Welcome to RAGOM Minnie! Minnie came to us from a shelter in Sioux Falls, SD after her owners surrendered her due to a change in lifestyle. She is a cute blond girl, 6 years old, very mild mannered and lets you know when you haven't petted her enough!
Minnie's vet visit went great and she is now up to date on her vaccinations, is heartworm negative (whew!) and is now on heartworm and flea/tick preventatives. And the BIG news - Minnie is BIG - like 92 pounds BIG! The nice doctor said she needs to lose at least 25 pounds. Minnie has a hard time moving around and is obviously uncomfortable with the extra weight. But the girl's got spirit!! She gets very excited whenever we pick up the leash and she runs to the door - ready to go! We are taking LOTS of short walks and eating nutritious kibble topped with yummy green beans. Well, I keep telling her that they're yummy - I don't think she is convinced yet.
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| Golden Retriever | Born: June 2002 |
| Female | Weight not specified |
Status: Deceased
Welcome to RAGOM Minnie! Minnie came to us from a shelter in Sioux Falls, SD after her owners surrendered her due to a change in lifestyle. She is a cute blond girl, 6 years old, very mild mannered and lets you know when you haven't petted her enough!
Minnie's vet visit went great and she is now up to date on her vaccinations, is heartworm negative (whew!) and is now on heartworm and flea/tick preventatives. And the BIG news - Minnie is BIG - like 92 pounds BIG! The nice doctor said she needs to lose at least 25 pounds. Minnie has a hard time moving around and is obviously uncomfortable with the extra weight. But the girl's got spirit!! She gets very excited whenever we pick up the leash and she runs to the door - ready to go! We are taking LOTS of short walks and eating nutritious kibble topped with yummy green beans. Well, I keep telling her that they're yummy - I don't think she is convinced yet.
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Miss Minnie has been adopted! She has a fur sister and a cat sister that is already walking all over her (literally)! We visited with Minnie in her new home and went for a walk in the park. Watch out squirrels! - there's a new dog in town! We also saw Minnie at the RAGOM picnic/FunRun where she took her first swim in the lake! She's a lucky girl!!
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Minnie has started to smile! Minnie is quite sensitive and a bit unsure sometimes. She had a hard time adjusting to the recent changes in her life and has had some ups and downs lately. There is a wonderful little lady in there somewhere but Minnie has been slow to share that!
First, despite what she wrote in her update last week, Minnie is becoming a very good little walker! She even seems to enjoy her walks now and tosses in a little slow run once in a while. And I have seen her Bunny-hop up 15 stairs, two at a time! This is the same dog who could barely tumble/stumble up and down the three stairs to get into the house just a few short weeks ago! She has gained alot of strength in her legs and is starting to enjoy herself and bounce around like a dog should. Way to go Minnie!!
Minnie likes my husband alot. She isn't so sure about me and gets nervous sometimes, especially with my hands. She is also very interested in large trucks - garbage trucks, delivery trucks, etc. Last Friday a repairman with a big truck pulled into the driveway and Minnie got very excited. (OK, to be fair, FM was pretty excited to see the repairman show up too), but anyway, Minnie was excited and ran to the door with a tennis ball. (This was NOT typical Minnie behavior). Later that night, Minnie was very sad. She hid in her safe spots in the basement for the entire weekend. I tried and tried to coax her out and eventually was snarled at for my trouble. ( My fault, Minnie TOLD me she wanted to be left along but I wouldn't listen). Just when I was ready to give up, thinking I must be a terrible foster, Minnie popped her head out of the basement and hung out with us for a while. Since then, we have a new Minnie! She greets us at the door, be-bops along on walks, brings us toys and is following us around like a normal golden. Good girl!!
Minnie is very sensitive and doesn't like people to grab her collar. She wants to be told what to do. She is very polite and proper - not a goofball. Everyone thinks she is wonderful but it takes a while to win her trust and confidence. She also likes her space. After pets and playing, Minnie likes to go to her quiet places to relax in peace. Minnie would do best in a quieter household where she can feel safe and special. She has a high prey drive, so no hamsters, small critters or probably no cats either. She would do fine without a fence provided her people take her out and watch her closely. Now that she is accepting her foster home, I would like to see what else develops in the next couple weeks before she starts looking for her forever home.
Hi! This is Minnie - Thought I'd better take this update thing into my own paws since my crazy personal trainers (Foster M&D) are too busy trying to get everyone out for walks. Humans - Chill out! Relax! Stop and sniff the roses, and the grass, and the gopher holes!
First thing in the morning, we all go out for a walk. I go straight for the car door and try to explain that it's way more fun to go for a RIDE than a WALK - but FD pays no attention and just pulls me down the driveway. After this, we have breakfast and then pretty soon, another walk. Once again, I head straight to the car but these people are slow to catch on and we all go traipsing around the neighborhood again. When we get back home, I usually go to the basement walkout - it's my favorite place. There is a nice cool tile floor and watching birds and gophers through the big sliding dooors is better than Animal Planet on a widescreen! Those gophers drive me crazy!!! I get free run of the house and don't get into any trouble. Between naps and guarding the house from gophers, my day is pretty full. I'm a pretty mellow girl.
When everyone gets home from work, yep, you guessed it - they expect everyone to go for ANOTHER walk, but I pretty much refuse to go before dinner. I have a little stubborn streak sometimes. But after dinner, I give in and we take an evening stroll. Actually, this is nice because sometimes the neighborhood kids come up and give me pets. Crazy foster brother Jake LOVES to walk. He is older than me, but still runs around like some crazy young pup - Not very dignified!
In the evening we also play with tennis balls and rope toys but that Nylabone is boring! Oh - and these crazy people try to get me to play with a stuffed gopher toy but I just look at them... seriously - do they think I don't know it's not real?? Of course, crazy Jake LOVES the gopher toy.
I have totally charmed everyone that has met me and the little girl at the vet's waiting room even gave me kisses on the top of my head! She wasn't much bigger than me! I don't jump up or get in the way, but I do love getting petted. I walk kind of slow -- FM calls it "Minnie-speed" but once we turn around to come home, I walk a little faster - Hey - I have to pace myself! If you are looking for a well-behaved, mellow gal who just likes to hang out , let the folks at placement
ragom [dot] org know!
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Minnie is looking good and feeling good after her day at the spa. Nothing extreme, but a nice bath, trim and blow dry can do wonders! She has already lost a few pounds too - not even counting all the extra hair! Minnie had a busy weekend taking care of two senior ladies who came to visit for a few days. She sat at one end of the couch to let one lady pet her, then moved to the other end of the couch to give the second lady a chance to pet her too.... Back and forth... All weekend... It was a big job but Minnie was definitely up for it!
Minnie scored a "borderline" on her thyroid test so we are trying some thyroid meds right now. Once we determine how this is working, Minnie will be looking for her forever home. I think Minnie would do best in a quieter household, probably as an only dog or maybe with a non-threatening 2nd dog. She totally ignores the resident golden and the other dogs at the vets. She and Jake have exchanged a few sniffs but she does NOT want to play. Minnie's forever family will obviously need to continue with her weight loss and gentle exercise. I think Minnie will continue to blossom as she loses weight and feels better and better. I will report more as we determine the results of her thyroid meds.
