Madison 19-122
Profile
At a Glance #19-122
| Golden Retriever | Born: March 2013 |
| Female | 87 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Updates
Monday, August 26, 2019
Ms Maddie found her forever family today. She will have a human mom, brother and sister, as well as a big canine brother, Oliver, to show her the ropes. An additional bonus will be her new feline sister and even a guinea pig! With a big yard to play in and wonderful humans and canines, Maddie will indeed live the Golden Life.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Hi again everybody! This is Maddie reporting again. It was another good week in RAGOM land – at least for this girl. I headed off in the van with my foster brother Tank, mom and dad on Sunday morning for the Twin Cities. It was my first Meet & Greet.
Foster dad wasn’t sure how I would do when I got there. He said that some dogs he has taken there were scared of the other dogs and of all of the people coming in and out, etc. He said that he took one girl into town and she was even scared to death of the airplanes going overhead.
I have to say that I did really well! I enjoyed meeting the other dogs and I quickly found that, if I sat nicely and smiled, people would give me all kinds of dog treats. Here I am with some of the other dogs.
I met a lot of really nice people there. One family came just to see me! I loved them but, sadly, they told foster dad later that their resident dog was sick and needed them to take special care of him. That’s ok – I understand. I’m enjoying life in my foster home and I know that someday the perfect family for me is going to come along.
Well, I have some serious napping to catch up on, so I’ll let dad use the computer for a bit. Bye, bye – thanks for reading about me again! – your friend, Maddie.
Foster dad here. We were really impressed with how well Maddie did at the Meet & Greet. She loves every dog she meets and, with a slow introduction, she interacts really well with people. It helped that we brought her foster brother Tank into town with her. She followed his lead and then, once she got situated, she did just fine on her own.
It’s been fun, now that her cut foot-pad has healed, to start taking her on longer walks on leash. We’re still having a bit of a discussion about the purpose of a walk.
Our idea is that we need to move from point A to point B with the object to get some exercise while Maddie seems to think that it is unlimited time to explore and smell everything that she can. We’re gradually forging a compromise with “walking” time and then some breaks for “sniffing/exploring”.
This weekend will be a busy one for us, and the dogs. We’re having 15 people staying over – the beds will be filled plus tents in the yard. It will be a good experience for Maddie to interact with all of these people. She is ready to expand her horizons. If she gets overloaded, she has her safe spot – her kennel – to go to.
Maddie is one of the sweetest, most gentle, dogs we’ve ever fostered. She is always smiling. She’s also getting confident enough to play. Here she is with our other resident dog, Sooner. We think Maddie reminds her of one of her puppies.
If you have another large, confident dog and think you might be the home for Maddie, please consider making Maddie part of your family.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Hi everyone! This is Maddie checking in again. It’s been another good week. My foster dad says that my cut pad is healing very nicely. For the last day or so I have been going outside without having to have my black sock/bootie on my paw. My last antibiotic pill will be in my dinner tomorrow. I’ll miss that a little as I do like the smelly/tasty pill pocket that it comes in.
I’m learning so many new things here. For instance, I’d never met a frog until I came to Foster Mom and Dad’s house. Now at night, when we go out to do our jobs, my brother Sooner and I see the little critters all over the place. We like to try to chase them back into the hostas and the other plants. We don’t know what to do with them, but it’s fun to pull Dad around in the dark!
Mom and Dad have been telling me all about “Meet & Greets.” They say that I’ll get to take a long car ride, meet lots of new people and dogs, and get bunches of treats. I can’t argue with that idea. There is supposed to be one in Edina at the Chuck & Don’s (whatever that is) next Sunday and we’re planning to go.
My older foster brother, Tank, is going with me to show me the ropes so I won’t be scared. While I’m there, I’m going to meet up with some people and their dog who think that they might just be the family that I’ve been looking for. Wish us all luck!
I asked Dad to share one picture with you this week. I’m learning more and more about great ways to relax. Tank is really good at this. I’m paying him back by sharing my two NEW dog beds that my friend Tiffany gave me. As you can see, they’re really thick and comfy. They’re a real change from the concrete and dirt floors that were part of my old life.
That’s all for now. Thanks again for reading about me. – Your Friend Maddie
Friday, July 26, 2019
Hi Everyone – Maddie here. I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I wrote to you, but it’s been a really busy month here. First, I had to recover completely from my spay surgery. That went really well. I got to go back to the Vet to remove the stitches and I’m hardly scared at all any more.
I still have my favorite spot in the corner of the waiting room, but I get up to greet all of the dogs and people coming and going. I also really like the treats that the docs and the techs keep offering me! Last time I was there I pulled dad into a couple of the offices so I could say hello to even more people.
I’ve lost weight! I’ve lost 4 lbs. so far. I can tell that I have more energy and foster dad says that he can see that I’m starting to develop a waistline. Mom and dad give me lots of tiny treats (they say they are low calorie) but they’re really stinky and taste great! I love my treats and, if I can still lose weight, that is a wonderful thing.
The other day I managed to somehow cut one of the pads on my right front paw. It really hurt and I was limping around. Another Vet visit (and more treats) ensued.
I’m on a course of antibiotics (served in a BBQ flavored pill pocket), Neosporin salve, a pain killer (also in a pill pocket), and a nice soft sock to cover my paw. I feel so much better and dad says that the cut is really healing well. I’m glad to report that I’m moving well again.
Foster mom and dad have this strange rule that foster dogs and their resident dogs aren’t allowed up on the furniture at their house. They say it’s because they want to make it easier on my forever family to choose whether or not they let their puppers up on the furniture.
I’ve been working on them. I think that I make myself look so loveable that they have been letting me spend a little time on the chair. I like furniture.
Finally, I want to let you all know that I’m ready and willing to listen to offers if you think that you would be the right forever family for me. I’ll need a confident, medium or large dog to help me learn the ropes at your house. As you can see, I get along well with other dogs!
But, other than that, I’m just looking for love, a comfy bed at night, and all of the attention I can get. Let RAGOM placement know you’re interested, and Foster mom and dad will get in touch.
Thanks for reading about me again – your friend, Maddie
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Hi everyone. This is Madison (you can call me Maddie if you like). I think I’m starting to get the hang of this business of being a “Foster Dog.” I’m having a good time here. My people have figured out that we dogs like to be on a schedule. We like to know when we’ll get up, when we get fed, when we go for walks, and when it’s time for bed.
I’m feeling a lot more comfortable now that I’ve pretty much figured out the routine. One of my most favorite times is when my foster dad finally gets up and we dogs all rush out to the living room to say good morning to foster mom (she gets up a lot earlier than he does) and then we run to the door to go out for our first walk of the day.
One of my newest favorite things is sleeping on a dog bed. I wish I’d had one of those in my old life. After watching my brothers for a few days I decided to try one out. I have my very own dog bed in the bedroom now and we all share the dog beds in the living room.
The other day we got into the car (I LOVE car rides!) and drove to the vet. I’m a little hazy about what happened next (I think I fell asleep somehow). Anyway, when we drove back home, I was really tired and sore. These last couple of days I’ve been gradually feeling better but I’m still pretty sleepy.
I found out that I had surgery to make sure that I won’t have to have any more puppies, as well as to fix a tooth and remove a cyst. For the last few days I’ve had to wear this soft tube around my neck, so I don’t lick any of the wrong places. I’m not real happy with it but it does make a good pillow.
Well, I’d better go now. It’s going to be time for a short walk soon and I don’t want to miss it. Thanks for reading about me! – your friend Maddie.
Foster dad here. Ms. Maddie is making really good progress on her road to the “Golden Life.” We can see her growing in confidence every day. We no longer kennel her at night, as she said, she has her very own dog bed next to one of her foster brothers.
We found that she doesn’t know how to play but she so wants to learn! The day before her spay surgery she joined into her first play fight with both of her foster brothers. After she recovers from her surgery, we’re sure that more play will be on her agenda.
In the coming week our primary focus will be on helping her recover from her surgery. We will be trying to keep her quiet to let the incisions heal.
We are also going to try out an Easy Walk Harness. Maddie is a big girl and, as she is gaining in confidence, we’re finding that she has a mind of her own sometimes on where she wants to walk. She now comes to us reliably for treats so we’re going to be starting work on “sit,” “down,” and “stay.” It should be another fun week with this sweet girl.
Monday, June 3, 2019
Madison (we call her Maddie) is a six-year-old retired breeder girl who was surrendered by her owners. In the three weeks that she’s been at our house she has come a long way. She has blended right into our pack of 12-year-old resident dog Tank, 2-year-old resident dog Sooner, and 17-year-old resident cat Sweet Pea.
She loves other dogs (and pretty much ignores cats) but she has more hesitation about her humans. She willingly and happily goes along with pretty much whatever her foster brothers ask her to do. Quick movements and loud noises still scare her, but we notice that she is recovering much more quickly now.
Ms. Maddie is a big girl. She weighs about 90 lbs. and she should probably be in about the 70 lb. range. We suspected possible thyroid problems. At her first visit to our vet, they did a blood panel and her readings were in the normal range but were just barely in at the low end.
We have her on a low-calorie diet supplemented with lots of green beans along with more walking every day. We’ll be monitoring her weight closely to see if diet and exercise start to bring that weight down.
Right now we would describe her as a low-energy girl, but that may change as she loses some weight and can move around more easily.
She does have a high “sweetheart” rating! She loves to be wherever you are and loves to be petted, brushed, and generally paid attention to. On walks she will stay at your side and periodically nudge your hand to make sure that you keep paying attention to her.
Maddie met our four grandkids (13 – 19 years) over Memorial Day and did just fine with all of them. Every new experience she has, seems to bring her more and more out of her shell. She learned very quickly to “kennel up” and sleeps through the night in her kennel in our bedroom.
Besides having to watch her diet and exercise, she got a glowing report on her vet visit. We have her spay surgery scheduled for June 13th and, once she has recovered, she will be ready to start looking for her furever home.
She will need adopters who have another large dog in their household, as Maddie needs a role model as she learns what her new life will be about. Her adopters will need to be prepared to continue to keep her on her diet and exercise program.
While she would love a fenced in yard, we think that she would be fine on a leash or tie-out as well. She already has pretty good recall and wants nothing more than to be near you. Although she will not be available for adoption until after her spay surgery, we would love to talk with you about her if you think you would be the right adopter(s) for this sweet girl.