I'm so happy to update you on the lovely Miss Magnolia - or Maggie as we call her. We've taken some time to get to know her; we really have fallen for her. She's a sweet girl, a bit uncertain about the world, but learning new things and gaining in confidence each and every day. When she first came into RAGOM's care, she had been nursing puppies, but she's about to put those mommy years behind her as she gets spayed the first week in October, and we're all pretty darn excited about that important step. She's in good health current on her vaccinations, and she enjoys going to the vet. The vet has been so nice to Maggie, and Maggie does very well there. The first time we took her there, we had one of our resident dogs go with her in case she needed encouragement, but that's not necessary. She does well and now takes a treat willingly from the vet, something she was reluctant to do the first time!
Maggie has quickly figured out the household routine and wakes up eagerly each morning to get breakfast. She loves breakfast. She loves any meal, truth be told. She has figured out where to stand to wait for her food dish and pretty much leaves our resident dogs alone while they eat their food. She gets along famously with our resident dogs; in fact, she met them all easily, and everyone has gotten along famously from day one. She's a very gentle girl, quick to turn over so you can rub her tummy. It's taken a while for her to learn that there aren't scary things that are going to happen at our house - we think she's probably not had a lot of opportunity to do the things that other dogs take for granted. She's now learned to jump on the bed for snuggles, to settle in on the couch while we watch TV, to jump in the car to go for a ride. But when she first came to our home, she acted like all those things were pretty much new experiences, and that's a shame, we think.
Our house is being remodeled right now, so it's a bit noisy with lots of people coming and going. Maggie doesn't seem stressed by that at all; instead, she uses the opportunity to go to her bed and take a nap, sometimes multiple naps, until the crew is gone. She loves my husband and she loves me; she doesn't have favorites, and I like that. She's not had much chance to play with kids yet, so that's something we'll find out more about in the next few weeks.
When Maggie first joined our household, she did seem a bit overwhelmed and unsure of herself. After talking with the vet, we decided to give Maggie medication to reduce her anxieties, and the meds seem to be working like a charm. The meds are cheap if you purchase them from one of the large chain stores, less than $10/month. This coming week, we're going to start working with her so that she's comfortable using a crate so she can be safe when we're not at home. We'll want to make sure she's good with a crate before we find her a forever home.
Maggie lost a lot of her fur right before she came to our home. Maybe it was the change in seasons; maybe it was the fact that she had just had puppies -- it's hard to know. But now she's working on growing some new coat so she'll have that lovely Golden Retriever look from head to tail. She's cream-colored with a bit of light gold on her ears and along her back. She's a medium-sized Golden, easy to cuddle with. Yesterday, she learned something new -- she was watching our other dogs jump up onto the short wall around our patio, and pretty soon, she was doing it, too. I'm guessing she's never done anything like that before in her entire life!
Maggie's forever home should be somewhat calm and should have another dog to help Maggie learn the ropes and continue to grow in confidence. She really relies on other dogs to let her know what's what. She's reluctant to take treats, for instance, unless she sees our other dogs take a treat. This morning, she watched them enjoy French toast and she decided it was probably safe to try -- she even gently took a bite off the fork, definitely a new skill!
Here are some pictures of Maggie. We'll post next week before she goes in for surgery and then let you know how she's doing. In the meantime, we're enjoying having her in our home and we think she's enjoying her time with us and learning the joys of being a dog!
