I would like you to meet Odie. He is a 3-year old mix, but he looks mostly golden, probably a little lab. He came to us on Saturday and rode beautifully all the way home. You could tell he was excited by all the kisses I received! When we arrived home, Odie met our resident dog without incident. We immediately took them outside to play. It didn't take long to figure out what Odie really wants to do...play fetch. He loves a ball (it doesn't not matter what kind). He wants you to throw and throw. He knows the game well since he will bring the ball back and drop it at my feet...ready to go again! I will say that even though I'm sure he's super disappointed when I say "we are done for a while", he will follow directions back into the house. Once in the house, he does what any dog that has just had a big game of fetch would do...drink and drink and drink. Since he came from a shelter, he wasn't house broken. So this water he was drinking...you guessed it. Gotta go, gotta go right now! He had a few accidents but it was really my fault. After a couple days of taking him out often, he has done MUCH better. He hasn't had an accident in the house since Sunday and has really gotten the hang of going to the door when he needs to go out. I wouldn't say we are 100% yet, but we are well on our way.
Odie is crate trained and doesn't make noise when in there. He stays in the crate while we are at work and has lasted 9 hours for the past 3 days (and counting). When I get home, he does need to go. I would say 9 hours in about his limit. Odie has figured out the toy bucket and likes ALL of them, including the resident dog's. Even though he takes them from her (and she let's him), he will allow me to take it out of his mouth without ever growling. He does not resource guard against these toys or his food. He also doesn't attempt to eat the resident dog's food either.
Odie acts like a puppy in many ways which means he just needs someone that is willing to put in the time to train him. He knew "sit" and "drop it", but not many other commands. We are practicing every day on some others like "down" and "come". He is very responsive to the learning, especially when food is involved. Wouldn't you? He needs a family that will be willing to take him to obedience training.
Odie got his first bath on Sunday and passed with flying colors. He was really calm while I wet him down, shapooed him, then rinsed him off. In fact, at one point he just sat down in the bathtub! My resident dog would never do that. He was just very laid back and it was well worth it. He came out smelling super sweet! Ready to cuddle...
While we relax in the family room, he will entertain himself with a toy or rawhide. Of course, if you choose to throw a tennis ball, he will partake! We use baby gates to block him into the areas with us so we can keep an eye on him. Since he acts so much like a puppy, he can't be trusted with free roam...yet.
The first night, we put Odie in the crate and he did quite well. The second night (and beyond), we didn't have the heart to put him in the crate at night, play ball with him for 15 minutes in the morning, and send him right back to the crate for 9 hours while we went to work. Instead, we tried leaving him out during the night, even though we knew he wasn't completely house trained and may attempt some puppy chewing. To our surprise, he laid down on the bathroom floor and went to bed. He hasn't had an accident or chewed on anything inappropriate. In the morning, I invite him onto the bed and he's a wonderful snuggler. He's going to make a really great dog for a family.
Some things that should be considered if looking at Odie to join your family:
-A fence would be great. Right now he's on a tie out and it's just not enough room for him to run and get all of his energy out.
-An active family. Odie needs to "do and do" whether that's going for runs/walks, dog parks, or trips to the cabin. He is an active dog, so he needs an active family.
-Children are unknown, but I think he would do fine with them. Due to his excited nature, maybe 8-10+ years old.
-Cats have not been tested.
Odie has a vet appointment on Friday to get updated on all of his shots.
I can tell you that he is neutered, so if all goes well on Friday, he will be ready for adoption. I will update more this weekend on what the vet tells us. If you would like to meet Odie, please contact your placement advisorplacement
ragom [dot] org. Talk to you soon.
| Mixed Breed | Born: February 2007 |
| Male | 65 lbs |
Status: Adopted
I would like you to meet Odie. He is a 3-year old mix, but he looks mostly golden, probably a little lab. He came to us on Saturday and rode beautifully all the way home. You could tell he was excited by all the kisses I received! When we arrived home, Odie met our resident dog without incident. We immediately took them outside to play. It didn't take long to figure out what Odie really wants to do...play fetch. He loves a ball (it doesn't not matter what kind). He wants you to throw and throw. He knows the game well since he will bring the ball back and drop it at my feet...ready to go again! I will say that even though I'm sure he's super disappointed when I say "we are done for a while", he will follow directions back into the house. Once in the house, he does what any dog that has just had a big game of fetch would do...drink and drink and drink. Since he came from a shelter, he wasn't house broken. So this water he was drinking...you guessed it. Gotta go, gotta go right now! He had a few accidents but it was really my fault. After a couple days of taking him out often, he has done MUCH better. He hasn't had an accident in the house since Sunday and has really gotten the hang of going to the door when he needs to go out. I wouldn't say we are 100% yet, but we are well on our way.
Odie is crate trained and doesn't make noise when in there. He stays in the crate while we are at work and has lasted 9 hours for the past 3 days (and counting). When I get home, he does need to go. I would say 9 hours in about his limit. Odie has figured out the toy bucket and likes ALL of them, including the resident dog's. Even though he takes them from her (and she let's him), he will allow me to take it out of his mouth without ever growling. He does not resource guard against these toys or his food. He also doesn't attempt to eat the resident dog's food either.
Odie acts like a puppy in many ways which means he just needs someone that is willing to put in the time to train him. He knew "sit" and "drop it", but not many other commands. We are practicing every day on some others like "down" and "come". He is very responsive to the learning, especially when food is involved. Wouldn't you? He needs a family that will be willing to take him to obedience training.
Odie got his first bath on Sunday and passed with flying colors. He was really calm while I wet him down, shapooed him, then rinsed him off. In fact, at one point he just sat down in the bathtub! My resident dog would never do that. He was just very laid back and it was well worth it. He came out smelling super sweet! Ready to cuddle...
While we relax in the family room, he will entertain himself with a toy or rawhide. Of course, if you choose to throw a tennis ball, he will partake! We use baby gates to block him into the areas with us so we can keep an eye on him. Since he acts so much like a puppy, he can't be trusted with free roam...yet.
The first night, we put Odie in the crate and he did quite well. The second night (and beyond), we didn't have the heart to put him in the crate at night, play ball with him for 15 minutes in the morning, and send him right back to the crate for 9 hours while we went to work. Instead, we tried leaving him out during the night, even though we knew he wasn't completely house trained and may attempt some puppy chewing. To our surprise, he laid down on the bathroom floor and went to bed. He hasn't had an accident or chewed on anything inappropriate. In the morning, I invite him onto the bed and he's a wonderful snuggler. He's going to make a really great dog for a family.
Some things that should be considered if looking at Odie to join your family:
-A fence would be great. Right now he's on a tie out and it's just not enough room for him to run and get all of his energy out.
-An active family. Odie needs to "do and do" whether that's going for runs/walks, dog parks, or trips to the cabin. He is an active dog, so he needs an active family.
-Children are unknown, but I think he would do fine with them. Due to his excited nature, maybe 8-10+ years old.
-Cats have not been tested.
Odie has a vet appointment on Friday to get updated on all of his shots.
I can tell you that he is neutered, so if all goes well on Friday, he will be ready for adoption. I will update more this weekend on what the vet tells us. If you would like to meet Odie, please contact your placement advisorplacementragom [dot] org. Talk to you soon.
Happy St. Patty's Day from Odie! As you can see, he is trilled to be a part of our family during holidays. FM likes to put "head wear" on her dogs for a quick photo op, but Odie hasn't bought into all of that. Oh well...when in this house, he'll have to endure. Can anyone save him from this craziness? If you want to meet the Ode-man, send your placement advisor a note.
What a great weekend--the snow is finally melting! It's a great thing for all of us that are ready for spring, but not such a great thing for our furry friend's coat! Take a look at Odie...I'm just glad he had a blast hanging out in the back yard all day today. Don't worry, he did get a bath! After the bath, he continued to entertain himself with a giant raw hide. He truly is a happy boy around our house. Would you like to meet him? Just drop your placement advisor a note.
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An update from Odie’s temporary foster:
Of all the dogs I have cared for, Odie has way more energy than any of them, regardless of age. We did enjoy our time together, and Odie conjured up memories of my beloved Buddy, who went to "the bridge" nearly 1 year ago. In fact, I often referred to him as "Bodie", a nickname that I quickly picked up on from his foster mom. Odie was overly curious about our cat, Cleo - so we placed Cleo and all her items inside of my office with the door shut whenever Odie was not in his crate. Odie quickly picked up on this, and would often go to the closed door and sit and bark - announcing himself. When my brother and his wife stopped by to visit with his 2 year old female German Shepherd (Nikki), Odie appeared very agitated. We attempted a calm introduction, but Odie had other plans - so back into his crate he went, until my brother, his wife and Nikki left the house a short time later.
Odie has a great appetite - and even sampled (cleaned the dish actually) my cat's food, and my brother's dog's food. So he is not what you would call a picky eater. In fact, the final evening at my house, he got into the kitchen trash while we slept. We know he consumed a slice of pizza, a dozen or so shrimp shells and some lettuce - just the food products. He tasted and chewed on paper products, but spit them out. I was concerned that Odie may get an upset stomach, but he seemed totally fine. I was certainly thankful. Odie enjoys eating from his "busy cube", and really enjoys the occasional rawhide treat.
Now about that high energy - every chance he got to go outside in our fenced-in backyard, he would run & run. Sometimes he would loop the perimeter, and sometimes he would just criss-cross back and forth - but usually always at a high rate of speed. When it came to playing fetch-the-ball, Odie would play until my arm gave out – and he still wanted to play on.
I did take him on a number of mini-road trips, shuttling my wife to & from work, as well as go on some errands with me, always in his crate in the back end of my SUV. The first run involved some barking at cars along-side us at stop lights. But he got over that on our 2nd trip out, and never barked inside of our vehicle again. From that point on, every time I put on my jacket and started walking towards the door, Odie would run ahead, cut me off, and sit like a nice boy at the door. It's clear, Odie has good "road buddy" potential, and may hopefully grow out of the need for his crate at some point.
In the evening, some ear rubbing would sooth Odie's energy a bit, and he would relax on the floor for a bit. But when you stopped rubbing those soft ears of his, Odie would assume it's play time again - and get up ready to go. Odie may have misperceived that he was the "Alpha" of the house. But when verbal commands and physical restraining wouldn't work, it was into his crate he would go. I was thankful that he was always compliant about going into his crate when directed to. I believe he actually somewhat likes it in there. At night, we allowed him to sleep wherever he would want to. Sometimes it was off to the side of the bed, or the foot end of the bed, or even the hallway.
Odie is a good looking sweetie, but he requires a lot of attention. In my opinion would work out best in a fenced-in yard. He will occasionally nip to get attention if he is ignored, so I don't believe a home with children would work out well - at least for starters. Odie will need a somewhat selective "right fit" for his forever home.
Update from Odie’s permanent foster:
First, Odie and I want to again thank the “L” family for opening up their home. Odie really did enjoy that fenced in backyard. The long tie out is just not the same! Odie was able to jump right back into our household routine. I was worried that he might not remember Savannah (our resident) and maybe have an incident, but that did not happen. In fact, Odie barreled in the door, past Savannah, and right to the back sliding glass door as if to say, “I’m ready for my tennis ball!” Some things never change!
It’s back to training for Odie. We are still working on “watch” and when the doorbell rings. Hopefully (if the cold ever leaves), we will be able to get outside and start to work on his outside issues. If you would like to meet Odie, please send your placement advisor a note. We look forward to hearing from you!
P.S. I got a new camera, so here's a great picture of Odie and the morning sun--what a charmer!
Hey, it’s me, Odie! Didn’t you guys just love the snow this past weekend? FM says she’s tired of it, but I just LOVE it! I would stay out there for hours if FM would let me. I just lay down in the snow wagging my tail then I get up and carry my tennis ball all around the backyard.
I really am a happy go lucky dog most of the time. FM keeps telling me that I’m going to visit another family for a while since she’s going on vacation. It seems they have a fenced yard, so I know I’m gonna love that. They also have a cat, so we’ll see how that goes. No one knows if I’ve ever been exposed to cats. Hopefully, we get along as well as my foster sister and me. I think FM put a picture of us sleeping so sweetly together. Her butt makes a great pillow!
Yesterday, FM took me on a car ride just to get me used to riding again. I did some barking, but it wasn’t too bad for my first time out. I think the cars just freak me out a bit when they pull up next to us at a stop light. Otherwise, I love the actual riding.
I’ve also been working on appropriate ways to greet people at the door. FM makes me “lay down” until the people have come in and I’m calm, then I get to go visit. Really, I just give a quick, drive-by “hey” and speed on past in search of a tennis ball. I’m doing pretty well with the door though. FM is proud of my progress.
Well, I guess I’ve gotta go. FM says I have to get a bath tonight so I’m not stinky for my temporary foster. They are so excited to have me and I can’t wait to meet them. FM and I want to say “thank you” to the ‘L’ Family for opening their home to me for a bit. Anyway, we’ll write more after my temporary visit. Take care.
Signing off---Odie Bodie
Happy Day After Valentine’s Day! Odie got a big, juicy knuckle bone and he was in heaven! Odie has been a silly dog recently. A couple weeks ago we were trying a short walk. We passed along the driveway and he saw a big stack of snow. All of a sudden, he plopped his big head right into it and used his nose like he was sniffing something out. I’m not exactly sure what he was doing, but it was so cute and made me laugh out loud. Neighbors probably think I’m nuts, but that’s okay! Odie also found the basket of toys and is no longer afraid of putting his whole head to search out that very special toy of the day! Sorry I didn’t have a camera. A picture is worth a thousand words. Since our entire backyard is currently an ice skating rink, Odie and I were throwing the ball in the basement. The tennis ball got lodged between a couple boxes and Odie stuck his head all the way in (moving the boxes, of course). It is official…he is not afraid to stick his head into “things”. Anyway, Odie is doing well in the house. He knows the commands “sit”, “come”, “stay” and my personal favorite “lay down”. I use this one often. If he is starting to be a bit mouthy or no longer acting like a gentleman, I just say “lay down” and he does. This is just a time out space and he will do this in any room of the house. In order to work towards the anxieties he has outside of the house, we have begun clicker training. Basically, whenever he does what we want him to do, you hit the clicker and immediately follow up with some yummy treat. His current faves are bologna, hot dogs, and the ultimate bacon—who can blame him about the bacon, right?! During clicker training, we are concentrating on “watch”. This is when he only looks at me. It is suppose to calm him and give him something positive to focus. I want him to feel comfortable with this command so we will eventually be able to take it outside when he’s in the high anxiety situations. We are also taking more “car rides” just to get him comfortable riding in cars again. He has been doing great, but will still bark at some cars as they pass by. There are definitely things in his past that are triggered by certain things, like cars and dogs. The hardest thing about rescue dogs is that we don’t know their background, but we do the best we can to provide a better forever life for them. Maybe you could provide that home for the Ode-man. He is going to need someone that is willing to help him get over his anxieties. He would love a fenced yard, somewhere that he could run and play with his…you guessed it…tennis ball! Cats are unknown. No young children would be best. If you would like to meet Odie, please contact your placement advisor. 
You can run but you can't hide from me!
I hope everyone is staying warm this January. Odie and I were snuggled up against the fire last night. It was quite nice. He is turning into such a nice dog. I knew it from the very beginning. He just needed a little TLC and someone to set boundaries. Since he is such an active dog, I bought him a Buster Cube yesterday. I put his breakfast and dinner into the cube rather than in his bowl. This not only slows down his eating, but also stimulates his mind. This allows him to get some more exercise every day. It took him a little while to get the hang of it, but once he did, he had so much fun. We still haven’t ventured outside to work on those issues. Hopefully we will do that soon. Anyway, here is a picture of Odie’s new Buster Cube and one with his rawhide. I found 20 of them for $15 today at Costco. He sure loves his FM when she brings things like rawhides home!
If you want to snuggle with Odie by the fire, contact your placement advisorplacementragom [dot] org.
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Hello Everyone! It’s me Odie-Bode. Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written. My foster mom has been really busy lately trying to help me be the best dog I can be. We were doing so well for a while. I was listening, following directions, and not trying to bully my foster sis--too much. FM kept saying that I was such a good boy. I guess that went to my head because I started acting up a little with excess barking. FM didn’t like that too much, so she made me go to “time out”. It seems to be working…even though I don’t like it! There is one good thing about time out. If I relax and I’m not so antsy, then FM will throw the ball for me. I know all of you that have been following my story know that I LOVE TO PLAY BALL!! I’m starting to get the idea that if I relax a bit, then I get to play ball. I love when FM throws the ball down the stairs. I go all the way down and all the way back up, over and over again. Sometimes I intercept the ball before it has a chance to get down the stairs. FM tells me “I’m quick”. I know I am!
I’ve been doing really well at feeding time. I know I have to wait for FM to give me the food and I’m not at all pushy about getting to it. I will wait for FM to say “OK”. Sometimes she tests me and I start to drool, but really can you blame me? I’m hungry and she’s playing games. I think she put a picture with this update so you can see how wonderfully I sit and wait.
I’m still barking at the bunnies in the back yard, but can you blame me about that one either? I’m a retriever! Hopefully it will get warm soon (FM says wishful thinking), so we can go on a walk. I haven’t been out of the house since the time I got so scared at Petco. I just don’t know how to cope, yet. I hope I can find a family that wants to help me get over these fears. I know I can be a really good dog. FM knows this because she went out of town this past weekend. She left me and my foster sis with a friend that came over to take care of us. When FM got back I couldn’t stop wagging my tails for hours. Wait a minute, maybe it was that I knew she’d throw the ball for me…no, it was that I missed her. Anyway, FM has been great, but I sure would love to find my forever home.
If you’re interested in meeting me, contact your placement advisorplacementragom [dot] org. Until next time…this is Odie-Bode…signing off!
Can I please eat yet???
Happy New Year to all of our RAGOM readers! Odie and I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Speaking of friends, Odie went to stay with the M family over Christmas. I think everyone had a blast hanging out. He especially liked going to the tennis courts to have the ball thrown over and over. I think Odie would love to have a fence to play ball. I want to say another “thank you” to the M family for sharing your home with Odie over the holiday. We both appreciate it. As some of you may know, Odie tried to go to the Petco event in Burnsville last month. We never made it inside due to some insecurities he had. It is clear that Odie has had very little socialization in his previous life. We are working with RAGOM to set some very clear boundaries to allow Odie to feel more secure in his surroundings. Odie is already starting to show wonderful signs of improvement. With some consistent work on my part, he is much more attentive and is starting to understand that everything comes from me. He will need someone that will put in the time to create these boundaries in his furever home. His adoptive home will need to be consistent and work with him for several sessions daily over the course of many months, in addition to obedience class. Just a few of the things that Odie has learned to do well from our daily sessions: 1. He sleeps on the floor next to the bed without trying to play in the middle of the night. In fact, I have to wake him up to go outside. How marvelous...me wake him up!! 2. He sits and waits for me to say “okay” for him to eat. He used to try to jump on in. This only took two feedings to master. He's a quick learner. 3. He lays down instead of trying to be in your lap with a ball—all the time. Now he just hangs out while we are relaxing in the evening. When it is time to play, he has a new indoor play area. Over the holiday, my husband and I cleaned out our unfinished basement. Now Odie has a long runway to chase balls, plus we take advantage of the stairs. He loves to go up and down the stairs and he burns so much energy doing it. It has been great since it’s been so cold. I’ve attached a couple pictures of his new play area, including the many tennis balls. The bottom line for Odie is that he is going to make a great dog for someone willing to put in the time. He does have lots of energy, but I am finding ways of channeling it so he becomes a better dog. If you have any questions, or would like to meet Odie, please contact your placement advisor.
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Hello everyone! It's me Odie...I am having so much fun at my foster home. There are lots of toys and they even went to a Christmas party last night. Their friends gave me two new squeaky balls. They are red with white paws on them...just like my collar! I love them both, so it's really hard for me to decide which ball to play with first. I like to go back and forth. Foster mom took a short video of me trying to decide which balls to use and was playing it back on the computer. She was laughing at me because while it was playing on the computer, I was confused as to where the sound was coming from. I thought, "That sounds like my squeaky ball." I did a lot of head tilts back and forth trying to figure it out. I guess she thinks I'm pretty cute! She also caught me trying to get these balls out from under the chairs in the office. I decided to crawl under the side table and turn around. I just laid down waiting for the balls to get "unstuck". They never did, so foster mom had to help me out. She took a picture of me first. I think she added them to this update. Anyway, Christmas is approaching. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I will be busy playing in the snow. I love that white stuff, even though foster mom says it's too cold for her! Take care and I'll write more later.
XOXO-Odie
P.S. If you want to meet me, please contact your placement advisor.
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Hello Odie fans! We want to take a minute to thank everyone that came out to Petco to meet Odie on Saturday. We are really sorry that he wasn't able to see everyone. This was his first adventure to a doggie store and he wasn't used to all of the excitement in a parking lot, plus seeing lots of dogs. Please remember that these dogs are rescues, so we don't know their previous life before they come into the loving hands of RAGOM. I have to assume that Odie had never been on a trip to the store where there was so much going on around him. He was just very scared. With the help of the wonderful RAGOM volunteers, we are going to work to calm this fear and hopefully make him feel more comfortable in those sort of situations. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Odie is a WONDERFUL dog and has settled nicely into our house, but just needs more exposure to other settings. I will keep you updated on his progress regarding these extra-curricular activities.
Other news about Odie: He is beginning to learn "come" which I thought might never happen since he loves to play (and stay) outside. He doesn't play the game of "I heard you say 'come', but I'm not going to plus I want you to chase me!" This is the game our resident loves to play, but Odie is starting to understand the concept of "come" with ease. He still needs much more practice, but this is a start!
Like I've said over and over, he loves the snow, the outdoors, and especially his ball! Here are a few pictures that encompass all three. When it's time to come in, he comes to the deck and lays complete stomach down (with his ball, of course) and starts to eat the snow by nuzzling his snout deep into the snow. It's really cute when he emerges with snow completely covering his face! He is quite the playful guy.
Thanks so much for following Odie's story and please let your placement advisor know if you would like to come visit him.
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Wow, what a difference a couple weeks makes! Odie is settling in to our house nicely. He still acts like a puppy, but is starting to get the rules and expectations. We have begun crating him during the night and while we are at work. When we are home, Odie is tethered to me by a short leash. This allows me to 
give him a quick redirection and treat to teach him appropriate behaviors. He will be an amazing dog once he goes to obedience training and has someone follow through at home.
Odie really enjoys all toys-stuffed (although they don’t stay stuffed for long), squeakers, balls, etc. He is kind of a bully and will grab them out of Savannah’s mouth, but she doesn’t seem to mind. They love to play with each other. Sometimes this play is a bit rough and Odie doesn’t really know when to back off, so we are working on this. He does wonderfully with Savannah, but he would do REALLY great as an only dog. He would love all the attention!
Odie is your typical, loving golden. He will snuggle up and give kissies. Today we took a nap, I on the couch and Odie on the floor. He didn't bother me and we both just rested. It was wonderful. We put up the Christmas tree last week and had decoration boxes all over the place. He hasn’t even tried to eat any of the ornaments. He has been a wonderful guest in our house. He doesn’t chew on anything: carpet, shoes, paper, etc. He doesn’t jump on the counter and only sniffs your food if you eat at the coffee table. I’m pretty sure he is thinking, “That smells yummy, foster mommy. Can I have some?” You can tell that he lived in a house in his past life as he does have very nice house manners. He only had a few accidents the first couple days after his arrival, but he has shown to be completely house broken. As soon as he is let outside, he knows to go to the bathroom…then of course, he gets a ball and says “Let’s go…I’m ready…Throw the ball!”
He found a new thing called “small animals”. We have an outdoor cat that lives next door and Odie really wants to see what that is all about. From his reaction to this cat, his forever home should not have cats. He also watched through the window at the rabbits in the woods behind our house probably wondering what they were. He wanted to have fun with those furry things too! I think he is tired of being on a long tether to play outside. He would love a fully fenced yard just to run and run! The cold has not seemed to deter him from wanting to play with his ball. I get bundled up and we do this several times a day. He needs someone that is willing to help him exercise and get his energy out. If he has had a good run, he is much calmer and trains better in the house.
It has snowed all day today where we live. He had a lot of fun running around in the fresh powder, just like a kid! He was so cute. I took a couple of pictures. Speaking of pictures…our poor resident dog endures the antler/Santa hat pictures, so of course the foster dog will be no exception! He’s probably thinking, “Seriously?” Oh well, he is cute!
I’m really proud of the progress that Odie has made. His growling has subsided and it is not malicious in any way. With consistency, I think it will go away completely. We are going to be at Petco next Saturday (Dec. 13th) in Burnsville starting at 11 a.m. If you would like to meet Odie, please come see us or send an email to your placement advisor. He's excited to meet his forever family.
Some holiday photos!
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Sorry it’s been a little while since Odie and I have sent an update. The holiday weekend has been crazy for us. First let’s talk about the Odie’s vet visit. He went on November 21st to get up to date on all of his shots. Odie rode beautifully in the car, just laid down in his kennel-not a sound. When we arrived, it was a little scary for him (busy street, people/animals he didn’t know), but once in our room, he did great for the vet. He let the vet do all the poking and prodding that vet’s do. He still needs to go back on December 12th for the DHPP booster. After that he is good to go. He is at an ideal weight of 53.8 pounds. Although he was brought into RAGOM with an estimated age of 3, the vet thinks he is closer to 1 ½-2 years old because he has sparkling white teeth. Overall, everything looks good for Odie.
Odie is turning out to be a really great dog, but he is definitely a puppy. The first week he was here, he just joined the house with no problem, but I think by the second week he was starting to think he owns the place! Odie likes to play nip (as many puppies do) at your hand, leg, clothes, anything that moves. We are really trying to stop this behavior and he is doing better. This will need time. For this reason, Odie should not be placed with a family that has small children.
Since he thinks he owns the place, Odie has also started to resource growl over things. It is not a bad, mean growl and is definitely trainable. He will let you take the item in question away from him and he doesn’t attempt to nip at the person doing so. Odie does know and understand the word “NO”, which has helped the training. He also responds well to treats as rewards. He is like a typical adolescent child that will test you until they realize they can’t win. Odie can be redirected from bad behavior to a good with little effort, but this has to be done consistently. Odie needs someone that will set and enforce boundaries.
When he joined our family two weeks ago, he did this without incident towards our resident dog and still does really well with her. He has begun to growl at other dogs, both a few houses down and while we are on walks. I think this is probably because he is tied up either on a tie-out in our back yard or attached to a leash. This prevents him from being able to sniff and meet dogs the normal dog way. I think that he would do fine with most dogs, but while with us, he hasn’t had much opportunity.
Odie still loves to play with ALL kinds of balls. His new toy is a large red ball that has a handle. I’ve attached a great action shot. Odie is a typical young dog that needs training. Once he has this training, he will be an amazing dog and someone will be very lucky to have him. If you would like to know more about Odie, please email your placement advisor to set up a meeting.
Odie, Savannah (resident dog) and I are off to decorate our very short, fat Christmas tree we got at the Christmas tree farm yesterday. Those things look so much bigger before you cut them down!! We’ll send more pictures soon. Hope you had a nice holiday with your family.
