Cody 08-116

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I'd like to introduce everyone to 6 year old Cody. He came into RAGOM because he did not feel comfortable with the family's infant who was starting to crawl. The family got him when he was just 8 weeks old so I am sure it was a difficult decision for them.

He is a PB Golden Retriever and is very handsome though in need of a grooming. :) He loves people and enjoys laying by me when not playing with the resident dogs. We were also told that he really likes cats (in a good way). I don't have a cat so I haven't experienced an interaction personally. The family said Cody is very good with older kids. For right now we feel he would be fine with kids 10 and older.....he may do fine with kids even a few years younger but again I haven't had any interactions yet between him and kids.

Cody has been to the vet and is microchipped and up to date on his vaccinations. He has a little extra "insulation" right now, he weighed in at 96 lbs and the vet would like to see him around 80 lbs. He doesnt seem to be slowed down at all though and has been trying to play with my resident dogs ever since he arrived 2 days ago. He also has a bad yeast infection in his right ear so he is on an anti-yeast medication and some ear cleaner. That should clear the ear up nicely. He does have skin allergies but being on either a lamb based food or fish based food seems to help quite a bit. I'm going to start adding fish oil to his meals to help even more. Yummy yummy.

Cody was fantastic meeting my dogs even though they were a little growly at first. It seems he has a good balance between wanting to spend time with other dogs and with his people and who doesn't like a Golden to snuggle up with once in awhile.

RAGOM was told that Cody resource guards from animals and people. I have been pleasantly surprised by the lack of this. I have been able to be right by his dish while he eats, take it away, stick my hand in it, and he doesn't care at all. In fact, he WANTS me to stand by him while he eats otherwise he wanders away to check out the other dogs' dishes. When he has had a ball or other toy he does growl a little bit but I have been able to take the toys away without anything more than that. My resident dogs aren't necessarily thrilled about sharing either but it never is anything more than a growl.

Cody is baby gate respecting, completely house trained, but not crate trained (he is used to having free roam of the house). I however, have a Weimaraner who is NOT baby gate respecting and has no problem jumping over anything in his way. :) So when I went to work yesterday I did crate Cody as I felt it was best for everyone. I wasn't worried about him damaging anything but didn't want my dogs to jump over the gate and decide it would be fun to pick on him. Surprisingly Cody went in the crate with a treat and without much fuss. He barked when I left and again when he knew I was home but he didn't ruin the dog bed that was in the crate so hopefully he settled down after I left the house. He had some nice music on to listen to so I am sure he just really likes my choice of music. ha ha.

I'll update his bio once we get to know each other even better.

   

At a Glance #08-116

Golden Retriever Born: April 2001
Male 90 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

I'd like to introduce everyone to 6 year old Cody. He came into RAGOM because he did not feel comfortable with the family's infant who was starting to crawl. The family got him when he was just 8 weeks old so I am sure it was a difficult decision for them.

He is a PB Golden Retriever and is very handsome though in need of a grooming. :) He loves people and enjoys laying by me when not playing with the resident dogs. We were also told that he really likes cats (in a good way). I don't have a cat so I haven't experienced an interaction personally. The family said Cody is very good with older kids. For right now we feel he would be fine with kids 10 and older.....he may do fine with kids even a few years younger but again I haven't had any interactions yet between him and kids.

Cody has been to the vet and is microchipped and up to date on his vaccinations. He has a little extra "insulation" right now, he weighed in at 96 lbs and the vet would like to see him around 80 lbs. He doesnt seem to be slowed down at all though and has been trying to play with my resident dogs ever since he arrived 2 days ago. He also has a bad yeast infection in his right ear so he is on an anti-yeast medication and some ear cleaner. That should clear the ear up nicely. He does have skin allergies but being on either a lamb based food or fish based food seems to help quite a bit. I'm going to start adding fish oil to his meals to help even more. Yummy yummy.

Cody was fantastic meeting my dogs even though they were a little growly at first. It seems he has a good balance between wanting to spend time with other dogs and with his people and who doesn't like a Golden to snuggle up with once in awhile.

RAGOM was told that Cody resource guards from animals and people. I have been pleasantly surprised by the lack of this. I have been able to be right by his dish while he eats, take it away, stick my hand in it, and he doesn't care at all. In fact, he WANTS me to stand by him while he eats otherwise he wanders away to check out the other dogs' dishes. When he has had a ball or other toy he does growl a little bit but I have been able to take the toys away without anything more than that. My resident dogs aren't necessarily thrilled about sharing either but it never is anything more than a growl.

Cody is baby gate respecting, completely house trained, but not crate trained (he is used to having free roam of the house). I however, have a Weimaraner who is NOT baby gate respecting and has no problem jumping over anything in his way. :) So when I went to work yesterday I did crate Cody as I felt it was best for everyone. I wasn't worried about him damaging anything but didn't want my dogs to jump over the gate and decide it would be fun to pick on him. Surprisingly Cody went in the crate with a treat and without much fuss. He barked when I left and again when he knew I was home but he didn't ruin the dog bed that was in the crate so hopefully he settled down after I left the house. He had some nice music on to listen to so I am sure he just really likes my choice of music. ha ha.

I'll update his bio once we get to know each other even better.

   

Updates

Monday, April 28, 2008

Cody had a great time at Chuck and Don's this past weekend. We had a great turnout and what Golden Retriever doesn't absolutely love getting extra pets!
He continues to do well here and has assimilated into the pack pretty well. We continue to go though tennis balls....I think today I threw away 4 or 5 that he had ripped! Apparently he's not familiar with the definition of Retriever. Oh well......he's happy and that's what matters.
 
I continue to stick my hand in his dish while he is eating to work on his guarding. Now he is fine with it again. I think he will just need someone in his forever home to remind him that guarding is not OK and that he doesn't have to worry about us taking away his food.
 
Another RAGOM volunteer gave Cody a squeaky kitty for his 7th birthday. He was thrilled and from the time I gave it to him until he had it "dead" was TWO minutes...and that is not an exaggeration. Now that is getting right down to business....no messing around for Cody boy! I've included some pictures of his kitty fest. Maybe he really wasn't trying to hurt the stuffed kitty but instead was trying to rescue the squeaker that was inside. I'm sure that's it! :)

 

 

Monday, April 14, 2008

Cody is still doing well and is really enjoying being outside. Unfortunately for me and my house my yard is extremely muddy and Cody thinks that the muddiest spots are the most comfortable. :(   This boy is really going to enjoy being outside in the summer but if he lays in mud puddles to cool down on a 45 degree weather day I hate to think what he is going to do on a 90 degree day!

Cody went in to the vet today to have his heartworm blood drawn and to mooch a few treats from the folks in the office. He weighed in at 84.5 lbs which is still in the right direction. The vet checked him over and said that his ideal weight is to stay between 78-80 lbs. She said his ears look great and again commented on how yucky they were the first time I brought him in. He is healthy and ready to continue on with his Golden life! His potential adoptive family is coming up this coming weekend from Iowa and if all goes as expected he will go home with them on Sunday. Everyone is excited to meet each other and Cody no doubt will love attention just for him!

I've included a few pictures of my yard (I know, it's hard to believe it is supposed to be a yard with actual grass) and where Cody has been laying. Granted nearly all of my yard is muddy but this is definitely the biggest mud puddle in the yard.......and of course it has to be where Cody likes to be. Thank goodness he has been pretty good about letting me spray him down with the ice cold hose water! :)   It's so hard to get upset when you see how happy he is to be laying in it. He'll lay in the mud, then switch for a little dip in the kiddie pool, then back to the mud. He's a character and makes me smile that is for sure.

 

 

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Hi everyone, Foster mom said she has some good pictures of me to add so she wanted me to write a little update. I don't know why I always have to do all the work, I've got plenty of my own things to do......nap, chew on a tennis ball, nap, chew on a baseball, find a football to run around with, and then back to try to finish skinning the tennis ball. Sometimes us dogs just don't get credit for all the hard work we do, oh well.

I'm still hanging out here waiting patiently to meet a potential adoptive family on the 19th....I sure hope it goes well because that means I would have my very own forever family for my 7th birthday (My birthday is April 26th)! Tha't the best present I could ever ask for!

I still really like going for walks with my FM and foster brothers. I'm learning "left" and "right" so I know which way we are going to turn, Yup, I'm smart. I'm getting a lot more practice on the command "left" though because when we go for walks it seems we are always going left. Maybe FM should switch it up and walk around the neighborhood the other way.....I'll have to try to get her to do that.

My foster brothers and I don't get mad at each other very much anymore. FM can leave a few toys out and we have all been acting like good boys, we know that if we don't act nice that the toys will go away and who wants THAT to happen?! Sometimes, I will even be laying right by one of my foster brothers while he chews on a bone and I don't mind.....we take turns. FM is proud of me that I am sharing but she says she still needs to watch us to make sure nobody is getting grumpy. That's ok...I like being by her anyways.

I heard that next Monday foster mom is going to bring me and two of my foster brothers to the vet. Oh boy, I'm so excited because that means I get to have people say how handsome I am and pet me! FM said something about needing to have some blood drawn so I can get started on heartworm preventative. I'd prefer they wouldn't stick me with one of those needles again but FM said it will only pinch for a second. I also overheard FM telling someone that ticks are already out. I guess some other dogs got a whole bunch on them when they were in the woods last weekend. I don't really like animals sucking my blood so FM said we need to start using preventative for that too.

Well all this typing has tired me out....it's not easy to hit the right letters on the keyboard with these big paws of mine! I'll let FM know she can add the pictures of handsome me now.

Hey, what's going on out there? 

Please let me out, I think there's some action happening!

Pleeeeeeeeease? 

Maybe if I bump this handle just right, I can let myself out! 

 

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Hi everyone, it's Cody. Foster mom is trying to get the mud out of the carpet so I thought I would send an update myself. I've got real exciting news.....a family is going to come all the way from Iowa to meet me! Yup, I'm that special. FM said I have to be patient though because they are not coming until April 19th. I guess I'll just hang out here while I wait. FM told me that the family is excited to meet me and will give me a great forever home! I will let everyone know how our meeting goes, until then I will continue to play and chew on tennis balls.

Phew.....it's real hot here today in MN......something about 60 degrees! FM said it's not even summer yet but I've got a lot of fur and get warm. Whatever happened to that white stuff I could roll in? Anyways, luckily FM was prepared and got out this plastic lake (it was small if you ask me but it worked). She put some water in it and I jumped right in. It was nice and cool and I decided it would be a good spot to lay down and chew on my tennis ball. Foster mom was laughing but I don't know what was so funny, a guys got to do what a guy has to do to protect his toys.

I've been going for more walks with 2 of my foster fur brothers and I love walking around and seeing everyone. People are impressed FM can handle all three of us big dogs at once and we prance along looking dignified and well behaved. FM said the trick is using the Gentle Leader on us. I don't mind it while I am walking but once I am done I like that darn thing off!

I think foster mom thinks I am a model because she is always taking pictures of me. I think I'm a pretty neat guy too so I attached some pictures so you can see how handsome I am.

 

 

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Just a few things I wanted to update everyone on. One, Cody went and got groomed today and is a very handsome boy now and smells like oatmeal! The groomer said he did fine overall, he got a little growly when she trimmed his toes or mats in his fur but she said she told him to stop and he did. Now the hard part will be keeping him clean as my yard is a mud pit now that spring is here. :(

We also went and checked his weight, he now weighs 87 lbs so we are going in the right direction. He's only getting a cup of food in the AM and a cup of food in the PM and I have noticed recently he seems like he'd like a little more. I'll have to get some frozen green beans to add in his bowl to help fill him up.

Also, when I returned home tonight there was no low bark coming from my office. He always barks when I come in the house so I was actually a little nervous something was wrong with him. I scurried to the office and there was his cute little face just wagging his tail behind the baby gate!! I couldn't believe it.......I told him I was so proud of him for being so quiet. It was be great if this was the start of something new.

I must confess that he has had two #2 accidents. The first was last week while I was gone all day and I felt so bad because I am sure he held it as long as he could. Unfortunately, today he pooped in my parents house. After I picked him up from the groomers I wanted to show my mom how pretty he was. Now understand that my mom likes dogs but she is used to their 15 lb Sheltie and is not a fan of my big dogs. I figured since Cody was freshly washed and nails all trimmed she'd allow us in the house. Right away I told her not to worry because Cody will not pee in her house as he never has in mine. He went around exploring the house and went upstairs. Suddenly I no longer heard the jingle of his collar and went upstairs to see what he was up to. Yup, he decided he needed to empty his bowels right on their hallway carpet. I don't think my foster dogs will be visiting my mom or dad again any time soon. Oops.   I haven't written about Cody's "poop schedule" as I
 decided most people wouldn't care to read about it. Now I might as well just let everyone know that Cody only poops ONCE a day. I know.....its odd but great. The only problem is if he doesn't go in the morning I'm not sure when he will have to go. I guess its something I will need to be more aware of. He doesn't really have a sign he needs to go out which would help too. OK, enough poop talk. My apologies. (A side note.....he did great with my parents little Sheltie. He didn't really even pay much attention to him)

Apart from those few updates things are the same. I did take him for a walk today along with 2 of my resident dogs (my poor Sheltie was left behind as I decided 4 dogs at once was too much for me). He did pretty well and had absolutely no problems walking alongside the other dogs. While its so efficient to walk multiple dogs at once (I'm not a big fan of exercising....me that is), I think I'll stick with 2 at one time...200 lbs of dog was a little too much for me. :)

 

 

Monday, March 31, 2008

Cody is doing well and has made considerable progress having balls or other toys around the other dogs. I have been able to leave the kong and a few shin bones out and we've had no quarrels. The dogs take turns chewing and leave each other alone. It makes me feel much better about Cody living with other dogs. It would still be something the new forever family would need to be aware of, but I am encouraged by his progress. He needs to know he can not get away with unacceptable behavior and he's decided he is just fine with that.

Cody is fantastic outside. He is not a run risk (though I make no promises). He enjoys having a ball in his mouth and wandering around the yard until he finds just the perfect spot to lay down and chew. He did bark when people walked by the house over the weekend but did not try to run to the street.....I was VERY impressed. He's also done great with everyone he has met including small dogs while on our walks.

He has continued to do well when I need to be gone for a full day. He barks when I leave (I'm not so sure this will change so he probably needs a forever family that does not live in a townhouse and shares walls) and again when I am home. Honestly, that is the biggest "problem" I have noticed since he has been with me which is approximately 3 weeks. I don't really even consider it a problem. Obviously I would prefer he doesn't bark but I would also prefer my resident dogs to change a few things. :)    The important part is that he is not destructive at all while home alone....he just wants to make sure you know that he'd rather go with you.

Some fantastic folks donated some grooming sessions to RAGOM and Cody gets to get pretty! I'm bringing him in on Wednesday and am excited to see him all clean and trimmed up. A big THANK YOU to Rich and Renee for donating the sessions! He's handsome now but will be even cuter without the knots in his fur. :)

Let placement know if you'd like to meet Cody, he's guaranteed to think you are the best!

 

"Snowstorm? There's a snowstorm? I don't mind, I'm just enjoying chewing on the neighbor boys' baseball"

 

Monday, March 24, 2008

Cody is still doing well but I am surprised he is still in foster care! He has lost another 2 lbs and weighed in this past week at 89 lbs! He's doing great on his high quality food and eats so patiently while the resident dogs inhale their food around him. Cody really is a pretty easy dog to have around, especially if a few things are in place. A few examples of things that help Cody be the best dog he can be:

- Being around kids that are old enough to be sensitive and savvy to the world of dogs. He seemed to be fine with my nephews (5 and 6 1/2 yrs old) but it was only for part of one day which is different than day in and day out. Remember, he came into RAGOM because he wasn't comfortable with the infant/toddler in the home. I've seen him be nothing but nice to everyone he has met and so I do not think it is that he doesn't "like" little kids but rather than they are just a bit too unpredictable for him.

- Having owners that are aware that he'd not an all star at sharing his toys with other dogs is also important for him to excel. I think that Cody could live with other dogs or without them. He does seem to enjoy their company but hasn't really initiated play with the resident dogs. He will growl and get tense if another dog wants his toy. At the same time, it seems like as long as he has a toy its fine if other dogs do as well. I bring all 4 dogs outside to play catch and he is just fine with the other dogs getting the ball as long as he's got one to gnaw on. So he is not a toy hogger. Inside I have simply put the toys away and bring one out if the dogs are apart. Sometimes things will be fine and the toy will lay around for a day or two but as soon as anyone gets ornery over a toy they go away.....its really taken care of the problem. If you have a puppy who needs toys all the time to keep them out of mischief, Cody might not be the dog for you. If you've got a dog that could take a ball or leave it.....they would probably do fine.

- He will most likely need to be brought into a professional groomer instead of having it done at home. Most owners would do this anyways with their Goldens but Cody doesn't seem to like me poking him or brushing him anywhere he can't see me. The groomers are experienced with helping dogs tolerate being groomed. I have been able to gently brush his back without problems and will continue to get him used to the sensation of the brush. (He does do fine in the bathtub though so baths at home wouldn't be a problem)

I already said that he is an easy guy to have around. He is completely house trained, has never had an accident in the house and has been able to "hold it" for a full work day without a problem. He also lets you sleep as late as you want in the morning....when you get up, he'll get up (this is a highlight for me). Cody also is completely trustworthy in the house. He would do fine with free roam while home alone (remember I baby gate him here when I am gone only to prevent my dogs from bugging him) and is not a counter surfer. Cody is well past the stage of taking inappropriate things and has passed with flying colors when I set him up by leaving things laying around the house (why cant he teach my resident dog that its not funny to steal my slippers? geesh).

Cody is like any Golden Retriever in that he enjoys to be around his people. He is usually found in whatever room I am in...although he is so kind as to let me use the bathroom alone. He has occasionally barked for some attention but he does not receive any unless he is quiet and calm....that will resolve itself as he learns it doesn't work.

I know Cody isn't a puppy but he is at a perfect age in my eyes! You'll get all the love a puppy would give you without the mess! He is healthy as can be and show no signs of any hip problems (a problem some Goldens can have).

Let placement know if you want to meet Cody....he loves people and will gladly allow you to pet him for as long as you would like. :)

 

 

Monday, March 17, 2008

Hi everyone...its Cody. I'm having a great time here with foster mom and the resident dogs but I would really like my very own family. Since next month is my birthday I've decided that being in my new forever family is my birthday wish!

I went to Petsmart on Saturday and it was a lot of fun. Some people came to meet me and lots of people said I was such a nice dog. Hopefully that means someone else will realize how great I am and add me to their family!

On Sunday I went with FM to her sisters house. I was a really good boy in the car and just enjoyed the ride. There was a Golden Retriever mix there and two kids ages 5 and 6 1/2. FM thought I would really like having the fenced in yard and she was right....but only if she was out there with me. She kept going inside and telling me to play with the other dog but I like to be where she is and followed her inside. I got along with the other boy dog but FM said sometimes I liked him a little TOOO much. I'm not sure what she means because I was just trying to figure out who was boss. Oh well, sometimes people don't understand us dogs.

FM was also really pleased with how well I did with the kids. I didn't take any of their toys and didn't seem to be scared by them. One of them kept running and I followed him but he never went anywhere....just around in a circle. I made sure not to jump up on him and that made FM happy. Most of the time I just wanted to be where FM was. One of the kids did accidentally step on my tail and I growled. It surprised me plus how would you like YOUR tail getting stepped on?! I'm still not sure what ages of kids I like. Most of them are OK but I don't like being bothered so the ones that are unpredictable probably shouldn't live with me.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The vet called foster mom and told her my thyroid is low. Now I take a little blue pill 2x a day but I eat it right out my food bowl 'cause I hardly even notice it is there! I'll have to be on the medication my whole life but its no big deal and I don't mind.

I also don't have to go in that plastic thing called a crate anymore. I don't know what FM was thinking but I am a good boy when she is gone and don't need that! She still baby gates me but just so the resident boys don't bug me. In my forever home I'll do just great having free roam. Yippy!

Well if you want to meet me you can let placement know. I love to be pet by people and will lean into you for as long as you will pet me...it feels real good to be loved. I'm going to go chew on the Kong now. See you later everyone!

 

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Well Cody is doing very well at my house. He continues to try to play with my dogs even though they are a bit snobbish sometimes. He is just as content to lay and chew a ball or stuffed shin bone which is great. He stays in the same room as me and gets up when I get up.....he's definitely a Golden Retriever. Cody is fantastic outside...stay right in the yard and when I go in (even if I don't call him) he'll come right in behind me. My guess is he would do fine without a fenced in yard in his forever home.

He's a slow eater and has even passed on a few meals. He really seems to like it when I am close to him while he is eating....sometimes I end up sitting next to him while he slowly munches away. He definitely does not guard his food with me and I am so proud of him. He seems to be doing well on his Salmon and Veggie food (he's got it really rough, huh?) and it will take a little more time to see if it helps with his allergies. Speaking of allergies, he is not bothered enough by them that he is a constant licker. I really only see him lick his legs for a few moments as he's snuggling into his bed for the night. He is a WONDERFUL sleeper which makes me so happy as I LOVE to sleep. He settles on the dog bed and doesn't get up until I do....even if its 10:30 am (I told you I like to sleep in). Once I'm up his tail is wagging and he is ready for another day.

Today I left Cody and my 3 resident dogs all out of crates while I ran errands. It ended up being about 2 hours and I half expected something to be chewed from my dear Weimaraner and was worried the others would join in the fun. I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and walked around the house. Absolutely nothing was chewed and nobody had an accident. They seemed like they all were content with each other and I was such a proud mommy. :)
This was the first time Cody had free roam of my house when I was gone. He was been pretty good about crating up. He still goes in with a treat without a problem. He also still reminds me he doesn't want to be in there by barking and as I walk to my garage (it unattached) I can still hear him and feel so guilty. I figure I'd rather feel a little guilty if it means I know that everyone is safe.

Because he is really isn't a big eater and is still overweight I am going to have his thyroid tested on Wednesday to see if that is part of the cause. Knowing the results to that will help us know the best way to help him lose the extra pounds.

Cody is a sweet boy who is completely trustworthy in the house (remember I crate him because of my own dogs behavior), has enough energy to play but also settles in for a nap easily, and has a lot of love to give. If you are looking for a great Golden and don't have an infant or toddler in the house.....check out Cody...you wont be disappointed!