Farley (Rocky 12-297)

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Profile

Let me introduce Rocky to the RAGOM family. This gorgeous boy has an unknown background as he was found as a stray on the streets of St. Paul. He visited the vet, and she estimated him to be 1 1/2-2 years old. He weighed 54# at his initial vet visit, and the vet feels this is a very good weight for him. He is heartworm negative, and is now up to date on his vaccinations. Later this week, he is going to have his little man surgery, and he is also going to have two fractured teeth removed.

Now Rocky asked me just to get this part out of the way. As you can see in the pictures, Rocky has a large area on his right side that has no hair. Due to the fact that Rocky has been rather closed mouth about what happened, we can only guess. The vet feels that most of it is scar tissue, possibly from a burn. He does occasionally get some scratches on the skin, the same way us humans get scratched. Rocky is not the least bit phased by this, except he hopes that someone will over look his hair loss and see the beautiful dog that he is.

Rocky's forever home should be committed to working with him on manners and I think he would benefit greatly from some obedience classes. He seems to be a smart guy and has picked up basic commands quickly. At this time, I feel a home with no other dogs would be best, as he has been showing some reactivity towards other dogs. Because of this I also think Rocky needs a home with children age 10 or older, and he has done really well with my own kids. He loves it when my son takes him outside and they run and run together.

Please contact your placement adviser if you are interested in Mr. Rocky. He is waiting for his forever home!

At a Glance #12-297

Golden Retriever Born: June 2010
Male Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

Let me introduce Rocky to the RAGOM family. This gorgeous boy has an unknown background as he was found as a stray on the streets of St. Paul. He visited the vet, and she estimated him to be 1 1/2-2 years old. He weighed 54# at his initial vet visit, and the vet feels this is a very good weight for him. He is heartworm negative, and is now up to date on his vaccinations. Later this week, he is going to have his little man surgery, and he is also going to have two fractured teeth removed.

Now Rocky asked me just to get this part out of the way. As you can see in the pictures, Rocky has a large area on his right side that has no hair. Due to the fact that Rocky has been rather closed mouth about what happened, we can only guess. The vet feels that most of it is scar tissue, possibly from a burn. He does occasionally get some scratches on the skin, the same way us humans get scratched. Rocky is not the least bit phased by this, except he hopes that someone will over look his hair loss and see the beautiful dog that he is.

Rocky's forever home should be committed to working with him on manners and I think he would benefit greatly from some obedience classes. He seems to be a smart guy and has picked up basic commands quickly. At this time, I feel a home with no other dogs would be best, as he has been showing some reactivity towards other dogs. Because of this I also think Rocky needs a home with children age 10 or older, and he has done really well with my own kids. He loves it when my son takes him outside and they run and run together.

Please contact your placement adviser if you are interested in Mr. Rocky. He is waiting for his forever home!

Updates

Sunday, October 7, 2012

My son is now calling this "The Dog Blog", so here we go!

We have had Rocky with us a little over a month now, and we have learned a lot about this boy. This is one smart pup. He catches on to commands very quickly. He has greatly improved with his counter surfing, not that he won't try once in awhile, but we have been using the "off" command and he does respond. Also, he is completely housebroken and has not had an accident since he has been here. Rocky loves to be around people and can be quite the snuggle bug.

Now the complicated part of Rocky. We are making a lot of strides with him interacting nicely with our other resident dogs. He is learning that they are not out to take everything from him and that playing with them can actually be fun. I am beginning to think a home with another resident dog may be o.k., but introductions would need to be slow. Rocky's forever home needs to be able to set and follow through with boundaries as he is a much calmer and happier dog when he knows the expectations given to him. Again, I think he will blossom with some obedience training.

I also want to address Rocky's skin issues again. We are now keeping a t-shirt on him as he was continually scratching and opening up areas, just by rubbing against his kennel or playing. He does not mind wearing a shirt at all, and it has allowed the open areas to heal. I also think wearing a shirt will be good to protect the skin when we have the cold Minnesota days. It is also going to be important to keep him on a high quality dog food to help keep his skin healthy.

Rocky may seem a bit overwhelming, but 99% of the time he is an absolute sweetheart. But, it is important to know that he can be reactive towards other dogs and protective of whatever he sees as his, so you really need to be thinking one step ahead of him to help him react appropriately.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Hello Everyone. It's me, Rock-a-Doodle-Doo! At least that is what my foster family calls me. Am I a dog or a rooster? Anyhow, I better make this update fast. I hear foster mom yell at my two legged brothers and sister to get off the computer, she might not be too happy if she finds me on here.

So I suppose you all know about that Goldzilla thing. I really, really wanted to go, but foster mom said I wasn't ready yet. Something about me not behaving so well around other dogs. She just doesn't quite understand what I went through as a stray. I just don't trust those dogs (and sometimes people), they might take my food, my toys, or get near where I am supposed to sleep. That makes me mad and sometimes I just can't control myself and I growl, bark, and even lunge after them. I am trying really hard, but foster mom says it is going to take some time, training, and a lot of patience. I do like that she gives me lots of treats and praise when I am a good boy! She also said that maybe next year I would get the opportunity to go to Goldzilla.

Did you know that just over a week ago I was at the vet and I had some surgery that I really don't want to talk about? Can you believe that my people did not even tell me about it in advance-----or.... maybe.... I.... didn't.... want.... to.... know?!?!?! I feel much better now, but the vet also took out 3 of my teeth because they were broken. The first day I did stick my tongue in those empty spaces, but now it doesn't bother me at all. FM also thinks I might be a bit calmer since my unmentionable surgery.

Well, I am going to say good night so I can go stretch out and sleep on my back. I need to get lots of rest because these people really take me outside a lot to run and go on walks. You would think they are trying to wear me out or something! I have a secret form of exercise. It is called counter surfing. These people don't seem to appreciate the effort of the jump, standing on 2 legs, stretch, and reach that is needed to do this type of surfing.

Oops! Here she comes, signing off.