Cabella 08-302

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Cabella (how cool is her name!?) is a female, 2 years old, spayed purebred GR, who is currently residing in Grand Forks, ND. Cabella originally hails from the Twin Cities area, but seems to be taking a liking to North Dakota just fine! She loved riding in the car and looking out the windows. She didn't even mind the two nosy and loud child passengers in the back seat! She took one look at them and decided they were sniff worthy but other than that the scenery was more entertaining!

Cabella is a TALL girl, tall enough that she can rest her head on top of my kitchen table without straining or lifting her paws up...convenient for her, no? She's also a solid one, weighing in around 72 pounds. She seems very healthy, she has nice clean ears and gorgeous teeth! (One of my friends joked that she looks like she has veneers on!) Wednesday she'll go to the vet for her initial exam and to get microchipped. So we'll have more info on her health after that, but according to her current vet records all her shots are up to date, she just needs to start H/W preventative and F/T.

Cabella's foster family consists of two boys, ages 6 & 3 and she seems to really love them so far. She doesn't startle when they run around (which is often!) and doesn't jump up on them or knock them down. Her previous home she lived with two teenagers, so right now I say she'd be a great fit for any sort of family. Also in her foster family is a one year old resident cat - Cabella and Bacardi (cat) have gotten along just fine so far, initially they sniffed each other out and have gone their separate ways. No chasing or games yet! Right now Cabella's foster dad is deployed to the Middle East, so I haven't really seen her around men, but she met the husband of a friend and did great with him, along with the few neighbor men that have met her too.

Cabella has beautiful eyes that show how intelligent she is, she's very observant but not obnoxious or nosy. She watches everything and takes it all in - she even had a couple birds fly right in front of her and she just looked up me like, "Oh...birds...we had those in Minnesota too!"

Right now she's snoozing on my couch, and when I put my kids to bed she jumped right up there and laid down with them- as long as I was in the room. She's still taking everything in at the moment, so she doesn't really leave my side. My older son told me that earlier today when I walked out to the car, she whined until I came back. Because I'm a stay-at-home-mom I won't have to leave her alone much, so I'm not sure how she does in a situation where she's alone for a few hours, we'll have to see how that goes when the time comes.

Cabella also got the royal treatment this evening - Petco fit her in for a grooming! She had a bath, coat brushed out, nails trimmed and her ears cleaned. The groomer said she did great for all of it. She was a bit nervous in getting on the table and the first couple of nails being trimmed, but she calmed down right away and showed no aggression at all. She's looking even more gorgeous than before! Her coat is a beautiful shade of red that blends to a gold and then back to red. She has gorgeous feathering on her tail and legs and even long pretty ears. She's definitely beautiful, but not conceited!

At first Cabella was really pulling on her leash, but she corrects easily and I picked up a Gentle Leader for her today and she does GREAT on that. She will walk right beside you, or maybe a few steps ahead but doesn't pull at all. She comes to her name when you call her and I've been able to trust her to walk on her leash on her own in my yard (unfenced) and she'll come back very easily and doesn't try to run away when you go to grab the leash. She will potty on the leash as well. Fetch seems to be her absolute FAVORITE game so far, I think we played for a couple hours today. Tomorrow we have plans for a big walk, so we'll see how she does walking while I push my younger son in the stroller... I have no doubts that she'll do great!

Well we're both bushed so Cabella & I are going to go snuggle on the couch and watch some TV together!

Check back soon for more updates on Cabella!

   

At a Glance #08-302

Golden Retriever Born: May 2006
Female 80 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Cabella (how cool is her name!?) is a female, 2 years old, spayed purebred GR, who is currently residing in Grand Forks, ND. Cabella originally hails from the Twin Cities area, but seems to be taking a liking to North Dakota just fine! She loved riding in the car and looking out the windows. She didn't even mind the two nosy and loud child passengers in the back seat! She took one look at them and decided they were sniff worthy but other than that the scenery was more entertaining!

Cabella is a TALL girl, tall enough that she can rest her head on top of my kitchen table without straining or lifting her paws up...convenient for her, no? She's also a solid one, weighing in around 72 pounds. She seems very healthy, she has nice clean ears and gorgeous teeth! (One of my friends joked that she looks like she has veneers on!) Wednesday she'll go to the vet for her initial exam and to get microchipped. So we'll have more info on her health after that, but according to her current vet records all her shots are up to date, she just needs to start H/W preventative and F/T.

Cabella's foster family consists of two boys, ages 6 & 3 and she seems to really love them so far. She doesn't startle when they run around (which is often!) and doesn't jump up on them or knock them down. Her previous home she lived with two teenagers, so right now I say she'd be a great fit for any sort of family. Also in her foster family is a one year old resident cat - Cabella and Bacardi (cat) have gotten along just fine so far, initially they sniffed each other out and have gone their separate ways. No chasing or games yet! Right now Cabella's foster dad is deployed to the Middle East, so I haven't really seen her around men, but she met the husband of a friend and did great with him, along with the few neighbor men that have met her too.

Cabella has beautiful eyes that show how intelligent she is, she's very observant but not obnoxious or nosy. She watches everything and takes it all in - she even had a couple birds fly right in front of her and she just looked up me like, "Oh...birds...we had those in Minnesota too!"

Right now she's snoozing on my couch, and when I put my kids to bed she jumped right up there and laid down with them- as long as I was in the room. She's still taking everything in at the moment, so she doesn't really leave my side. My older son told me that earlier today when I walked out to the car, she whined until I came back. Because I'm a stay-at-home-mom I won't have to leave her alone much, so I'm not sure how she does in a situation where she's alone for a few hours, we'll have to see how that goes when the time comes.

Cabella also got the royal treatment this evening - Petco fit her in for a grooming! She had a bath, coat brushed out, nails trimmed and her ears cleaned. The groomer said she did great for all of it. She was a bit nervous in getting on the table and the first couple of nails being trimmed, but she calmed down right away and showed no aggression at all. She's looking even more gorgeous than before! Her coat is a beautiful shade of red that blends to a gold and then back to red. She has gorgeous feathering on her tail and legs and even long pretty ears. She's definitely beautiful, but not conceited!

At first Cabella was really pulling on her leash, but she corrects easily and I picked up a Gentle Leader for her today and she does GREAT on that. She will walk right beside you, or maybe a few steps ahead but doesn't pull at all. She comes to her name when you call her and I've been able to trust her to walk on her leash on her own in my yard (unfenced) and she'll come back very easily and doesn't try to run away when you go to grab the leash. She will potty on the leash as well. Fetch seems to be her absolute FAVORITE game so far, I think we played for a couple hours today. Tomorrow we have plans for a big walk, so we'll see how she does walking while I push my younger son in the stroller... I have no doubts that she'll do great!

Well we're both bushed so Cabella & I are going to go snuggle on the couch and watch some TV together!

Check back soon for more updates on Cabella!

   

Updates

Monday, June 23, 2008

Cabella is officially adopted! The "P" family from Minnesota came this weekend to meet her and fell absolutely in love with her, and Cabella felt the same way. So today, Cabella is officially on her way to being a Minnesota girl once again.

Thank you to all who helped get Cabella to North Dakota and answered all my crazy fostering questions. I could not have asked for a better girl as my first foster! I know she will love and be very loved in her forever home! Bye Cabella, we'll miss you! Feel free to visit any time! :)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Here are the promised pictures from Cabella's sprinkler romp! She's absolutely soaked and loving it!

We discovered today that Cabella adamantly does not like to be tied to a leader or tie out while outside. I was taking pictures of my boys and wanted to make sure she stayed safe while we were in the front yard, so I clipped her leash around the porch. My kids and I were only a few feet away and she made sure that we knew of her displeasure of being tethered! She barked quite loudly and sharp, and no amount of "No bark!" corrected her. The minute you stepped away, she began again. So with more training I believe she could be corrected of this, but definitely is best suited to a home where she is safe to roam free within the confines of a fence!

Also I believe that she would love to be in any sort of training or obedience class. Cabella is so intelligent - you can see it in her eyes- and she loves to fetch and listen, but she can also be really stubborn. She can definitely plant her tush when she doesn't want to come inside! Cabella is making great strides and is learning that fetch is played more efficiently when we "Drop!" the ball at FM's feet and then "Sit" when we're ready to go again.

Every day Cabella gets better and better while walking on the leash. She still walks best with a Gentle Leader, and is awesome about staying beside you as you walk, instead of walking in front of the stroller and getting bumped into!

Saturday is Cabella's big day with her potential forever family, so please keep her in your thoughts and send some good vibes her way! Such a special and sweet girl deserves a special home!!

 
A break from fetching

 
Sprinklers are FUN!

 
Pretty profile!

 
Wow, am I ever wet!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Cabella has had a great last few days with us. Every day she comes a little more out of her shell and we are seeing the wonderful & playful girl that she really is. She still startles a bit easily - the cat jumped down and knocked a few things over and poor, sleeping Cabella was nearly scared out of her skin! The great thing is she calms down very easily and settles right back down. Cabella has shown no fear or aggression to my super loud vacuum cleaner or the lawn mower. She also has no storm anxiety, we had some super thunder a few nights ago and she really didn't pay a whole lot of attention to it, but she did make sure she knew where I was at all times.

Yesterday evening Cabella had a great time at the neighbor's house- the kids had the sprinkler out and she went crazy over it! She was running through it, trying to catch the water, standing over it, chasing it, barking at it - you name it - she was having the time of her life! The kids thought she was hilarious and had a great time playing with her in the water. She was absolutely soaked and worn out by the time she was through, so there went that nice grooming job from the first day! I'd say that Cabella would have a great time swimming in a lake or frolicking in a stream.

We've discovered also how retriever-like Cabella really is! She's constantly bringing us something, a fork from the kitchen (maybe that was a hint for more lasagna?!), socks, stuffed animals, pencils, you name it! You definitely have to keep an eye on things with her! She loves stuffed animals the most, so I highly recommend if her forever family has special ones for the kids, that they are well guarded. She doesn't seem destructive with them so far, but she does like to chew on them - so make sure her special toys have NO buttons! She claimed my son's old sock monkey so we removed his eyes before Cabella had the chance!

Today we had a vet visit and she did fantastically - she again showed no fear or aggression and had everyone there in love with her from the get-go. She absolutely loved all the attention she received and she was giving everyone full body wiggles & kisses! All the walking we've been doing with her has done some good, Cabella now weighs 69 lbs, but she could stand to lose a few more pounds the vet said. She received her Microchip today and also had Frontline applied and started on heartworm preventative. With all that great news, there is a bit of not great news, which is she apparently has a parasite and is now on a medication to treat it. She took one dosage today and will have to have another in 3 weeks, along with a re-check at the vet to see if the parasite is still there. That being said, Cabella is able to go to her forever home as soon as she finds one!

We also trusted Cabella to be free roaming today while we were out running errands and she did awesome! Previously we'd been gating her in the kitchen, but I thought today was a good day to see how she would do. I was very happy with the results! No puppy on the table when we came home, nothing knocked off counters, no surprises in the house - just a happy doggy at the door to greet us!

This weekend will be a big one for Cabella as she is meeting her potential forever family! Keep her in your thoughts and check back to see how the visit went!! I'll update her page more this week, so keep checking back, soon I'll have the pictures from her sprinkler escapade!

   

Monday, June 16, 2008

Hello! Cabella here! Foster Mom (FM) is busy with those two noisy things she calls her kids, so I figured I'd hop on and update all my fans on how I'm doing here in North Dakota!

I had a big weekend, full of lots of walking and fetch games. I love those things the most and when I've tired FM and the kids out, I like to lay in the sun and take everything in. Outside is one of my most favorite places to be, besides laying on the couch! I met a few new dogs this weekend and you know, they were some of the yappiest dogs I've ever met, but I am of the opinion that less is more. I only 'talk' when I need to, like for instance, when I want to play fetch and you're not paying attention, or if you're eating and not sharing with me!! Then I really grumble!

In fact, FM's friend learned the hard way that when I'm hungry for lasagna - I'm stealthy and quick! I stole that lasagna faster than you can say "Parmesan cheese!" and it was worth it because it was GOOD! So watch your plates when I'm around - my height and speed are no match for any human!

I'm a good listener, but like all 2 year olds, I do have times when I don't want to listen, like when I'm REALLY excited. When we were playing last night the kids ran through the house, so I followed them through and out the front door! Boy was that fun! FM and another adult were outside and I thought 'tag' would be fun to play all over the front yard and in the neighbors' yards, but they thought I should be in the fenced backyard or on my leash instead! Try as I might, I didn't want to go back, but they distracted me with fetch and treats and I gave in - who can resist peanut butter flavored mailmen?! Not me! My FM says a home with a fenced in yard is definitely the best for me since I don't always listen as I proved last night!

After all that running, I was pretty tired so FM and I went to bed. It was pretty cool though because FM lets me sleep on her big bed and she gives me all the scratching and massaging I want. Then I fell asleep and slept all night long! I was pretty tuckered out from my big adventure. I was worried earlier though when FM put the kids to bed...she left them all alone in the dark! I really didn't like that and stayed to 'protect' them, but let mom know that I really didn't think those kids should be left alone. She said I didn't need to whine or yelp, that they'd be okay, but I wasn't so sure. It took some convincing, but I finally relented! And you know what...they were okay...I hope I don't have to stay and protect them tonight!

Well I think it's time to play fetch again, so I'll update you again later this week! FM is attaching some pics of me playing with my favorite toy, a squid rattle that I liberated from the kids!! It's SO fun to toss up in the air & play with - everyone should have one!

 
I love to snuggle and sleep on the couch!


A rare moment of chewing my Nylabone. Yum!

 
See!? I have a squid!

 
Pretty girl at your service!