Hi everyone, Pringles here! Mom said I could write my last update, so I decided to keep a diary of my last few weeks as a RAGOM foster dog before I get to be officially Adopted and become a RAGOM alum! So here it is:
4/30: I took my last ringworm medicine today! YAY, I'm officially cured now! Mom scheduled a neuter appointment for me for 5/11 - she says then I will become a "true" man! I can't wait!
5/11 8:00 am: Oh boy, am I excited or what! Today must be a special day because I get to go for a car ride! I LOVE car rides! YAY! Mom says she's taking me to a very special place called MN SNAP (you can read about all the good work they do here) to get neutered. I don't know what that means, but she says all the cool cats (and dogs) are doing it! I want to be cool too, so I figure I'll go ahead with it. And I get a car ride out of the deal! Did I mention I love car rides? Oh I did? Well, I just wanted to make sure you know! Anyway, my brother and sister and foster sister Basil 11-306 have all done it, so it can't be that bad. Mom says that spaying and neutering is a good thing because then I won't ever be able to make more babies. I wasn't sure why that is that a good thing, because I would think the world needs more dogs like me! Well, Mom said that there are already LOTS of dogs out there like me in shelters and rescue groups that are waiting for homes, so there is no need for me to add to that number. Plus she said it will make me healthier and live longer - well duh then, it sounds like a no-brainer! So off we go!
5/11 8:30 am: Oh I like this MN SNAP place! There are lots of other dogs and cats here! It is so exciting, it's a little like a zoo! I think I'm going to like getting neutered! Mom brought me on the big truck and dropped me off and told me to be good and then told the nice lady in blue to take good care of me. I don't know why she's so worried - clearly this is FUN!
5/11 2:00 pm: Ugh, now I don't think this neutering business is so happy after all. I feel very sleepy and woozy and my boy parts are kind of sore. Wait a minute - I don't have all my boy parts anymore, they TOOK 'em! Well, that sure was sneaky of them! Mom came back to get me and...
5/11 2:05 pm: Oops sorry, I fell asleep there for a few minutes. I told ya I was woozy! Now mom is making me walk to the car. My rear end is sore though and it's hard to keep it up, so I have to stop every few feet and lay down. I keep checking "down there" to see what's going on and why it feels funny. Then Mom asked me if I needed to go potty and I did, but I couldn't keep my back legs up, so I knelt down to pee. She laughed at me (not nice Mom!) because my knees were on the ground - not sure why she thinks that's so funny cuz she gets to sit down when she pees, talk about lazy!
![]() Kneeling to pee |
5/11 2:10 pm: Oops, I fell asleep again! I had to rest after going potty, and I was just so tired! I think maybe the lady in blue slipped something in my water because I feel kinda funny. Must. Go. To. Sleep. Now.....
![]() So exhausted! |
5/11 9:00 pm: Wow, that was a BIG long nap, I kind of feel like I just woke up from the dead! Thanks Mom for letting me sleep so long, I guess I needed it. I feel much better now, but I'm still a little woozy. She's keeping me in the crate so that the other dogs won't bother me - especially my 16 week old brother Koa, cuz he CONSTANTLY wants to play! I love the little guy - he's my new best buddy - but good grief he is ALWAYS on the move! Mom gave me a peanut butter kong to keep me busy but the other dogs just hovered outside my crate like hawks and I didn't like that so I gave a little growl at them and then she took it away. Sheesh, I was just protecting what was mine! Oh well, I think I'll just go back to sleep then, since I'm still pretty sleepy.
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5/12 8:00 am: GOOD MORNING! It's a beautiful day and I am ready to greet the world again! Mom was really happy to see me feeling better today and back to my usual self, but made some comment about how fun it's going to be to keep two puppies (me and Koa) from playing. WHAT?!? Getting neutered means I can't play anymore?!? Well, I don't want to be neutered any more, this STINKS! I love to play with Koa and she says I can't do that anymore?!? Oh, woe is me! What's that, Mom? She says to stop being a drama queen - this restricted activity is just temporary. Well, I think I'll still go pout for a bit.
5/12 4:00 pm: I keep trying to check out my incision because it's a little itchy so Mom decides to try putting a cone on me to keep me from licking. Boy did that FREAK me out! I bucked around and backed right out of my dad's arms because I did NOT like the idea of them putting something big and scary over my head, and ran right under the bed to hide! I like hanging out under the bed with foster sister Basil. That's one of her "safe spots" and I can see why - it's kind of cozy under there! So I crawl under there and keep her company from time to time.
5/18: Mom says I'm healing really nicely - no swelling or bruising and no complications. She was worried I'd have complications because of my history - when I first got here, I got a really bad case of kennel cough, then I got a really bad case of ringworm...every time I caught a bug, I caught it BAD! But not this time, I sailed through with flying colors! Mom did her best keeping me to "restricted" activity, but I certainly didn't make it easy for her! Why would I want to, I gotta keep her on her toes :D
5/26: Today is the six month anniversary of when I came to live with my foster home and it's a fitting day to make it my "official" Forever Home! Mom says she paid my adoption fee and sent in all the paperwork so I'm now officially a part of their family! YAY!
![]() What's that? I'm officially adopted now?! YAY! |
6/5: Mom and Dad put in a new fence today! Woo-hoo! I can RUN! I LOVE to run, run, run, in my new great big yard with lots of space to run and do zoomies! Thanks Mom and Dad! Here we are running in our new yard for the first time:
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6/11: I noticed Mom was dragging her heels in getting my update in - something about the daunting task of having to pick a couple of her favorite photos of me from the BILLIONS she takes ALL THE TIME! (sheesh Mom, give it a rest sometime why don't ya?!) - so I had to give her a gentle reminder to get her rear end moving and send it in already!
Mom says I've grown up a lot in the last 6 months since I've been here. She used to say she couldn't take her eyes off of me or I would get in trouble and chew something up, but now she trusts me enough to let me have my alone time. You see, I may be part Golden Retriever and I certainly have my Golden traits, but I'm also part something else, and that part of me shows through too. I like to go hang out by myself in other parts of the house some times - Mom says that's weird to her because she's never had a dog that didn't want to be by her side constantly. Don't get me wrong - I love my people - but a boy's gotta have some alone time too! I would LOVE it if she'd let me go have some of my alone time outside, like ALL day when she's gone (I just LOVE to lay outside in the grass and just watch things!), but she's such a worry wart and she won't let me. She says it's not safe. She says she's the Mom and she knows what's best for me and I shouldn't argue with her. Yes Ma'am!
![]() ![]() Enjoying some alone time on the upstairs landing |
She also says my fur has gotten SUPER soft like silk! I don't know if it's because the food they feed me is so good or if it's because I shed out my winter coat (and boy did I shed a lot for a bit there!) and out came my nice soft summer coat, but either way, she's always oohing and aahing over how soft I am! Mom also says that some day, after I finish my obedience classes, she thinks I might be a good therapy dog. She says I'm so good with all people and kids and dogs, that I might be really good at going to visit people who need a dog to hug. I like the sound of that - I'll take free hugs anytime! First she says I need to have better recall though...
![]() Practicing "sit" with Koa and Basil |
And last but not least, I'm so happy to have my new little brother Koa. We are best friends. We play together all the time - we wrestle and mouth-box and growl and show each other how tough we are with our crinkly noses. He can be a little booger sometimes (after all, he is a 20 week old puppy), but I'm a good big brother to him - I teach him how to be a good boy. And don't tell anyone, but I kinda love him too! Here are a couple pictures of us playing and snuggling:
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Thanks RAGOM for helping me find my Forever Home...I think I'm going to like it here! And thanks again to my sponsors and those who donated for my care - the person who donated in memory of Doris Pipping (I'm sure she was special like me!), Judith Cummings, Jill Judlin, and Archie and Clyde! Without your donations, I might still have that awful ringworm on my face, so I am VERY thankful for your help! Now I'm a pretty boy - ringworm free! (And I have the CUTEST ears ever!)
Hugs and Kisses,
Pringles B. G.
(Mom says my middle name is Boots because I have white fur on my feet that makes it look like I'm wearing boots!)