Jack 13-207

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Profile

07/26/2013:

Welcome to RAGOM, Jack! This gorgeous 9-year-old male Golden Retriever is a sweetheart and we just love having him around! Jack came from a family that had adopted him from a shelter several years ago. This family was no longer able to afford or dedicate the time that Jack deserves, so they lovingly surrendered him to RAGOM. It’s easy to see that Jack came from a very loving and stable home. He is so happy and he adjusted very quickly to our home and routine. He currently lives with 2 dogs (resident Golden, Finn, and foster brother, Vinnie 12-382), 2 cats (he ignores them) and my 8-year-old daughter. Jack quickly sought out the attention of my daughter and I would not hesitate to adopt him to a family with kids!

Jack had his vet visit and was brought up to date on vaccines, had a negative heartworm test, was microchipped and had bloodwork done. His bloodwork looked great! Jack does have some sores on his ear flaps and outer ear, but there is no infection. The vet thinks it might be gnat bites from him lying in the grass. We decided to just keep an eye on them, and they are already improving. His ear canals are very clean and infection-free. Jack was neutered when he was younger. Jack decided not to give up a fecal sample on the day we took him to the vet, so I will need to drop one off to be tested for intestinal parasites. I will keep you posted on the results of his fecal!

He loves tennis balls! Currently, Jack doesn’t have the stamina to play fetch very long, but it’s great exercise for him and he really enjoys it! He also likes to carry around stuffed toys, but has not destroyed them. Jack has a gorgeous coat and he will need lots of brushing to keep it mat-free. Part of his rear end, his feathering on his back legs, and behind his ears had to be shaved to get rid of the mats that had formed. They weren’t terrible, but it was easier on him to just clip them out than to try to brush them out. He has so much fur that it’s hard to even tell that he has a few bald spots! I did give Jack a bath and he did very well, though he did get tired and didn’t want to stand in the tub for the whole duration of his bath. It was a little more difficult to complete my task, but not impossible! He has had no accidents in the house and he is allowed free-roam during the day while I am at work. We have a fenced yard, but it was reported that he has opened the gate in his previous home and that he went on walks through the neighborhood by himself. We keep a lock on our gate to prevent him from opening up the gate. We have been going to a park the past few days and Jack has been on a 100-foot training leash. He does a pretty good job of staying close to me. He will definitely need to learn boundaries in his forever home if there isn’t a fence. At this point, Jack will not need a fence in his forever home. Jack gets along with our dogs, but he would do fine as an only dog. He really just wants attention from his people! Jack did very well in the car on his long transport before arriving at our home. He was a little sore the next day, but I think it’s just because everything was so crammed the day before. By the second day, he was back to normal. Jack would be a great match for almost any home and family!

Jack’s ONLY downfall is his weight. He currently weighs 115 pounds, and we are guessing that he should be closer to 85 or 90 pounds. His waist measures a whopping 36 inches! Due to his weight, sometimes he is a little sore after exercising and it’s hard for him to get up after he’s been sprawled out on the floor. We started Jack on a diet the first day he was here. He is on a measured amount of a high quality, grain-free food and is doing very well on it so far. We have also started him on a joint supplement. Jack’s RAGOM vet suggested giving him an NSAID (pain reliever/anti-inflammatory medication) as needed to keep him comfortable and keep him exercising while we are getting the weight off of him. We will give him this medication as needed, and hopefully it will keep him feeling good so we can exercise every day! I’m really looking forward to longer games of fetch and watching him move around easier as he drops the extra pounds that he’s been carrying around! We are confident that once he loses the weight, he won’t need the NSAID anymore.

Jack is seriously perfect! It’s been so easy to fall in love with him! Don’t let his age scare you, he is still very active and will make a wonderful companion for some lucky family! Senior dogs are the best! If you are interested in learning more about Jack, please contact your placement advisor today!

At a Glance #13-207

Golden Retriever Born: July 2004
Male 98 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

07/26/2013:

Welcome to RAGOM, Jack! This gorgeous 9-year-old male Golden Retriever is a sweetheart and we just love having him around! Jack came from a family that had adopted him from a shelter several years ago. This family was no longer able to afford or dedicate the time that Jack deserves, so they lovingly surrendered him to RAGOM. It’s easy to see that Jack came from a very loving and stable home. He is so happy and he adjusted very quickly to our home and routine. He currently lives with 2 dogs (resident Golden, Finn, and foster brother, Vinnie 12-382), 2 cats (he ignores them) and my 8-year-old daughter. Jack quickly sought out the attention of my daughter and I would not hesitate to adopt him to a family with kids!

Jack had his vet visit and was brought up to date on vaccines, had a negative heartworm test, was microchipped and had bloodwork done. His bloodwork looked great! Jack does have some sores on his ear flaps and outer ear, but there is no infection. The vet thinks it might be gnat bites from him lying in the grass. We decided to just keep an eye on them, and they are already improving. His ear canals are very clean and infection-free. Jack was neutered when he was younger. Jack decided not to give up a fecal sample on the day we took him to the vet, so I will need to drop one off to be tested for intestinal parasites. I will keep you posted on the results of his fecal!

He loves tennis balls! Currently, Jack doesn’t have the stamina to play fetch very long, but it’s great exercise for him and he really enjoys it! He also likes to carry around stuffed toys, but has not destroyed them. Jack has a gorgeous coat and he will need lots of brushing to keep it mat-free. Part of his rear end, his feathering on his back legs, and behind his ears had to be shaved to get rid of the mats that had formed. They weren’t terrible, but it was easier on him to just clip them out than to try to brush them out. He has so much fur that it’s hard to even tell that he has a few bald spots! I did give Jack a bath and he did very well, though he did get tired and didn’t want to stand in the tub for the whole duration of his bath. It was a little more difficult to complete my task, but not impossible! He has had no accidents in the house and he is allowed free-roam during the day while I am at work. We have a fenced yard, but it was reported that he has opened the gate in his previous home and that he went on walks through the neighborhood by himself. We keep a lock on our gate to prevent him from opening up the gate. We have been going to a park the past few days and Jack has been on a 100-foot training leash. He does a pretty good job of staying close to me. He will definitely need to learn boundaries in his forever home if there isn’t a fence. At this point, Jack will not need a fence in his forever home. Jack gets along with our dogs, but he would do fine as an only dog. He really just wants attention from his people! Jack did very well in the car on his long transport before arriving at our home. He was a little sore the next day, but I think it’s just because everything was so crammed the day before. By the second day, he was back to normal. Jack would be a great match for almost any home and family!

Jack’s ONLY downfall is his weight. He currently weighs 115 pounds, and we are guessing that he should be closer to 85 or 90 pounds. His waist measures a whopping 36 inches! Due to his weight, sometimes he is a little sore after exercising and it’s hard for him to get up after he’s been sprawled out on the floor. We started Jack on a diet the first day he was here. He is on a measured amount of a high quality, grain-free food and is doing very well on it so far. We have also started him on a joint supplement. Jack’s RAGOM vet suggested giving him an NSAID (pain reliever/anti-inflammatory medication) as needed to keep him comfortable and keep him exercising while we are getting the weight off of him. We will give him this medication as needed, and hopefully it will keep him feeling good so we can exercise every day! I’m really looking forward to longer games of fetch and watching him move around easier as he drops the extra pounds that he’s been carrying around! We are confident that once he loses the weight, he won’t need the NSAID anymore.

Jack is seriously perfect! It’s been so easy to fall in love with him! Don’t let his age scare you, he is still very active and will make a wonderful companion for some lucky family! Senior dogs are the best! If you are interested in learning more about Jack, please contact your placement advisor today!

Updates

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Great news! On 8/24, Jack weighed in at 100.2 pounds! He was 115 on 7/20. He has lost a lot in a month, but the vet isn’t concerned that he’s losing it too quickly. Jack has about 20-25 more pounds to lose, but measuring his food and giving him plenty of exercise is proving to be a great way to get those extra pounds off of him! I have definitely noticed that Jack is more active with that extra weight off. We are frequently seeing Jack RUN now! Since it’s been too hot to walk much, Jack has spent a lot of time in the park in the grass under trees, usually with a tennis ball or two.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Wow! Talk about a great dog! Jack has fit seamlessly into our home and routine! He is a very sweet and loving boy and he will be a wonderful family member for some lucky family! Jack is completely housetrained and has not had a single accident here. He gets along with everyone he meets – adults, kids, dogs, cats, you name it! Jack loves napping on his comfy dog bed, but he is always ready to do whatever his family wants to do. Jack loves to be involved in what we are doing!

On 8/7, Jack weighed in at 105.4 pounds! That’s a 9.6 pound weight loss from when he came into RAGOM on 7/20! He is easily shedding the extra pounds with measured food and lots of exercise. Jack has started to run more and can even get into the car without me having to help him up! Jack has not had any pain medication in 11 days and he has not shown any pain or stiffness after a lot of exercise. Just getting those few pounds off of him has made him much more comfortable! I don’t expect that he’ll need the pain/anti-inflammatory medication anymore! I still have him on a joint supplement as a preventative (as I do for all of my fosters over the age of 7 or that have joint issues) .

Jack went to a RAGOM meet and greet in Cedar Falls, IA last weekend and loved everyone he met. He got along great with all of the dogs there, too. He has the Golden nudge and reminded people that they needed to keep petting him. Everyone commented on how wonderful Jack is!

  

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Jack continues to do great in our home! He settled in so quickly that it feels like he’s been here for months instead of a few weeks. We have been working on his exercise program and diet and I think he looks slimmer already. I really wanted to take him to the vet to weigh him this week, but it’s only been 9 days since our vet visit so I don’t think he’s lost too much yet. I will take him next week to see how much he has lost so far. Jack has done very well with the reduced amount of food and doesn’t beg for food from us.

Jack has shown that he’s not afraid of the vacuum and that he has no anxieties. We had several loud thunderstorms and it didn’t bother him at all! He does fine being left home during the day while I am at work. Jack does not get on furniture and sleeps on a dog bed next to my bed at night. Jack is active and loves to go for walks and play fetch. We have already cut back on his NSAID as he doesn’t seem to be as sore after exercising. I think he’s getting used to getting exercise every day now and his body is no longer sore afterwards. I am still giving him a joint supplement since he is older and I would recommend that his forever family do so as well.

This sweet boy absolutely loves being groomed! My daughter brushes him every night and if he had his way, she would never stop. He also does great for baths, nail trims, and ear cleanings. As you can tell from his pictures, Jack really loves tennis balls. He’s also gotten comfortable enough to start going through our other dog toys to see which ones he likes. He even flips his tennis balls or toys around and plays fetch with himself! Jack has never chewed or destroyed anything other than a few tennis balls here. I trust him with free roam of our house and everything is always in one piece when we get home!

Here is a brief re-cap if you are interested in Jack and want to see if he’s a good fit for your family:

  • Jack completely ignores our 2 cats
  • Jack does great with our 2-year-old resident Golden and 2-year-old foster, but doesn’t play with them. He would do fine with another dog or as an only dog.
  • Jack is wonderful with kids of any age!
  • Jack is fine being home alone during the day while I’m at work.
  • Jack does not need a physical fence. He would need to be on a leash or tie-out while he learns his boundaries. Jack can also open the gate of our fence (the kind that flips up) so we keep a carabineer on it to keep him in.
  • Jack needs a family who is dedicated to his weight loss and at keeping him at an ideal weight. He’s doing very well here and doesn’t beg for food!
  • He does know basic commands (sit, come) and we are working on others! Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? He has already learned “out,” which I use to keep the dogs out of the kitchen when I am cooking or preparing their food.
  • Jack doesn’t jump up on people or counter surf.
  • Jack has not shown any aggression or resource guarding. He doesn’t drop his ball when playing fetch, but will allow us to take the ball so we can throw it again.

Please contact your placement advisor about Jack! You don’t want to miss out on this great dog!