It's my pleasure to introduce Chance! Chance is a healthy, happy 1.5 year old male who came to us from a shelter where his time was almost up. The shelter staff just adored him and worked very hard to make sure that he made it safely into RAGOM. Thank you, Abby!
Chance has been with us about 18 hours now and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about him. He's just a darling. When I picked him up last night he greeted me like a long-lost friend with whole body tail wags and lots of kisses. He rode wonderfully in the car and met his foster dad and our fur-crew with polite and friendly enthusiasm. Within five minutes he and his foster brother were playing and having a ton of fun. He explored the house and then settled in for a nice quiet evening of petting. He sure does love his petting!
Chance came to the shelter after he was dumped at someone's rural home last fall. The man saw a car pull up, shove him out, and then speed away. He fell in love with Chance and really wanted to keep him but realized that he couldn't afford to care for him in addition to his two other dogs, so he regretfully surrendered him. He was then adopted from the shelter briefly but he didn't get along with the family's cat so they reluctantly returned him. They said he was perfect in every other way and were very sad to have to bring him back. (For the record, he's doing fine with our cats so far.) Despite all the changes in his life the past few months Chance is still an affectionate, confident, happy-go-lucky guy who just wants someone (anyone!) to love him.
Chance was a real favorite of the shelter staff and it's easy to see why. He's friendly, well-adjusted, well-mannered, and generally just all-around sweet. He knows "sit" and "come" and does both instantly, and he's so eager to please that it will be a snap to train him. He wants nothing more in life than to make his people happy and earn a treat or some pets. It took him 0.8 seconds to learn that he has to sit before he goes in or out of a door and by this morning he was already doing it faster and better than our resident dog. Good boy! He's housetrained (does his business outside right away with no dawdling), doesn't jump up, hasn't picked up anything inappropriate, doesn't seem to counter-surf, and overall has very excellent house manners. He did have one accident this morning but that was completely my fault. He went to the door and asked to go out but I was distracted and didn't get the message. Bad FM! I'm still counting him as 100% housetrained because it really was my fault - he tried to tell me.
The jury is still out about whether Chance is a purebred Golden Retriever or a mix. The shelter listed him as a mix, but only because of his size. He looks 100% golden except for his giant head, chest and paws. He's the same height as our PB male, but much wider. My best guess is that he's at least 75% Golden but maybe has a little Newfoundland or Saint Bernard in his heritage. But it's also possible that he's PB and just comes from lines with exceptionally big blocky heads. Whatever he is, he's gorgeous. He has a luxurious red wavy coat, a big handsome square head, and the most adorable white patch on his chest. He's a truly handsome dog.
Chance gets along great with other dogs and is doing well with our cats. He's very interested in them, but respectful. We'll render a final verdict on his cat-worthiness after a few more days, but at this point I think he'd be fine with cats who are used to dogs and know how to handle themselves. We haven't tried him with children yet but our neighbor girls will be coming over soon to give him their standard kid test. He's so sweet and friendly that I think he'll pass with flying colors. The only issue might be that he could accidentally knock over smaller kids. When he wags his tail his whole body wiggles back and forth and because he's so solid anything that gets in the way tends to tip over.
Chance is already neutered and the shelter brought him up to date on all his vaccinations and confirmed that he was heartworm negative (yay!) so as far as we know he's 100% healthy. He has an appointment with our vet tomorrow to get a microchip and a quick checkup and then he'll be ready to start meeting potential families. At this point we're still not sure what Chance is looking for in his forever home but based on what we've seen so far I think he could thrive in a variety of environments. His main requirements seem to be petting and love, so as long as there's enough of those I'm sure he'd be willing to negotiate about the rest.
More to come as we continue to get to know this delightful, loveable boy!
| Mixed Breed | Born: July 2007 |
| Male | 105 lbs |
Status: Adopted
It's my pleasure to introduce Chance! Chance is a healthy, happy 1.5 year old male who came to us from a shelter where his time was almost up. The shelter staff just adored him and worked very hard to make sure that he made it safely into RAGOM. Thank you, Abby!
Chance has been with us about 18 hours now and we have nothing but wonderful things to say about him. He's just a darling. When I picked him up last night he greeted me like a long-lost friend with whole body tail wags and lots of kisses. He rode wonderfully in the car and met his foster dad and our fur-crew with polite and friendly enthusiasm. Within five minutes he and his foster brother were playing and having a ton of fun. He explored the house and then settled in for a nice quiet evening of petting. He sure does love his petting!
Chance came to the shelter after he was dumped at someone's rural home last fall. The man saw a car pull up, shove him out, and then speed away. He fell in love with Chance and really wanted to keep him but realized that he couldn't afford to care for him in addition to his two other dogs, so he regretfully surrendered him. He was then adopted from the shelter briefly but he didn't get along with the family's cat so they reluctantly returned him. They said he was perfect in every other way and were very sad to have to bring him back. (For the record, he's doing fine with our cats so far.) Despite all the changes in his life the past few months Chance is still an affectionate, confident, happy-go-lucky guy who just wants someone (anyone!) to love him.
Chance was a real favorite of the shelter staff and it's easy to see why. He's friendly, well-adjusted, well-mannered, and generally just all-around sweet. He knows "sit" and "come" and does both instantly, and he's so eager to please that it will be a snap to train him. He wants nothing more in life than to make his people happy and earn a treat or some pets. It took him 0.8 seconds to learn that he has to sit before he goes in or out of a door and by this morning he was already doing it faster and better than our resident dog. Good boy! He's housetrained (does his business outside right away with no dawdling), doesn't jump up, hasn't picked up anything inappropriate, doesn't seem to counter-surf, and overall has very excellent house manners. He did have one accident this morning but that was completely my fault. He went to the door and asked to go out but I was distracted and didn't get the message. Bad FM! I'm still counting him as 100% housetrained because it really was my fault - he tried to tell me.
The jury is still out about whether Chance is a purebred Golden Retriever or a mix. The shelter listed him as a mix, but only because of his size. He looks 100% golden except for his giant head, chest and paws. He's the same height as our PB male, but much wider. My best guess is that he's at least 75% Golden but maybe has a little Newfoundland or Saint Bernard in his heritage. But it's also possible that he's PB and just comes from lines with exceptionally big blocky heads. Whatever he is, he's gorgeous. He has a luxurious red wavy coat, a big handsome square head, and the most adorable white patch on his chest. He's a truly handsome dog.
Chance gets along great with other dogs and is doing well with our cats. He's very interested in them, but respectful. We'll render a final verdict on his cat-worthiness after a few more days, but at this point I think he'd be fine with cats who are used to dogs and know how to handle themselves. We haven't tried him with children yet but our neighbor girls will be coming over soon to give him their standard kid test. He's so sweet and friendly that I think he'll pass with flying colors. The only issue might be that he could accidentally knock over smaller kids. When he wags his tail his whole body wiggles back and forth and because he's so solid anything that gets in the way tends to tip over.
Chance is already neutered and the shelter brought him up to date on all his vaccinations and confirmed that he was heartworm negative (yay!) so as far as we know he's 100% healthy. He has an appointment with our vet tomorrow to get a microchip and a quick checkup and then he'll be ready to start meeting potential families. At this point we're still not sure what Chance is looking for in his forever home but based on what we've seen so far I think he could thrive in a variety of environments. His main requirements seem to be petting and love, so as long as there's enough of those I'm sure he'd be willing to negotiate about the rest.
More to come as we continue to get to know this delightful, loveable boy!
Chance is such a sweetie. He is adapting well to his new home. He does feel it is his right to be in the recliner with me and so he is learning the meaning of off (not very quickly) but he is learning. Our grandchildren (4,2 and 7 months) were over yesterday and he did great. He liked the diaper but dropped it immediately when asked to. All of the children have met him and fell in love with him like we did. He sleeps on his bed in our room and he and Boone have a great time rough housing.
Chance had a wonderful time at the PetSmart event on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came out to meet him - he really enjoyed it! He was just in heaven with all the nice people and nice dogs and nice belly rubs. I think he'd really love it if his forever family has a lot of visitors or will take him places where he can meet new people. He's such a social guy.
I don't mean to make Chance sound like an attention hog, however. He loves to be petted and cuddled and will happily stay with you for as long as you want, but if you're busy with other things he'll just hang out near you or even go take a nap in another room. He likes to be with you but he's not frantic for attention. Unless you're watching TV, that is. If you're just sitting there staring blankly at a silly moving picture then in Chance's opinion you should put yourself to better use and pet him. He'll paw at you relentlessly until you give in, and I have to say he's very persistent. But as long as your hand is somewhere on his body and moving slightly then he'll allow you to watch your show in peace.
Chance really enjoys the snow and seems sort of sad that it's finally disappearing. (Sorry Chance, but you're in the minority on that!) He definitely prefers the parts of the yard that still have snow. Although happily for him the melting snow has revealed that our garden areas are covered in...STICKS! We call it mulch, but as far as Chance is concerned it's just a great big endless supply of sticks. Yippee! No matter how small, if it's made of wood Chance wants to fetch it, play with it, and chew on it. It's so cute to see how happy he gets. When he finds a new stick he literally dances with joy.
Chance has proven to be a very powerful chewer. He can turn his sticks to sawdust in mere seconds and even the Kong is starting to show signs of wear. He's not intentionally destructive, just has a big head and strong jaws so he can make quite a dent. His forever family will need to have sturdy toys so that he can't accidentally swallow something he shouldn't. The good thing is that he loves to chew and it's a wonderful way to keep him occupied (and keep his teeth sparkling white). He loves Kongs, hooves, Nylabones and of course marrow bones.
We'll be heading to the scales later this week to make sure that Chance's weight is heading in the right direction (down!) so stay tuned for updates. Until then, thanks to all his fans for checking up on him!
Hi everyone, it's me, Chance!
I'm having a great time here at Camp Foster while I wait for my forever family to find me. I really love being safe and happy in a house again. It's so nice to have people to pet me and snuggle me and tell me how cute I am. FM and FD do that a lot. I think they really like me. They're always telling me what a good dog I am and how they're proud of me for being such a perfect house guest. Well, what did they expect? Just because I came from a shelter doesn't mean I don't know my manners. My past may be mysterious but that doesn't mean I didn't learn a few things along the way.
I have so much fun playing with FM and FD and FB. I really like to fetch when they throw the ball for me. I don't drop it when I bring it back, but for a few treats I think I could be convinced. I'm not ball crazy, though, and when they say we're done I just find something else to do. Mostly I play with FB. We play a LOT. We wrestle and play chase and tug and generally have a great time together.
Sometimes my new friends Buddy and JJ come over too and then we really have fun! FM calls us a "herd", whatever that means. Something about elephants, I think. But that's only outside. We know how to behave ourselves inside. Although sometimes we still wrestle a little. It's so fun we can't help ourselves. JJ is an old man so he doesn't play much, but that's fine with me. I asked him to play but he said "no, thanks" so I listened and moved on to other things. FM says I'm very good at listening and going with the flow. I don't want you to think I'm one of those nutty dogs who never stops playing, though. I enjoy a good time but I enjoy a nice quiet snuggle or bone to chew, too. When FM and FD want to relax I just plop myself down for a nap and I'm quiet as a mouse.
Since I like to go on field trips FM and FD took me to Chuck and Don's last night to thank our friends there for all that they do for RAGOM. I sure am grateful that they help dogs like me so I gave the staff lots and lots of kisses. They thought I was pretty neat. I thought they were pretty neat too. Did you know that they have treats there and that if you sit, they'll give you one? Or if you kiss them, or bat your eyelashes at them, or generally just look cute and sweet? I sure got a lot of treats!
While we were there FM put me on the scale to see how much weight I've lost so far, and it turns out we've been going the wrong way. I gained a pound! I tried to tell her that it's just muscle that I've built from all the running and playing I've been doing but she isn't buying it. So my breakfast was smaller this morning. That's okay, though. It's still enough food and I don't feel deprived or anything.
FM and I have talked about it and we decided it would be best if I don't live with kids under two years old. Not because I'm not nice or don't like them, but because my big ol' behind tends to swing around and knock things over. I'm just so happy so it's always wagging and wiggling. I try to be careful, I really do, but things get in my way! I've never hurt anything, but I'll admit that sometimes things do fall over. FM says little kids cry when they fall over and that would make me feel terrible, so I guess she's right. It's fine for me to be around little kids, though. It's just living with them full time that isn't the best idea. I can live with anyone and anything else, though. I love everyone and everything so it's all fine with me!
Even though I really like it here I can't wait for my forever family to find me. FM tells me that they'll read my page and fall in love with me. Are you reading it now? If so, what are you waiting for? FM says I can stay here for as long as I want but what I want is MY FAMILY. I haven't even met you yet but I already miss you. I've been missing you my whole life, in fact. Even when those other people had to leave me I knew it would be okay because it meant I was one step closer to you. It will be such a wonderful feeling to know that I'm finally home. So if you're reading this, and you're my forever family, hurry up and come and get me! I have a lifetime of kisses stored up and I need to give them to you!
Love,
Chance
Hi, RAGOM friends! Chance here. I like to try to help FM when she's on the computer by thumping my chin on the keyboard, so she said if I was so determined to type I might as well write my own update. It's sort of hard to type with my chin, but here goes!
First, I want to say a huge thank you to RAGOM and all its volunteers. I was really worried when I was in the shelter but I knew that there were lots of nice people working hard to save me so I just kept my paws crossed. I'll be forever grateful that RAGOM was there to help me. I am SO happy to get a second chance! (Heh, heh, get it?) I wish I could give each and every volunteer a great big thank you smooch but I promise to make you all proud by being the very best dog in the world and spreading my love as far and wide as I can. I'm going to try very hard to make the world a better place, in your honor. Don't think a dog can make the world a better place? Well, that's just because you haven't met me yet!
FM says I'm the happiest, most cheerful dog she's ever met. I always have a big 'ol smile on my face and I love everything and everyone. She calls me her ray of sunshine, and says I'm the perfect cure for a bad day or a bad mood. Whenever she or FD look a little down or irritated I just give them my patented grin and lean into them with my big 'ol head and they perk up right away. My cheery disposition is very infectious! So if you need a little sunshine in your life, I'm your guy.
FM also says I have to tell you that I'm a very messy drinker. It bugs her, but what she doesn't understand is that I'm helping. She's always saying that she needs to wash the kitchen floor more often, so when I get a drink of water I just dribble a little extra on the floor for her to wipe up. Each time I dribble in a different place and slowly but surely the two of us are getting the whole floor clean. See, I'm just being useful! She says that's the only thing wrong with me, though. Really, she promises. So as long as you have enough paper towels, I'm the perfect dog.
I like to watch the news with FM and FD at night so I've heard all about how poorly the markets are doing and what bad returns everyone is getting on their investments, so I just want to point out what a good investment I am. I'm a recession cure! All you need to invest is some food, water, a gentle leader, a few toys, a soft place to sleep, and lots of petting and love. In return I will love you, play with you, chew any extra bones that are cluttering up your house, love you, return everything that you throw, smile at you, listen to your troubles, cheer you up, love you, snuggle you, exercise your arms and hands with petting, take you for walks, love you, welcome your guests, chase away pesky squirrels, introduce you to new friends, love you, make you laugh, kiss you, do everything you ask of me instantly and cheerfully, love you, keep you company, take you outside in the fresh air to play, and generally make your life better and happier. Oh, and did I say love you? The best part is that it's not even a Ponzi scheme! My love is endless so everyone who invests is guaranteed a 100% return.
If your 401K statements are making you sad please contact placement
ragom [dot] org and we'll talk. Seeing my big happy face every day is a cure for anything!
Chance had his vet visit today and did wonderfully. He got a clean bill of health and charmed the staff with his sweet disposition.
The vet confirmed my suspicion that Chance needs to lose some weight. He weighs 88 lbs and she'd like to see him get down to 75 lbs. He's not really on a diet - we're just giving him an appropriate amount of good quality food and lots of fun exercise and the weight will come off naturally over time. She also saw signs of some mild allergies (slightly reddened paws) so she prescribed an antihistamine for two weeks to see if that makes a difference. He doesn't seem itchy or uncomfortable so it's more of a precaution. Even if he needs to stay on it for the long term, the medication is easy to get and only $35-$40 per month. It's also possible that the redness is a result of poor food or something in his environment before he came into RAGOM so it may go away on its own. Overall they declared him very healthy and extremely charming.
Walking Chance on a flat collar is like walking a team of horses, but with a gentle leader he's a dream. He stays right by your side and doesn't weave or pull. Our crate is out on loan so unfortunately I can't say whether he's crate trained, but we've been confining him in our guest bath when we're gone and he's done very well with that. He goes in willingly (for a peanut butter Kong, of course) and doesn't protest a bit. In fact whenever we pass the doorway he goes in and sits on his bed expectantly, hoping it's time for his peanut butter! He sleeps quietly through the night and doesn't make a sound until we get up. I'm also pleased to say that on the way home from the vet today he figured out how to jump into my SUV on his own. He's happy to get in the car but up until now had required a boost. My arms are grateful that he figured how to get his 88 lbs in there on his own!
Our neighbor kids came over and gave Chance their seal of approval so we can now say that he's great with kids 8+. He really liked them and definitely enjoyed their attention. We don't have access to any babies or toddlers to test him with, but I think he could be fine with them as long as they don't mind getting bumped or occasionally knocked over. He just doesn't realize how wide he is. Although that should improve once he loses the extra pounds and is less wide! I do think he should be with kids who have experience with dogs, though. His size and enthusiasm might be too much for shy or fearful kids.
After his vet visit we stopped at PetSmart to see how Chance would do in a public space and he was absolutely amazing! He was calm, confident, and very sociable. He wanted to approach each person for pets, but if they didn't acknowledge him he just moved on. If they were willing to pet him he gave them a big grin and leaned in to be stroked for as long as they were willing. He met several dogs, including a puppy, and greeted them all nicely. When I stopped to look at things he would just lay down quietly at my side. He was so well behaved that he gathered a crowd of admiring employees and shoppers, all of whom were amazed to hear that he's a rescued dog who has only been with us for two days. I can't tell you how many people said "wow, he's terrific!" And he really is terrific. I've never trained a therapy dog but based on his behavior today I think it's something that Chance could be good at. Going for car rides to places where people will pet him seems to be his idea of heaven!
 |
 |