Fred just joined the RAGOM family yesterday. He is an adult purebred Golden both in looks and personality. Fred is a lighter colored Golden who arrived with a potent...shall we say...aroma? :)   One of the first things I did was bring him into Petco and gave him a nice long bath....you should have seen the fur flying from his coat! Wow. He was pretty patient during the bath and didn't seem to mind me touching any part of his body. He has a few areas where fur has been trimmed off...probably at the shelter because of matting. The fur on his chest will fill in a little more as well as on his rump. He's a handsome boy now and will be even more handsome when his coat returns in full force.

Fred came to RAGOM from a shelter up north, where he was taken in as a stray. I have strong suspicions he was someones loyal family pet though at one time as he already knows sit, shake, and give. There is probably more he knows that I have just not discovered yet as he's only been with me for a little over a day.

The shelter thought Fred was approximately 3 years old but he and I had a visit at the vet yesterday and the vet thought he is more like 4. However old he is, he is sweet and comes with a lot to offer. Fred rides like a dream in the car....just lays down and rests. He was so quiet I hardly knew he was back there. His tail is always wagging and has loved everyone he has met so far...including other dogs and kids . In fact, when the neighbor boy rode his bike up my driveway Fred didn't initially pay much attention to him....it did not phase him one bit to have the busyness of a youngster nearby. He really seems comfortable around kids and may very well have lived with some in the past. Fred does as many Goldens do and leans into whomever is near for some nice pets and snuggles. He is not obnoxious about it though and has been content to lay down near me as well for a little snooze.

He hasn't had any accidents in the house and has no problem doing his business while on a leash. He also is familiar with crates and actually went and laid in it last night even before I could finish getting it together. Fred slept in the bedroom last night and voluntarily chose to sleep in a crate...perhaps it helps him feel safe. He slept through the night staying in his "den" the whole time. When I left this morning I put him in his crate as I was going to gone for most of the day. He went in with a treat and laid down without a peep. When I got back the crate was nice and dry. Good boy!

As far as Fred's stats from the vet.....considering he was wandering all alone....he is in good shape. He weighed in at 57 lbs and could stand to put on maybe 5 more pounds. He was great at the vet and let them draw blood and poke and prod him for the most part. His blood work came back negative for heartworm but positive for Lymes disease. Luckily, he is showing no signs so the vet is hopeful we caught it early. He is on meds 2x/day for a month which should resolve the Lymes and it will just be a minor bump in his road to a fantastic future.

Is it bed time yet?  I'm ready!

Good night!