took her back the next week for an iron test. That improved in that time but still could have been better. Ziggy had to wait a couple weeks to get her liver values checked again. That was yesterday. Her liver values have gotten worse. She is now Hospice care and only has "weeks" left. FD has been very sad. He adopted Ziggy from RAGOM 2 1/2 years ago. She is only 10 years old, the same as me.

Now the good news. FD is adopting me! He says that I could be another great resident dog. I will be showing the foster dogs the ropes around here after Ziggy crosses the Rainbow Bridge. In the mean time I have to be a best friend to Ziggy and FD in the tough days ahead.

Thank You RAGOM and all your supporters for taking me in as an "Honorary Golden". Thank you FD for adopting me. Watch for many "Happy Endings" updates on me as my journey continues.

Belle 14-056