Cassidy was one of the females rescued from the Golden Retriever commercial breeding kennel in March of 2007.  She came in with 80 other dogs and puppies and joined RAGOM with a litter of her puppies.  She was a wonderful mom and after all her pups were adopted out, and a long time in foster care, she was adopted out.  She has been returned because the family felt that they weren't right for her.  I thank them for that decision because we all want what is best for Cassidy.  The family had three young children, nice kids, but Cassidy is a shy girl and all the commotion of young children was a bit too much for her and she would hide in her safe spot during the day instead of interacting with the family.  

She's been in foster care only for a short 24 hours, but we have fallen seriously in love with this girl, and so will you if you decide to meet her.  First of all, she is beautiful.  I'd give anything for that natural black outlining of the eyes. And more importantly, she is just the sweetest, most gentle dog you could ever have the good fortune of getting to know.  She's come a long way over the last year and a half, but is still very shy.  We had to carry her into the house.  But once in, she met all of our dogs with absolutely no problem and they accepted her with tails wagging.  She's found her safe spot on our lower level couch where she can cuddle with us while we watch tv.  We had to teach her that it was safe to go outside through the door, but she picked up on that real quickly.  Not knowing for sure if she'd come back up to us or if we'd be chasing her around the fenced in backyard, we took her out on leash the first couple of times.  However, she loves to come up to you to be petted and dances around when she sees you, so we don't need the leash and she can run and sniff and enjoy her time outside with us and the other dogs.  Tonight we all shared some popcorn and she thought that was quite good stuff.  Quite often when we get in shy puppy mill dogs, we expect that they might not eat for a few days from being nervous, but she chowed down with no problem this morning and again tonight.  In fact, she could afford to lose a few pounds, but we're going to see if increased exercise helps her keep her girlish figure.  In typical Golden fashion, she loves her stuffed toys and will carry them around with her.  When Cassidy is unsure of herself, she freezes and lies down with no intention of moving.  We'll be working on teaching er the enjoyment of chicken as enticements to get her to try new things.  I was lucky enough to get to foster Nikki, 07-191 from the ND puppy mill rescue when they all came in and am looking forward to having Cassidy at our house until the perfect home for her meets her.

Cassidy will be looking for a quiet, calm home with another dog and a fenced in yard.   As the owner of a puppy mill rescued female, I can honestly tell you that it is extremely rewarding to help a shy dog blossom.  After seven years with our puppy mill girl, she still brings smiles to our faces daily.  If you would like to meet Cassidy, please notify your placement advisor.  

So sorry for the long delay in Miss Cassidy's updates...

We were dealing with medical issues in the family, but things have simmered down finally. Cassidy loves her mornings.. She wakes up full of energy and actually leaps and jumps around the kitchen...She has also started to paw me when it is time for breakfast and is pretty persistent until I feed her.. She is still working on exploring the rest of our house, but will follow our dogs into the living room a couple times a day, and has tried to follow the cats up the stairs, but only makes it about 1/4 of the way up before turning around, She really wants to know what those cats do upstairs! :) She has pretty much gotten in her full coat finally, and she has long soft feathers now... She still loves to collect her stuffed animals and sleeps with quite a pile in her kennel...
 

She is also coming out of her kennel now to greet people that come to visit, even folks she doesn't know.. a huge step in her journey.. She is drawn to children. She is such a sweet and wonderful spirit, I wish I could convey here everything she already is, and all that I know she can still become.. She really deserves a loving family of her own...

Here is Miss Cassidy saying 'thank you' for her supper!  Cassidy was at the Petco event in Richfield Sat., and did really well.. She was interested in the dog friends she met, and is more relaxed and accepting each time she goes to a bit outing...She melted a few hearts with her beautiful, long lashed, soulful eyes... She was happy to be home though and to get back to her safe zones.. She was not set back at all by the outing either, which is big progress for her...I still stand by what I keep saying, and that is..... She is the sweetest dog you will ever meet...

Miss Cassidy had a big day yesterday! She attended the Ragom annual picnic and did GREAT! She was so brave and even seemed to enjoy herself. She rode great in the car, and actually walked (yes I said walked ;)) on her own some of the way toward the crowds of people and dogs.. It was a huge step for her.. She was more than polite to any dogs and humans she met during the day, despite being fairly stressed and in unfamiliar surroundings.

She did not back slide at all when we got home, in fact she has been a bit more outgoing today than usual.. and also reached another mile stone in her quest toward living the life of a loved house dog....she PLAYED with a stuffed toy on her own.. tossed it in the air, jumped around with it a bit and shook it in her mouth.. I cheered and clapped and told her what a good girl she was.. She is such a great dog, so gentle, sweet, funny, and I feel lucky to witness her daily transformations...

We are so sorry for the delay in Ms. Cassidy's updates..(minor family emergency)

She has had the pleasure of meeting a couple of families, but so far has not met the family that will be hers forever.. She is still making strides each and every day. She now loves to come out of her kennel first thing in the morning and romp around the kitchen playing like a puppy with the other dogs.. she still is rarely without a toy in her mouth, and I don't think that will change, it is a security measure for her, as well as the collecting and hoarding of toys in her kennel.. She enjoys being outside, and has gotten much more comfortable about meeting new people, will even approach them when first meeting.. and definitely most comfortable in new situations if she has the other dogs right there with her for company, so I think she will really need a family with a dog. She is comfortable with kids, I have teenagers and a 5 year old who spends much time with her.

She is still uneasy about door ways, and has only explored about 1/4 of our house even with free roam... She is not to the point of walking on a leash yet, she goes outside in a fenced in area, so a home with a fenced in yard that she could go straight out to would probably be best. She really is the most gentle soul, and always just wants to be next to you, getting petted and showing you her toy.. She is kenneled at night and when I am gone from home, and still spends much of her time in the kennel by choice, with door open, as it is her safe zone.. She is located in the kitchen so she is where the action is, and always has access to people and the other dogs... Her coat is really starting to come in now, no bald spots and she is filling out a bit more, no ribs sticking out.. her teeth cleaned up so beautifully and she is completely healed, healthy and happy after her spay.... She is ready to find her new forever home with that very special family that can give her all the love, encouragement and patience that she deserves.....

Cassidy has made the transition from Mom to her last litter of pups ever, to a dog that is learning what the world and us humans have to offer her. I moved her from the basement family room up to the kitchen to assimilate her into our family life... she will need lots of love and reassurance during this change. She has never seen or experienced just about everything she comes across each and every day, so is spending a lot of time in her kennel (her safe place), but little by little is venturing out to seek attention, and will come out to eat.. as of now, she will not go through doorways, so I have to carry her outside and back in to go potty... She is very trusting of us and allows us to do anything that needs to be done, grooming, brushing teeth, nails clipped, she is just very concerned with sudden movements and noises.. I know with time and reassurance, she will slowly adjust to living in a home and all the creature comforts it has to offer. She does sneak out during quite times and collect up each and every toy that she can find and keeps them safe with her in her kennel....She does not do any resource guarding at all, will allow my dogs to go in and out of her kennel with her in it and take toys, food etc. without any problem, this goes for us humans as well. She is about the sweetest dog I have ever met, and I will do all that I can to help her come into her own and find a forever home that will help and encourage her to enjoy her new life as a free dog.

Cassidy will go to the vet in less than two weeks to be spayed and have her teeth cleaned as well as anything else medical that may need attention. Her coat is starting to come back in softer and fuller now that she is on good food and not nursing pups. I hope to get her to gain a few more pounds as well.

More to come as our sweet girl comes out of her shell....

Here are pictures of Cassidy taking a cue from her pups on learning what it means to play outside with little boys and puppy toys!  Also, she met resident Golden Luca for the first time today.. her tail wagged as they touched noses through the puppy pen.

Cassidy has two new wonderful sponsors...Thank you Shawn and Renee H. your sponsorship will go a long way towards getting Cassidy on the road to the Golden life she so deserves. Cassidy had another visit to the vet along with the pups.  She has a slight ear infection, and we are working on keeping her ears clean, and letting her know we are only here to help and love her.. She is still very afraid to leave the safety of our family room, but was brave and sweet to everyone at the vet.

Cassidy will need to be spayed and have her teeth cleaned about a month after her puppies all go to their forever homes. She loves to carry a toy in her mouth, and will run around to grab one as soon as you walk in the room. She also met one of the resident cats along with the pups today, and was very polite. she was cautious and touched noses with our cat and did not seem afraid or upset about our cat at all.  Each and every day she makes more progress and shows a spirit that amazes all of us. She is such a beautiful girl.

Cassidy has come so far in the past week - we are amazed and excited to see her come a bit further every day. She even picked up a toy yesterday as my daughter played with the pups, and just sat down next to her so proud of her newfound hint of playfulness. I wish I could capture every new step on film, but Cassidy is not comfortable with more than a couple people at a time in the room and we must all stay low - sitting or kneeling - or she will dash into her kennel and lay down....she is still camera shy but getting better. She does come out of the kennel to greet us now, head down low, tail between her legs, BUT it is wagging ever so slightly, especially when it is time to eat! She is having no trouble with her appetite any more. She is so sweet, and I can't say often enough what a great Mom she is to the pups. She loves to have someone just sit right next to her and pet her head and scratch her neck and ears. If we do it long enough, we sometimes get a little lick on the cheek to say 'thank you'.

Cassidy and her 8 puppies will go to the vet on Thursday for check-ups; Cassidy will get her distemper booster and a microchip. Wish us luck, it will be a scary outing for her, but daughter Cassie will come along as Cassidy's support, and I'm sure all will be well.  More to come after our vet appointment.

The new picture below I call 'nap time' - my daughter Cassie has been instrumental in getting Cassidy to come out of her shell. She has spent a lot of time with Mom and pups, even sleeping right next to the crate, as shown in the photo :)