Brie 08-369

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Brie arrived at our house in Ham Lake on Friday, July 25th from South Dakota (Thanks to everyone who helped get her here!).  Her family was moving and couldn't take her with them.  Brie is 75 pounds and could afford to lose 15-20!  She has been to the vet and is all up to date on shots.  She came with some patchy fur and VERY bad ear infections, which she is on medication for.  There was some concern that she has thyroid issues because of the fur and ear infections, but a blood test for that came back normal.  The vet is assuming that she has allergies, which we will watch her for.  We also had x-rays taken of her hips, which have been found to have "fairly serious but stable" hip dysplasia, which is quite advanced.  We're working on possibly getting surgical help for her.

Brie really loves to play and is really interested in what the kids are doing.  She loves to fetch anything that is thrown.  She was an outside dog, so she is not housebroken, but we are working on that.  She gets along with our dogs, but seems to be a bit overwhelmed by them when they are playfully growling or barking.  It's almost as if she's never been around dogs before.  She is very curious, but cautious.  I have seen her play bow to our Cocker Spaniel, but I'm not sure if she knows what to do next.  She is also afraid of our cats if they come too near her, she just backs off and goes the other way.  She loves to ride in the car, you barely know she's back there!  I filled the kiddie pool up a few days ago, and she got right in and laid down.  I believe she would love to swim.  We are going up to the cabin next weekend, so we'll test this out on her!  Brie does not resource guard, and we are working with her to not take any fingers off when she's fed treats.  She does nip every once and a while.  Foster Dad was letting the other dogs out the back door and Brie tried to go too, so he grabbed her collar.  She hit the floor and nipped at this hand.  She seems to be a bit afraid of him when he reaches for her, so not sure if she was abused, or if she was afraid he would touch her sore ears.  When she nips, which isn't often, it's just a quick thing, and does not hurt or break skin, it's more of a reaction than anything.  Hopefully, this will go away when she is pain-free, but in the meantime, we are addressing it with a firm no, which she listens to.  Stay tuned for more info on Brie!
 

 

   

At a Glance #08-369

Golden Retriever Born: July 2006
Female 75 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Brie arrived at our house in Ham Lake on Friday, July 25th from South Dakota (Thanks to everyone who helped get her here!).  Her family was moving and couldn't take her with them.  Brie is 75 pounds and could afford to lose 15-20!  She has been to the vet and is all up to date on shots.  She came with some patchy fur and VERY bad ear infections, which she is on medication for.  There was some concern that she has thyroid issues because of the fur and ear infections, but a blood test for that came back normal.  The vet is assuming that she has allergies, which we will watch her for.  We also had x-rays taken of her hips, which have been found to have "fairly serious but stable" hip dysplasia, which is quite advanced.  We're working on possibly getting surgical help for her.

Brie really loves to play and is really interested in what the kids are doing.  She loves to fetch anything that is thrown.  She was an outside dog, so she is not housebroken, but we are working on that.  She gets along with our dogs, but seems to be a bit overwhelmed by them when they are playfully growling or barking.  It's almost as if she's never been around dogs before.  She is very curious, but cautious.  I have seen her play bow to our Cocker Spaniel, but I'm not sure if she knows what to do next.  She is also afraid of our cats if they come too near her, she just backs off and goes the other way.  She loves to ride in the car, you barely know she's back there!  I filled the kiddie pool up a few days ago, and she got right in and laid down.  I believe she would love to swim.  We are going up to the cabin next weekend, so we'll test this out on her!  Brie does not resource guard, and we are working with her to not take any fingers off when she's fed treats.  She does nip every once and a while.  Foster Dad was letting the other dogs out the back door and Brie tried to go too, so he grabbed her collar.  She hit the floor and nipped at this hand.  She seems to be a bit afraid of him when he reaches for her, so not sure if she was abused, or if she was afraid he would touch her sore ears.  When she nips, which isn't often, it's just a quick thing, and does not hurt or break skin, it's more of a reaction than anything.  Hopefully, this will go away when she is pain-free, but in the meantime, we are addressing it with a firm no, which she listens to.  Stay tuned for more info on Brie!
 

 

   

Updates

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Brie passed away of old age on March 11, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada. She lived a long and happy life since her adoption in 2008.

Life in Excelsior, Minnesota on Lake Minnewashta was full. She picked up an adopted sister shortly after 2008 and enjoyed the Golden company for many years. 

We retired and moved to Henderson, Nevada in 2016. She adapted to the high desert quickly and enjoyed the outdoors. We took several 3-4 week trips through the U.S. northern and western states. She even did an international trip up to Whistler Canada.

We miss her and enjoyed every minute of the time together. Brie turned into a wonderful loving companion.

Brie 08-369
Brie 08-369

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Brie had a great time at the PetSmart event, and soaked up all the attention she received. Many people saw that she is a complete lap dog, all 75 pounds of her!

I have been told that Brie could make it successfully through her life without surgery at all. With adequate exercise, weight management (kept very thin), and Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements (she's currently on Cosequin DS for joints), she may never need surgery. She may develop arthritis later in the future, which can be managed with medication.

I can now clean Brie's ears without the help of foster Dad holding her down. I think she actually looks forward to it now! Brie goes into the vet one more time tomorrow for a recheck on her ears, so hopefully the meds helped, and she no longer has infections!

Brie has learned from my dogs how to play growl. When she first arrived, I don't think she knew that my dogs were trying to rough-house with her, and she would drop to the floor. Now she growls right back and romps and plays with them. She loves to de-stuff toy animals, loves the tennis ball, and tries to catch a frisbee in mid-air. She has not had an accident in about a month now, and has earned herself free roam during the day and the night. She truly has blossomed, and is such a great dog.

Brie will be attending the picnic this Saturday, so if anyone wants a furry blanket to lay across their lap, look for Brie!

   

 

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Brie continues to do great at our home.  She has made herself comfortable with our pack, and has made friends with the cats.  She loves to be with the kids when they are playing outside.  If she is inside and they are out, then she sits in front of the window and watches them for a long time.  Brie does not resource guard at all and is learning not to be so mouthy.  She has not had an accident in close to 2 weeks.  I believe she has caught on that she goes potty outside.  I left her with free roam for a couple of hours, and returned to everything in order, so we will start trusting her with periods of free roam time while we are gone.  I took her into the vet last week for a checkup on her ears.  She still had a yeast infection, so they packed her ears with meds again.  The poor girl, she was held down by three of us, just so that the vet could even look in her ears with the scope - she was on her back and even wet herself while yelping hysterically.  She is doing much better now, and I'll bring her in next week for another checkup.  The vet states that her ears will really have to be kept clean, with regular cleanings, especially after she goes swimming.  We'll be going up to the cabin again this weekend, so she can swim her heart out.  As for her hips, she acts like there isn't any dysplasia at all!  She runs around like crazy outside, and as you can see in the pictures, she likes to run right at me.  Luckily, I was standing with my legs apart, as she skidded to a halt right between them, otherwise, I would have been knocked flat on my back!  If you would like to meet Brie, please contact placementatragom [dot] org!

 

  
   

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Brie has shown herself to be such a sweetie.  She loves to be petted, and will throw her front half on top of you (when you are sitting) to get the attention she wants.  She has really relaxed and is no longer panting hard or showing any signs of allergies (coughing, sneezing, etc.).  RAGOM decided to not do surgery on her since she is not showing any pain.  She does have the beginning stages of arthritis, so she will be put on meds for that.  There is a possibility in the future that she may need surgery, so anyone who is interested in her needs to keep that in mind and be prepared financially to do it if it is needed.  But for now, she runs around like a maniac with no troubles.

We went up to the cabin for a long weekend, and drove up in my brother's RV.  There were 4 adults, 4 kids (ages ranging from 3 to 9) and 6 dogs in there!  Brie did really well with the whole crowd.  When we arrived at the cabin, there was even another dog there, so she was exposed to dogs of all ages and sizes.  She really loved the cabin, especially swimming, we couldn't keep her out of the lake!  She would even lay down in the water and chew on a stick, which I have never seen a dog do.  We would throw balls and sticks for all the dogs, and Brie would try and fetch everything that was floating.  As you can see in one of the pictures, she has a ball AND a stick in her mouth!

So, if you are looking for a young, energetic 2-year-old, who needs to lose a few pounds, loves to swim, loves to fetch, gets along with kids, dogs and cats, then she is the dog for you!