Lacey 13-222

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Profile

08/22/2013:

Welcome Lacey to RAGOM! Lacey is a 2-year-old purebred English Cream Golden Retriever. She weighs 65 pounds and is an absolute beauty! Lacey was surrendered due to being diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Before coming into RAGOM, it was reported she had primarily been in a kennel run, but had some contact with kids and limited exposure to a house. Lacey has been in RAGOM’s care for about 2 weeks now.

We fell in love with Lacey the instant we saw her. She has large deep brown eyes and a beautiful coat. She rode home in our vehicle really well. Once we arrived at our house, Lacey was eager to enter with us, but then was a little nervous with all the new sounds. It was obvious that her experiences were limited. She would stare at the dishwasher strangely when it started running, couldn’t quite figure out the air conditioner and really liked her crate. Lacey did learn to appreciate an open garbage can in a hurry, but quickly responded to a “no.” :) Lacey met our resident dog with no problems and ignored him more than anything. He really wanted to play and she continued to ignore him. She was in heat when she first arrived, so we weren’t sure if she was just irritated with him or not interested. On the third day, he had tried to initiate play one too many times and she was snarky towards him. He took the hint and backed off. She did this a few times again in the first week, but a few minutes later, they would be laying or sitting practically side by side. When Lacey met our very old resident cat, she ignored her. A couple of times she has barked at her, but we don’t think she would do anything at all.

Lacey has had no accidents and simply wants to be around people. If there is a new noise, she would retreat to her crate in our kitchen a lot the first couple of days, but by day three, she was staying where she was. She loves to lounge and stretch out on the couch, as well as lay under our legs when we are at our table. Lacey loves our kids! As soon as they walk into a room, her tail will wag so hard, eager for some extra attention. Our children, ages 6 and 8, started by meeting her very slowly and let her approach them. This was no problem for Lacey and she went right to them. They will sit on the floor and she will come and lay with her head in their lap. Each time the kids stop petting her, she gets a little closer, looking for more attention, until her head is on their shoulder!

Lacey walks really well on a leash, with no pulling. If we are on a walk and a loud vehicle goes by, she does not get startled. She ignores it and keeps going. She LOVES to lay outside in the sun and grass! Lacey also really likes to find large flower patches to lay in!

Lacey has met multiple neighborhood kids on our walks. We have her approach them and she loves their attention. Lacey ignores dogs we meet and just keeps on going. She would really like to get a hold of a rabbit, though! I swear she licks her lips when she sees one!

Lacey has been spayed, is up to date on all shots, and tested negative for heartworm. Lacey has received heartworm preventative and Frontline. She is on pain medication, is being treated for an ear infection, and started taking glucosamine for her hips. Lacey also had a cyst removed from the top of her head. She has about a 3-inch incision where it was removed.

After we had Lacey for about one week, she visited RAGOM’s wonderful Dr. R to determine if her hip dysplasia was causing her pain and if there was anything that could be done at this time. Lacey does seem to favor one of her back legs and we are not sure why. The doctor who looked at Lacey’s hips also said Lacey has some decreased muscle tone in one of her knees (minor muscle atrophy). Right now we are playing the “wait and see game” so we can learn more about Lacey and determine what parts of how she acts are behavioral and what is because she is in discomfort.

Lacey would like to say a special thank-you to Jean and Kris for letting her stay with them while she visited the doctor nearby. She had a great time at both of their homes and got along well with their resident dogs. RAGOM has wonderful volunteers that go above and beyond each time it is needed. Thank you, RAGOM, for all you do for these dogs!!

So…what does Lacey need in a furever home? Right now, we don’t know for sure because we need to give her some more time to settle in, so we can evaluate her medical needs. What we do know is that Lacey LOVES kids and is very calm outside. Right now, I couldn’t imagine she would need a fenced-in yard. She would do just fine in a yard without a fence. Keep watching for updates on her health and personality! She is absolutely wonderful!

At a Glance #13-222

Golden Retriever Born: March 2011
Female 65 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

08/22/2013:

Welcome Lacey to RAGOM! Lacey is a 2-year-old purebred English Cream Golden Retriever. She weighs 65 pounds and is an absolute beauty! Lacey was surrendered due to being diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Before coming into RAGOM, it was reported she had primarily been in a kennel run, but had some contact with kids and limited exposure to a house. Lacey has been in RAGOM’s care for about 2 weeks now.

We fell in love with Lacey the instant we saw her. She has large deep brown eyes and a beautiful coat. She rode home in our vehicle really well. Once we arrived at our house, Lacey was eager to enter with us, but then was a little nervous with all the new sounds. It was obvious that her experiences were limited. She would stare at the dishwasher strangely when it started running, couldn’t quite figure out the air conditioner and really liked her crate. Lacey did learn to appreciate an open garbage can in a hurry, but quickly responded to a “no.” :) Lacey met our resident dog with no problems and ignored him more than anything. He really wanted to play and she continued to ignore him. She was in heat when she first arrived, so we weren’t sure if she was just irritated with him or not interested. On the third day, he had tried to initiate play one too many times and she was snarky towards him. He took the hint and backed off. She did this a few times again in the first week, but a few minutes later, they would be laying or sitting practically side by side. When Lacey met our very old resident cat, she ignored her. A couple of times she has barked at her, but we don’t think she would do anything at all.

Lacey has had no accidents and simply wants to be around people. If there is a new noise, she would retreat to her crate in our kitchen a lot the first couple of days, but by day three, she was staying where she was. She loves to lounge and stretch out on the couch, as well as lay under our legs when we are at our table. Lacey loves our kids! As soon as they walk into a room, her tail will wag so hard, eager for some extra attention. Our children, ages 6 and 8, started by meeting her very slowly and let her approach them. This was no problem for Lacey and she went right to them. They will sit on the floor and she will come and lay with her head in their lap. Each time the kids stop petting her, she gets a little closer, looking for more attention, until her head is on their shoulder!

Lacey walks really well on a leash, with no pulling. If we are on a walk and a loud vehicle goes by, she does not get startled. She ignores it and keeps going. She LOVES to lay outside in the sun and grass! Lacey also really likes to find large flower patches to lay in!

Lacey has met multiple neighborhood kids on our walks. We have her approach them and she loves their attention. Lacey ignores dogs we meet and just keeps on going. She would really like to get a hold of a rabbit, though! I swear she licks her lips when she sees one!

Lacey has been spayed, is up to date on all shots, and tested negative for heartworm. Lacey has received heartworm preventative and Frontline. She is on pain medication, is being treated for an ear infection, and started taking glucosamine for her hips. Lacey also had a cyst removed from the top of her head. She has about a 3-inch incision where it was removed.

After we had Lacey for about one week, she visited RAGOM’s wonderful Dr. R to determine if her hip dysplasia was causing her pain and if there was anything that could be done at this time. Lacey does seem to favor one of her back legs and we are not sure why. The doctor who looked at Lacey’s hips also said Lacey has some decreased muscle tone in one of her knees (minor muscle atrophy). Right now we are playing the “wait and see game” so we can learn more about Lacey and determine what parts of how she acts are behavioral and what is because she is in discomfort.

Lacey would like to say a special thank-you to Jean and Kris for letting her stay with them while she visited the doctor nearby. She had a great time at both of their homes and got along well with their resident dogs. RAGOM has wonderful volunteers that go above and beyond each time it is needed. Thank you, RAGOM, for all you do for these dogs!!

So…what does Lacey need in a furever home? Right now, we don’t know for sure because we need to give her some more time to settle in, so we can evaluate her medical needs. What we do know is that Lacey LOVES kids and is very calm outside. Right now, I couldn’t imagine she would need a fenced-in yard. She would do just fine in a yard without a fence. Keep watching for updates on her health and personality! She is absolutely wonderful!

Updates

Friday, October 4, 2013

Hi everyone! Since my mom can’t seem to get her act together long enough to write an update, I thought I better write one tonight for her. Maybe she will take the hint then and try to write her own one of these days!

Anyways, I sure have been given a new idea of life as a dog. You see, a couple of months ago, I had a pretty restricted view of the world. Now I get to see and experience so many things each day that I just can’t believe it. In the last two months, I have been wading and splashing in lakes, running free in grassy areas, learning how to play tug with my foster brother, pouncing on balls, sprawling out on the bed with foster mom when she takes a nap, and hiking through the northern Minnesota woods while on vacation. Life is good! Here comes foster mom…apparently I have inspired her to write about me now!

Lacey has continued to win over our hearts in this house. I cannot even begin to say what a true sweetheart she is. Lacey really enjoys running outside in an open area. She holds her tail high and can run like the wind! She loves playing tag with our resident dog and surprises him by outrunning him and tackling him at times. On the other hand, Lacey can be completely laid-back, low-key and just loves life. Lacey has met both male and female dogs similar in size, and gets along well with all of them.

Unfortunately, it seems that medically we still don’t have all the answers we want. Lacey is so much stronger than she was 4 weeks ago. Her endurance has improved, she can walk for more than a mile at a very fast rate, runs and plays for just as long as our resident dog and does not limp or favor her one rear leg nearly as much as she used to. Lacey was put on a 2-week med trial of an anti-inflammatory medication called Rimadyl. However, after about 12 days on the medication, she was having multiple accidents (urine) in the house when she had been previously house trained. During the same time, Lacey began panting and pacing a lot around the house, especially at night as well. Blood work and a urine sample indicated no kidney or liver concerns and there was no urinary tract infection. So, it is all a bit of a mystery right now if something medically is going on, if and when Lacey has pain, and what may be done yet to address her hip and possible ACL issues. Some of the issues may be behavioral or could be even related to her being in discomfort from something. These are all issues that we are still working on figuring out. We really feel that the accidents, panting and pacing are related to the medication she tried, but we need a couple more weeks to be sure. Lacey has had quite a bit of medical care since she was brought into RAGOM’s care 2 months ago. Without the many generous people to help support RAGOM, this care would not be possible. Lacey (and us) thanks each and every amazing RAGOM volunteer for all they do each day! If you would like to help ensure this continues, please consider sponsoring Lacey or any other dog that may tug at your heart. Every bit helps and is greatly appreciated!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

First of all, I would like to say a special thank you to Sarah, a special friend of Lacey’s who made her a great blanket! She loves cuddling on the blanket and thinks it is extra cozy!!

Lacey continues to amaze us, grow and become a confident dog! She is an absolute sweetheart and loves people! We have learned more about her in the last week and feel like we know more about what she needs.


Did I mention Lacey LOVES to sleep on and claim the couch?

Lacey’s furever home needs:

  1. Very few stairs. She can do stairs on “good days,” but on days when she is a bit stiffer, stairs are a lot of work for her. As she gets older (she is only 2 now!), stairs will more than likely become more difficult.
  2. No very young children (toddlers). Lacey is amazing with our kiddos and other kids she meets. However, with her hip dysplasia, we feel it would be best for Lacey to not have to worry about a toddler falling on her. Also, kids who are very loud may scare her a bit and make her jumpy.
  3. To provide exercise and great nutrition every day. It is very important that Lacey stays strong, lean, and in shape so there isn’t added weight put on her joints. She weighs about 62 pounds right now and seems to be getting stronger with her back legs. She started with only walking one block, but can now walk up to a mile at a time, going at her pace.

We spent this past weekend at the lake in a camper and Lacey did awesome. Car ride…great! Meeting new people…great! All the stairs to get to the lake…not so great! We did take the long way to get to the lake just to avoid the stairs to help her out as we notice the more she does, the more she starts limping.

Lacey wasn’t very sure about the water. We tried to get her to go swimming and she walked in without hesitation, but wouldn’t go in the water past her belly. She was curious and would hang off the dock a couple of times, watching our resident dog swim happily. I wouldn’t be surprised if with time she jumped in!


Lacey was relaxing on the beach with us and decided she wanted her own
Adirondack chair to sit it! Too bad she picked the kid size and it was a bit small!

Lacey is becoming much more confident. When outside, especially, she walks with her tail high and wagging, with a smile on her face. She loves walking around outside, especially enjoying all the trails northern Minnesota has to offer.

Lacey is only 2 years old and does get quite spunky at times when let loose in a fenced-in yard. She loves chasing our resident dog, but quickly wears out and will happily come and lay by our feet to relax. We are hoping she can continue to build up this endurance and make her legs and hips even stronger…but that will take time. So…Lacey is 2 and acts like 2, but also reminds us of a much older dog at other times. Lacey’s furever home doesn’t need a fenced-in yard, but right now I also wouldn’t trust her off a leash. Lacey is a Velcro dog and would probably learn to stay close by with some training. She does love to run, so access to a safe area to run in would be great!

Lacey is still looking for her perfect furever family! If you fit the requirements above and want to learn more about Lacey, let your placement advisor know.


We love this squishy face! :)