Hi Everyone!  You're favorite crooked-nose-smile Jewel her giving you an update on my life for the past few weeks.  It has been very busy to say the least.  I attended many meet and greets and had a blast as usual.  I love meeting all of the dogs at the events and giving people my patented hugs too. 

One of my favorite toys is the horse-sized jolly ball.  I keep bringing it in and out of the house.  Even when it is dirty, I bring it up on the couch so I can chew the handle.

I also had the opportunity to go play in a big fenced area with my foster-sisters and some friends.   While my foster-sisters are crazy ball fetchers, I really want to play with other dogs and sometime sniff around.  Check out this awesome smile and my goofy ears as I was running back with Krae.

In the past eight weeks since Ruby was adopted, I have really grown in the snuggle department.  Without Ruby to play with all the time, I decided it would be cool to spend more time snuggling with FM.  She said I even developed something called the "Golden Nudge".  Whenever she would stop petting me, I would use my nose nudge to say "More Please!"  Oh how FM really loves that.

But the best news of all is I am officially ADOPTED!  My new dad Mike just loves me to pieces already.  I was supposed to be adopted over a week ago, but those nasty storms that came through 2 weekends ago took their toll on the new fence he put up for me, so he had to get that all fixed up. 

So I hung out here and played for a week and then Saturday went to Pet-A-Palooza.  As FM was walking us to the RAGOM booth, Ruby ran out to meet me and as soon as we all saw her, we pulled FM as fast as we could to see my girl!  Oh we have such a good time together! 

Here Ruby and I are playing with Brinkley (aka Doozer 13-109) at Pet-A-Palooza. 

After some playtime and socializing, FM and Dad finished up the necessary paperwork to make it all official.  I am now a member of the M Family and have a dad and a new fursister Charlie.  And guess what, Charlie is a goldendoodle just like my foster-sisters!  And she looks so much like Krae I just might get confused a bit. Anyway, Charlie is a bit of a people-person, so my first task is to teach her that playing with me is going to be a ton of fun!  I will also have other puppers in my life -- one in particular is Phoebe who is another lucky RAGOM girl (golden retriever) that was adopted by dad's friend 6 years ago.

Here is my first forever-family picture!

Dad has a cabin up north on a lake so I think this is a match made in heaven.  I will get to swim to my hearts content - cuz you know I go bonkers for water!  I will get my first lake opportunity over the 4th of July, which just happens to be my and Ruby's birthday.  Lucky, lucky me! 

Since Ruby and I will both be busy with our families over the 4th, we will be getting together a little later to have our birthday celebration with our new families and foster-sisters, foster-cousins, Joy 12-418 (now adopted too!) and other RAGOM puppers we have had the pleasure of meeting and playing with during our time in fostercare.   

I am so excited to start a new chapter in my life. My new family promises to keep me in contact with Ruby and my foster family too. 

I have quite a few Thank You's to say.  

First and foremost, to RAGOM for rescuing me and my sister, Ruby, and a whole bunch of other needy dogs last December 13th. Without them and all of you wonderful people that financially support RAGOM's mission, our futures would not be so bright like they are now. 

To my rescue moms and dad, Karen, Denise, Kris, and Kelly, for making the long journey to pick us up, getting us to our foster home and letting us have sleepovers with your fur-kids. 

To the awesome Dr. R for life-changing surgery to repair our faces from the injuries we sustained and give us Golden Smiles; you are a true angel for animals in need. 

To Uncle Chip and Amy L. for the countless number of hours you spent with us playing outside at lunchtime while FM was at work these past seven months. 

To Jean and Joy 12-418 and Baylee, Konnie, Angie and Dayle for letting us hang out at your houses to have new experiences and grow in confidence. 

And lastly to our foster-sisters, Kraelyn and Lilly, and foster-cousins, Pippi, Ella and Macie, and FM for letting us share your home, teaching us how to transition to indoor dogs and live in a safe home, sharing beds, toys, food and treats. Foster homes are the critical link to helping rescue dogs find our forever homes. 

You have all played a significant part in helping us on our journey to become the dogs we were meant to be -- confident, trusting of humans, fun-loving, and most of all, LOVED. I vow to return that LOVE and paw-it-forward ten-fold.  

Thank you all for following my story for the past seven months. I will be off on new adventures living the Golden Life, swimming, shredding papers, bugging my new sister and stealing her toys.  I wonder if anyone told her my fullname is Jewel Thief... 

Love to all my fans, 

Jewel

Hi Everyone,

With the warmer weather, my inner-water dog has emerged. If I can't play outside in the pool, I make my own fun in the bathtub. Here I am wondering why the water keeps escaping. I took out the clanky metal drain pluggy thingamabob and put it on the bed in the bedroom just like Ruby taught me. I love to paw at the water and stick my whole head under the waterfall. I get totally drenched when my nose is exploring all of the smells in the drain line.

My FM said that she will try to get some video of me playing in the pool this weekend because she says that I am super funny when I jump in and out like a bunny rabbit and get the zoomies.

There's never a dull moment around here, well, ok, sometimes there is, but that's ok. My foster sisters both had a littermate come for a sleepover. Tanner is a fetching maniac like Kraelyn and Luci is a cuddlebug like Lilly. I kinda felt like I was in the Land of the Doodle Giants! Here's the gang mugging for a photo. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. It was a long day of me going to a board meeting, Meet and Greet and then playtime at home with the doodles.

The next day, I got to go have a play date with Kraelyn and another one of her littermates, Leia. After that we went over to play with my girl Ruby in her new home. Talk about a major sibling weekend! We had a blast running all over the place as she showed me everything in her new home as fast as puppy-possible. Of course, we wrestled like crazy too. Ruby's new brother Sam was a bit jealous of us wrestling, so he was barking and barging in. Ruby and Sam play together really well. I think they love each other already!

Here are a few of pictures of us after we settled down a little bit. Ruby's dad took lots of photos of us. Plenty of ear kisses given and received.

In my spare time, I have been auditioning for Extreme Makeover - Doggy Bed Edition. Here I am putting on the finishing touches one of the outdoor beds.

And then the big reveal.....and reaction...

Ya know, I think she actually liked it! At least I did. Now that is my favorite outdoor bed because I can put the tennis ball in the holes and then roll on the bed and try to get it back with my paw. I'm quite limber at my tender age.

After that super busy weekend, I took a much needed nap in a comfy chair. It was a very quiet evening in the house as all of us dogs happily dreamt of the fun we had.

Well, that brings you up-to-date with me. FM is really hoping that the rain will go away because I like running around in the mud just as much as the water! (That is actually a strategy I came up with, get dirty so FM has to turn on the hose to clean me up, which turns into more water-playtime! Yes, I am THAT SMART!)

Love ya,

Jewel

Hi Everyone,

I hope all of you are enjoying your spring! Now that all of the snow is gone in the backyard and it has dried out somewhat from all the mud, FM is MUCH happier!

I have been a very busy girl attending a lot of Meet and Greets around town the last few weeks. Here I am drawing people in at a recent event.

Besides the M&G's, Ruby, my foster sisters, new friend Bree, and I took a super fun road trip to New Ulm to play with Max 12-380, Grizz, Skye and Scout. We had such a blast running around in the 70+ degree weather and playing in the kiddie pool. I am so going to be a water dog! I love to play in the water coming out of hoses and faucets too. (Our foster sisters taught us how to drink from the tub faucet.)

After the road trip, we had another fun day Sunday playing from 6:30am to 2:00pm. Then I had to C-R-A-S-H!

FM took down the crate in the bedroom last week. Ruby and I would still cuddle in there but FM wasn't closing the door. Now Ruby likes to sleep on a body pillow by the wall and the bed by foster sister Lilly and I like to cuddle on the bed with foster sister Krae and FM and love all the pillows. I sleep really well on the bed all night and don't move around. It makes it very easy for FM in the morning to give me lots of kisses and whisper in my ear.

Another favorite past-time is performing neighborhood watch duties. Here I am (standing) with Ruby as we give our foster sisters a break.

I have been resting up this week because I know this weekend will be busy with activities too. I will be going to the Meet & Greet in Blaine on Saturday and then on Sunday to the volunteer meeting so I can meet even more RAGOM kids!

I am still looking for my forever home, so contact your placement advisor if you would like to meet me!

Love Ya All!

Jewel

Hi everyone! 

Well, I had my second facial plastic surgery on Monday.  I just wanted to give you a quick 411 on how it went.

As you can see from the picture, I have new body art!  FM calls it the Mark of Zorro!  Actually, I have two Z's.  Dr. R. performed two Z-plasties on my face. The second one is closer to the nose and lip and a little harder to see in the picture. So now FM has given me the nickname of Za-Zorro! Get it?!?  Ha Ha 

The goal of this second surgery was to release a little more scar tissue and more more skin forward and down to give my face a more relaxed and softer look.  Also, during the healing process over the last eight weeks, there was a little retraction by the front and a couple of teeth were exposed and the skin was pretty taught.  So hopefully this will fix those issues and that was my last procedure. 

So as with the last surgery, I am on a six week restriction for chewing on toys.  Also, there won't be any rough housing with Ruby or my foster sisters and cousins either.  Big Bummer. So I get to spend more one-on-one time with FM. It will be tough especially with spring coming, but I did it before so I know I can do it again!  I am such a trooper and my FM keeps telling me that. FM promises me that I will get special walks by myself with her to help relieve the boredom. Maybe even some special car trips too. 

Before my surgery, Ruby and I went to Rescue Dad Kelly's to have a sleepover and play with his pack again.  We did our best to help prune the shrubs and raspberry plants and kept sneaking into the muddy garden too.  I am very fond of all things water!  We also spent time trying to comfort little Isabelle and help her to be brave.  RD says it did help her to see us happy playful pups from the same mill.  Another fun part was being able to sleep on the big bed with RD and the other 5 dogs. So it is safe to say that Ruby and I love to travel now. Oh the fun places we get to go! 

Well, this is a short update this time and I will be low key for a bit as I go through the healing process.  However, I am still available to meet potential forever families, so if you are interested in meeting me, please contact your placement advisor! 

Bye for now,

Jewel, aka Za-Zorro!

Hello everyone!  Long time no update, huh!?  FM apologizes for the delay between updates, but we keep her so busy after work she doesn't get much time to sit down and write updates.

First things first.  I am giving a big Shout Out Thank You to Judith C. for the Valentine Icon!  It just melts my little heart!  Sending you my best smile and a sloppy kiss!

I bet you are all interested in seeing my new and improved face.  Well, here is the big reveal!  A big improvement huh?!

This is most likely stage one of the repair.  This picture is 4 weeks post-op.  Dr. R wanted to to make sure I had good blood flow to the repaired area and she could not do all of the repair at one time without risking blood flow.  But compared to my pictures when I first came into RAGOM, this is great progress!  One of the more immediate benefits FM has noticed is how other dogs now greet me.  No longer do they mistake my facial appearance for a nasty growl.  This is going to make a huge impact in my life, I just know it.  I will be able to make doggie friends so easily now.

Dr. R is evaluating the new pictures of my progress and I will know in a few days what the next steps will be.  I still have a couple of teeth that are exposed from the bottom that you can't see in the above photo.  Here are a couple of additional pictures of us at the appointment.   The first is us hanging out after our booster shot to make sure we don't have a reaction.  One side effect is sleepiness.  Hmm, I think it worked!

This next one was a test to make sure that my tongue was still fully functional.  At least that is what Ruby told me.  When she asked me to pull her finger, I didn't believe that one.

Other than the medical stuff, I have been a very busy little girl. Dr. R told us at our follow-up appointment that we could be off leash restrictions!  Oh what a relief that was. 17 days of no running, restricted to leashes and the cones on our heads.  We still can't chew on bones or play with any toys for a few more weeks (longer for me if I have a second procedure).  But FM says we are being such great troopers, even though we get into mischief.  She continually reminds herself that we are puppies and making up for a lost puppyhood in the puppymill.

On Sat Feburary 2nd, we went to a Meet and Greet in Burnsville.  Boy were there a lot of puppers and people there!  I got to meet so many new people and share my story.  By the end I was getting a little tired and sought out Kelly B. for some comfort laptime.  I sure love him and he loves me too.  I was a little scared walking out the door and kept looking back to see if Ruby was coming too.  Well, she was, but she went home with Karen so she could play with Snickers the cat.  When I got to our car, FM opened the back and before she knew it, like lightning, I jumped into the crate all by myself.  That was the first time I had ever done that! FM was so impressed.

Ruby and I still get into our share of mischief.  If you read Ruby's post, you will find out about the "Chili Incident". Yeah, I still counter-surf too.  FM is working to stop that behavior.

The last week also had another milestone for me.  I started to Sit on command!  I had been holding out on that but it finally clicked.  FM was so proud of me too.  Now Ruby and I sit for all of our treats and even Sit-Stay for our meals until FM says OK.  I am also getting good at coming to FM when she calls me whether in the house or outside.  Yes, treats are usually involved, but hey, I happily come pretty quickly.  Even in the backyard without treats, I come to FM to get a head rub and kisses then back off to playing with Ruby and my foster sisters.  Our week last week was pretty routine, until the big Birthday Party on Saturday.  My foster sister and her littermates turned a big 5 years old!  Their mama Reno was rescued from a puppymill too and she ended up being fostered by Kelly B and my foster sister was born into the RAGOM family.  No wonder why I love that big guy!  Well, there were 27 dogs at the party and we had such a blast.  Ruby and I thought we had struck GOLD.  I made a lot of new friends and even approached a lot of people for some attention.  We are now trying to convince FM to have parties every week.  That probably won't happen, but she agreed to finding new puppers to play with every week.

Here is Ruby and I power-napping after the party.  We love sleeping and touching each other for comfort. After an hour or so, I got up and went to FM and curled up next to her. Oh did she LOVE THAT!

Well, that's all the news for now.  I hope you are all enjoying the new snow.  FM makes snowballs for me and I take them and run around the yard. Then I eat them. Nummy!

Love to all my fans,Jewel

======================

FM here again.  Jewel is making fantastic progress in fostercare.  With every new adventure, she is gaining confidence.   She is seeking out more human attention from people she knows and is beginning to approach strangers when others show her it is ok to do so.  Potty training is going well and accidents are less frequent.  I think just like her finally deciding to sit, she will get the potty training too.  She is still accident free overnight, it is just when running around that she needs to be out frequently, as does Ruby.

She is up-to-date on vaccinations.  We will know later this week on the potential second surgery, but is open to meeting potential forever families.  She still has the requirements of needing a physical fence, another confident dog over 30 pounds as she has a rough playstyle, and no kids under 10.  She will need a family that is super committed to taking her to obedience training to strengthen her bond to humans and to continue to gain confidence in her world. Contact your placement adviser if you are interested in meeting this sweet girl!

Hi Everyone.  Extreme Makeover Rescue Edition recipient Jewel here!  Just wanted to give a quick update on how my surgery went Monday morning.  Can I just say FANTASTIC!. I can't believe how lucky and truly blessed I was to have the outstanding surgeon Dr. R perform my plastic surgery.  She is my HERO and I am sure a hero to hundreds of other rescue dogs in need too! One very close to my heart is my sister Ruby 12-416.

This is me (left) and Ruby at our pre-surgical appointment.  We saw our car in the parking lot and were thinking about making a run for it!

 Check out my before and after pictures!  I am so happy because my mouth will be healthier and all the new dogs I will meet in life will not misinterpret my injury as a snarl.  I have such a sweet playful disposition, it would have been a bummer to be misunderstood on first meetings!  

While Dr, R. had me under the la-la gas, she also had to extract two teeth. One molar and one premolar on the damaged left side.  They were very abnormal and FM noticed I was more hesitant to bite down on crunchy treats on that side.  She also fixed me so I won't have puppies and lose my girlish figure.  So a pretty big day for me all around. 

I was pretty loopy when FM picked me up Monday afternoon.  I just kinda stared into space a lot.  FM tried to get me to eat something, but that was not going to happen.  She did give me my happy pills to control pain. I pretty much slept for the evening. Once in a while I would sit up because I could not get comfortable. I slept all night next to Ruby and by Tuesday morning, I was feeling much better.  I even got my appetite back and started to counter surf for more food since we only got a small breakfast. 

So now we have to wear these Comfy Cones to keep us from rubbing our sutures.  I am getting used to it now. It actually is pretty comfy.  Here is a pic of Ruby and I eating lunch the day after surgery.  We could not see what we were eating as it was dark but it tasted like Chicken!   

And here is me muggin for the camera. 

We will have our sutures removed in 14 days and then Dr. R. will evaluate my progress.  She will determine if I will need another surgery on my nose to release additional scar tissue on top to help my lip correction relax. There is a bit of a ridge their right now. 

The only bummer about the surgery are the RESTRICTIONS!  We have to be on leash restrictions in the yard for the next SIX weeks and NO chewing of anything fun, like toys, bones, sticks.  FM will sure have her hands full with the two of us PUPPIES that NEED to chew but CAN'T! Yikes!  And NO WRESTLING either! OMG - can you say STIR CRAZY? 

Well, that's all I have for now.  Stayed tuned for the Stir Crazy Report over the next few weeks!

Special hugs and kisses to Dr. R.  You're Top Dog in my book! 

And a super special thank you to Josh B for the holiday icon and to the Pig Barn Crew of Taylor, Aspen, Peyton, Hayden, Caiden, Cameron, Peggy (FKA Dane) & Jayden for sponsoring us! and helping to pay for our surgeries! They came out of a bad situation 4 years ago this week and are now thriving in their new homes.

Love,

Jewel

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!

Jewel here to tell you what has been going on with me over the last week.  It has been quite exciting that's for sure!

To start off with, I made my debut at a RAGOM Event last Saturday!  I met a lot of people and some kids too. I was pretty mellow at the event as I still have lots of work to do in trusting people, but this event really showed me that there are so many nice people out there!  For those that met me and think I am such a laid back puppy, FM wants to assure you that that is just not the case.  At home, we are constantly on the go and we wrestle rough and tough and never stop stealing toys from each other.  FM has to settle us down from time to time as I sometimes get too rough with Ruby.  However, when I am picked up by people, I am mellow like jell-o.

A big Thank You to Kelly B. for letting me hang out on his lap or between his feet during the event.  I sure feel safe with him.  I was pretty exhausted by the end of the event and found a spot to catch a couple of winks.

Check out some of the pictures of me at the event.

This is me meeting my first infant.  That's Kelly holding me and the lady is someone that adopted one of FM's fosters and they came over to meet Ruby and me.

 Ruby and I also scored some cool stuff from some very special people.  Joan D. bought each of us a stuffed Lamb Chop squeeky toy and Jen E. gave us each a doggie bed of our own. Our foster sisters and foster cousins are pretty fond of the Lamb Chop toys and tend to carry them around too.  That's ok, we are learning to share in this house.  Amy L. also bought us Christmas Tug Ropes that we love to chew on.  Geez, people sure are nice to us. With all of the cools toys, we are quickly learning how to be house dogs!  This is the BEST!

After the event, I got to have an sleepover party with Kris N. and her pack of dogs!  Ruby got to go 2 weekends ago to another house and last weekend was my turn.  I did really well and was a brave girl without Ruby. 

This past week, I got much better approaching FM to get some attention.  I am starting to enjoy the massages and kisses I get.  I also revealed that I am a fetcher!  I like to chase after the tennis ball and have even brought it back a few times too.  I will work on that skill the rest of this week.

Thanks to all of the generous people like you sponsoring us, purchasing holiday icons, donating to the Golden Smile Project and stopping by the event last weekend, we will get the first surgery we need to fix our mouths on Monday January 14.  (I do tend to drop some kibble when I am eating and frequent the water dish to get my mouth wet.) The wonderful Dr. R. is going to fix us right up. We are going to be spayed at the same time.  We will be sure to get a short update posted after our surgeries so you all know how things went and to let you know what the next steps in our recovery process will be. FM says live it up now because leash restrictions are coming and no wrestling or running allowed while we recover!

Hugs and kisses to all my fans!

Jewel

 ===============

FM here. Just a few quick notes to let you know a little more on her requirements.

Jewel will need another very confident dog that can give her the appropriate corrections and be tolerant of her exuberant play style.  She could overwhelm a submissive dog.  She loves to play chase and has plenty of energy to expend. She is learning quickly on the corrections she is receiving from the other resident dogs, but does tend to push it a bit.

Because she is a puppy mill dog, no kids under 10.  She does spook and will seek out a hiding place if there are a lot of sudden movements close to her or if reached for quickly.

A fully enclosed fence is required for her safety.  It may take some time for her to develop good recall, but with proper positive training, we think she will overcome her trust issues.