Recovering from surgery. When I picked her up, she pretended that nothing had changed. How do I know she did indeed have her surgery? She is sleeping instead of jumping on my head and kissing me.
Sebrina (Bella 13-263)
Profile
09/08/2013:
Bella is new to RAGOM. She's a purebred Golden with a big blue birthmark on her tongue. Not much is known about her original home, but she does know some commands. If you have treats, she'll sit and drop her ball on command. If you don't have treats, she'll still sit but will try to entice you to take the ball from her mouth by leaning back on you and pointing her open mouth up and over her back. She is really just a big puppy! Bella absolutely loves human contact. She loves nothing better than to lean on you and be petted for as long as you're willing.
When Bella first came, she was a little bully looking for dominance. She had to challenge our resident golden, Eva, who rules the roost around here. Eva quickly put Bella in her place. Then Bella challenged our other foster, Journey, who is very submissive and just wants to have fun. So, Bella found herself a place in the middle of the pack during her first couple of days, and now she seems content with the other dogs.
She weighs 60 lbs. and is very strong physically, with broad shoulders and a wide head. If you let her, she'll push her way into places she shouldn't be - like between me and my laptop on a TV tray. It's wobbly, and not a good place for a strong, pushy dog to be. There have been many times I have had to lovingly but firmly move her away from that area. She only gets into that place when she wants my full attention, but I have to show her that I'm the boss, otherwise she'll continue pushing and shoving her way into dominance over me.
We kennel Bella when we leave the house, and she seems fine with that as long as there's a treat involved. Her energy level is high when we first go outside to play, but she's soon back sitting next to me with or without her ball, watching the other dogs run and fetch.
Here are some other things we observed about Bella during her first week with us:
- She loves going for walks but pulls when being leashed to a flat collar.
- She loves children but might be too pushy for toddlers.
- She gets hot easily during these 90+ degree days. Needs to rest in the shade or air conditioning.
- Scratches and chews on herself frequently.
- Will jump up on humans for attention.
- From previous temp. foster, Bella should NOT be in a home with cats. She seems to have a strong prey drive.
- Needs to be trained to respect humans as authority in home.
- Knows her name but doesn't always respond to the "come" command.
Despite her few faults, Bella is a very sweet, young girl who will make a wonderful family pet. She is intelligent and would excell in a controlled training class. Bella is from a puppy mill, and although she is a human-loving girl, she still needs the guidance of a confident resident dog and no children in the family younger than 10 years old. Because Bella is a little headstrong, I believe it's in her best interest to have a fenced-in yard.
At a Glance #13-263
| Golden Retriever | Born: September 2014 |
| Female | 60 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
09/08/2013:
Bella is new to RAGOM. She's a purebred Golden with a big blue birthmark on her tongue. Not much is known about her original home, but she does know some commands. If you have treats, she'll sit and drop her ball on command. If you don't have treats, she'll still sit but will try to entice you to take the ball from her mouth by leaning back on you and pointing her open mouth up and over her back. She is really just a big puppy! Bella absolutely loves human contact. She loves nothing better than to lean on you and be petted for as long as you're willing.
When Bella first came, she was a little bully looking for dominance. She had to challenge our resident golden, Eva, who rules the roost around here. Eva quickly put Bella in her place. Then Bella challenged our other foster, Journey, who is very submissive and just wants to have fun. So, Bella found herself a place in the middle of the pack during her first couple of days, and now she seems content with the other dogs.
She weighs 60 lbs. and is very strong physically, with broad shoulders and a wide head. If you let her, she'll push her way into places she shouldn't be - like between me and my laptop on a TV tray. It's wobbly, and not a good place for a strong, pushy dog to be. There have been many times I have had to lovingly but firmly move her away from that area. She only gets into that place when she wants my full attention, but I have to show her that I'm the boss, otherwise she'll continue pushing and shoving her way into dominance over me.
We kennel Bella when we leave the house, and she seems fine with that as long as there's a treat involved. Her energy level is high when we first go outside to play, but she's soon back sitting next to me with or without her ball, watching the other dogs run and fetch.
Here are some other things we observed about Bella during her first week with us:
- She loves going for walks but pulls when being leashed to a flat collar.
- She loves children but might be too pushy for toddlers.
- She gets hot easily during these 90+ degree days. Needs to rest in the shade or air conditioning.
- Scratches and chews on herself frequently.
- Will jump up on humans for attention.
- From previous temp. foster, Bella should NOT be in a home with cats. She seems to have a strong prey drive.
- Needs to be trained to respect humans as authority in home.
- Knows her name but doesn't always respond to the "come" command.
Despite her few faults, Bella is a very sweet, young girl who will make a wonderful family pet. She is intelligent and would excell in a controlled training class. Bella is from a puppy mill, and although she is a human-loving girl, she still needs the guidance of a confident resident dog and no children in the family younger than 10 years old. Because Bella is a little headstrong, I believe it's in her best interest to have a fenced-in yard.
Updates
Friday, October 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Bella was heading to boarding due to some issues with one of the dogs in her foster home. So even though I knew she was not good with cats, I offered to temp foster her and give her one more chance.
Sadly, after observing her for a day, I can confirm that she is quite obsessed with my cats and is not trustworthy around them, so she will have to find another foster.
For now, though, here's an update on this beautiful girl.
Bella is by far the most confident, outgoing dog I've ever seen classified as a former puppy mill dog. She loves meeting strangers and has been unfazed by the new experiences I've introduced her to in the day I've had her.
For example, I took her riding with me this morning, and she was amazing. No fear whatsoever of the recumbent trike--in fact, she was more fearless her first time out than my well-socialized resident dog was when I introduced him to riding. Check out this video:
https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=11D2994B8F6D2EE!1296&authkey=!AEIBUI2wqyQB8rw
The obsession with my cats not withstanding, Bella has fit in well in my household. I have a small anxious dog who doesn't take kindly to strange dogs coming into the home. He has snarked at her a number times to tell her to keep her distance, and she has respected him.
My other resident dog has tried to hump her a couple of times, but she has spun around with a lifted lip and a snarl--an appropriate warning--prompting him to back off. They are getting along famously now.
For an 18-month-old puppy, Bella is strong as an ox and very willful. She's also incredibly smart.
And of course, she's beautiful. She's light blonde, probably light enough to be called an English Cream, and has expressive, walnut-colored eyes rimmed in black. Although her feathering will probably get longer as she matures, she will likely always have a shorter field coat, which is actually easier to care for. Bella has a large dark spot on her tongue, but this is not uncommon for purebred Golden Retrievers.
With her unshakable personality, the sky's the limit for this girl. I can see her becoming a comfort dog, competing in flyball or obedience, maybe even agility. I don't know if she likes water, but with her drive and athletic ability, she might also make a Dock Dog or hunting dog with proper training.
Obedience training is a must. Bella needs to learn the rewards of listening and obeying. Even though she exhibits few of the behaviors of a typical puppy mill girl, she should go to a home with the same requirements, but for perhaps different reasons.
She needs a second, large dog in the home to give her more socialization and teach her doggie manners. A confident dog is preferred--one who knows how to communicate appropriately with an unruly adolescent.
Because she has no recall, Bella should have a fence to keep her safe. And because she is so strong and a bit heedless, no children under 10 who might get knocked down by her exuberance.
I can't say enough how impressive this girl is. She is going to be quite the prize for some lucky family. If you're interested in meeting Bella, please contact your placement adviser ASAP, because I doubt she will be in foster care for long.
Enjoy these new photos of beautiful Bella!
Pretty girl with a broad forehead and puppyish face.
Bella has expressive brown eyes.
How do you like me so far?
Bella's shorter field coat will be easier to take care of.
"Heh heh heh. I haz all the toys."