Oh where to begin?
How about this.....
As a foster, we're jokingly told that if you adopt your foster dog, you're considered a 'foster failure'. Well, we've known this from the start and we've strongly considered adopting a couple of the 7 fosters we've had (we've loved them all, but a couple really we really fell for). But with resident Lucy and a 'foster failure' dog, we would not be able to continue fostering because having 3 dogs and 3 cats would be too much for us...
Well, we've met our match....
Here we have Luke. And let me tell you, we went from one extreme to another... We fostered Bear 08-104 (I was told today he is still doing fantastically) at 90 lbs and still underweight, to this little angel here. Luke weighs in at a hefty 40#. Yes, I said 40....
Luke came to RAGOM by way of a wonderful good samaritan with a name of Loree. Loree found Luke and his sister Lucy as strays in St Paul. The both of them were underweight and it appeared that Luke had been hit by a car or something. Loree fell in love with both and was able to locate their owner by way of their tags. But shockingly, the owner said he didn't want these two angels anymore..... After knowing Luke for 3 hours now, I just can't understand why.
Well, Loree took them both in and gave them lots of love. She took them both to the vet for a quick once over. That is how it was determined Luke had been hit by something. Loree decided that she could not give up Lucy and wanted to give her a very loving home with her other golden and I have no doubt that will happen... She then called RAGOM and here we have Luke....
So. I picked up Luke at 5:30 tonight and it is now 9:30. Luke jumped right into my truck but was a bit nervous on the ride home with his drooling. I brought him into our fenced in backyard and I think he's sat or laid down for a total of 2 minutes now. Luke is very energetic and very curious. Part of that I tally up to being a bit nervous in a new home and being without his sister Lucy. Well, ironically, our resident girl is named Lucy. Go figure....
Now back to the foster failure side of things.....Luke is incredible. He met Lucy with no growling or anything. They sniffed and said hi and that was it. I don't think Luke has a mean bone in him. He is so happy-go-lucky and is just a joy. It may not be possible to let him go......
I sat outside with both dogs for a couple hours tonight and they play very nice. Luke showed interest in fetching, but not necesarily returning the ball. However, I think he is a candidate to be a great hunting dog (he just seems to have the instinct). He is very interested in all the sounds and likes to really sniff where the bunnies hide and up at the bird houses that have little chirpings going on inside (I'll get a pic of that).
After some good time in the backyard, he seemed to get more comfortable outside and all of sudden started running these big circles like our Lucy does when she's happy. He was snorting and just seemed so happy. It was awesome to see. Truly.
I am told that Luke's sister tested negative for heartworm so that is great. We hope for the same for Luke and we will find out on Thursday at his vet appt..
Luke seems to know sit somewhat, but is not too keen on other commands.
I've given Luke a couple nicknames already: Little Man, The Wanderer and of course Handsome. Regarding The Wanderer nickname, he is/was a wanderer. Even in our fenced in backyard, he seemed to have a real curiosity about what was outside the fence. And based on how he came to RAGOM, as a foster, I will have these requirements for an adoptive family:
Luke met our 3 resident cats pretty well tonight. He has alot of interest in them, but I think it's more curiosity than aggression. If you have a dog savy cat, it may work out, but it may be a bit of work.
So, with all that being said, if you meet the above criteria and are interested in this near perfect boy, let placement know at placement
ragom [dot] org and we can maybe set up a meeting. Do it before we become foster failures and adopt him ourselves....But be warned, we will be pretty scrupulous with this sweet Little Man and his adoptive family...
More pics to come and thank you for welcoming Luke to RAGOM and reading up on him....
Like all RAGOM pups, he really is an angel in our home....
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| Golden Retriever | Born: May 2006 |
| Male | 40 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Oh where to begin?
How about this.....
As a foster, we're jokingly told that if you adopt your foster dog, you're considered a 'foster failure'. Well, we've known this from the start and we've strongly considered adopting a couple of the 7 fosters we've had (we've loved them all, but a couple really we really fell for). But with resident Lucy and a 'foster failure' dog, we would not be able to continue fostering because having 3 dogs and 3 cats would be too much for us...
Well, we've met our match....
Here we have Luke. And let me tell you, we went from one extreme to another... We fostered Bear 08-104 (I was told today he is still doing fantastically) at 90 lbs and still underweight, to this little angel here. Luke weighs in at a hefty 40#. Yes, I said 40....
Luke came to RAGOM by way of a wonderful good samaritan with a name of Loree. Loree found Luke and his sister Lucy as strays in St Paul. The both of them were underweight and it appeared that Luke had been hit by a car or something. Loree fell in love with both and was able to locate their owner by way of their tags. But shockingly, the owner said he didn't want these two angels anymore..... After knowing Luke for 3 hours now, I just can't understand why.
Well, Loree took them both in and gave them lots of love. She took them both to the vet for a quick once over. That is how it was determined Luke had been hit by something. Loree decided that she could not give up Lucy and wanted to give her a very loving home with her other golden and I have no doubt that will happen... She then called RAGOM and here we have Luke....
So. I picked up Luke at 5:30 tonight and it is now 9:30. Luke jumped right into my truck but was a bit nervous on the ride home with his drooling. I brought him into our fenced in backyard and I think he's sat or laid down for a total of 2 minutes now. Luke is very energetic and very curious. Part of that I tally up to being a bit nervous in a new home and being without his sister Lucy. Well, ironically, our resident girl is named Lucy. Go figure....
Now back to the foster failure side of things.....Luke is incredible. He met Lucy with no growling or anything. They sniffed and said hi and that was it. I don't think Luke has a mean bone in him. He is so happy-go-lucky and is just a joy. It may not be possible to let him go......
I sat outside with both dogs for a couple hours tonight and they play very nice. Luke showed interest in fetching, but not necesarily returning the ball. However, I think he is a candidate to be a great hunting dog (he just seems to have the instinct). He is very interested in all the sounds and likes to really sniff where the bunnies hide and up at the bird houses that have little chirpings going on inside (I'll get a pic of that).
After some good time in the backyard, he seemed to get more comfortable outside and all of sudden started running these big circles like our Lucy does when she's happy. He was snorting and just seemed so happy. It was awesome to see. Truly.
I am told that Luke's sister tested negative for heartworm so that is great. We hope for the same for Luke and we will find out on Thursday at his vet appt..
Luke seems to know sit somewhat, but is not too keen on other commands.
I've given Luke a couple nicknames already: Little Man, The Wanderer and of course Handsome. Regarding The Wanderer nickname, he is/was a wanderer. Even in our fenced in backyard, he seemed to have a real curiosity about what was outside the fence. And based on how he came to RAGOM, as a foster, I will have these requirements for an adoptive family:
Luke met our 3 resident cats pretty well tonight. He has alot of interest in them, but I think it's more curiosity than aggression. If you have a dog savy cat, it may work out, but it may be a bit of work.
So, with all that being said, if you meet the above criteria and are interested in this near perfect boy, let placement know at placementragom [dot] org and we can maybe set up a meeting. Do it before we become foster failures and adopt him ourselves....But be warned, we will be pretty scrupulous with this sweet Little Man and his adoptive family...
More pics to come and thank you for welcoming Luke to RAGOM and reading up on him....
Like all RAGOM pups, he really is an angel in our home....
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Mr. Luke has been adopted!!!
I knew he would not be with us long. He has found a loving, young couple with a fenced in backyard and another golden furbutt that is just 3 years old. So he and Luke will be running and playing with each other for many years.
They came to pick him up yesterday and so he's begun the rest of his RAGOM golden life.
Thank you for reading up on him and remember, there are many other RAGOM pups looking for loving homes.
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Luke has been with us for several days now and he is already settling down nicely. He is such a charmer.
He went to the vet and weighed in at 42#. So he's gained some weight and the vet thinks he's at a good weight. He's a slender, muscular, tiny little guy. I was starting to call him Little Man, but then thought that was hurting his feelings so I've started calling him 'Big Guy'. He likes it.
He tested negative for Lyme disease and Heartworm. Yay! And he is now UTD on shots and came into RAGOM already neutered. So he is ready to go to his forever home....
We took him for a walk tonight with Lucy and he is a strong little boy. He pulled on the leash so next time we'll try a Gentle Leader with him. Obedience classes would also help with this.
Luke behaves very well. He's a bit timid, but he is learning to trust. He is so sweet with his gentle eyes and disposition.
He gets a bit excited when you first greet him and he will jump up, but he quickly gets down and will sit for pets when you tell him 'Off' and then 'Sit'.
I would love to adopt this guy for our home, but we just can't because I love fostering so much. I know there is a family out there that he will be perfect for...
There are some new/better pics of him. As I mentioned, he is settling in and actually sits still for some good stretches of time. In one pic, I threw my hat down in front of him just so you get a sense of how small he is. I measured him tonight and he stands at 20" at the shoulders. Our former foster Bear 08-104 may come over on Sunday for a playdate with Lucy and Luke and I'm hoping to get a pic of Bear sitting next to Luke. It will be quite a difference. I'm betting that Luke could actually walk underneath Bear without crouching....
Luke has taken a liking to our cat Buca. My wife says he stalks her, but I think he is just very curious about her. He follows her around at times, but does not hurt her. I think he's kind of confused by her since she is a big cat and close to his size. Maybe he loves her?
Again, Luke is energetic, but he has settled in and settled down quite well. He's not nearly as anxious as the night we brought him home. And...... Our neighbor lifted his 2 year old toddler over the fence last night to meet Luke. Luke was awesome. Sean gave Luke a big hug and gave him pets and then gave Lucy some affection. Luke did great so he is kid approved now...
As I mentioned in his first update He needs a fenced in yard, a playmate to continue to show him the rules and burn off some energy and a family commited to giving him lots of exercise and taking him to obedience classes.
Luke is a near perfect dog. But as fosters, we profess that there are no perfect dogs. But within the right home and the right training, Luke could be perfect.
Please email placement at placementragom [dot] org if you meet the criteria for Luke and would like to meet him.
Thank you for reading up on him.
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 Pretty brown eyes |
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