Sponsored by: Brian & Julia N
It is my pleasure to introduce Peggy to the RAGOM family! She is a Golden mix and is approximately 4-5 years old. Peggy is 50 lbs and looks just like a smaller PB Golden except she has this gorgeous white chest and a little white on her toes. She is a cutie and will be even more gorgeous when her coat is cleaned up a bit. Peggy was living outside without much care (to put it nicely) up north. On Saturday we got her out of the -20 weather and on her way to a new life. She has had very little socialization and is quite scared about most things. Simply having a collar and leash on are new to her, being pet lovingly is a new concept, and everything that involves living in a house is new to her. The amazing thing about Peggy is that she is trying SO hard to be brave. It was a busy day for her on Saturday...imagine going from roaming outside freely to being in 3 different vehicles and ending up in a completely new place all in a matter of a few hours. Once she got in my house and let my dogs sniff her, she scanned for a safe place to be. Seeing her half walking, half crawling was so sad but I knew she'd quickly learn only good things are going to happen to her now. I put a dog bed in a corner of my office and showed her it was for her to lay on. Once she placed that fuzzy body of hers on that bed she decided she was plenty content. She did not move from the dog bed the rest of Saturday and for most of Sunday with the exception of me getting her out to go potty. Peggy was too nervous to eat or drink but Sunday I put a paper plate of food next to her dog bed and left the room. I peeked from another room and I saw her crunching...YEA PEGGY! Slow but steady progress, that's our girl.
She has not had one single accident in the house! Not one! It is easy to forget I have a foster because she is quiet as a mouse. Each hour or so that goes by she relaxes a little more, allows her eyes to close, and will give a wag of her tail. It makes my face light up because I know it is so hard for her but she is tough as can be. She is the type of foster that makes you rejoice when she poops (sad but true) and makes you get a tear in your eye when she walks through the front door all by herself (I had to carry her out the first few times as she was too scared to leave the dog bed). It's the same feeling a parent must feel when their child takes those first steps all by themselves. Sure, it might not be perfect........but it's a milestone all the same.
Now on to the medical stuff. We went to the vet today and I was nervous she would try to pull out of her collar, but she showed me up walking into the vet clinic and even smelling a dachshund that was there! She responds to the constant soft praise I give her...."C'mon girl.....you can do it". All the while she has her head down and her posture is nervous but she goes in headfirst! She weighed in at an even 50 lbs and seems to be good at that weight. Her fur is VERY thick from living outside and also quite matted so she'll probably shed a few pounds once that is off. :)
She got a complete exam and the vet was pleased with how things looked. Everything looked real good...ears, eyes, lungs, hips, heart, etc etc. She tested negative for parasites and was being so tolerant of all the poking and prodding. She was brought up to date on vaccinations and received her microchip as well. Unfortunately, her blood work showed that she is both positive for Lymes disease and for Heartworm. Peggy and I were already snuggling on the floor of the exam room so we hung out while further tests were done to see the extent. I had a tear in my eye....part mad and part sad. I wanted so badly for this girl to continue to flourish and become a beautiful butterfly. She'll have that chance. The good news is that her kidneys have not been affected from the Lymes which means we caught it in a stage that is easily treated. She gets to pop a few pills for the next 30 days and that will take care of the Lymes. The second part of the good news is that her chest x-ray looked good which means she has fewer worms or that it is also detected early. Once she gets a little stronger and is on the medicine for Lymes for a little bit she will get treated for the heartworm. The vet looked at me and my worried eyes and said Peggy has a great chance at making a complete recovery from both. She has already started her medicine and she's a tough girl who is going to pull through so she can see what an amazing life she can have!
So she has a few things that we will work on together to solve and she will be ready for her forever home. She is such a breeze to foster. House-broken as far as I can tell, hasn't chewed on anything inappropriate, gets along with other dogs, and would be a wonderful heater to snuggle up next to. The pics don't do her justice...it's been hard to get any good pics so far since she is still settling in. The little grey on her muzzle just proves she's a wise girl that has gone through things that no dog should. If you are looking for a potty trained snuggle bug let placement know, I promise you won't be disappointed.
"Look how brave I am, I got off of the dog bed!"
| Golden Retriever | Born: May 2002 |
| Female | Weight not specified |
Status: Adopted
Sponsored by: Brian & Julia N
It is my pleasure to introduce Peggy to the RAGOM family! She is a Golden mix and is approximately 4-5 years old. Peggy is 50 lbs and looks just like a smaller PB Golden except she has this gorgeous white chest and a little white on her toes. She is a cutie and will be even more gorgeous when her coat is cleaned up a bit. Peggy was living outside without much care (to put it nicely) up north. On Saturday we got her out of the -20 weather and on her way to a new life. She has had very little socialization and is quite scared about most things. Simply having a collar and leash on are new to her, being pet lovingly is a new concept, and everything that involves living in a house is new to her. The amazing thing about Peggy is that she is trying SO hard to be brave. It was a busy day for her on Saturday...imagine going from roaming outside freely to being in 3 different vehicles and ending up in a completely new place all in a matter of a few hours. Once she got in my house and let my dogs sniff her, she scanned for a safe place to be. Seeing her half walking, half crawling was so sad but I knew she'd quickly learn only good things are going to happen to her now. I put a dog bed in a corner of my office and showed her it was for her to lay on. Once she placed that fuzzy body of hers on that bed she decided she was plenty content. She did not move from the dog bed the rest of Saturday and for most of Sunday with the exception of me getting her out to go potty. Peggy was too nervous to eat or drink but Sunday I put a paper plate of food next to her dog bed and left the room. I peeked from another room and I saw her crunching...YEA PEGGY! Slow but steady progress, that's our girl.
She has not had one single accident in the house! Not one! It is easy to forget I have a foster because she is quiet as a mouse. Each hour or so that goes by she relaxes a little more, allows her eyes to close, and will give a wag of her tail. It makes my face light up because I know it is so hard for her but she is tough as can be. She is the type of foster that makes you rejoice when she poops (sad but true) and makes you get a tear in your eye when she walks through the front door all by herself (I had to carry her out the first few times as she was too scared to leave the dog bed). It's the same feeling a parent must feel when their child takes those first steps all by themselves. Sure, it might not be perfect........but it's a milestone all the same.
Now on to the medical stuff. We went to the vet today and I was nervous she would try to pull out of her collar, but she showed me up walking into the vet clinic and even smelling a dachshund that was there! She responds to the constant soft praise I give her...."C'mon girl.....you can do it". All the while she has her head down and her posture is nervous but she goes in headfirst! She weighed in at an even 50 lbs and seems to be good at that weight. Her fur is VERY thick from living outside and also quite matted so she'll probably shed a few pounds once that is off. :)
She got a complete exam and the vet was pleased with how things looked. Everything looked real good...ears, eyes, lungs, hips, heart, etc etc. She tested negative for parasites and was being so tolerant of all the poking and prodding. She was brought up to date on vaccinations and received her microchip as well. Unfortunately, her blood work showed that she is both positive for Lymes disease and for Heartworm. Peggy and I were already snuggling on the floor of the exam room so we hung out while further tests were done to see the extent. I had a tear in my eye....part mad and part sad. I wanted so badly for this girl to continue to flourish and become a beautiful butterfly. She'll have that chance. The good news is that her kidneys have not been affected from the Lymes which means we caught it in a stage that is easily treated. She gets to pop a few pills for the next 30 days and that will take care of the Lymes. The second part of the good news is that her chest x-ray looked good which means she has fewer worms or that it is also detected early. Once she gets a little stronger and is on the medicine for Lymes for a little bit she will get treated for the heartworm. The vet looked at me and my worried eyes and said Peggy has a great chance at making a complete recovery from both. She has already started her medicine and she's a tough girl who is going to pull through so she can see what an amazing life she can have!
So she has a few things that we will work on together to solve and she will be ready for her forever home. She is such a breeze to foster. House-broken as far as I can tell, hasn't chewed on anything inappropriate, gets along with other dogs, and would be a wonderful heater to snuggle up next to. The pics don't do her justice...it's been hard to get any good pics so far since she is still settling in. The little grey on her muzzle just proves she's a wise girl that has gone through things that no dog should. If you are looking for a potty trained snuggle bug let placement know, I promise you won't be disappointed.
"Look how brave I am, I got off of the dog bed!"
From Peggy's forever family...
Peggy has been a wonderful addition to our family. I think she really enjoys living in the country. And even though she doesn't play with the 3 cats that live with us also, I think she enjoys having them around!! Thanks to her foster mom who did such a great job with her!!
Peggy arrived at her forever home last night. She ran around in the yard, said hi to her furry feline siblings and was very interested in the neighbor boy riding a four wheeler. I can tell they are going to become good friends.
It has been rough for the first part of her life but now, thanks to RAGOM, Brian and Julia N, and the H family, Peggy is heading down the path to the golden life she deserves.
Good news Peggy fans - my GReat girl has found a forever family! We met Mrs. H at the Chuck and Don's event in Cottage Grove two weeks ago. Then last weekend we went to Mr. and Mrs. H's house in Hastings. Wow, Peggy loved it! She was clawing at the door before I could get the car into park. Peggy will be living in a beautiful rural area close to a river. I know she is going to love it and I know the H family is going to love her. How can they not?
I was looking at old pictures and I found this one of Peggy laying on the kitchen rug. I took this picture almost a month after Peggy came to live with me. I actually took almost a dozen pictures like this that day - I was so excited Peggy had ventured off of her dog bed and into the kitchen. She was so shy and so scared. And look at her now. I took the other picture this week. It doesn't look like the same dog.
I want to say a special Thank You to Brian and Julia N, sponsors of Peggy. I wish you could meet her; pictures do not do this beautiful girl justice. Because of your help, she will get to live many years of the happy, healthy life she deserves. You are wonderful.
Also, thank you to RAGOM and the good samaritan who rescued Peggy. Many people thought I would end up adopting Peggy and keeping her in my pack forever, having had her for so long and seeing her grow so much, but I knew if I waited long enough her perfect forever family would appear. And they have.
I write this with a smile on my face and tears on my cheeks. This is what fostering is all about. I am so happy for Peggy and the H family, and I am incredibly GRateful I got to foster Peggy - she is truly one in a million.
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Thank you again to sponsors Brian and Julia N. I wanted to share these pictures of Peggy playing in the snow on Friday night. She is accompanied by Sam 08-107.
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Look who discovered furniture today! Normally, I would not encourage this behavior as the foster dog's forever family may not want competition for couch space. But because it is Peggy, I will let it slide, and maybe even celebrate it a little. Jumping on the footstool was a HUGE risk for Peggy and I am very proud of her for being so brave. This morning I did not get out of bed fast enough and before I know it, all of her four paws were on the bed. Woo! And then I get home from work tonight and there she is sitting on the footstool, looking out the window at me. What a brave girl.
We are almost done with the 'must rest and not exercise' period of the heartworm treatment. This weekend, it is over and we are going for a walk! It has been six weeks but it feels like six months. Peggy has gotten depressed at times, I gained eight pounds and resident dog is just obnoxious with energy. We are all looking forward to Peggy being healthy.
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I am happy to report, belatedly, Peggy is doing very well. She had her heartworm treatment shots on Thursday and Friday, Jan 17th and 18th. The important thing for her now is to relax and let the medicine do its job. She was a little out of it on Friday and Saturday but I think she feels pretty good now. We spent the weekend relaxing and watching TV. I was afraid that spending two days at the vets office may set Peggy back to some of her old habits of cowering and generally being afraid of humans. Not so! She is back to relaxing in every room in the house, whenever and where ever she wants.
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I have created a monster! Miss Peggy thinks everyone we encounter on our walks must pet her, why wouldn't they want to? She is so pretty!!! Peggy is really comfortable around humans and inside the house now. She relaxes and sleeps in every room on the main floor. The stairs are still an obstacle but I am so proud of how far she has come. I look back at the first pictures of her and I can't believe it is the same dog.
And she has turned out to be such a good walker! She still dislikes putting the leash on but really enjoys getting outside. If you are looking for an exercise partner, here is your gal!
Peggy has had a great week here in St. Louis Park. She inherited Resident Dog's bed in the guest room and did not move from it much the first couple of days. On Saturday I got Peggy some soft dog food to get the medicine down easier and she loves it. I mix it with her dry dog food and she is eating about a full cup of dry and half a cup soft a day. Pretty good! She still won't eat from her bowl if some one is watching. But she will take the soft food from my hand; today she even licked my fingers clean.
She has moved from the guest room to the kitchen rug and living room rug to sleep at night. As I write this she is sleeping on her side rather than on her stomach; this is the first I have seen that. Oh, and now she is snoring. She must be getting comfortable in a house.
We went for a walk yesterday and she is really good on a leash without a Gentle Leader. It took her half a block to figure out she couldn't run and she had to keep pace with me. She loves romping in the snow. And she looks so happy doing it; face smiling, tail wagging and ears up. I was amazed at how well behaved she was on our walk; she is such a good girl.
