Maddie Patti 09-009

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I introduce to RAGOM and the world, Maddie Patti. It is such a goofy name for such a  regal girl. Maddie is half Golden Retriever, half German Shepherd. She arrived at my house yesterday from the northern part of the state. In the time I have had her, I have seen a lot of the German Shepherd in her. She slept at the foot of my bed, between me and the door, even though she was invited up on the bed. She is a barker and barks at people walking close to the house. She isn't interested in snuggling on the couch, she would rather sit by the door.

This morning as I was making pancakes, I was thinking to myself 'how am I going to sell a German Shepherd to Golden Retriever fans' when, out of no where, Maddie Patti comes galloping into the kitchen with a stuffed toy in her mouth. Good! There is a goofy GR in there! And I am anticipating to see more of it as this gorgeous gal comes out of her shell.

Maddie is four years old. She is a submissive dog who is house trained, good with kids 5 and up, adults cats are OK but best to not have her around kittens or little animals. She is said to have some hip dysplasia but since she has a thin build it has not been a problem. Maddie has her vet appointment on Friday and we will get RAGOM's vet opinion on this issue. Maddie's last family rescued her about 2 1/2 years ago. She is obedience trained. She is VERY gentle around my resident dog, a cocker spaniel.

Maddie really is a beauty of a dog that is looking for her forever home. Please check out her page again when I get to know more about her.

 

 

At a Glance #09-009

Mixed Breed Born: January 2005
Female 65 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

 

I introduce to RAGOM and the world, Maddie Patti. It is such a goofy name for such a  regal girl. Maddie is half Golden Retriever, half German Shepherd. She arrived at my house yesterday from the northern part of the state. In the time I have had her, I have seen a lot of the German Shepherd in her. She slept at the foot of my bed, between me and the door, even though she was invited up on the bed. She is a barker and barks at people walking close to the house. She isn't interested in snuggling on the couch, she would rather sit by the door.

This morning as I was making pancakes, I was thinking to myself 'how am I going to sell a German Shepherd to Golden Retriever fans' when, out of no where, Maddie Patti comes galloping into the kitchen with a stuffed toy in her mouth. Good! There is a goofy GR in there! And I am anticipating to see more of it as this gorgeous gal comes out of her shell.

Maddie is four years old. She is a submissive dog who is house trained, good with kids 5 and up, adults cats are OK but best to not have her around kittens or little animals. She is said to have some hip dysplasia but since she has a thin build it has not been a problem. Maddie has her vet appointment on Friday and we will get RAGOM's vet opinion on this issue. Maddie's last family rescued her about 2 1/2 years ago. She is obedience trained. She is VERY gentle around my resident dog, a cocker spaniel.

Maddie really is a beauty of a dog that is looking for her forever home. Please check out her page again when I get to know more about her.

 

 

Updates

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Maddie and Holly

We have had a really fun week here. Maddie Patti got a RAGOM foster sister - Holly 08-338. Maddie LOVES Holly. Not enough to share food with her (we discovered Maddie has some resource guarding issues) but follows her around, kisses her on the face, and engages is play when outside. They were playing a little too hard on Monday and Maddie got a scratch on her eye, so to the vet we go! The vet said no damage, gave us some eye drops and as of Wednesday you couldn't even tell it had happened.

Also on Monday we went to visit a RAGOM volunteer and her 18 month old GR/Black Lab mix. I thought for sure Maddie was going to play and have the best time; she just loves other dogs! There was something that didn't jive with those two, it could have been the excitement of the day, but Maddie did not like him and we did not stay very long. I was very disappointed.

We often use general assumptions for 'likes kids' or 'plays with other dogs'. History is always a good indicator but we have to remember safety is the number one concern. Be careful with introductions to other dogs and always prep children on how to act around a new dog. No one wants a dog bite or fight that would result in a dog being returned, or something worse (I can't even say it!).  

We came home after the play date and Maddie ran into the house and started licking Holly on the face. Who knows.

Monday, February 16, 2009

 It is official, Maddie Patti is a star! I was just walking through the park at the end of my street and some one asked if she was a RAGOM dog, and I said, well yes, she is. "Is that Maddie Patti?". Yes. It is!
It turns out this gal had a RAGOM dog, Spencer, whom she had adopted and she still reads the website. Thank You. We Love RAGOM Adopters!
Maddie Patti had a great time at the Petco event this weekend. She did so much better than last time. She was relax and social and got to wear the Donation Dog apron. She did a great job. Thank you to everyone who came out to see her and the other GReat RAGOM dogs.  

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Resident Dog is getting groomed so Maddie is taking her spot at my feet. She can't be comfortable under there but is too stubborn to give the spot up. She is funny.
Good News! The surgeon looked at Maddie's xrays and recommends no surgery. At this time Maddie's hip problems can be managed with cosequin joint supplement and controlling her weight. Maddie does not show any signs of pain; she runs and jumps and plays with no limping. Some dogs with hip problems can live full, pain free lives without surgical intervention. I did not know that. Apparently Maddie is one of those dogs.
She is definitely one in a million. 
We went to the Woodbury PetCo event. We did not stay the entire time as Maddie was getting stressed and shy. There were so many dogs there! It was awesome! I apologize if we missed anyone. Maddie did meet some wonderful people and wants to thank everyone for their interest and affection.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Maddie went to the vet yesterday to get xrays done. She was such a trooper! Unfortunately, she is going to need surgery on her hips. Which type of surgery she will get is unknown at this point. The surgeon will be looking at her xrays this week to recommend the best course of treatment to take.
She is such a good girl. She is more GR every day! She is not so gentle around Resident Dog anymore when trying to get my affection. Maddie will herd Resident Dog away from me, it is really funny. Well, it is frustrating for Resident Dog but it is funny to watch.   

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Now that the weather has warmed up, marginally, Maddie is taking daily walks and I think she is happier. I bought her a toy that squeaks and she seems to enjoy it. Her favorite activity still is sitting by the window and barking at people. Oh, and belly rubs. It does not matter where you are, she will drop from all fours to flat-on-back-with-leg-up in about half a second if there is the slightest possibility you will rub her belly. And she is so pretty, there is always a good possibility that I will oblige.

We went to the vet today and Maddie did pretty well. New people scare her but she let the vet examine her and let the tech take her to another room for the blood draw. There are concerns about her hips so I am going to attempt to get previous xrays (trying to save some money) so our vet can read them and decide what would be best.

More things I have learned about Maddie:

  • Maddie is not that interested in tennis balls. I know, weird.
  • She likes to lie in the snow. She will find a patch of clean snow and will lay down, flat on the belly, almost like she is cooling herself off.
  • Maddie is a very good walker. She pulled a little in the beginning but soon got the hang of it.
  • She is 78 pounds. The vet said she should stay at this weight, maybe even lose a couple pounds. Oh, a girl never likes to hear that.
  • She does not have separation anxiety.
  • She does not resource guard.
  • She is not destructive when left alone.
  • She is fully house trained.
   

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

 

 

As you can see from the picture, Maddie is getting closer to me – literally. She will join me and snuggle for awhile but still prefers the floor. The first picture on her page shows Maddie asking for a belly rub. She will stay in this position for over a minute, waiting for you to scratch her belly. If you walk past her lying on the floor, like a spring, the leg goes up just in case you wanted to stop and scratch.

I think Maddie is a little depressed right now. This is, at least, the third home she has lived in for her short life.  It makes me sad to think of this girl getting uprooted and her life changing so much. Monday night she jumped up on the bed at bedtime for a few minutes but then got down, situating herself between the wall and the bed. And then she cried a little. Truly, it breaks my heart. As a fellow volunteer said to me recently, dogs are so trusting of humans and so few of us deserve it.
Now Maddie is with RAGOM and we are going to find her the GReat home where she will spend the rest of her years.
A few more things I have learned about Maddie:
She likes to hang out in the back yard so a fenced one would be great
She is a barker; great for warning you about prowlers or curfew breaking teenagers
She respects baby gates
She gets free roam of the house while I am gone; she can be trusted
She is leery of new people but does become interested after a few minutes