Kona (Tatum 14-113)

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Tatum 14-113Tatum 14-113

Profile

Kona (fka Tatum) was returned to RAGOM when her family had a change in circumstances and could no longer give her adequate attention. Other than carrying a few extra pounds, Kona is very healthy. Kona is a well-adjusted girl who can live with children of any age and can live with dogs and with cats. A physical fence is optional. Kona is looking for a home that will give her lots of attention and walks and include her in the family activities.

 

  

 

At a Glance #14-113

Mixed Breed Born: June 2013
Female 44 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Kona (fka Tatum) was returned to RAGOM when her family had a change in circumstances and could no longer give her adequate attention. Other than carrying a few extra pounds, Kona is very healthy. Kona is a well-adjusted girl who can live with children of any age and can live with dogs and with cats. A physical fence is optional. Kona is looking for a home that will give her lots of attention and walks and include her in the family activities.

 

  

 

Updates

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Kona was adopted last night by a family who is so excited to have her with them. She is a sweetheart who wants to be loved and has so much love to give. Every time one of her new human sisters would sit on the grass or the floor, she would crawl into their laps. Kona will be enjoying the Golden life from here on out.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Kona (previously Tatum) came back to us at RAGOM because her adoptive family’s situation has changed and they do not have the time for her that they feel she deserves.

She was originally rescued from a shelter in Georgia about 5 years ago, and at the time, her age was estimated to be about 1 year. It is believed that she is a Golden mix. 

She is just a sweetheart! She is housebroken, loves people and animals, walks great on a leash, sleeps on her bed next to our bed, does not resource-guard, and does not really appear to be afraid of anything.

She does not like to be left alone if she thinks you’re going for a walk or outside – she will bark and let you know it! She is fine, however, if you leave for work or run errands.

She really loves food and treats, which explains why the vet said that at 44.5 pounds, she needs to slowly lose about 10 pounds. We have slowly started reducing her food and are careful about treats, and she is doing fine.

She loves long walks and bounds up our stairs many times a day, so the extra weight hasn’t seemed to affect her energy and mobility at all.

We took her to our lake place last weekend, and she did great! She encountered lots of new people and other dogs and was very polite and friendly. I had her in the truck when we put our boat in the water, and she was happy as a clam to just lay there patiently while we did our thing.

Going for a boat ride was clearly a new experience! We lifted her into the boat, and though she looked a little unsure, she didn’t make a sound.

At one point, I could tell that she wanted to see (we have a 19-foot runabout), so I put her on the front bow seat. She was shaking a little bit, but eventually settled in and seemed to enjoy the view. I had her on a leash the entire time, but she never made a move to jump out.

She is used to kids, previously lived with a cat, and seems fine around other dogs.

Kona is a sweetheart who wants to love and to be loved. This petite girl could fit into just about any type of household – maybe yours is the right one?

Tatum 14-113
Tatum 14-113

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Hello from Tatum and her foster family!

The other night, we had a massive thunderstorm and heavy rain. The humans had a sleepless night because of the noise from the downpour, but it didn’t seem to bother Tatum one bit. She didn’t make a peep!

So you can get a feel for Tatum’s size, one of these pictures shows 33-pound Tatum walking next to our 58-pound resident dog.

Below are some updates about beautiful Tatum:

  • There continue to be no potty accidents inside.
  • She kennels well and doesn’t chew her bedding.
  • Tatum LOVES food and eats very quickly. Perhaps she didn’t always have regular access to food and gobbles it up when she’s got it. We’ve been hand-feeding her, but have also given her some meals in a bowl. She shows no resource guarding (e.g., I can move the food bowl and she’s just fine with that).
  • The front tips of Tatum’s paws look like they were all dipped in white paint – very cute...

  • Tatum will do some jumping—particularly when she thinks you have food. She is learning, though, that when you “sit,” you get food and treats.
  • Tatum is gaining some freedom in the house. While she likes to be around us, she isn’t a “Velcro dog.”
  • There isn’t much that seems to scare or perturb Tatum. She shows interest (rather than fear) in the vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, and lawn mower.
  • Tatum is very affectionate. She can melt your heart.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Hello from Tatum and her foster family!

Below are some updates about sweet Tatum:

  • She LOVES car rides—especially putting her head out the window!

  • We’ve had no further potty accidents inside! Might have been a fluke, or she’s learning quickly to potty outside through positive reinforcement.
  • She’s game for almost anything – doesn’t scare easily and is generally agreeable. For example, “fetch” was a new concept to her. She wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but she caught on. She has started entertaining herself with dropping the ball, and then pouncing after it (repeat, repeat, repeat).

  • For a girl that came from a shelter in Georgia (with mange to boot), she sure cleans up nicely. The vet commented on her beautiful coat and excellent health.
  • Tatum would be a great jogging or running partner. She’s gone twice with her foster mom and did a great job.
  • We took Tatum out for dinner two nights in a row and she did great. No begging at the table and she was able to hang out and be patient until we were done with dinner.

  • We are impressed with how well Tatum does with kids. She met another set of neighbor kids this evening and was very gentle with them.
  • Tatum also does well meeting other dogs – no aggression.
  • Tatum will be a quickly loved addition to any family – she loves to be close to her foster parents (doing the “Golden lean” and asking to be invited up on laps), has a great personality, and is incredibly agreeable. She will, for her mental stimulation, need to have a job – doing agility, additional training (she would be a great trick dog), doing therapy work, etc.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

It’s been five days in foster care, and Tatum is settling in nicely. She crates really well. A little whining at first, but she can settle herself quickly. She has been kenneled 9+ hours during the past three work days and did great! No accidents, and just happy to see us when we return home.

Some neighbor kids (ages 4, 8, and 11) came over last night to meet Tatum. Tatum was a dream with them! She was friendly and affectionate and politely asked for belly rubs and head scratches. She sat on the 11-year-old’s lap and was totally fine with attention from all three kids. As the family left, I heard the four-year-old ask if they could take Tatum home!

Training is going well. Tatum knows her name (though this could be re-taught if her name were to change in the future), and she also knows “sit” and “down.” We are working on “shake” and “come.” It’s been really fun and rewarding to be involved in her training. Potty training is going well. We’ve been using treats to reward her when she does her business outside.

Tatum will be at the Leash On Life event this weekend (Saturday, June 14th from 11:00 - 3:00 in Iowa City) if you want to meet this sweet girl.

  

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Original Initial Bio

Tatum – the name means to be cheerful or full of spirit, so this is a very apropos name for this little girl (33 lbs). Tatum came to RAGOM after being in a shelter in Georgia, so we don’t know much about her early life.

Here is what we have learned so far:

  • She is adorable – that is not just our opinion; strangers will stop us to tell us how cute she is.
  • Her personality is equally adorable – friendly and loving, eager to please, consistently happy, ready to explore the world, and seemingly unafraid of the world (no storm anxiety, not afraid of people, rides well in the car, etc).
  • She is great with kids (calm and sweet when kids interact with her - loving belly rubs) and other dogs (bringing out youthful energy in our resident dog).
  • She is still very much a puppy in spirit and in manners. She has had two obedience classes and is learning very quickly – name, sit, down, and shake are still being reinforced, but she “gets it.” She can get rambunctious and jumps up on people, especially if they have treats – with redirection and positive reinforcement of proper manners, she will learn what is expected.
  • She kennels well through the night (we have the kennel in our bedroom) and when we are gone during the day. She barks/whines at first, but quickly settles.
  • She has had two accidents inside, so we are working to positively reinforce when she goes outside. We think this is an adjustment and training issue, not a health issue since she does not have accidents in her kennel.
  • She will need a family that is willing to spend time with her working on her training and exercising her. She will also need a family that is willing to adore her and provide her with the attention she loves.
  • We don’t have a fenced-in yard, so we brought her to an area with a fence and she ran, explored, and entertained herself well – stopping by the say “hello” to her foster humans from time to time.
  • She is a mix of breeds, but we think she is about a year old so she probably won’t get too much bigger than her current 33 pounds.
  • She went to the vet yesterday – clean bill of health, microchipped, she was spayed in the past, and her weight is appropriate.
  • She has double dew claws; they aren’t a problem as much as they are a unique trait.