Megan 12-156

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Megan arrived here in Brainerd on Saturday afternoon incredibly scared and confused. She is a beautiful golden mix who has been through a whirlwind of changes since she arrived. She went from living in an outdoor kennel run for the last two years of her life to living in a house. Her paperwork had very little to go by as not much was known about her.

I knew she was not from a puppy mill but she arrived with some definite puppy mill characteristics (or so I thought). She was desperately scared of all people, trying desperately to get away from everyone, totally ignoring the resident dog, hiding in safe spots of her crate and a corner of my kitchen by the back door, and kind of wandered with this dazed look on her face. After spending some time in her crate I sat on the floor and went over near her with hot dogs eventually winning her over and then later hand feeding her her dinner so she knew good things came from me.

Day 2 went better but was still rough. She decided I was okay but no one else was. As people were coming over to put in my fence and I knew they would be coming in and out of the house she spent a good chunk of time in her crate that day but of course everyone wanted to "see her". No one was able to win her over that day. My 8 yo niece and my sister in law sat on the floor with me and we opened her crate and sat back. Megan came out of her crate and went up by them and then would go back to her crate. She did eventually warily take hotdogs from my niece but they were not able to win her over. She seems to be even more leery of men for whatever reason and when my brother and then my father attempted to win her over she only hid in the back of her crate.

Unfortunately Megan stunk to high heaven and I knew that if she was going to continue to live in my house that something would have to be done about the smell. I could also see that with her thick and definite mess of a coat that there was no way I was going to be able to tackle her grooming needs myself. I had already spent over an hour with a furminator on her and was getting no where. I was getting lots and lots of hair but didn't seem to be making any progress. I am thankful that Megan found a fairy godmother in a wonderful lady that was/is a RAGOM foster named Martha Healy from Bear Trax in Hillman, MN who does grooming. She decided to donate Megan the gift of a free grooming. Thankfully Martha had experience grooming some of the dogs from RAGOM's original puppy mill rescue and had some experience with puppy mill type characteristics. It was a long process as Megan did not want anything to do with her at first since I am the only "safe" person. As Martha started to comb out her coat we found many many matts under her big fluffy topcoat. They were all down in her undercoat and there was no way we could get a comb underneath them. Megan had to be shaved. She did shave her as long as she could though so Megan still looks cute with her undercoat. It looks like puppy fluff. So now she has this big blocky head, giant paws, and puppy looking fur. But the coat will grow back looking great with better nutrition for better skin and coat. Martha also got out her camera so we could get some shots of Megan before and during but you will have to wait for after photos until after her next grooming appt on Saturday. This was a long process and very stressful for Megan so we had to split it up into 2 appts. Martha wanted me to be sure to let everyone know that Megan although very scared does not have a mean bone in her body. She said it is very stressful for a dog, especially one this scared, to be shaved and up on the groomer's table and for Megan to just stand there and accept it demonstrates how great she is. Megan did LOVE the bath part of her grooming. She thought it was wonderful to be massaged with that shampoo and had an actual smile on her face as she leaned in to Martha to get her to scratch certain places. After that bath Martha was a pretty good person too.

After her grooming appt. Megan came home a changed dog. I don't know if it was because those matts were hurting her skin so much or if it's because she felt so much better but she turned into an exhuberant, playful, and very sweet young dog. Oh she is still scared of everyone. But she suddenly wants to play with my resident, is happy jumpy, gives me the golden paw, etc. Megan doesn't know what toys are for yet and my resident is not too good about showing her what they are for but we are making progress. Today since Megan has had such a change in personality after her grooming, my Mom and I took my resident and Megan for her first walk today. I used the gentle leader because she can pull with the force of a train engine. Like ALL dogs who start out she hated the gentle leader but eventually we got our walk in and she LOVED it. Especially all the squirrels... she was distracted and tried to go after every single one of them. I really think with all of her energy that she would make someone a great running or jogging partner.

Friday we have Megan's vet appt. and I will update you more after our visit. For now Megan is making great progress. . she even drinks out of the indoor water bowl which is a big deal because all dogs think it's scary at first. It is a drinkwell big dog pet fountain. When she first got here she would only use the outside water dish. I don't know if it looked like hers or what. She is making small steps and what seems to me like giant leaps at times but then the next morning she will be hiding in her crate again. Progress is progress.

If you are thinking you might be interested in Megan my current thoughts are that Megan will need a physical fence and no children under 10. Megan is strong and exuberant and doesn't seem to do very well on a tie out. She gets very nervous on the tie out and paces between her space and the door to go back in the house. I can also tell with absolute certainty that she will need someone to take her to obedience training. She knows absolutely nothing. It's like getting a brand new puppy almost. The jury is still out on whether or not she wants/needs another dog in the house. Based on my experiences so far I am feeling that she would be fine either way but the resident would have to be fine with a dog with her energy level. I will get back to everyone after Megan's vet appt. and next grooming appt!


Megan waiting patiently to go outside


Megan does not like to get her picture taken but this a good body shot


A side body shop of Megan before her grooming -
note that she has an outdoor coat here.


Waiting for her grooming to start... Look at those Giant Paws!


Megan really liked the whole bath part.
She thought the massage was great.


Megan enjoying more of her massage.


Megan leaning in -- get right there. . . Oh right there. Yes!

At a Glance #12-156

Mixed Breed Born: April 2009
Female 60 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Megan arrived here in Brainerd on Saturday afternoon incredibly scared and confused. She is a beautiful golden mix who has been through a whirlwind of changes since she arrived. She went from living in an outdoor kennel run for the last two years of her life to living in a house. Her paperwork had very little to go by as not much was known about her.

I knew she was not from a puppy mill but she arrived with some definite puppy mill characteristics (or so I thought). She was desperately scared of all people, trying desperately to get away from everyone, totally ignoring the resident dog, hiding in safe spots of her crate and a corner of my kitchen by the back door, and kind of wandered with this dazed look on her face. After spending some time in her crate I sat on the floor and went over near her with hot dogs eventually winning her over and then later hand feeding her her dinner so she knew good things came from me.

Day 2 went better but was still rough. She decided I was okay but no one else was. As people were coming over to put in my fence and I knew they would be coming in and out of the house she spent a good chunk of time in her crate that day but of course everyone wanted to "see her". No one was able to win her over that day. My 8 yo niece and my sister in law sat on the floor with me and we opened her crate and sat back. Megan came out of her crate and went up by them and then would go back to her crate. She did eventually warily take hotdogs from my niece but they were not able to win her over. She seems to be even more leery of men for whatever reason and when my brother and then my father attempted to win her over she only hid in the back of her crate.

Unfortunately Megan stunk to high heaven and I knew that if she was going to continue to live in my house that something would have to be done about the smell. I could also see that with her thick and definite mess of a coat that there was no way I was going to be able to tackle her grooming needs myself. I had already spent over an hour with a furminator on her and was getting no where. I was getting lots and lots of hair but didn't seem to be making any progress. I am thankful that Megan found a fairy godmother in a wonderful lady that was/is a RAGOM foster named Martha Healy from Bear Trax in Hillman, MN who does grooming. She decided to donate Megan the gift of a free grooming. Thankfully Martha had experience grooming some of the dogs from RAGOM's original puppy mill rescue and had some experience with puppy mill type characteristics. It was a long process as Megan did not want anything to do with her at first since I am the only "safe" person. As Martha started to comb out her coat we found many many matts under her big fluffy topcoat. They were all down in her undercoat and there was no way we could get a comb underneath them. Megan had to be shaved. She did shave her as long as she could though so Megan still looks cute with her undercoat. It looks like puppy fluff. So now she has this big blocky head, giant paws, and puppy looking fur. But the coat will grow back looking great with better nutrition for better skin and coat. Martha also got out her camera so we could get some shots of Megan before and during but you will have to wait for after photos until after her next grooming appt on Saturday. This was a long process and very stressful for Megan so we had to split it up into 2 appts. Martha wanted me to be sure to let everyone know that Megan although very scared does not have a mean bone in her body. She said it is very stressful for a dog, especially one this scared, to be shaved and up on the groomer's table and for Megan to just stand there and accept it demonstrates how great she is. Megan did LOVE the bath part of her grooming. She thought it was wonderful to be massaged with that shampoo and had an actual smile on her face as she leaned in to Martha to get her to scratch certain places. After that bath Martha was a pretty good person too.

After her grooming appt. Megan came home a changed dog. I don't know if it was because those matts were hurting her skin so much or if it's because she felt so much better but she turned into an exhuberant, playful, and very sweet young dog. Oh she is still scared of everyone. But she suddenly wants to play with my resident, is happy jumpy, gives me the golden paw, etc. Megan doesn't know what toys are for yet and my resident is not too good about showing her what they are for but we are making progress. Today since Megan has had such a change in personality after her grooming, my Mom and I took my resident and Megan for her first walk today. I used the gentle leader because she can pull with the force of a train engine. Like ALL dogs who start out she hated the gentle leader but eventually we got our walk in and she LOVED it. Especially all the squirrels... she was distracted and tried to go after every single one of them. I really think with all of her energy that she would make someone a great running or jogging partner.

Friday we have Megan's vet appt. and I will update you more after our visit. For now Megan is making great progress. . she even drinks out of the indoor water bowl which is a big deal because all dogs think it's scary at first. It is a drinkwell big dog pet fountain. When she first got here she would only use the outside water dish. I don't know if it looked like hers or what. She is making small steps and what seems to me like giant leaps at times but then the next morning she will be hiding in her crate again. Progress is progress.

If you are thinking you might be interested in Megan my current thoughts are that Megan will need a physical fence and no children under 10. Megan is strong and exuberant and doesn't seem to do very well on a tie out. She gets very nervous on the tie out and paces between her space and the door to go back in the house. I can also tell with absolute certainty that she will need someone to take her to obedience training. She knows absolutely nothing. It's like getting a brand new puppy almost. The jury is still out on whether or not she wants/needs another dog in the house. Based on my experiences so far I am feeling that she would be fine either way but the resident would have to be fine with a dog with her energy level. I will get back to everyone after Megan's vet appt. and next grooming appt!


Megan waiting patiently to go outside


Megan does not like to get her picture taken but this a good body shot


A side body shop of Megan before her grooming -
note that she has an outdoor coat here.


Waiting for her grooming to start... Look at those Giant Paws!


Megan really liked the whole bath part.
She thought the massage was great.


Megan enjoying more of her massage.


Megan leaning in -- get right there. . . Oh right there. Yes!

Updates

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Here is an updated list of what Megan needs from her future adopter:

  • * A person, couple, or family that will train her in confidence and impulse control,
  • * no other dogs or cats,
  • * no young children,
  • * a physically fenced in yard.

Megan has developed a strong bond with her human foster mom and brother. She greets them with exuberance and love when they come home. She chooses to sleep on the floor at night.

She plays too rough and has initiated some fights with her dog foster sister, so until she is trained it would be best for her to be an only dog.

Megan has only had one very mild ear infection since coming in to RAGOM's care in the spring of 2012 so she is a VERY healthy dog.

Grooming Megan only entails brushing maybe once a week and a bath when needed or once every couple months.

Megan loves to walk, hike, run, swim, and chew on antlers. She does not like toys with squeakers.

She is current with shots, heartworm and flea/tick prevention, and is spayed. 

Please talk with your placement advisor to meet Megan soon! Megan is moving to RAGOM's boarding facility in Blaine, MN, on August 25th.

 

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Megan's fear based anxiety has improved over the last year, but she needs training exercises to build confidence as she still has very little. She also needs more impulse control training. During times of low to medium anxiety, she will seek me out rather than fend for herself like she used to. She is scared of toys that squeak, the vacuum, going through doors in unfamiliar places, going through narrow areas, etc. Here's an example: Megan and another foster dog I had at the time went to a doggie daycare with my resident dog for a few hours last month. Going to the play yard where all the other dogs were required going through a building and out the other side. Megan absolutely refused to go through the doorway of the building - way too scary for her at the time, so she stayed in the smaller courtyard and got some one-on-one time with one of the workers. The gal was eventually able to pet Megan a few times. Love those big steps! : ) During her times of high anxiety I have started to initiate a game of tug with a plush animal or something similar so she can learn a different way of calming her fear. I anticipate she will eventually participate. Megan does not play with toys, except when I bring a new one home. She'll take one from me, walk away with it, smell it, and come back for another. She does; however, like to chew on antlers from time to time. She has picked up a tennis ball a few times but usually loses interest in it pretty quickly.

When approached, Megan still puts on a bold front, but again, it is fear based. If the person calls her bluff she will back away. If the person ignores her, she will approach on her own and smell the person's hand (to see if they have a treat) and more often than not now, will also give their hand a timid lick. Another big step for her! : ) A lot of people are put off by her bold front, but underneath is a very special type of acceptance. When she feels you can be trusted and she shares her mind, body, and soul with you, it is truly an amazing and special feeling. Megan has developed that strong bond with me, my son, and my Grandma over the last year. Considering where she came from, that's a very acceptable number.

Megan enjoys "wake up time" as much as I do. This is when Megan is the most affectionate and will plow her face into me and rub her head on me while I pet her. Sometimes she flops over on her side or back for a good rub down from me. Throughout the day, she will come to me for attention, usually by sitting on or near my feet, facing away from me, and then look up at me with a smile on her face. Megan enjoys car rides and has also taken a pretty big step in this area as well just last night. She usually will sit in the back (the dogs have the entire back of the hatch area with the rear seats folded down) and turn her head from side to side as the smells come in through the open windows. She walks around freely and will sometimes go near either window and smell toward the open area. But last night, she actually had stuck her head outside the window quite a few times. Small steps = big smiles. : )

Megan has initiated some fights with my resident dog in the last year over resources. One of those times (in May) my arm got between the two of them as I was (stupidly) trying to break it up and Megan connected with it, causing two puncture wounds. She was not attempting to bite me; her intention was to ward off my dog so she could have the resource. She completed a 10 day quarantine in my home. She is now fed in the kennel and let out after a resting period. She voluntarily walks in the kennel and understands and accepts having to endure the short waiting period before coming out. Neither Megan nor my dog get to share my banana or get to lick yogurt cups when I'm done... all "extras" have ceased. Again, impulse control and confidence building exercises will help Megan. Getting Megan in to a house where there aren't people going by all the time and with a fenced in yard where she can be free to run and play will help her tremendously as well.

Please give Megan a chance. Contact your coordinator if you would like to talk to me about Megan.


Best way to approach a problem -
Sit on it and think awhile!		  
Break from playing in the yard

Individual reaction to one word - Squirrel!		  
Megan

Megan being a good girl for her bath -
She was blown dry too!		  
Megan enjoying an antler

Megan loves Treat lady's back yard!		  
Megan's funniest laughing smile look

Play time!		  
Megan's prime scent zone

The former treat lady's captive audience		  
There's the Golden in Megan!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Megan will be meeting a local dog behaviorist/trainer here in Sioux Falls on Sunday! I am super excited to gain some of his knowledge and insight. Megan has the easy part; she's just going to be evaluated and learn some knew things - I'm the one that will be tested, trained, reeducated, and who knows what else! LOL Wish us luck! : )

Don't forget to contact your placement advisor if you are interested in Megan 12-156! : )


What is this thing anyway?
Maybe if I put it in my mouth

Hmmm very interesting
Oooo it's squishy COOL!

++++++++++++


Free blow dry on the go!
Hi Foster Mom! Nice view from up here!

Happy in the co-pilot seat
Are we there yet?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Hellooooo from Sioux Falls!!

If you haven't seen the spring edition of fetch! Sioux Falls Pet Magazine featuring RAGOM's very own Megan 12-156, there's still a little bit of time! You can go to fetch's FB page to find out where to get a copy.


fetch! Sioux Falls Pet Magazine
Spring Edition starring Megan

Megan is doing AMAZING! She did so well with the large breed puppy that I had here for two months that I was confident she would be able to handle another small dog. So I brought in a tiny adult Boston Terrier for about a week and she did great with her as well! When we had the puppy, he loved to beat up on Megan and Megan loved every minute of it. She loves playing rough and tough. With the Boston, Megan sensed that she couldn't play rough with her so she just left her alone.


Megan LOVED getting attacked
by the large breed puppy!

Therefore, I'm going to rethink the "no small dogs" rule. However, she will still need a dog her size or larger, similar in energy level, that likes to rough house so she doesn't try to play that way with a small dog. I think as long as there is a larger dog in the house, if there's a small one there, too, it would be ok.

She will still need a physically fenced in yard, older kids if any, a more calm, quiet household, and a dog savvy cat if any.

In certain situations, when she meets dogs for the first time she's cautious and a little scared. She does a few little sniffs and then walks away. Later, when she realizes they're ok, she'll hang around them a little more. When she decides she wants to play with them she'll bark and do a little air nose punching at them. None of the dogs have found it anything other than annoying, but obedience training to learn how to properly socialize with a dog (once she is bonded with her forever human) would be beneficial.

I take her in to PetSmart from time to time and she does really well. She's still very cautious of people and the fear is just under the surface, but she will approach them to see if they have a treat.

Megan loves, loves, LOVES, all the recent snow! It makes her extra giddy and playful. Inside my home, she will pick up a ball every once-in-awhile, but she elects to chew on the antlers that I keep around more often. Other than that she doesn't care for toys. Toys with squeakers still scare her, just not as much perhaps.


Megan LOVES the snow

Friday, February 22, 2013

I am so proud of Megan. She is such a wonderful dog and a complete joy to foster. I absolutely love mornings because this is when she is the most loving. She nudges me for attention, ducks her head and rubs me with it and then flops down for some belly rubs and petting. When I come home she dances on her hind legs and paws at the air in front of me. She absolutely beams with happiness. Someone is seriously missing out on a fabulous dog here!!

Megan is doing remarkably well, especially with the latest addition to our home - a foster puppy! At first Megan was scared to death of him and steered clear of him completely. Whenever the puppy would accidentally touch her, she would literally jump away. Now she plays with him! I am so absolutely impressed with her tolerance of him, especially when he grabs her neck and pulls on it! She's not afraid to tell him when enough is enough, but has never hurt him.

The greatest news to share? Megan is about to be a star! She is featured in the spring edition of fetch! Sioux Falls Pet Magazine coming out in March! I am so excited to see it, I can hardly stand it!

Enjoy the pictures of Megan and contact your Placement Advisor if you would like to meet her! : )


So Cute!


Megan meeting new puppy


Puppies meeting Megan


Hi! Let's Play!!


YAY! Megan playing with puppy!


Puppy wanting what Megan has


Megan letting the puppy have the Nylabone!


Megan in favorite spot as displayed by the nose art!


Beautiful Megan


I think my forever family is lost - can someone help find them please?

Friday, February 22, 2013

"Even little mixes like us can have a happy forever home. You'll find yours soon!" - Pippin "Even little mixes like us can have a happy forever home. You'll find yours soon!" -Pippin

Sunday, January 6, 2013

People are amazed that Megan hasn't been adopted yet. Is it because she doesn't look like a Golden? Is it because she doesn't have the Golden personality? Is it because of her history with anxiety? Is it because she's in Sioux Falls, SD and not closer to the Twin Cities? Maybe it's a combination of all four?

Megan is an AWESOME dog. She is very hardy health wise; she has had absolutely NO medical issues. No ear infections, no skin problems, no allergies - nothing. Other than her initial check up and being spayed - almost a YEAR ago, this girl has NEVER been to the Vet while with RAGOM. She gets her monthly heartworm pill and Frontline, which don't require an office visit, and that's it. I've taken her to my Vet when my own dog needed a check up just so she could check the place out!

Megan has completely adapted to living inside. Every once-in-awhile she'll get on the couch but she prefers the floor. Now that it's colder at night she usually lays on my bed for a little bit but gets too warm so she'll move to one of the dog beds or the floor. She actually hoped up on the couch by me and stayed there for a quite awhile the other night. I smiled knowingly and didn't make a big deal of it. She understands our daily routine and transitioned to our new routine very well when I changed shifts at work.

She plays rough and tough with my resident dog (Lab). And I've decided that that's what she would like to do with my cat - play with him. She has never hurt the cat and my cat is completely comfortable to walk freely around my home even within feet of Megan. Sometimes Megan gets up; sometimes she just watches him. 

With daily exercise, a house, and a yard, Megan's anxiety would most likely cease to exist. What are her fears? New people. But sitting on the floor and giving her treats helps immensely. Ask my grandmother. Megan LOVES her now because she fed her dog food out of her hands and passed out treats every time Megan came over. Grandma doesn't pass out treats anymore and can still call Megan over to her and pet her whenever she likes. Megan also ADORES my 13 year old son. She loves playing with him and getting belly rubs from him. She LOVES pulling him on his bike and running with him while on walks. But she also listens to him. He taught her High Five the first week we had Megan. And she will Sit and Wait when he puts her food dish in front of her, too, just as she does for me. She won't move until he says Go, just as she does for me.

Megan is also bothered by people walking by in the parking lot. But she has a prime viewing from our 2nd story patio door... from which to protect her home maybe? There's a lot of commotion that goes along with living in an apt. Megan spent TWO YEARS locked up outside - every single day and night, with very little human interaction and no other dogs to socialize with. I can't even tell you for certain that she was fed every day. What else could she do when she felt threatened, but bark? If a strange person or another dog came in her yard, what could she do, but bark? Her answer to things that scare her or she doesn't understand is to bark. If someone continues to approach her when she's barking, she backs away. She's scared, she's not going to hurt anyone. New objects in the hallway scare her and she backs away. But even amongst the commotion of daily activity in an apt building, Megan has improved immensely.

Because Megan is a survivor. She wants to live the life every dog should be given, and she wants it even more now that she's gotten a taste of it. Love, protection, and guidance from her human. Exercise for her body and mind. And the ability to run like the wind in a fenced in backyard. She LOVES running around the yard with my Lab; the smile on her face in those moments are priceless. Megan needs and deserves the protected freedom a good dog owner can provide - just like every other dog.

If you can provide Megan a home with:

  • a physical fenced in yard
  • older children or no children
  • a rough and tough dog to play with - similar or larger in size, similar activity level
  • a dog savvy cat, or no cat

If you like to ski, jog, hike - Megan would LOVE to be your exercise partner.

If you take daily walks - Megan would LOVE to go with you

PLEASE contact your Placement Advisor so they can send me your information!


Belly play time - 1


Belly play time - 2


Belly play time - 3


Belly play time - 4


Megan and Birdie LOVE Treat Lady's backyard


Megan checking out a plush toy ... finally


When Megan gets a slight chill she lays on the doggie bed


Why'd you shovel the snow off the deck?

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Merry Christmas Merry Christmas, Enjoy the snow! From Kathy G

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Megan is still doing GReat!

She still sniffs people when she thinks they might have a treat or when they're not looking. My grandmother's house is her favorite place to visit because she gets to run around in the backyard and she knows my grandmother is the lady with the treats. She has no fear of my grandmother. LOL

Megan and my resident dog continue to get along great and love to rough house together. We all went hiking the other day and Megan really enjoyed it. Megan really likes being outside. She goes crazy when she sees a squirrel or bunny! I think she must spend most of the day at the patio door waiting for one to show up in the trees.

Megan rarely plays with toys and she is scared of anything that squeaks. She will pick up a tennis ball once-in-a-while. She likes antlers and nylabones for chewing.

Megan needs a yard with a physical fence, another dog her size or bigger with her energy level, and if there are children in the home they would need to be older.

Please let your placement advisor know if you would like to meet Megan!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Megan is doing GReat! 

She did very well at two recent events in Sioux Falls: Woofstock 2012 and the Howl-o-ween Doggie Carnival! She was a HUGE hit at Howl-o-ween and even won the dog biscuit eating contest for medium dogs! She didn't mind her Mrs. Clause costume one bit and everyone commented on how cute she looked!

We're planning another Sioux Falls RAGOM event for 2 different dates in November so stay tuned to the RAGOM website and Facebook page for details and another opportunity to meet Megan in person! If you would like to meet Megan before that, please notify your Placement Advisor. 


Beautiful Megan


Megan aka Ms Claus


Megan and Luke (RAGOM) Alumni Wrestle Mania at Howl-o-ween


Megan finally stood still for the cameraman

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Megan is doing SO well and I am so very proud of her! So many positive things have happened in the last few weeks and it has been absolutely awesome to witness! Megan has just about completed a 180* from where she was when she first came in to RAGOM.

I have to mention how great it was to meet the amazing volunteer that picked up Megan from her former residence and her wonderful first foster at Goldzilla on Sept 22nd. I was looking forward to meeting several other volunteers, but Goldzilla was a whirlwind of activity - and Megan did AWESOME. No anxiety what-so-ever, just shyness. No barking, no spinning. She approached a few people cautiously, but not everyone. It seems that the more activity, people, and dogs she is around the more relaxed she is and I truly think it's because she feels like no one is focusing their attention on her and in return she has a lot to focus on and watch. 

She was very happy to spend the weekend with her buddy, Thomas (my son), and they had an amazingly fun experience together at Goldzilla - CaniCross! CaniCross is one of the harness activities that Megan would LOVE to do with her new owner. There was a Skijoring vendor at Goldzilla and we made a beeline straight to her booth! Thomas and Megan were suited up in their appropriate harnesses and connecting bungee cord and off they went with the vendor and her dog to run along the bike path. The vendor couldn't believe how happy Megan was when she was doing it - you could literally see her smiling and how much sparkle it brought to her eyes! The freedom Megan must experience when she does it absolutely shines through every inch of her body. This girl was born for harness activities!  The vendor mentioned how they are trying to get harness activities approved as a sport in the Olympics, which instantly brought a vision to my mind of Megan, a once neglected dog, competing in the Olympics. It brought tears to my eyes. And I truly believe with the right training Megan could do just that. 

But she doesn't need to be in competitive sports by any means. She would be just as happy as an individual, couple, or family's four legged daughter/sister. During the winter, she would LOVE to pull someone in a sled around the yard. And in the summer she would love to run while you ride a bike. Harnesses can be integrated in to both of those activities. Right now, we walk with a makeshift harnesses, and Megan is just fine with that. Megan is the only thing that has ever made me wish I were a runner, because I would like to be able to provide her with the ability to experience that rush, that freedom she experiences.

There are a few other things that have happened in the last few weeks. We stayed in a quiet house the weekend of Goldzilla with my son. She was nervous about where we were and why we were there and made herself comfortable by the front door most of the time, but I noticed she was able to relax, too. She didn't experience nearly the same amount of stimuli as she does where I live - constant traffic, people coming and going, wildlife, etc., and didn't have the ability to watch out a window or patio door. To be able to say that Megan has almost completed a 180* turn while living here is huge. I can confidently say that Megan has the ability to successfully live in just about any type of home environment - quiet house in the country, home in the city, etc. I even heard her snore for the first time ever on our way home that weekend. Now that is true relaxation!

What I have also found monumental is that when Megan first got here, everything set her anxiety off. Now, there are more times than not that she will either do absolutely nothing (WAAHOO), maybe let out a few huffs (completely acceptable), or bark once and then immediately look at me for guidance (YES!). For the moments that she still struggles with I am able to either tell her 'No', recall her, or calm her down while still viewing the source. I have been introducing more and more people to her, in my home and out, and she has started to approach them for a few sniffs and then continue on her way. Megan is indeed learning that not everything is scary, not all people are bad, and some people even give her treats! She is abandoning her former life and everything she learned from it.

Megan is doing absolutely fabulous overall. I enjoy having her in my home. My resident dog loves having her here. Everyone thinks she so flippin cute - and I agree! We are all anxiously awaiting to meet her new person or family! As I have seen with my other foster dogs, Megan will only continue to blossom in the right home. Could it be yours?? All you need to do is take the first step and let your placement advisor know you would like to get in touch with me. I reply to ALL inquiries!

Thank you so much!


Belly rubs from my buddy


Megan supports our troops too


Snoring on the ride back to SD

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

I swear Megan gets cuter and cuter every day!! Her fur is really getting long now and she's just... well... CUTE!!!

We finally got some rain the other day and discovered that Megan doesn’t care for thunder. She doesn’t have major anxiety about it; she just goes to the hallway where she's away from the windows to lie down. No problem at all!

Megan starts out lying next to me on my bed at night now, but gets down within 10 mins to lie on the floor because she gets too hot. In the morning she does what she can to help my Lab wake me up. : )

She and my Lab still have so much fun wrestling every day. We also walk around 2 miles nearly every day - sometimes a little less, sometimes up to 2.7 miles. Megan doesn't care one way or the other and most likely wouldn't mind going twice that distance!

August was quite an adventurous month for Megan! She got to swimming in a lake and consequently endured another bath, she went on a four hour round trip road trip and did absolutely fine, she spent a few hours exploring my relative’s backyard and starred at the tree where she saw a squirrel for half an hour straight, and she investigated a new visitor to our home! And here's some great news - she now lets the kids on our walking route pet her! (As long as everyone is sitting down.)

Megan endured years of anything but the life that every dog deserves, and yet she continues to take baby steps toward accepting the life being handed to her; a life of love, safety, a structured schedule, rules, and companionship from humans and dogs. Megan still has a strong hold on her independence, but I can assure you, the day she finally lets it go, you will struggle to fight back tears of joy.


Megan are you wearing lip liner?


Megan with young friend


Oh my What a cute expression


Smile for your new family Megan

Saturday, August 11, 2012

It's official - Megan is a swimmer! We went to the river and boy did she have a blast chasing after my resident dog - in and out of the water! She bounded into the river like a deer in a field, caught on to the whole swimming thing in no time, and built up her confidence in the process! Bathing Megan is a cinch and her fur dries very quickly! We have discovered the extent of Megan's drive to GO. She LOVES running beside - and even pulling, my son on his bike. If you like riding your bike and want a friend to join you - Megan would LOVE to go! If you like skiing, rollerblading, jogging - Megan would BEG you to take her, too! If you need someone to help you pull a sled with some chopped wood - Megan would volunteer! There are dog sports that are designed for dog's with Megan's drive called harness activities and they have Megan's name written all over them! They are only for dogs that truly have an overwhelming need to pull and aren't bothered in the least by pulling some weight. Again, Megan is not hyper. She is well behaved inside. But once you put her leash on, she turns on a switch, so to speak. If we stop for more than 10 seconds on a walk, Megan will walk backwards, then walk forward again with a bit of a surge, very similar to a Husky getting ready to pull a sled.

Megan needs a home with:

  • a physical fence
  • no young children
  • no small dogs (only dogs her size or larger)
  • a physically active adult/couple/family
  • a quiet home environment
  • no cats or other small animals
  • a calm alpha human to help her with what's left of her anxiety

Megan is very uncomfortable around the small children we meet on our walks; she does not like small dogs at all; and has a pretty high prey drive, so she should go to a home without cats or other small animals.

If Megan is still with me six weeks from now she will be attending Goldzilla in the Twin Cities, so if you would like to meet Megan in person, please be sure to attend! She will be part of the Foster Showcase as well as walking the 5k with me. Please ask your Placement Advisor for more details on Goldzilla!

All is well in Megan-ville!


Megan at her RAGOM debut


Megan unsure about being on the bed


Megan snuggling on the couch

Monday, July 30, 2012

Hello, Sioux Falls, SD!

Megan will be making her RAGOM debut this Saturday, August 4th, at our adoption event! It will be held at Your Pet Stop on 41st Street (just West of Cliff Ave) in Sioux Falls from 12-2. There will also be a nail trimming clinic from 1-3 so be sure to bring your pooch, too! We hope to see you there!

It seems like Megan's fur has all of a sudden doubled in length in the last few weeks! Her buzz cut is getting a little shaggy now and the feathering on the back of her legs and on her rump is starting to come in. I am reposting one of Megan's very first pictures to remind us what she normally looks like. Right now I think she kind of looks like an Ewok! : )


How Megan normally looks

Megan now knows more commands! In addition to Sit and Shake, she knows High Five, Wait, Out (as in "out of the kitchen"), and Go. When it's feeding time I have trained her to Sit while I put her food dish down and Wait until I tell her Go. She is so focused on my eyes during the wait time, wagging her tail across the floor, and listening intently while I tell her how much of a good girl she is. She does not break eye contact, which I am extremely impressed with! Once I tell her Go she is allowed to move to her dish and start eating. I still put a few balls in her dish in an attempt to get her to eat slower. Training Megan is very easy; she is a very smart girl!

Megan still pulls while on walks even in the body harness. She is so driven to GO that she barely slows down by the end of a 1.8 mile walk. She would do very well in a highly active family/household. Hiking, running, jogging along side a bike perhaps, playing in the water at a river or a lake, long walks, playing tug of war... this girl has strength, endurance, and energy! But she is not hyper. When she's in the house she maintains herself appropriately. She takes naps, watches the cat, plays and wrestles with the resident dog, etc., but as soon the humans put their shoes on she knows it time to GO!  She bounces up and down and turns in circles by the front door waiting for someone - anyone, to grab her leash and open the door!

We took Megan and my resident dog to the river and she really enjoyed it! The river is so low from the drought that we weren't able to see if she would swim. She noticed my resident dog running up and down the river chasing birds and she wanted to be able to run free, too, but I had to keep her on the long lead. So she cautiously explored where she could.

She stood proudly during her bath, never complaining. Her fur dries very quickly! She didn't mind getting combed but I could tell she didn't want it to last too long. She only had a few tangles in her tail so her grooming was quick. I have not had any issues with touching her tail, but I have noticed what could be an old injury that I will mention to the Vet.

Megan is VERY well behaved inside; someone is going to be a very lucky adopter! She does not counter surf, she does not chew on inappropriate items, she is not destructive and does not have separation anxiety when left alone. Megan has free roam and has never had an accident. She sleeps on the floor or on her dog bed. She has only jumped up on the couch a few times, with a lot of encouragement, but did not stay long. Same for my bed. She has been left alone with my resident dog, and she has been left alone by herself. She has no issues at all either way.

Megan is very independent and on alert a lot. I have started desensitizing her to noises in the building and when there are people in the parking lot by redirecting her attention to me for a short training activity and treat. I am also improving her recall at the same time. I have already started substituting the treat for lots of praise when she comes to me because she learns so quickly.

Because of Megan's history, Megan will need to go to a home that has a physical fence. A fence will give her a sense of security, but more importantly, she needs to experience being in a back yard with free roam, to play and run about as she pleases, without any other restrictions. Megan would not find it enjoyable to be tethered to someone while outside; she is independent and needs to be able to move about as she pleases. Megan needs to experience freedom in a fenced in yard.

We hope to meet some Megan fans next Saturday, August 4th, at Your Pet Stop from 12-2! If you are not in the Sioux Falls area and are interested in Megan, please contact your placement advisor!

All is well in Megan-ville! : )


Megan likes this new life stuff
After a walk

Big brown eyes
C'mon! Let's go for another walk!

Tug of war with foster sister
Tug of war with foster brother

Tired after a bath
Fur is getting longer

Look at those big brown eyes!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Megan would like to say Hello to everyone from her new foster home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota!

Megan arrived on Sunday, July 8th, via RAGOM's awesome transport team members and has already made progress! The first day Megan spent a lot of time pacing and trying to figure out how to get back outside; the poor girl didn't know what to think of the latest change in her life. She was completely indifferent to my resident dog and warmed up to my 13 year old son first. She had so much pent up anxiety and energy that we took her for a nice long walk as soon as it had cooled off a bit. We quickly learned that Megan pulls on a flat leash - HARD! We tried the gentle leader but she absolutely did not want to keep it on so my son spent some time running with her. She loved it! Megan just wants to GO! She doesn't care where, or with who - just GO! After our walk Megan was finally tired enough to lay down and relax. Whew!

Megan does have some anxiety issues, but the more she is offered a calm, confidence building leader and the more she is allowed to experience, the more that will subside. When she sees certain types of people she starts barking, spins in a tight circle and will try to bite her back where her tail touches it. She has done the same with unaltered dogs. Other dogs have caused her to back away. If she is approached by kids, she backs away. We also working on that with some of the neighborhood kids and she is making a lot of progress there, as well. Just last night she let them pet her and even licked one of the girls' hands.

Megan's coat is coming in very nicely. Right now she is a fuzzy bear but I would think by winter she will have most of her beautiful coat once again. She only weighs 47.6 lbs, but it's a good weight for her. She has stocky, VERY strong legs, but an otherwise slender body. Megan has big, beautiful, soulful, brown eyes. She loves, loves, loves to be pet and rubbed. She's much like a Great Dane in that she will approach you, turn into you, and look back at you in an invitation for petting. If you happen to be sitting on the floor, she'll sit right on your lap. She doesn't necessarily crawl into your lap, she sits on your leg. So cute!

Megan is a very smart girl. She knows Sit and Shake and my son is teaching her High Five. Most of the time when she sits, she automatically raises her paw, sometimes both! She is absolutely adorable when she does this! I am also teaching her Wait. Next will be Leave It.

Megan eats 1 1/4 cups of food in five seconds flat - even with a large ball in her dish. I hand fed her for awhile but she still didn't chew her food at all. Luckily the pieces are small so I'm not worried about her chocking. I don't allow myself to think about why she finds it necessary to eat her food so fast. I think with time, that anxiety will ease as well.

Megan finally started playing with my resident dog a few days ago and man is my resident dog happy! Megan didn't even touch a toy until the other day. Now she's played with a ball and picked up a few others but she's till not used to the idea playing with toys at all. Megan also likes to do a little light rough housing with my son.

Megan is doing absolutely wonderful after the first week! She is experiencing new things, starting to experiment with trusting other people outside the home, and learning what living the life of a dog should really be. Everything in her past is gone; now it's time for her to focus on her future!

Enjoy the pictures that I have managed to get of Megan! Hopefully those will improve with time, too! : )


First night in new foster home


Awww


Why so sad, Megan?


Cool deck, foster mom


So hard to get a good picture of Megan


Megan saying "Hello"


Megan relaxing


Megan enjoying a beef bone


Megan finally playing with RD


Megan playing again

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Megan is moving to a new foster home because her first foster Mom will be traveling in July. We have had the privilege of having Megan stay with us for a week until her new foster home is available and she has been the perfect guest here.  She has come a long way with the love from her first foster Mom so she barks at new people, but isn’t so afraid of them anymore.  She needs slow introductions to everyone, but will warm up to them, especially when they give her a treat!  She follows my husband around and wrestles with him on the floor.  She met our 5 yr old and 7 yr old grandsons and weren’t real sure of them at first, but warmed up to them too.

Reading the notes from Megan’s first foster home, we agree that Megan has a lot of energy that she needs to burn off every day, so she should have a fenced in yard.  We have to take her out on a leash and all she wants to do is run after anything that she sees.   She tries to get our resident dog to play, but being a former puppy mill dog, she doesn’t know how to play and gets scared of Megan. Megan is VERY strong and still pulls hard when walking on a leash.

Megan’s hair is growing back nicely and is real soft. Her tail curls up and touches her back which makes her bite at it.  It is funny to watch her chase it. She doesn’t like anyone touching her tail.

We have a crate set up for Megan, but she prefers to sleep on the floor next to our bed on an old bedspread.  During the day she will eat treats in the kennel and once in a while she goes in it to sleep, but most of the time she is sprawled out on the bare floor.  We had her in her kennel the first day, then gated in the kitchen with our dogs the second day, but has since earned free roam when we are gone. She has never had an accident in the house. We always take our dogs out routinely when they wake up or right after they have eaten and have never had an accident. She doesn’t chew anything except for bones and has never gotten on any furniture.

Everything that was mentioned in her first write up is exactly what we experienced here. Megan is one sweet dog!

On Sunday she will travel to her permanent foster home.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Hello Megan fans. ..

Megan has been hanging at our house for another week now and has made some break throughs. 

Megan likes routine and she's got ours figured out entirely.  When the resident dog Kyah and I get up in the morning we come downstairs and Megan is awake in her crate and is VERY excited to see us.  She prances her paws up and down and wiggles around in excitement.  I let her out and they both go bounding to the door where Megan excitedly jumps up and down and can barely contain herself while I get her tie out on.  Both dogs go out to do #1 and then come back inside to eat. Once I fill up her food bowl Megan runs right back into her crate and I feed her in her crate (mostly because the resident dog chokes to death from inhaling her food too fast if Megan is out of the crate during food time).  Then I open the crate door and Megan hangs out and does her thing while I get ready for work in the morning. After I'm all dressed both dogs go back outside to do #2.  (They can't do it at the same time you know. . priorities. . #1 first, then food, then #2.)  When it's time to go to work Megan goes back in her crate and runs there again stomping her paws up and down excitedly because she knows that foster mom gives treats before she leaves for the day. 

I come home at lunch time and there is Megan doing her happy dance waiting for me to let her out.  Again both dogs go bounding for the door.  We spend about an hour outside and when we come back in Megan runs back to her crate to wait for another treat.  When I get home from work again there's a happy excited Megan waiting to see me.  We spend a good amount of time outside if we can and it's not raining.  This either involves spending time in the yard and/or walking and then hanging out at home for the rest of the evening.  She's got the routine down and overall she is pretty happy with it.  

Here are some more updates: 

I'm excited to announce that Megan has finally prevailed in getting my resident to rough house with her at times.  She tried so diligently and was shot down so often that I really felt bad for her and then one day I looked over and Kyah and Megan were romping around the living room.  She loves to play.

Toys - Megan has finally discovered some toys on her own.  She will get the tennis ball as long as you don't throw it TOO far away and she actually brings it back and drops it in front of you (which is more than I can say for the resident dog)!  She's still a little rusty on what these toys are for but hey she is making progress and every once in awhile I see her get a toy for a little bit.  

Walks - Megan is a pretty smart cookie in that she has figured out that when my Mom, Kyah's "grandma" comes over that it means we are going for a walk.  When she sees "grandma" come in the house she dances around by the door impatiently waiting to go for our walk.  I can just hear her in her mind "hey that lady is here. . we go walking when that lady is here".  Although most of the time I use only one leash with Megan now, when walking I still use 2.  I use a gentle leader but no matter how many times we walk she still spends the first 1/3 of her walk working very diligently to get it off.  She is persistent.  I'll give her that.  We typically go for hour long walks and Megan is good to go for the entire time and still has energy when we get back.   She never does her business on walks which my resident thinks is totally nuts.  Most of the time she is pretty good on walks.  She does certainly need training but generally she is pretty good once she stops trying to get the gentle leader off. 

New People - Megan is still slow going on the new people thing.  She has decided that "grandma" the walk lady is pretty good.  Grandma brought her over a bunch of snausages and won her over that way slowly but surely.  That and the fact that grandma is here often.  I really do not have many men in my life right now so she is not getting any real exposure to new men and this is still an issue for her.  She barks at them and backs away from them.  Especially my poor neighbor.  Megan intentionally goes over to his house (her tie out reaches that far) and then when she finds him there she barks her head off at him and I have to drag her back over to my yard.  (only one section left of the fence before it's done thank goodness).  the thing is once she is good with you she is such a lover.  I really think that she just needs more exposure and some training and she will be fine with men too in time. 

Other animals - I can't speak for cats.  I am severely allergic to them and therefore I cannot cat test Megan.  I would think that she would be fine though.  She loves to chase squirrels and stuff but seems to understand that other dogs are in fact dogs.  As far as other dogs, once she meets them she is fine with them but we do have that whole I'm going to bark my head off at them until I know them.  Most of the time we can walk by men and other dogs on our walks without any barking at them but on occasion she sees a particular man or dog that she feels needs a good barking.  Although she is rather rude to my male neighbor she is just fine with his black lab Sophie.   

Tie Out/Fence - Megan really has no intention of "staying in the yard" which is why I feel a physical fence is better for her.   She will take every opportunity she can to go as far as her tie out will reach her and go to my neighbor's yard.  Also she is so wiggly that I found out first hand that she can loosen her collar and then it can slip off.  I turned around one day to see Megan's pink collar laying  on the lawn attached to the tie out.  I was so relieved that she and my resident were rough housing and she never even noticed it came off.  Deep Breath there.. crisis averted.  Since then I have been watching to see if she has loosened it at all so I can make sure it stays tight.  Although she is not a door bolter in general, she did manage to accidentally push the screen door open and she was outside heading over to the neighbor's house in a flash.  I frantically ran after her and called her name and miraculously she stopped and turned around and I was able to grab her.  I must have had some sort of guardian angel with me because she never listens any other time I try and stop her from going over to the neighbor's house.  Other than those two incidences we've been relatively good in the tie out dept.  She would do so much better with a fence though and mine is just taking forever to get done.  She understands that she has to be hitched up before she gets to go outside. 

Food/Business - Megan eats twice a day.. once in the morning and once at night.  I switched her over to puppy food because she needs the extra nutrition and needs to gain some weight.  She LOVES meal time.  She also does #2 twice a day as well.. once in the morning and once at night.  Generally I still take her out often enough that she doesn't need to tell me she needs to go but tonight was a break through in that as well.  She was being so annoying this evening..  demanding my attention and whining and kind of jumping up into my lap and she would not settle down.  Finally a light bulb went off in my head and I asked her if she had to go outside.  She turned around and bolted for the door.  Apparently foster moms can be kind of SLOW sometimes.  We have still had NO accidents.  Also, she has had great progress in dancing around by the door when she wants to go outside.  I haven't missed that one. 

Crate/Free Roam - I honestly believe that Megan would do just fine with more free roam than I have given her.  I have had her sleep upstairs in my bedroom a couple of times but she seems uncomfortable up there and seems that she prefers to sleep in her crate.  I have given her the option a few more times to sleep in my room but she goes back to her crate.  I really think it is because my room is upstairs and she is not really a fan of going up there.  She will but it's just more "comfortable" surroundings for her in her crate.  I also believe she could either have free roam or be restricted to a room while I am at work.  The only reason I have not done so yet is because My resident, Kyah, and Megan can scuffle sometimes and if I'm not there to mediate I just want to play it safe.  I have left Megan out on her own in the house when I have run to the grocery store or run a few errands and have returned to find everything just as I left it. 

Last I just want to say that Megan is such a lover.  Although I am still not letting her get on the furniture in case her new family doesn't want that, she does come up beside my armchair and stick her paws and head over in my lap for pets. I know that she would be a snuggler if I let her up onto the furniture with me.  She would love to be able to snuggle with someone during her calmer times of the day.  Please consider Megan for your family.  She is a puppy who needs obedience training like any puppy but is clearly well housetrained (just ask that SLOW foster mom) and doesn't chew a thing.  She is so ready to find her forever family!        

 


Look at me! I finally got this lazy foster sister of mine to play!  Hooray!


Hmm - My first rawhide. . this thing is pretty good.
I'll get this figured out.


Why did you throw that rawhide in my crate?
What am I supposed to do with that?


Oh there's like a lazy afternoon with a brief nap!


Look how peaceful I am when I'm sleeping!
Aren't I so cute?


See my nice soft blanket and bed?
I really love these and I really hope I have a nice soft blanket and
bed in my forever home with my forever family!

Monday, April 30, 2012

I’m so excited to send you the new photos and a new write up because Megan is SO adorable now.  This morning Megan went back to see Martha to finish her grooming.  She really could not be evened out leaving her coat longer so we had to shave her a little shorter than we had originally planned but I’m SO glad we did.  She is so beautiful now.  She got another bath too which she again LOVED.  Now all the matts and old dead hair and the bad coat she had are gone along with her smell.  I found out that the smell stays in that matted and old dead hair.  Her tail and face were also trimmed and she is cute as a button!  I had her and my resident outside on tie outs (because my fence still isn’t done grrr!) and two men walked by and commented on how beautiful Megan was and asked me about her.  Then they turned around and walked back and one guy asked me if he could take a picture of her because his wife would absolutely love to see her because she is so beautiful.  Megan hates to get her picture taken so I don’t know how good of a shot he got but that moment made me realize how far Megan has come in such a short time and what the power of an amazing grooming can do. (Thanks again to Martha Healy from Bear Trax in Hillman, MN for donating the grooming sessions to Megan!)

On Friday Megan also went to see Dr. Katie at Garrison Animal Hospital.  I’m excited to announce that her heartworm and fecal tests were both negative!  Yay!  I was very worried about both since Megan had been living outside on her own for so long with limited or no vet care or preventative care.  Megan does have some sort of infection on her tail.  She has been biting at it and so she was given antibiotics for the infection.  Other than that everything looks good and healthy overall.  She only weighs 47 lbs.  She is too skinny but not emaciated.  The vet feels her weight and body condition will improve with better food and nutrition and she gets a bigger serving of food now than I have been giving her.  That made her happy at dinner time!  Since these are her first shots, she does have to have a booster shot for her distemper in two weeks and two weeks after that she does have to go back in to be spayed.  Dr. Katie feels she is between 2-3 years old and since my paperwork says she was with her previous people for 2 years we went with 3.  My dog gobbles heartworm pills up like they are treats but Megan, who was excited at first thinking it was a treat, spit hers out and then slowly chewed it up and ate it piece by piece. 

Although Megan is a golden mix of some kind she has all golden personality.  She is so sweet and super excited about everything.  She is a puppy in a 3 year old’s body.  I can’t help but think having spent her whole life outside that she never learned the things she was supposed to learn and definitely did not get the socialization she should have had when she was younger.  Because of this I don’t think her mind ever made the leap forward to a 3 year old.  She is a 47 lb puppy who is very excited to have a family or people that love her.  She is excited about the world.  On her tie out she patrols my property. . at first it was nervous pacing but over time it has become an actual patrol.  She has to know what is going on.  I really think she is starting to have wonder and appreciation for the things that are out there and around her.  She is curious about EVERYTHING just like a puppy only she doesn’t chew things and she comes already housetrained.  I did not house train her.  Apparently it is an instinct for her.  She does not tell me that she needs to go out however.  We just go out often so I make sure she gets plenty of chances to relieve herself outside. 

One of the benefits to golden mixes over purebreds is that in general they have better health.  Megan seems to be very healthy.  Many goldens, my dog included, are riddled with allergies of some form or another.  It is also common for them to have ear infections on a regular basis (mine has an ongoing prescription for ear medication). A percentage of them will have hip issues and/or cancer in their lifetime.  It is much more likely that the mixes will be able to miss nearly all of those issues and Megan is well off to a great start.

I should also note for education in general that the quality of a dog's food makes a huge difference not only in the health of their skin and coat but in their health in general.  Although Megan is healthy her skin and coat were in terrible shape.  This partly comes from living outside but also from lack of nutrition.  She came with some food and it was great of them to send it but I knew I would have to change food immediately when it arrived.   I believe Megan came from a smaller town and often small towns have a harder time getting high quality food stocked in any stores.  But it will make a huge change in her, as well as the poop itself.  No one likes this topic but when Megan came her poop reeked to high heaven and was a pile of mush.  Again low quality food does this.  After only 2 days on high quality food the terrible stench was gone and her poop has some definite shape to it.  When you pick up poop this change alone is worth the change in dog food.

As I said, Megan is excited about the world.  She looks out the windows to see what is going on.  She patrols my property on her tie out (at least until Tuesday when my fence is supposed to be done).  She makes sure she can still come back in the house though.  Doesn’t want to be outside too long or she seems to worry that she might not be allowed back in the house.  Really likes her crate.  Her new house will need to have a crate for her at least for now and a soft dog bed and blanket that is all her own.  She loves to snuggle with her bed and blanket but won’t touch the dog beds that belong to my dog.  She wants her own and she feels my resident should have her own and they don’t cross lines.  For now Megan wants hers located in her crate and when she first gets her new family she will want the same thing.  Megan has gotten a lot better about meeting new women.  Thankfully we had a female groomer and a female veterinarian.  She doesn’t run right up to them but she doesn’t try desperately to get away from them anymore and eventually decides they are okay.   Once she warms up to you she will love you for life and be “your” dog.  She so badly wants her own family and her own house.  Men however are not so lucky.  She still wants nothing to do with them.  I feel confident that over time she will be better with them just like women but my neighbor tried to meet her the other day and she desperately wanted to be allowed back in the house and nothing to do with my male neighbor. 

After more time, I still feel a physical fence would be best for Megan.  Although she was okay with a 4 yo child she met at the groomer’s today she really wanted nothing to do with him and this confirms my feelings that children over 10 would be better for her.  The groomer confirmed she has a great body for running.. she would love to go on runs and/or walks.  The obedience classes will be a must for her.  I am still okay either way with another dog or not.  I don’t think she really needs another dog. She goes out and does things on her own and she really does not look to my resident for cues for anything.  She is bold and curious and does her own things.  What she really badly wants is a human or 2 all to herself.  She wants a family all her own.  I don’t think she would mind another dog however but it does need to be one that would like to rough house with her.  She tries desperately on a daily basis to get my dog to rough house with her and my dog denies her repeatedly.   My dog is 8 and likes “quiet” houses.  My resident thinks Megan is the biggest pill around.  At this time, Megan has not asked to come up on the furniture even though my resident lives on the furniture.  I have not encouraged it in case Megan’s new home would prefer not to have dogs on the furniture.  Thus far Megan is just happy as a clam with her own bed, blanket, and crate.  Megan is so adorable she doesn’t look or act anything like the same dog that arrived here one week ago.  She has made so much progress and I am so proud of her!  She is well on her way to her golden life.  If you meet these criteria and think Megan might be for you please let your placement advisor know.


Megan (sporting her new hairdo) LOVES
looking out the windows while riding in the car


I tried to get a face shot of Megan in the car
because she looks so darn cute with her new grooming!


I finally got a body shot of Megan’s new shave down and boy is she CUTE!


When we got home from the groomer we had to wash Megan’s pillows and blankets
so the smell wouldn’t transfer back to her now that she’s all nice and clean but Megan didn’t care.
She wanted to use the crate without the pillow!


Take a look at Megan’s giant paws. They are SO adorable.
She is so little and her paws are so big.


Despite the fact that Megan really dislikes having her picture taken
I finally got one of her looking at the camera from inside her crate.
Again she wasn’t willing to wait for the pillow and blanket to get done in the dryer.


I also got a shot of her standing and looking at the camera.
Isn’t she SO adorable. She was cute when she came but she is a looker now that she has been groomed.