| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 5/25/2015 | Optional | Not Tested | Optional | Not Tested | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Stryker is an 8 year old Golden/Lab mix. He gets along beautifully with my resident dog Cooper, an English Setter and has no agression issues. Stryker was a stray so he is a little obsessed with food so I monitor supper time. I think once he puts on a little more weight and realizes he's a RAGOM boy forever and will never have to worry about food, he will settle down.
He gives kisses, loves hugs, and is 'oh so tolerant' of my neighbors 7 month old chocolate lab who pulls on his ears and wants to wrestle, constantly! He's a very gentle soul.
He has a few issues that we are working on. He Is a counter surfer (not surprising considering his food issue) and is very nosy when it comes to garbage and groceries. I've learned to keep groceries out of reach and have an enclosed garbage can.
Stryker is actually a very good walking companion, just pulls a little when he sees a great place to mark his territory! We're working on that as well. We have been on several 3 mile walks and you would never know he is 8 years old. He has a lot of energy so daily walks or a good long game of fetch (which he also loves and gets very excited about) would be highly beneficial.
Stryker knows the commands sit, stay and will pace when he needs to potty. We had a few accidents the first few days but that's understandable. I crated him the first night, and he's had free roam ever since, sleeps through the night. He does not get up on furniture or the bed so we will let that be. He doesn't seem to mind laying at your feet, actually on your feet.
We visited the vet on May 29th and Stryker is a very healthy 54lbs. He has an ear infection but antibiotics and some ear meds should clear that right up. When he was taken in as a stray he was just under 50lbs so he's filling out nicely. He's had some hematoma's on his ears in the past so the ends of his ears are curled up just a bit. It helps to define the beautiful sweet dog that he is.
| Mixed Breed | Born: May 2007 |
| Male | 46 lbs |
Status: Adopted
| In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entered Foster Care | Fence | Kid Friendly | Another Dog | Cat Friendly | |
| 5/25/2015 | Optional | Not Tested | Optional | Not Tested | |
| This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog. | |||||
Stryker is an 8 year old Golden/Lab mix. He gets along beautifully with my resident dog Cooper, an English Setter and has no agression issues. Stryker was a stray so he is a little obsessed with food so I monitor supper time. I think once he puts on a little more weight and realizes he's a RAGOM boy forever and will never have to worry about food, he will settle down.
He gives kisses, loves hugs, and is 'oh so tolerant' of my neighbors 7 month old chocolate lab who pulls on his ears and wants to wrestle, constantly! He's a very gentle soul.
He has a few issues that we are working on. He Is a counter surfer (not surprising considering his food issue) and is very nosy when it comes to garbage and groceries. I've learned to keep groceries out of reach and have an enclosed garbage can.
Stryker is actually a very good walking companion, just pulls a little when he sees a great place to mark his territory! We're working on that as well. We have been on several 3 mile walks and you would never know he is 8 years old. He has a lot of energy so daily walks or a good long game of fetch (which he also loves and gets very excited about) would be highly beneficial.
Stryker knows the commands sit, stay and will pace when he needs to potty. We had a few accidents the first few days but that's understandable. I crated him the first night, and he's had free roam ever since, sleeps through the night. He does not get up on furniture or the bed so we will let that be. He doesn't seem to mind laying at your feet, actually on your feet.
We visited the vet on May 29th and Stryker is a very healthy 54lbs. He has an ear infection but antibiotics and some ear meds should clear that right up. When he was taken in as a stray he was just under 50lbs so he's filling out nicely. He's had some hematoma's on his ears in the past so the ends of his ears are curled up just a bit. It helps to define the beautiful sweet dog that he is.
Stryker's vacation with us is about to come to an end and he's headed back to his foster mom so I'm going to post one more set of pictures of this lovely boy. If you're looking for a dog who is a steady companion, affectionate, and loyal then Stryker is your guy. He absolutely loves to retrieve -- and his fan club grows daily. We're going to miss him, he's such a gentle boy, a real sweetheart.
What a good boy Stryker is! Honest, he is genuinely a great companion. Here are some new things we've learned while we've been taking care of him for his foster mom:
He sits and waits excitedly for his food. He is jumpy and excited while you're dishing it up but then quickly calms down and sits expectantly and hopefully while you place his bowl on the floor. He has a good appetite!
He continues to follow us room to room and when we sit, he almost always sits at our feet and arranges himself so that he can reach out and touch us. Still the sweetest thing ever.
We've learned that he does know about getting up on the furniture although it's pretty gosh darn cute. He only gets up in my husband's chair -- and settles in for a nap as if it's the best thing he's ever experienced. In our house, this is acceptable behavior and if anyone is to blame for this behavior it's probably us!
Here's a picture of Stryker, hoping that we'll throw the ball for him! Thank you to his foster mom for letting us get to spend time with this happy boy.
We are very pleased to take care of Stryker for a few days while his FM is busy -- he is such a wonderful boy! We picked him up and brought him to our house in Iowa City where we carefully introduced him to our five resident dogs and Stryker handled all the introductions beautifully-- better than we could have ever hoped! He gets along with our youngest dog who can be a bit of a handful, truthfully, and he also gets along with our dominant male too and that was a real surprise. He did a lot of panting and a pacing while he figured out his order in the pack and after about half a day, he stopped panting and started to enjoy himself. Here's what we've seen:
We think Stryker is going to make some family a wonderful companion. He has the most sincere expression when he looks at you, a mixture of happiness and hopefulness. Maybe you'll give him a treat, maybe you'll pet him (he loves that!), or maybe you'll throw a ball? Or maybe you just want to sit and watch a little television? Stryker is ready!
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Well, I'm back from vacation! Thank you Karen for taking such good care of Stryker/Buddy. I'm sure he misses the pool! The best I could do was put him in my little wading pool and give him a bath. He loves baths, stood completely still the whole time with his eyes closed. Afterwards he got brushed and blow dried. I would say he loved that too!
Karen and I compared notes and decided that Buddy would do best in a calmer environment. He isn't destructive at all, he just gets wound up when he's around a lot of activity. If we play ball, he comes back in the house and is all wound up....panting and jumping up and down. He NEVER jumps on anyone, just kinda bounces up and down. I turn my back to him and he stops and goes and lays down. Works quite well!
I also believe he would make an excellent running companion, he does very well on walks and has a lot of energy. I am contacting my vet this week to ask about his approximate age again as I believe this boy is closer to 6 years old than 8. He has some white face but his activity level is very high and he has great teeth!
I live alone with just my RD Cooper so it stays pretty calm around here and since he's been back he's been quite calm. Treat time with his buddy Coop -
I'm still working on the counter surfing, but if you know dogs, you know that this is something that some dogs just do. Precautions are necessary. My 2nd golden boy, Willie, could not be trusted around a plate of food, and wasn't afraid to let you know it! He was one of the sweetest dogs I've ever had.
I hope you'll consider Buddy as your forever companion. If I had to come up with a reason not to adopt this boy it would take a lot of deliberation! He's a prince.
Stryker here! My FM forgot to tell you what a great swimmer and dock dog I would make! My sitters would throw my pool toy in the water and if I got a good run I could jump the length of the pool! I loved it! She said I never got tired of playing in the pool! I will miss it.
Gotta go, time for my walk. ;)
If you would like to meet Buddy, please let your placement advisor know.
We're past the second full week, and what a difference a week makes! After Mr. Stryker was done taking prednisone for his ear infection, his anxiety decreased, his appetite decreased (a little, thank goodness - he still gobbles his food), he's settled down and is in the process of learning to shake. We have really made progress when it comes to supper time. He sits, stays, and doesn't approach his food until we say "okay"! You should see the look in his eyes, it's priceless.
I'm the perfect gentleman
Play ball! Play ball.....play ball...play ball...
I am a problem solver (well it helps when FM puts the zip line pole in the right place...she had to help me the first time)
I'm nice and neat
Aren't I handsome?
Stryker has been coming along so nicely. He knows 'back' and is very well behaved when visiting. We spent Saturday night at my friend's house and had one accident. It was a new environment AND he was all worked up over playing ball. He was told what a good dog he is, he lays at your feet and just wants some good loves. I have him on the zip line (just installed last week) but truly believe that he would do very well hanging with his family once the 'love connection' is established. I would rather see him running free but don't want to take the chance of losing this good natured sweetheart.
He's healthy, happy, gets along well with other dogs and loves to be close to people even if it's just touching toes (we're doing that right now).
If you think you could give Mr. Stryker the love he deserves, please let your placement advisor know.