Rasta (Rory 08-547)

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Profile

April 9, 2012

Rory has been with us for a week now. She is a happy, playful girl. Rory is back in RAGOM due to an allergy in her adoptive family not due to any behavioral issues.

Rory is deaf, and always has been, but don't let that deter you. She compensates for that by constantly checking to see where her people are and looking for direction. A few quick and easy hand signals and anyone can communicate with Rory as well as any dog. Two special considerations for Rory: she is much easier to care for if she has a fence and if she has another dog not only to play with, but to follow.

Rory is quite a bit overweight. She weighed in at nearly 100 pounds. We have a vet appointment this week to get her UTD on all of her shots and to establish a goal weight, but I am guessing she should be much closer to 70 pounds. We will be working with diet and exercise to get Rory headed in the right direction.

Rory plays well with the resident dogs. My resident golden is 5 years old and they play pretty hard when they are together. Rory is crate trained and can sometimes be found resting in her crate when she is tired or needs a break. She loves stuffed animals. She loves to pull the stuffing out of them. Our solution; buy stuffed animals by the garbage bag full at the thrift store. As long as she has a box full of toys she seems happy to play with them and leave things like shoes and throw pillows alone.

Rory is happy walking with a flat collar or a gentle leader. It is obvious that she was used to a gentle leader because she got excited when I started to put it on her.

Easter weekend she got to meet some of the extended family including a lab mix, a noisy mini pin and two 9 week old foster puppies. My brothers backyard is a private fenced half acre dog park.

At a Glance #08-547

Golden Retriever Born: February 2008
Female 40 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

April 9, 2012

Rory has been with us for a week now. She is a happy, playful girl. Rory is back in RAGOM due to an allergy in her adoptive family not due to any behavioral issues.

Rory is deaf, and always has been, but don't let that deter you. She compensates for that by constantly checking to see where her people are and looking for direction. A few quick and easy hand signals and anyone can communicate with Rory as well as any dog. Two special considerations for Rory: she is much easier to care for if she has a fence and if she has another dog not only to play with, but to follow.

Rory is quite a bit overweight. She weighed in at nearly 100 pounds. We have a vet appointment this week to get her UTD on all of her shots and to establish a goal weight, but I am guessing she should be much closer to 70 pounds. We will be working with diet and exercise to get Rory headed in the right direction.

Rory plays well with the resident dogs. My resident golden is 5 years old and they play pretty hard when they are together. Rory is crate trained and can sometimes be found resting in her crate when she is tired or needs a break. She loves stuffed animals. She loves to pull the stuffing out of them. Our solution; buy stuffed animals by the garbage bag full at the thrift store. As long as she has a box full of toys she seems happy to play with them and leave things like shoes and throw pillows alone.

Rory is happy walking with a flat collar or a gentle leader. It is obvious that she was used to a gentle leader because she got excited when I started to put it on her.

Easter weekend she got to meet some of the extended family including a lab mix, a noisy mini pin and two 9 week old foster puppies. My brothers backyard is a private fenced half acre dog park.

Updates

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Since we are celebrating Rasta’s one year anniversary this week, here is an update…

Rasta has settled into her new life and is doing just great. She is so loveable and gives the best greetings in the world. Her tail is always wagging. She has lost all of her extra weight – she now weighs 60 pounds, down from 98. She looks gorgeous. Losing all of that extra weight has given her a ton of energy. We are having so much fun with her, although sometimes she wears us all out with all her liveliness (or, by jumping in our bed at 5:30 am because she can’t wait to start the day)! She loves her daily walks, and she and Frankie love to play together – usually it’s a good game of tug of war, chasing squirrels in the yard, or just plain chasing each other. She is enjoying her new figure and it’s so fun to see her run and jump with ease.

Rasta has great sense of humor. She loves mischief. Unfortunately that means a lot of chewing (including a late-night trip to the ER after she swallowed a sock), but she’s learning. Mostly though, she just cracks us up with her antics, and we know when she’s about to go on a “bender” because she gets a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. We have so many stories. One day I noticed a bag of flour missing off the kitchen counter. I found her in the living room, looking at me innocently with her big brown eyes … but her newly white face proved who did it. If she’s digging in the yard and we catch her, she quickly buries her head in the hole so she can’t see us sign “no”. One day Rasta stole the dish towel from the kitchen and spread it out onto her bed like a tablecloth. Then she ran back and stole a banana from the counter – when she was caught, she was sitting at her “table” eating her banana, like she was having her own little picnic.

Rasta also likes her quiet time. She loves riding along in the car while we run errands, or sitting next to us on the couch – watching out the window or getting a good belly rub. She has become quite bonded with Frankie and is much more comfortable when he’s by her side, keeping her company and serving as her “ears”. We have taught her signs for all of the important words – eat, treat, walk, run, play, car ride – as well as your basic dog commands (or, as Rasta likes to think of them, suggestions).

I have attached a photo so you can see the "new" Rasta. Thank you for helping her along. We are so lucky to have her.

Amy, Bryan, Frankie, and Rasta

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Thought you might like another update on our girl.  Rasta has settled right in and she's doing great.  She and Frankie are good friends and rarely fight anymore.  If they do, it's a quick growl and they're done.
 
We had her thyroid checked and it was low, which helps explain how overweight she is.  She's on a daily medication which has also increased her energy level.  She goes for a recheck in a week or so so we'll get to find out how her thyroid is doing and how much she weighs.  She has been walking twice every day and now often can go 1 1/2 miles.  She just loves to go.  She is also getting a lot of exercise running around the yard with Frankie. 
 
As for sleeping, she alternates between her kennel and our bed.  We leave her kennel unlocked at night so she can do as she pleases.  She usually sleeps in there most of the night and then joins us at around 5 am.  Some nights, she comes up to visit and just stays with us.  Space is tight but that's okay :)
 
She does enjoy carrying our slippers, socks, and clothes around and occasionally chews them to shreds.  She knows she shouldn't do this, but she's so darn cute when she does that it's impossible to be mad.  We wag our finger at her and she grins and wags.  We are working on it!
 
She has made lots of friends in the neighborhood on our walks, and our neighbor ladies love her too.  We, of course, are crazy about her.
 
I've attached a couple photos of her.  The first is her visiting my work.  She was so charming and everyone gushed over her.  In typical Rasta fashion, she soaked up every bit of it with a great big smile on her face.  The second is of her and Frankie snuggled up for a nap in our bed.  
 
Thanks again for taking good care of her and all of the other dogs you foster.  We are so grateful.


Amy, Bryan, Frankie, and Rasta