Roy (Fuzzy 12-181)

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"Best Wishes Fuzzy " -- From PD and Carrie


May 16, 2012

Let’s give a big RAGOM welcome to Fabulous Fuzzy! Fuzzy is an extremely handsome, deep red, almost 9 year old (dob 5/20/03) PB golden retriever. He is probably the most easygoing boy I’ve ever had the pleasure to foster (also the biggest baby by far), and answers to pretty much any variation of his name: Fuzz-Butt, Fuzz-Buster, Fuzz-Z, Fuzzy-Bear, Fuzz-Monkey, and of course the good old stand-by, Fuzzy Wuzzy! One thing is for certain – he is indeed fuzzy!

Anyway, time to get back to business. Fuzzy had lived with the same family his entire life, but they no longer had time for him once the kids went off to school, and he was dropped at the local Humane Society. He was an outside dog his entire life in a fenced yard, and once the fence was taken down, he was chained at all times. He is honestly one of the most affectionate dogs that I’ve ever met, and is very needy of care, attention, and lots of love. I am so very thankful to all of the people involved in getting Fuzzy into RAGOM and to my house – thank you one and all!

Here is what I know so far about Fuzzy: he is extremely gentle, and has loved every person, child, and dog that he has met so far in my neighborhood. He seems to have a slight preference for males, but I’m doing my best to work on that! His tail never stops wagging, and he spends most of his time trying to crawl into laps for hugs and snuggles. Though I’m assuming he is not house-trained, we have had no accidents in our house, as I’ve been bringing him out every couple of hours. Though I don’t believe he has been walked very much in his life, he is totally enjoying his walks (we are only using a flat collar), and we will slowly be building up his strength and endurance. He has no issues riding in a car, though needs just a bit of help getting in and out of my SUV. I am crating him at night for the time being, and he is as quiet as can be in there, and seems totally content. He sleeps completely through the night, and when I woke up this morning, he was sprawled on his back, snoring away – it was priceless! He gets along great with the ever patient foster siblings, Belle and Bear, and per his temp foster, Rhonda, he also had no problems with cats. He also LOVES treats (we’re working on the “sit” command among other things), tennis balls, and his favorite might just be rawhides!

Fuzz-Buster’s surrender records indicate that sadly he had not been to a vet in over 7 years, and he understandably has some medical issues. Since coming into RAGOM, he has been neutered, is current on his preventatives, is microchipped, and is fully UTD on his vaccines. Though he looks bigger due to his “fluffiness”, he is actually a smaller golden, weighing in at 55#. Though they were dirty when he came in, his ears have been cleaned, and there is no sign of infection. He has been given meds for tapeworm. His teeth were recently cleaned, and appear to be in good shape. He carries a diagnosis of prostatitis, which appears to be rapidly improving due to antibiotics and his neutering. He will have a urine recheck in another week, to make sure we are on top of this. He also has a low thyroid level, possibly related to his prostatitis, and we will repeat his bloodwork in this regard in a few weeks. Fuzz also has a bare stub at the end of his tail, but it doesn’t appear to bother him; the vet surmises it was due to frost bite, poor boy. And last but certainly not least, Fuzzy has a history of seizures, which were left untreated. He most recently had an episode last week, prior to coming into foster care, which was localized to his face. As we have not currently witnessed a seizure, and do not know the frequency or extent of them, we will be working closely with our vet to develop a plan of care, possibly including ongoing meds down the road, for our sweet Fuzzy-Bear.

Fuzz is honestly one of the sweetest goldens that I’ve ever met, and I’ve promised him that he will never be alone or uncared for ever again. There truly is a perfect home out there for every single one of our dogs (right, Murphy?), and until his very special family finds him, we will ensure that he is kept warm and well fed, well vetted, and of course, well loved and cherished. Please check back to follow sweet Fuzzy’s journey, and hopefully there will soon be some better pictures! He tends to like to get up close and personal at all times!

Oh – and one more thing! Fuzz-Buster will be making his premier appearance at the Roseville Chuck and Don’s this upcoming Saturday! He absolutely thrives on attention, and will no doubt crawl right into your lap, so please come out to meet him and all of the other great RAGOM dogs that will be present! Hope to see you soon!

At a Glance #12-181

Golden Retriever Born: May 2003
Male 55 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Sponsored by:

"Best Wishes Fuzzy " -- From PD and Carrie


May 16, 2012

Let’s give a big RAGOM welcome to Fabulous Fuzzy! Fuzzy is an extremely handsome, deep red, almost 9 year old (dob 5/20/03) PB golden retriever. He is probably the most easygoing boy I’ve ever had the pleasure to foster (also the biggest baby by far), and answers to pretty much any variation of his name: Fuzz-Butt, Fuzz-Buster, Fuzz-Z, Fuzzy-Bear, Fuzz-Monkey, and of course the good old stand-by, Fuzzy Wuzzy! One thing is for certain – he is indeed fuzzy!

Anyway, time to get back to business. Fuzzy had lived with the same family his entire life, but they no longer had time for him once the kids went off to school, and he was dropped at the local Humane Society. He was an outside dog his entire life in a fenced yard, and once the fence was taken down, he was chained at all times. He is honestly one of the most affectionate dogs that I’ve ever met, and is very needy of care, attention, and lots of love. I am so very thankful to all of the people involved in getting Fuzzy into RAGOM and to my house – thank you one and all!

Here is what I know so far about Fuzzy: he is extremely gentle, and has loved every person, child, and dog that he has met so far in my neighborhood. He seems to have a slight preference for males, but I’m doing my best to work on that! His tail never stops wagging, and he spends most of his time trying to crawl into laps for hugs and snuggles. Though I’m assuming he is not house-trained, we have had no accidents in our house, as I’ve been bringing him out every couple of hours. Though I don’t believe he has been walked very much in his life, he is totally enjoying his walks (we are only using a flat collar), and we will slowly be building up his strength and endurance. He has no issues riding in a car, though needs just a bit of help getting in and out of my SUV. I am crating him at night for the time being, and he is as quiet as can be in there, and seems totally content. He sleeps completely through the night, and when I woke up this morning, he was sprawled on his back, snoring away – it was priceless! He gets along great with the ever patient foster siblings, Belle and Bear, and per his temp foster, Rhonda, he also had no problems with cats. He also LOVES treats (we’re working on the “sit” command among other things), tennis balls, and his favorite might just be rawhides!

Fuzz-Buster’s surrender records indicate that sadly he had not been to a vet in over 7 years, and he understandably has some medical issues. Since coming into RAGOM, he has been neutered, is current on his preventatives, is microchipped, and is fully UTD on his vaccines. Though he looks bigger due to his “fluffiness”, he is actually a smaller golden, weighing in at 55#. Though they were dirty when he came in, his ears have been cleaned, and there is no sign of infection. He has been given meds for tapeworm. His teeth were recently cleaned, and appear to be in good shape. He carries a diagnosis of prostatitis, which appears to be rapidly improving due to antibiotics and his neutering. He will have a urine recheck in another week, to make sure we are on top of this. He also has a low thyroid level, possibly related to his prostatitis, and we will repeat his bloodwork in this regard in a few weeks. Fuzz also has a bare stub at the end of his tail, but it doesn’t appear to bother him; the vet surmises it was due to frost bite, poor boy. And last but certainly not least, Fuzzy has a history of seizures, which were left untreated. He most recently had an episode last week, prior to coming into foster care, which was localized to his face. As we have not currently witnessed a seizure, and do not know the frequency or extent of them, we will be working closely with our vet to develop a plan of care, possibly including ongoing meds down the road, for our sweet Fuzzy-Bear.

Fuzz is honestly one of the sweetest goldens that I’ve ever met, and I’ve promised him that he will never be alone or uncared for ever again. There truly is a perfect home out there for every single one of our dogs (right, Murphy?), and until his very special family finds him, we will ensure that he is kept warm and well fed, well vetted, and of course, well loved and cherished. Please check back to follow sweet Fuzzy’s journey, and hopefully there will soon be some better pictures! He tends to like to get up close and personal at all times!

Oh – and one more thing! Fuzz-Buster will be making his premier appearance at the Roseville Chuck and Don’s this upcoming Saturday! He absolutely thrives on attention, and will no doubt crawl right into your lap, so please come out to meet him and all of the other great RAGOM dogs that will be present! Hope to see you soon!

Updates

Monday, December 10, 2012

Fuzzy is very happily adopted. His new mom loves, loves, loves him. He has two fur-brothers, both which are previous RAGOM dogs, that he enjoys playing with and spending time with in the fenced in backyard. He is very respectful of the multiple cats. And, he loves his almost daily treks to the off-leash dog parks where he is positive everyone is his friend. Fuzzy's new name is Roy.

It sometimes takes a few times before we learn the type of home that is perfect for our foster dogs. This time, I totally believe, Fuzzy is home.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Fuzzy can't quite get over this heat wave we're going through, but is so thankful that he has become a RAGOM boy, and is living inside! He and his two foster siblings can pretty much be found sprawled on the air conditioning vents at all times of the day lately - no wonder our house can't cool down!

Not much new to report, other than Fuzz is doing just great! We've still had no seizures, and his hair continues to grow back on his nose and tail - he looks even younger than normal these days! His favorite activities by far are playing with the tennis ball (we just got a new chuck-it and wow is that fun!), going for walks, going for car rides (anywhere is just fine, but the places that hand out treats are even better), and of course, anything to do with water! I would give anything to have a lake for this boy to try out!

We were away a few days over the 4th of July, and received the stamp of approval from RAGOM for the Fuzz to stay at Dog Day Getaway in Apple Valley with his two foster siblings. My dogs always have an absolute ball when we leave them there, and by all accounts, Fuzz-Buster had the time of his life!! Thank you to the staff of DDG for taking such good care of my crew - I think Fuzz can hardly wait to go back!!

Fuzz does want to share that he has a very special family coming to visit him next week - he's pretty excited about it, and by all accounts, so are they! And guess what - they have a lake!!! Paws crossed, and check back for further updates!!

Friday, June 29, 2012

WOW! I am so excited!!! I have my very own sponsors! Thank you so much to Carrie and PD!! My tail is wagging so hard that I almost knocked myself over!!

FM says this sponsorship is so very much appreciated. Though I’m doing GREAT now, it took a lot of trips to the vet and a lot of tests to get me that way…not that I minded it that much, because they all truly love me at the vet’s office! But anyway, FM wants to say that she is incredibly touched by the generosity and love of Carrie and PD, and that her heart is just about ready to spill over (is that what’s causing that water to come out of her eyes?!?)

Thanks to RAGOM for taking me in and making me feel all better, and thank you again to my very special sponsors – I’m all around just a very lucky guy!! (PS: Do you think I can get some new tennis balls now??)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Fuzz-Man here! WOW!! Did I have a great time at the Pride Festival this past weekend! You should’ve seen all the people that were giving me pets and treats, and telling me how handsome I was! I stayed 4 whole hours, and had the time of my life!! Thank you for coming to see me and all of the other great RAGOM dogs! And hey – I got to hang out with sweet baby James #12-090 for a while – he is really a fun guy, so please take a look at his page too!

A really nice man named Scott took all of these wonderful pictures of me, and FM said that I should share them to show everybody how GREAT I’m looking! In addition to taking such nice pictures of me, I want him to know that I really love him, because I think he gave me probably 100 Charley Bears all by himself – thank you, Scott! Anyway, FM says to take a look at how great my nose looks, and my tail looks almost as good! AND – what do you think of my other new friend, the Great Dane at the booth next door? WOW – was he a slobbery mess, not handsome and dignified like me!

Check back for more updates soon! Time to go chase some more tennis balls!!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wow, has it been HOT out! Fuzz-Buster’s newest form of entertainment is hanging out in an almost comically tiny kiddie pool in backyard suburbia, loaded up with tennis balls! Though some friends have jokingly offered to chip in to buy him something somewhat “bigger”, Fuzz says there’s more than enough room to share with foster brother, Bear!

Fuzz is also just really enjoying hanging out with his foster sister, Belle, who now consents to sharing the same space with him (granted, it’s Fuzz’s bed, and Fuzz’s blanket), while they gnaw on their daily rawhides!

Just to reiterate what Fuzz will need in his forever home:

  • A family who will be consistent with giving him his meds for his seizures and his hypothyroidism, two times a day, and checking his blood levels to make sure all is well with the same on an annual basis. We also just received final tests back on his prostatitis, and all is cleared up – yay! As of right now, things are well controlled with Fuzz, and he is happier and healthier than he has ever been!
  • A family who is willing to consistently exercise and play with our boy. He loves to walk, and part of me thinks he might make a great jogging partner (but I’m certainly not the one to try it out!). He also loves to chase tennis balls for as many times as you are willing to throw them, and he just loves hanging out in the water!
  • A family who is willing to either bring him to obedience training, or work with him on a frequent basis. I am working with him several times a day (it’s doggy boot camp time around here!), and we are already making a lot of progress. He is so eager to please, and he literally smiles when he gets praised! Just remember if you’re thinking about adopting Fuzz – he is a 9 year old puppy, no doubt about it!
  • A family that will allow Fuzz to be with them, inside, outside, and at bedtime – he truly loves his humans, and is simply not happy if they are around, and he is not with them. He is not, however, a dog that needs to be on the bed or the furniture.
  • Kids of all ages, shapes, and sizes are just great!
  • As for cats, I would say either an extremely dog savvy cat, or no cats.
  • I struggle a bit with what would be best for Fuzz in terms of other dogs. He loves my dogs, but they are extremely easy going, and used to being foster sibs, and put up with all of his antics. A dog willing to play, and with a similar energy level, would be fabulous! Or, he would probably be ok with no dogs at all – he really does prefer his humans.
  • I do not think he needs a fenced yard, as his recall is absolutely fabulous. But he absolutely needs room to run and play!
  • Finally, Fuzz absolutely LOVES tummy rubs, so if you’re willing to give them, he’s more than willing to accept them! (Thanks, Rhonda!)

Fuzzy would like everyone to know that he will be at the Pride Festival on Saturday 6/23 from 10 am – 2 pm. He absolutely LOVES getting attention, so please stop by and give him a pet or two, and if you have a lap that is open to holding dogs, he’s your guy! See you there!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

I’M BAAACCCKKK!! Fuzz-Buster here – just wanted to let everyone know that I’m back in happy happy Apple Valley! I went home with a really wonderful lady for a week, and I loved her very much, and she loved me very much, but she and FM and I all decided that it just wasn’t the match it should be. I know she misses me very much (she said so!), and I want to thank her for loving me, and sending me home all sorts of neat stuff, and for making a donation for my care – I’ll never forget her! J

Now, FM is absolutely thrilled to have me back, but she and I did sit down and have a really nice talk last night, and she reminded me that RAGOM’s motto is “Rescue, Re-home, Repeat,” and that “Repeat” doesn’t mean coming back here. Well, how was I supposed to know that? I am just a dog after all! There are just too many rules around here, another one being that FM says it’s now her turn to talk!

FM here – and yes, we’re very happy to welcome Fuzzy back into our home, and he has settled back in as if he had never left! He is sound asleep at my feet as I type this, and I swear, he actually has a smile on his goofy little face. Stinker.

Looking back, I realize that most of my efforts with Fuzzy went into Fuzzy the veterinary patient, not Fuzzy the dog. Well, we have his medical conditions well under control – he hasn’t had a seizure since starting his meds, his prostatitis is clearing up, and interestingly enough, the hair on his snout and tail is now growing back, an indication that his hypothyroidism is well under control. So now it’s time to focus on what Fuzzy the dog needs in his forever home, and these are some of the things we know:

  • Our sweet Fuzzy spent 9 long years being virtually neglected. He has learned to love human companionship, and could be the poster child for all velcro dogs - but we didn’t realize how much he actually needs to be by his humans until this past week. While in foster care, he was always been able to follow me from room to room and sleep on a dog bed right next to me. At his other home, there were areas she went that our Fuzz wasn't able to get to and he really didn't do well in that environment. So, first and foremost, Fuzz will need a home with no barriers between him and his humans.
  • Next, and we’ve all known this all along – our Fuzz has the energy level of a 2 year old dog, and absolutely needs to be exercised. He LOVES walks, he loves playing fetch and can do so endlessly, and he loves the water – so if you want a very active dog, this is the guy for you! Oh – and he loves going places in the car!
  • Finally, he has some very puppy- like behaviors (a few that come to mind are nibbling on fingers, not reading the signals from other dogs, and a lack of knowledge of the concept of personal space!), and will need to be firmly trained and guided into more adult behavior. This was a comment made by another foster about another young dog (thank you, Julia M.!), but she could’ve been talking about Fuzzy: “His demeanor is a mix between wanting to love someone, and being scared that you won't love him, plus a big dose of ignorance - not willful, but simply not knowing how he should behave.” Fuzz-Buster is a smart boy, and I know without a doubt that he will learn.

Thanks again to C., for loving him so much and selflessly knowing that the right thing to do was have him come back. He wants you to know that we love him very much and that he’s doing just fine! Check back soon for further updates - I’m guessing Fuzz will be showing up at an event or two in the very near future!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Fuzzy had an absolutely fabulous weekend! We spent several days on property in northern MN that we own with some very good friends. Fuzz-Buster traveled great in the car on the way up there, and had an absolutely wonderful time playing with the 4 other goldens, tromping through the woods, fetching balls, and wading through the river and a small pond! He was one happy, tired, and hungry boy come nightfall! Please enjoy the pictures we’d like to share from that fun visit!


On my way to the farm with Bear and Belle!
Come on in, the water is great!

Look at me, I’m airborne!
My favorite position when I’m done playing!

I know how to make my foster brother Bear bark!
Hanging out with Bear, Belle, Bailey, (ME!), and Josie!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Fuzzy here! FM is busy cleaning because there is some big event this weekend called PROM, whatever that is, so the furry foster sibs and I have been left to our own devices. I have no idea why my human brother would rather go to that instead of hanging out with me - don’t I give him enough attention?

Anyway, I thought I’d let you know the coolest thing! This nice lady in SD found my AKC papers, and my real name was printed on them! Get this…my formal name is Fuzzy Fur Ball! I was really excited to see this, but FM just dissolves into giggles everytime she thinks about it – humans, I don’t understand them at all.

We also learned that as a puppy, I came from the same breeder that several other RAGOM dogs came from in 2010 – do you remember Doc, Libby, Nina, and Sally? FM looked up their pictures, and they are all a beautiful dark red, just like me. I bet we’re all related somehow – that’s cool too!

I did think it might be a good idea to tell you a bit more about myself, as I’m a very good boy! FM says I might be the sweetest boy she’s ever had here, and she also says I’m very smart! I’m pretty sure I’m housetrained, as I’ve had no accidents in the house, but FM is very good about letting me out all the time. I also just LOVE going for walks and LOVE going for car rides! I’ve learned to sit and take treats nicely, rather than almost chomping FM’s hand off (well how did I know I wasn’t supposed to do that?), and FM says I have excellent recall, whatever that is. She thinks I probably won’t need a fenced yard in my new home, once I learn my “boundaries.” I love dogs of all shapes and sizes, but I probably love my people best, so I could go to a home with or without other pets. And people? I’m GREAT with all people, so don’t you worry about how little or how big the people are in your house, because I’ll love them all no matter what!

FM does say sometimes that I act like an overgrown puppy, but I never really got to be a puppy with lots of love and attention before, so honestly, I’m just catching up! I’m pretty energetic for a 9 year old, so don’t think I’m any old senior! I love my walks, love to play fetch, and FM thinks that I probably really love to swim! I did try out this really cool thing called “counter surfing,” but FM wasn’t very happy about that, so I’m not trying it as much anymore. I also picked up some stray pieces of laundry lying around and gave them a good shake, but that also got the big no-no headshake, so I’m learning not to do that anymore either. Finally, FM can tell that I like to chew, so she makes sure there are plenty of good things around for me to chew – hard bones, rawhides, nylabones, and kongs, to name a few. I love FM – she’s so good to me! And do you like my cool posture when I’m chewing on my toys?

 

Finally, FM did remind me when she flew by with the vacuum cleaner (which by the way, doesn’t scare me.….oh, and neither do big, bad storms!), that I should update everyone as to my “health.” Well, I had several more seizures, so FM said it was time to go back to that nice vet, so now I am on 2 medicines: Phenobarbital 2x/day for my seizures and Levothyroxine 2x/day for my hypothyroidism. I don’t mind taking them one tiny bit – FM swipes them through a pot of cheese she has in the fridge, and wow is that nummy! It takes about 2 weeks for the first medicine to take effect, and 4-6 weeks for the 2nd, so hopefully I’ll be feeling shipshape in no time flat!

Please don’t let my seizures scare you – they really don’t even scare me. I’m getting the very best vetting imaginable (they all love me – just ask them) and we’ll hopefully be able to get them under control, or at the very least, decrease the frequency of them, so that I can live a very long, very full, and very happy life. I have so much love to give and am such a good boy – won’t you please consider me for your forever dog?

Monday, May 21, 2012

Hello, Fuzzy Fans – and I think there are a great many of you out there – thank you so much for opening your hearts to this sweet boy! First on the agenda today - HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet Fuzzy boy! Fuzz turned a beautiful 9 years young on 5/20/12 and we celebrated with frosty paws, treats, presents, and lots of hugs and kisses all the way around! We’re guessing Fuzzy never celebrated a birthday before, but that’s something we really enjoy doing at our house, so a good time was had by all!

Secondly, Fuzz-Buster has been making several trips to the vet, and I tell you, he is just totally in love with the entire staff at VCA Richfield! Thank you for always treating our dogs with such love, kindness, and dignity – I truly enjoy coming here! Anyway, it has been determined that Fuzz is hypothyroid, and we will be starting him on thyroid supplementation very shortly. This is a solid step in attempting to get to the bottom of his seizures, and we will be monitoring his thyroid levels on an ongoing basis. If he continues to have seizures once his thyroid level is normal, we will then start him on additional medications for that. We are completely committed to getting this boy healthy, so please check back for frequent updates in this regard!

Finally, WOW – did Fuzz-Butt have an absolutely fabulous time at the Chuck and Don’s event this past Saturday! Thank you to all of the wonderful people (adults and kids alike!) who spent so much time fussing over our boy – it was just heartwarming to see, and he was one exhausted dog by the time we went home! There are way too many to choose from, but please enjoy a selection of the wonderful pictures below (and the new head shot at the top of the page), taken by the ever dedicated Devon TT. First up – a very handsome Fuzzy showing off his smiley face throughout the event:

Fuzz and I would also like to thank another soon-to-be RAGOM volunteer’s daughter, Millie, who added her special efforts to Fuzz’s photo shoot! Fuzz-Buster was absolutely enchanted with this beautiful young girl!

Finally, these pictures pretty much make me cry everytime I look at them. Fuzzy has been with us one short week – I am completely in awe of the love, devotion, and forgiveness shown by these beautiful dogs once they learn the kindness of a human touch. We love you, sweet Fuzzy-boy!