Brandy 08-122

back to Memorials

Profile

~ Sponsored by ~

Susannah Charleson

Megan, John & Otto AltmanMary & Carl S.

 

      
I'd like to introduce you all to Brandy. She is 6-7 years old. She is a GR crossed with a Collie. Brandy came to us from a shelter in Iowa. She was a stray.

When Brandy came to us, she was friendly with us but unsure and cautious with all our dogs. We have 2 resident and 1 other foster. She would stay by us and growl a little at them. She is very thin and I think she probably had to fight for what she got. Now she is getting used to regular meals and TREATS!! She LOVES them! We have left the dry food out so she know she can always eat. So she's settled down a lot that way.

Brandy is very sweet. She likes to jump around and play with us but doesn't know much about balls or toys. We'll work on that. Today we were at the groomers. Boy does she smell good!! And she's really beautiful now! I think she feels kind of important.

Brandy walks well on a leash. She comes when called. She now knows sit, shake and lay down. She gets along well with our cats, she's not afraid of the horses. She was very interested in the rabbit, but that's not as interesting now.

Brandy is looking for a forever home so she can get all the attention and love she's missed out on. She is so sweet and deserves to know she's important and safe. She has a lot of love to give.

 

At a Glance #08-122

Mixed Breed Born: February 1998
Female 45 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

~ Sponsored by ~

Susannah Charleson

Megan, John & Otto AltmanMary & Carl S.

 

      
I'd like to introduce you all to Brandy. She is 6-7 years old. She is a GR crossed with a Collie. Brandy came to us from a shelter in Iowa. She was a stray.

When Brandy came to us, she was friendly with us but unsure and cautious with all our dogs. We have 2 resident and 1 other foster. She would stay by us and growl a little at them. She is very thin and I think she probably had to fight for what she got. Now she is getting used to regular meals and TREATS!! She LOVES them! We have left the dry food out so she know she can always eat. So she's settled down a lot that way.

Brandy is very sweet. She likes to jump around and play with us but doesn't know much about balls or toys. We'll work on that. Today we were at the groomers. Boy does she smell good!! And she's really beautiful now! I think she feels kind of important.

Brandy walks well on a leash. She comes when called. She now knows sit, shake and lay down. She gets along well with our cats, she's not afraid of the horses. She was very interested in the rabbit, but that's not as interesting now.

Brandy is looking for a forever home so she can get all the attention and love she's missed out on. She is so sweet and deserves to know she's important and safe. She has a lot of love to give.

 

Updates

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Brandy wanted to send a picture of one of her favorite activities – lying in the grass on a cool summer day.  Could you get more comfortable?  Brandy loves the nice cool weather we are having.  She is able to take longer walks, although we are careful to not overdo it.  We had a few nights of pacing while I was trying to sleep recently.  I was worried that she was having some senior “pacing” issues, but it turned out to be a simple solution. Brandy is extremely routine-oriented. When we moved into our new house, I had my bedroom in one room, and Brandy slept on her bed beside my bed, of course.  I then switched my bedroom to the room adjacent to it, which is smaller, so I didn’t bring the dog beds there – after all, for the time being they all had their own room, just feet from mine.  When she started pacing, I brought her bed over to the new room, but that didn’t seem to do the trick at first.   Brandy apparently was used to her bed being in the OTHER room.  We now have it all figured out, and Brandy has conceded to sleep next to mom’s bed in the NEW room.  And we all got a good night’s sleep last night!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Brandy here, wishing everybody a safe and happy 4th! 

I’m doing wonderfully, and am sending a photo of myself so everybody can see my spiffy haircut.  It sure does keep me cooler in the summer, and as everybody knows, I have to be very careful of the heat. The haircut has grown out a little bit in this picture, so I’m kind of fuzzy – but that just makes me all the cuter.  This picture was taken at the annual Collie Frolic, held at Stone Mountain in Blaine.  There were a few of us “collie wannabes” there. They had the Longest Schnoz contest for the collies, but let us non-collies enter, also.  They gave a prize for the “Shortest Schnoz”, and I almost won, but got beat out by – a golden retriever!!!!!!! Haha. 

Thank you to my sponsors Susannah Charleson, Megan, John & Otto Altman and Mary & Carl S. for their support and love – and a big Woo-Woo to all my RAGOM friends.

 

 

 

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Brandy was so excited to meet a friend of one of her sponsors (Susannah Charleson) at the dog park the other day.  Susannah’s friend took a few wonderful pictures of Brandy, which are included in this update.

When we were at the dog park that day, we were just back from a vet visit.  I brought her in because her laryngeal paralysis seemed to be acting up.  She had been doing wonderfully through the cold weather, it hadn’t been an issue at all.  I had been worried about the upcoming warm weather, as that is when it would begin to aggravate her again – but didn’t expect any problems before then, as she had been doing so good.

Brandy’s doctor is concerned about her, and will be talking to the RAGOM folks about possible surgery to remedy the problem.  It’s because of the generosity of sponsors like Susannah, Megan, John & Otto Altman and Mary & Carl S. that dogs like Brandy are able to live good quality lives, free of the ailments that they have acquired, through no fault of their own.Little Brandy’s attitude is as beautiful as always, no matter if she is having difficulty breathing, or has to walk a little slower than usual, she wants to be doing what her foster brothers are doing.  If she is a candidate for surgery, from what I understand her quality of life will improve tremendously in regards to being able to be out and about and playing. Once warmer weather gets here, if her laryngeal paralysis continues as it is, she will be pretty much confined to indoors air-conditioning. Last summer, even though the house was air-conditioned, she would still make her way to the basement, even though she didn’t care for the stairs. She was probably seeking the very coolest place available to help her breathe easier.Brandy’s other news is that she has moved, with her mom and foster brothers, to a bigger house!  She has already worked with Asa and Baxter in training their new neighbor to give them treats, and she has found a lot of great places in the yard to observe her new surroundings. She now gets to sleep right by mom without having to climb up any stairs, too, and she is very happy about that!These pictures of Brandy certainly capture the essence of the sweetness of her nature. She is a gem of a girl, without a doubt.

 

 

Monday, December 14, 2009

Merry Christmas to everybody from Brandy!  She had the opportunity to have her Christmas photo taken this past weekend at the Albert Lea Seed House Garden Center, and wanted everybody to see how beautiful she is, especially her sponsors Susannah Charleson, and Megan, John & Otto Altman.  They have given her so much support through her previous health issues, and she is now feeling so wonderful, thanks to their generosity, that she thought it was way past time they saw an updated picture of her.

The serious look on her face is due to the fact that mom was trying to get her to stay close to the poinsettias, while not getting into the picture. Brandy couldn’t quite understand why she couldn’t be right next to mom, as is her usual spot, and wasn’t quite sure this wasn’t a new vet office. Once the photos were finished and mom put her back on her leash, Brandy hot-footed it to the door, just like she does at the vet’s office. For being such a good girl for her picture, she got a great bag full of treats!  So it was all worth it. 

The cool weather has helped Brandy’s laryngeal paralysis, it is very seldom I hear her having breathing difficulties.  Once warm weather returns, she will again be bothered by it, so I am concerned about that, of course.  But for right now, she is as spunky as can be – occasionally she will get a burst of the goofies and run around the back yard for a few minutes like a little speed demon.  It is a joy to watch her! 

Merry Christmas to all, and a Woo-Woo New Year! 

 

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

 Merry Christmas to the Golden seniors                 Marilyn & Maggie-girl

Lori, Kerry, and the Mutts             Shayna M.

   

Monday, August 11, 2008

Brandy had a few minutes to spare for a photo session, so we have a couple of pictures of her for her fans to see. Here are her "calm and poised reflective" look, and also her "lion do", of which she thinks she's quite the cutie-pie. Her fur is growing back in very lovely and soft, in time for the upcoming cool weather, but mom was told again that there is to be no brushing in that area, no matter how gently it is done. I was hoping that she could gradually get used to it and be ok with it, but Brandy gently warns that it is a no-no. Brushing her beautiful ruff and head, on the other hand, is much desired, and Brandy moans in delight - also is quite enamored of good ear-scratchings.

Brandy will check in again with her next vet visit in a few weeks. The vet said after 6 consecutive monthly "all clear" visits, she will be able to be checked less frequently. Let's keep all paws crossed that she remains "all clear" and has a long, life ahead of her to enjoy being the beautiful Little Miss Woo-Woo she was meant to be!

   

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee!!!!!" That's what Brandy seemed to be saying on her first walk with her resident collie and labrador brothers at her permanent foster home. Such a pretty prancer she is while walking! Her temporary foster home got her groomed, and you can just tell that she now feels as pretty as she looks. A dainty, feminine and gorgeous girl, that's Brandy!

Brandy has settled in very well, after some initial shyness. She is the perfect houseguest - wonderful with the dogs and cats, and she has displayed no bad habits nor any food aggression (of course the dogs are all fed in separate areas to maintain peace, but when the nosy and always hungry lab approaches her while she is eating, she displays no agitation at all). She likes to have somebody by her side when she eats, and of course I oblige, just to make sure the lab doesn't accidentally bite off more than he thinks he can chew!

Just having been spayed about a week ago, Brandy still may need some dental work, and has shown some possible pain in her back end area, by (gently) snapping when foster mom has tried to wipe her back feet, and she had the same reaction when her temporary foster took her to the vet and they were poking around her back end area. She goes to the vet next Monday to remove her stitches, so I will see what the vets say at that time.

I also think she may be a bit older than the first estimated 6-7 years old, due to the shape of her teeth, grayness of her muzzle, activity level and slight eye cloudiness. My collie sniffed near her mouth (as he tends to be solicitous of other animals' health issues), and she gave him a warning growl. So she may be having mouth pain also.

Apparently Brandy came from a neglect situation, and she has several very good scars on her nose. Don't you wish she could talk? But that is in the past, and this little girl just wants love, and wants to be close to you. She exhibits some separation anxiety, by whining when left alone, but will settle down in not too long of a time. She does not get on the furniture, and has claimed "her" dog bed by the front door. She nosily will look out the window if she hears another dog barking, or if there is activity outside, but for the most part, she is content to lie on her bed. Of course, if I get up and move to another room, Brandy has to get up to see where I am and what I'm doing.

Surprisingly, Brandy has what sounds like a Husky vocalization at times, she very cutely "woo-woo's", for lack of a better description. I think she's trying to tell me about her day when I come home! This "woo-woo" can also sound heartbreaking, as when she is feeling alone, it comes out sounding extremely mournful. You'd swear you were out in the woods with a wolf not far away, pouring her heart out to the moon and stars.

Brandy came with the crew to the dog park the other day, and enjoyed herself for a short while - so many smells!... then definitely wanted to head to the gate to leave. I got the feeling she wanted to get back to her "comfort" zone. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she has some deep-seated anxieties about her place in the world. Brandy will need a fenced yard, as when she decided she was going to leave the dog park, she was heck-bent on getting to the gate, and did not respond to any type of voice or persuasion to change the direction she was going. Also, she is probably not used to her name yet, she may never have even HAD a name, so maybe does not know she is really a somebody with a name to call her own.

Due to the possible pain issues that caused snapping, Brandy's forever home should not include small children or rambunctious pets.

The perfect home for Brandy would be a calm home where she would never be alone. Ideally, there would be a compatible dog friend for her to spend the time with when her person(s) could not be there. I think being totally alone in the house, for Brandy, would be very, very sad and scary for her. She needs to learn that she is safe and secure, and that her home will be her forever home. Brandy doesn't need fancy lessons or group/dog activities, she just needs the comfort of knowing she belongs to a family and a home, neither of which will ever be taken away from her.