I was looking through Brody’s papers on May 13 and realized it was his birthday! Eight years old. We gave him a little kerchief and some extra treats. It is hard to understand that he is eight; he acts like such an energetic puppy at times. When playing with the RD, sometimes they have a tug-of-war with the rope toys – Brody’s preference in toys.

He usually gives out before the four-year-old, and lies down with a little grunt. He has been good for our rescue hound dog, teaching him how to be a buddy.

His mouthiness is really getting better – he always stops immediately if he starts and often stops himself. I think one of the reasons is that I accept kisses – FD doesn’t go that far. He is a mushy licker if you let him. He has come a long way since entering RAGOM last August, has been seizure-free the whole time in RAGOM on his present medication, and is relaxed and at home here. He is such a devoted dog – often sleeps right by the bed, and follows me around.

Brody waiting while FD eats lunch. He is so obedient; if he starts to look at the food on the table, we say, “Down – go lay down,” and he does it.

Brody is now an established part of our family. He has figured out our routines and has adapted amazingly well. He is a delight and no trouble. We went for a short walk in the neighborhood, and with his Gentle Leader, he was right by my side and did not pull. It is obvious he is used to it. I know without it, he can pull hard, as I found out on his trip to the vet. He can sit, down, stay, and actually responds to the command “go pee.”

He has become a sweet and devoted companion in just a couple of weeks in his new foster home - following FM or FD around. He could be an only dog, I think, then he would get all the love; but he also enjoys playing with the RD until he poops out.

Brody and RD playing - lots of teeth, but not much noise.

A great shot of those eyes!

Brody arrived at his new foster home in Lake Elmo yesterday and is already settled in. He and the RD (resident dog) worked it out rather quickly without trouble, with RD conceding top dog position to Brody, a sweet and BIG red Golden. He came all the way from Iowa, none the worse for wear, with a series of transporters. He also quickly showed his counter-surfing skills, as transporter Scott, FM and FD (Foster Mom and Foster Dad) were having coffee and donuts. FM set her donut down well away (she thought) from the edge of the table, and Brody scooped it up in a blinding flash. OK, now we know about that. The night was peaceful, and he slept on his nice bed that came with him behind a gate to keep RD and Brody from disturbing anything at night. All was quiet. I will know more about him as time goes by and I will update then.

Brody found the water.

Brody had a short 2-week vacation with a fellow foster while Foster Mom recovered from surgery. He returned very excited to see me with lots of energy after being with two other younger Goldens as playmates. He transitioned back into our routine quite easily. Brody was weighed while on vacation and he is a svelte 81 lbs., which is good for his size.

We had our first real snowfall and although Brody loves being outside, he really doesn't play in it at all. He will put his face in it and toss what is on his face in the air. He promptly went to get his stick, but alas, it was frozen to the ground. HIs stick is one of his favorite things and the temperatures will hit the 40s to 50s this week, so his stick will soon be loose enough for him to pick it up and chew on it.

Brody continues to work on his mouthing, barking, and greeting of people. His barking has improved, and often, just saying "Brody" is enough. As far as his mouthing, it is better controlled when he is less excited and he understands the rule of no mouth set by the person he is with consistently. Greeting people is a work in progress, more so when they enter your home, so we are working on a short leash with a Gentle Leader tethered to see if this helps to calm him. Brody is more than happy and treat-motivated, so learning is exciting to be with his humans.

A big "Thank You" to Eunice, Peter, and Gracie for his Christmas token. Brody is a people lover and he would gladly share his affection with you if he could.

Just a quick note on Brody.  He will complete his phenobarbital taper next Tuesday and only take the Zonisamide 2 capsules two times a day with his meals.  He remains seizure free and this medication costs less than $30 per month at Costco.  He remains a happy-go-lucky guy who loves his walks and yard play.  I have included a new pic of his prize toy - a left over branch trimmed off my Ash tree and left behind by the guys.  He is chewing up the ends so I think he is trimming it for a toothpick.

Brody says "Thank You" to Kathy & Hailie W for his paw print and sending a big, sloppy kiss your way.

Brody returned to the vet for his lab work and his liver values were still high, so we are making a switch to a new drug for his seizures. When he has been on the new medication called zonisamide for two weeks, the vet will discuss how we will start to decrease his phenobarbital. If he has seizures while decreasing the phenobarbital, we will increase the new drug as we continue to withdraw the old medication.

So what are the fast and quick good points to Brody.

• Housebroken and has never had any accidents in his foster home.
• He walks great with a Gentle Leader.
• NO destructive behavior in the home.
• Free roaming from day 2 in his foster home.
• Sleeps in the bedroom on a dog bed with the residents. No quibbles over where he sleeps or which bed.
• Decreasing his mouthing behavior nicely.
• Can catch salad tomatoes with his mouth 100% of all tossed to him.
• Gets along great with all the resident dogs in foster home.

Areas to work on:

• Likes to bark when the doorbell chimes, when he is outside alone, and when he hears the garage door open or someone comes into the house. He will stop when asked .
• Needs work on his social greetings as he gets so excited to see people he forgets his manners.

Brody is a great dog and I think his positives certainly outweigh his need to work on areas. He loves his people and is very food-motivated, which is great when trying to redirect and teach appropriate social graces.