I have a new best buddy and his name is Brian.  Brian was a stray and came to RAGOM from Iowa.  We don’t know anything about his past but I can predict his future will be wonderful with a great family.
 
Brian weighs 60 pounds so he is on the smaller side for a boy. He is estimated to be 1 ½ years. He has had his shots but will need a booster shot of distemper. He will also need to be neutered. He will get the booster when he is in for his surgery.  His surgery is set for next week. Brian will be ready to go to his forever home sometime the week ending July 24th.
 
Brian came to live with me last Friday. I put him in the kennel on Saturday while I was gone for a couple of hours. He did well going into the kennel. I had to sort of coax him the first time. The second time on Sunday was almost perfect.  He has had free roam of the house this week while I have been at work. There have been no issues.   So he is housebroken. I make sure he and resident Max have toys to chew on while I am gone.   Brian loves chew bones and kongs. The first day he started to chew on the leg of a rocker in the porch. That caused me some concerned but having lots of toys should be good to keep him out of trouble. He has not chewed on anything else that is inappropriate since that one incident. 
 
Brian loves – loves people. He is so happy when I come home. He always has one of the puppy toys in his mouth when I come up the stairs. His tail is wagging which means his whole back end is actually wagging. He loves to fetch a thrown toy. Bringing it directly back to you is another matter. I think he will figure it out pretty quickly though. Since he is always near by it is not too hard to get him to come.   He loves pets and I have groomed him a couple of times. He had several mats in his hair that I am still working on. His first bath was somewhat traumatic. He did not quite get the jump in the tub idea so I had to lift him in. When the water was turned on, I got drenched.  Lifting him in the second time was more difficult. However, he quickly settled in and let me soak him down and soap him up. I had to keep one hand on him though or he would quickly try to get out of the tub.   
 
He does not appear to know many commands. He does ok with sit. Obedience training would be a good idea.   He does try to jump up on you. He is learning that is not ok. Just a no-no and his feet are back on the floor.  
 
Brian has enjoyed going in the pond in the back yard, but does not go swimming – yet.   I get the feeling that he might really enjoy it in a real pond/lake.  
 
Brian gets along great with my dogs and he and resident Max with wrestle and chase each other. He does bark when he is eating and the others come to close.  He does not bare teeth and turn on them. Just a bark.  
 
He has a funny way of giving kisses. He does not lick. He just presses his mouth and nose up against you. It turns out to be a wet one. So I have had kisses in my eyes, nose, ears and mouth. He will wake you up in the morning that way. So be prepared!   
 
If you are interested in meeting Brian in person, please contact your placement advisor.