Louie (Louis 10-220)

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Profile

Hi, my name is Louis; at least that is what the humans are calling me. Maybe that is my name, maybe it is not. I am a dog of mystery and I am not telling anyone about my past. All I want to say right now is that I am on a mission, what is my mission you ask? Well, I’ll give you a couple of clues, my past is just that, my past; and it is behind me now. My future was looking pretty bleak until a few days ago but now my future is bright and full of promise thanks to RAGOM. So that leaves me with my present….my present is me and the love and companionship I have to offer to my new family. I’ll give you more clues to my mission; check back in a few days if you’ve not figured it out yet. Before I forget, I need to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get to RAGOM and to RAGOM for giving me a home and helping me to find my forever family.

Louis is a very sweet one to two year old stray who was found wandering the streets of Minneapolis. He’s a little guy, weighs only 55 pounds (could gain 5 – 8), is a light cream color and has a shorter lab type coat. He is probably a lab/Golden mix but there could also be some husky or springer in Louis too. While Louis’s DNA may show little or no Golden, he has the heart and soul of a Golden and has the typical Golden personality. Louis loves all dogs and humans, loves kids of all sizes and ages. He has had no accidents in the house, I’ve not figured out his sign to go out yet, but with two other dogs here, he’s adjusted to their schedule without any problem.

Louis loves water, surprised me by joining me in the shower this morning and loves to cool off by hanging out in the kiddie pool. He is a typical young dog, loves to play, chew and really has not learned many manners. We are working on sit, stay, come and his name. He does understand NO and has shown no signs of resource guarding. Louis is very eager to please and is a happy boy who is a diamond in the ruff right now. He must have lived in a house at some point as he’s fine with all the normal household noise and goings on. Louis will be neutered on Friday and will then be ready for his new forever home. Please contact your placement advisor if Louis sounds like a good fit for your family.

He’s a dear, sweet boy who is ready to start living the Golden life….could that life be with you??


At a Glance #10-220

Mixed Breed Born: July 2009
Male 55 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Hi, my name is Louis; at least that is what the humans are calling me. Maybe that is my name, maybe it is not. I am a dog of mystery and I am not telling anyone about my past. All I want to say right now is that I am on a mission, what is my mission you ask? Well, I’ll give you a couple of clues, my past is just that, my past; and it is behind me now. My future was looking pretty bleak until a few days ago but now my future is bright and full of promise thanks to RAGOM. So that leaves me with my present….my present is me and the love and companionship I have to offer to my new family. I’ll give you more clues to my mission; check back in a few days if you’ve not figured it out yet. Before I forget, I need to say thank you to everyone who has helped me get to RAGOM and to RAGOM for giving me a home and helping me to find my forever family.

Louis is a very sweet one to two year old stray who was found wandering the streets of Minneapolis. He’s a little guy, weighs only 55 pounds (could gain 5 – 8), is a light cream color and has a shorter lab type coat. He is probably a lab/Golden mix but there could also be some husky or springer in Louis too. While Louis’s DNA may show little or no Golden, he has the heart and soul of a Golden and has the typical Golden personality. Louis loves all dogs and humans, loves kids of all sizes and ages. He has had no accidents in the house, I’ve not figured out his sign to go out yet, but with two other dogs here, he’s adjusted to their schedule without any problem.

Louis loves water, surprised me by joining me in the shower this morning and loves to cool off by hanging out in the kiddie pool. He is a typical young dog, loves to play, chew and really has not learned many manners. We are working on sit, stay, come and his name. He does understand NO and has shown no signs of resource guarding. Louis is very eager to please and is a happy boy who is a diamond in the ruff right now. He must have lived in a house at some point as he’s fine with all the normal household noise and goings on. Louis will be neutered on Friday and will then be ready for his new forever home. Please contact your placement advisor if Louis sounds like a good fit for your family.

He’s a dear, sweet boy who is ready to start living the Golden life….could that life be with you??


Updates

Thursday, September 16, 2010

From Louie's forever family...

Louie aka Lou, Loutini, Lou Magoo...we adore him...he has crawled into our hearts and we are all in love!!! The first 2 weeks have been full of walks, runs, swimming, and meeting family. Louie's daily routine consists of either sleeping in and hanging out with Mom, Sal, Oliver and maybe Dad in the mornings or being a good boy playing and napping with Sal while everyone is at work :) He is able to be out during the day without any problem. We are both surprised at how calm he is and how well he has adjusted so far. Of course, he does play hard with Sal too!

We have been to Chuck and Don's, picked out some new toys, and got our official Louie W name tag! We are all signed up for obedience classes starting in a couple of weeks. Everywhere we go Louie is a hit! He is learning to sit nicely when someone comes up to greet him. He does still get excited at times and jumps up, but within a few minutes he settles down. Everyone at the clinic thinks he is such a sweetie and very handsome :)

Saturday Louie was in the Inver Grove Heights Days Parade with our annual clinic float...all the kids loved him and he walked so well on his gentle leader. Yesterday we went for a walk to Lake Harriet with my parents and Sal. Today we are going to the lake for another swimming lesson. We are all looking forward to Goldzilla this weekend, Louie can't wait to say hi to his foster family!!

We can't thank RAGOM enough for the wonderful job they do placing deserving dogs in their new happy homes. I hope to work with RAGOM as much as I can in the future both in and out of the clinic :) Thank you for finding our wonderful Louie for us!!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Louie here. My mission is complete. I have found my forever family!! I now have a mom, dad, 4 year old Golden Retriever brother and a 9 year old cat sibling. I'll try to send another update once I'm settled in my new home. Got to go now and pack my toys and stuff and chase Rocco one more time.

Foster mom here: Louie (as he is now known) has struck Gold, won the lottery and hit the jackpot with his forever family. His new mom is a veterinarian at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital and teaches puppy manner classes!! Louie's new dad is a kind, patient, dog savvy guy who will also help Louie with his education and growth. As if that was not enough, Louie also has a 4 year old Golden Retriever brother who happens to be a rescue. His new brother was about the same age and had the same behaviors as Louie when he was adopted 3 years ago. He will also help Louie learn and grow. To round out the house, there is also a dog savvy cat for Louie to befriend. I could not have written a happier ending if I had tried. There is no mystery as to how this story ends, it ends with everyone smiling and happy. Such a perfect match for all. Please watch for updates from Louie and his new family on the Happy Endings Page.

Louie my friend, I wish you the best life a dog can have and I know you will have that with your new forever family. Be good to the cat. Rocco, Jimmie and foster mom will miss you but know we will see you at Goldzilla and perhaps will have play dates down the road.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Hi, it's me, Louis the mystery dog checking in. What I've been up to this week is no mystery, here's a recap. I went to two different dog parties and met 6 new dogs and 5 new people plus got to hang out with some of my friends I've met since coming to live with my foster family. I had tons of fun playing with all the dogs and got along fine with dogs ranging in size from 20 pounds to 90 pounds. I loved to chase Heather who is little but really fast....she tried to wear me out and I tried to wear her out. I also got along fine with all the humans at the parties. I did bark quite a bit when I had to stay outside with only the dogs for company. I did not like that I could not see foster mom and she did not bring foster brother with so I got a bit stressed and barked. I stopped barking as soon as I could see her or someone else.

I also got weighed this week, have gained 2.5 pounds since coming to live at my foster home and am done with my meds!! I also had my first real bath this week as I went to Ollu and got a bath and an ice cream treat....never had either of those before. Both Jimmie and Rocco (foster sister and brother) were jealous when I got home cause I smelled good. Later that day, foster brother Rocco showed me how to crawl under the deck....cool....I got all muddy and foster mom had to wash me off with the garden hose. No problem, I love getting sprayed with the garden hose, feels so good, I went back under the deck two more times that day and got washed off each time. Time to play with Rocco, round 6 of "dog wrestlearama".

Foster mom here: Louis (or as I call him Louie) is doing very well in foster care. He has made great progress in the 3 weeks he has been with me. I've seen him go from a frighten, worried, sick boy to a happy, secure, healthy guy. He is a smart, funny, energetic young dog who loves both humans and other dogs. I've not cat tested him but suspect his high prey drive would be an issue for non-dog savvy cats. I can test him if needed. He does need an experienced home as he needs someone who is committed to helping him learn the skills that he did not learn when he was a puppy. Again, I have seen much improvement with his jumping and mouthing and others who have seen him over these three weeks notice an improvement too. Positive reinforcement training is a must as his past seems to have included abuse. He is very sensitive to any sort of yelling; the over excited football cheers and a loud neighbor's argument sent Louie running to me for comfort. I suspect his time on the streets was not kind to him and he will need someone to help him build his confidence so he can live the "Golden" life all dogs are meant to live. Please contact your placement adviser to help unlock the mystery of Louis and to give him the wonderful home he deserves.

Enjoy the photos of Louis visiting with his friends. Oh, and have you ever seen a dog in a linen closet? I had not, but take a look at where Louis was while I put away the laundry. When I asked him what he was doing in the linen closet, he turned his head as if to say " just being cute".

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Louis, the dog of mystery, continues to be a sweet, funny, energetic young house guest. He has been with me for 2 weeks now and his Golden personality is showing itself more and more. He is very playful, much like a young puppy and is just so happy to run and wrestle with my 90 pound, 3 year old lab. Louis respects my 8 year old female lab who does not play with foster dogs and will remind them if needed. He still rings a bell to go outside and has been left uncrated for 2 hours without any issues. Louis will go in a crate with a bit of a bribe, usually a treat with peanut butter, and does bark for 2 or 3 minutes but is quiet after that. He sleeps in the bedroom or hallway, using a dog bed or rug. He's been known to pull a blanket off the bed and sleep on that if all the dog beds are otherwise occupied. Like a young puppy Louis is still learning not to jump on people and is still mouthy with people and with dogs. He is a quick learner and has made great progress with both issues but will need to continue his education and work with his forever family. Louis is the perfect age for obedience school and his forever family will forge a lifelong bond with him by taking him to school. Louis is a smart, eager boy, who is ready to learn everything it takes to lead the Golden life. His lab personality is apparent in his "pheasant hunting", no worries it's a stuffed toy, or at least was a "stuffed" toy.

Louis attended his first Ragom event this weekend. He met 10 other Goldens and their families. He also met many supporters and potential adopters of all ages and sizes. I am happy to report that Louis did very well with everyone he met. While he was quite energetic and had a difficult time keeping all 4 paws on the ground for the first 15 minutes or so, he settled in and was able to sit and meet people without jumping after that. Good boy Louis. He hung out for 2 hours, twice as long as I had planned to stay for his first event and was a very tired pup once he arrived home. Louis also had a visit from Auntie Mari and her two young friends. I can happily report Louis is foster and kid tested and approved. After all that action, Louis figured out the purpose of a couch after his hard day of being an honorary Golden.

Requirements for Louis in his forever home are:

  • No children under 9 as he jumps and can be mouthy
  • A fence would be good as he was a stray, but if someone was very committed to daily exercise including off leash time, a fence may not be necessary
  • He is ok to be an only dog but would need regular play dates with other dogs
  • Most importantly, Louis needs someone dedicated to helping him learn and grow. He is young and had not been taught basic manners prior to coming into Ragom. Louis will need to continue his education in order to unlock the potential in this dog of mystery.

Please contact your placement adviser if Louis sounds like what you have been looking for.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Sweet, little Louis has had a busy couple of days. He was neutered on Friday and came home with me the same day. While he was under for his surgery, his vet was able to get a good look at his ears and give him a complete exam. As we suspected, he does have an ear infection and does have a skin infection as well. So sweet Mr. Louis is home with 5 medications as he also has a slight case of kennel cough, is being treated for intestinal parasites, and has pain meds for his surgery!! I have to say this boy is a trooper, no problems taking pills, just toss them in with his food and they are gone. Ear drops are fine, he sits still and lets me put them in….much better than either of my resident dogs. Perhaps he can teach them something. Louis is still very happy and active even with his minor illnesses. None of his health issues are a surprise to me given that he was found as a stray wandering the streets and has spent time in a shelter before coming into RAGOM’s care. The lack of proper nutrition and care along with the stress on living on his own are what causes heath issues such as what Louis has. With proper medical care, proper nutrition and the security of a home, Louis will be feeling better within a week or so.

Louis is still a dog of mystery in many ways. Where he came from and how he ended up as a stray may never be known but I do suspect that he was a loved family member at some point. Why do I think this? He knows how to retrieve, not just get the toy and bring it back, but knows “release” to drop the toy. He also knows to sit, wait/stay, no, come, and takes treats gently. He has no food or toy aggression and gets along well with all dogs and seems to be fine with children. He is also completely house broken, a huge plus in a stray dog. Louis even rings a bell on the back door when he needs to go out. So someone has worked with Louis at some point. Louis could be home right now with that family, if only he had been microchipped. Please microchip your animals so they don’t have to go through what Louis is going through. And remember, Louis is one of the lucky ones, thanks to RAGOM and the wonderful folks who found him and cared enough to help him. Enjoy the photos of Louis finding and playing with all the toys in the house and chewing his first beef bone.

Please check back to watch Louis transform from a sick, homeless dog of mystery to a healthy family dog with a future filled with Golden adventures and a forever family and home. Is that future with you?