Louie 12-164

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Sponsored by:

Kevin, Debbie, Sarah & Andrew Faber


May 14, 2012

Introducing Louie, a (roughly) 5 year old golden retriever mix from St. Louis!  Poor Louie has had a rough life so far, living on the streets of St. Louis and foraging/fighting for his food.  His face and ears are full of scars, yet he is the most gentle, sweet soul you will ever meet.  He has dark soulful eyes – one look and he melts your heart.
 
Louie came to RAGOM from an animal rescue in St. Louis, Missouri.  His name was Darvon, but we renamed him “Louie” so he will always remember where he was saved.   :)   Louie was living on the streets when he was spotted by the founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis (www.strayrescue.org) and brought to the shelter.  Stray Rescue is undergoing construction on its shelter and needed to find foster homes for all the dogs there, so RAGOM offered to take Louie.
 
Louie has gotten along well with my 2 dogs and 3 cats so far, as well as my house full of noisy kids.  He rode in our car like a pro and since we got here wants to go on a ride each time we walk by the car.  We are teaching Louie some new things.  He is learning to like a crate – he is smart as a whip and after being afraid of the crate the first day he is now sleeping in it next to my bed every night.  Last night I shut the door and he didn’t mind a bit.  Next we plan on working on leaving the house so Louie doesn’t get anxious if he is left at home for awhile.  I tried leaving him today for about 2 hours (free roam), and he did fabulously.
 
Right now Louie is very, very happy to be in a house with people who love him.  He gets a lot of exercise because any time I get up and go to another room (which is a lot) he gets up and follows me.  My husband laughs and shakes his head at how he stays close to me, but I just tell him that Louie is such a sweet guy that he just wants to be sure that I don’t NEED him while I’m in that other room.  Louie appreciates my take on the issue.
 
Unfortunately, Louie is heartworm positive.  This means that before Louie can be adopted, he needs to go through a 2 month process that involves 3 very strong shots that will kill all the heartworms.  It is a somewhat dangerous/risky treatment, but the only way to get rid of heartworms – which will kill Louie if not treated.  We will have to keep Louie very quiet for 3 months:  as the worms die, they are still floating around the bloodstream and clogging up passageways until the white blood cells have time to destroy them.  The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body during this time, and exercise would make the heart work harder yet. 
 
Treating heartworm is not cheap, and Louie would *love* to have you donate to RAGOM to help them pay for his treatment!   And he asks you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through the treatment.  Thanks everyone!

 
P.S.  Late breaking news about Louie:  I have discovered, while writing this update, that Mr. Louie is a counter surfer.  (gasp of disgust)  Louie wanted me to add that he loves, really really loves, grilled cheeseburgers.

At a Glance #12-164

Mixed Breed Born: April 2007
Male 45 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Sponsored by:

Kevin, Debbie, Sarah & Andrew Faber


May 14, 2012

Introducing Louie, a (roughly) 5 year old golden retriever mix from St. Louis!  Poor Louie has had a rough life so far, living on the streets of St. Louis and foraging/fighting for his food.  His face and ears are full of scars, yet he is the most gentle, sweet soul you will ever meet.  He has dark soulful eyes – one look and he melts your heart.
 
Louie came to RAGOM from an animal rescue in St. Louis, Missouri.  His name was Darvon, but we renamed him “Louie” so he will always remember where he was saved.   :)   Louie was living on the streets when he was spotted by the founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis (www.strayrescue.org) and brought to the shelter.  Stray Rescue is undergoing construction on its shelter and needed to find foster homes for all the dogs there, so RAGOM offered to take Louie.
 
Louie has gotten along well with my 2 dogs and 3 cats so far, as well as my house full of noisy kids.  He rode in our car like a pro and since we got here wants to go on a ride each time we walk by the car.  We are teaching Louie some new things.  He is learning to like a crate – he is smart as a whip and after being afraid of the crate the first day he is now sleeping in it next to my bed every night.  Last night I shut the door and he didn’t mind a bit.  Next we plan on working on leaving the house so Louie doesn’t get anxious if he is left at home for awhile.  I tried leaving him today for about 2 hours (free roam), and he did fabulously.
 
Right now Louie is very, very happy to be in a house with people who love him.  He gets a lot of exercise because any time I get up and go to another room (which is a lot) he gets up and follows me.  My husband laughs and shakes his head at how he stays close to me, but I just tell him that Louie is such a sweet guy that he just wants to be sure that I don’t NEED him while I’m in that other room.  Louie appreciates my take on the issue.
 
Unfortunately, Louie is heartworm positive.  This means that before Louie can be adopted, he needs to go through a 2 month process that involves 3 very strong shots that will kill all the heartworms.  It is a somewhat dangerous/risky treatment, but the only way to get rid of heartworms – which will kill Louie if not treated.  We will have to keep Louie very quiet for 3 months:  as the worms die, they are still floating around the bloodstream and clogging up passageways until the white blood cells have time to destroy them.  The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body during this time, and exercise would make the heart work harder yet. 
 
Treating heartworm is not cheap, and Louie would *love* to have you donate to RAGOM to help them pay for his treatment!   And he asks you to keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through the treatment.  Thanks everyone!

 
P.S.  Late breaking news about Louie:  I have discovered, while writing this update, that Mr. Louie is a counter surfer.  (gasp of disgust)  Louie wanted me to add that he loves, really really loves, grilled cheeseburgers.

Updates

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Hello Louie Fans!

Our special kiddo has done some great work over the last few weeks!  He has told us all kinds of secrets about what makes him happy and what makes him worry. 

On the happy side of things, I think we have to rank car rides right up at the top.  He rides back and forth to school each day, and gets so excited when he hears the G-O word!  One time he even got a kiddie cup from DQ after school!  What a treat! 

He was very hesitant at first, but the more he licked the more excited he got until he finally picked up the cup and took it over to the corner so he could make sure every was aware that it was His with a capital H!  He also loves to spoon in bed, and sometimes he will even turn around so his body is away from me and lay his wonderful heavy head to rest on my back or my legs… Who doesn’t love that?   He does like his meals, but he takes them slow and easy so he can savor each bite, and he takes treats like a dream.  He has the softest mouth I have ever seen (course that could have something to do with all of his missing/broken teeth, poor guy).  He even likes playing with Clyde, the resident four-footed maniac.  He can race around and wrestle with the best of ‘em!

In terms of worrying, by far his worst moments come when someone new enters the house.  He works hard to make sure everyone knows there is an intruder, and to scare them off with his high-pitched get-the-heck-out-of-my-house barking.  We have discovered several small things we can do to minimize this, and/or to shorten the time it takes for him to settle down including have introductions out front on a leach or out back in the yard. Treats.  Having a family member stand close to the new person. Treats.  Minimizing the activity of the other dogs when someone comes in (ie. no ball throwing, tugging etc.). Treats. Having the new person seated for a meeting.  Treats.  And, I think most importantly (aside from treats so he associates new people with good stuff!), asking the visitor to remain calm.  Mr. Louie seems to feed off the emotion surrounding him, and if everyone is calm, it helps him calm down, too.  Having been in seven different living situations in the last few months (streets, shelter, foster care, adoptive home (love you guys!), boarding, temp foster, and new foster home) it is easy to understand why this might be an issue.  I think once he is settled into his permanent location and has time to realize he is safe and home, gets used to seeing familiar people coming through the door, and works with his family to create alternate behaviors when the bell rings, he will learn to trust that visitors aren’t scary.

Something about this kid touches me deeply.  He is a sweet boy that needs a little help to learn that he is safe and loved.  Once he has that, he will be devoted for life!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Louie has had a good couple of days here and he'll be heading off to a new foster tomorrow. I had not read all of his history when I posted the last update. After reading it, I understand his story a little more as well as understand the wires that get crossed in his head. He is all of what he has been described previously: he's ADORABLE, a lover, a snuggler, a funny guy, and a joy to have around. He's also got these problematic crossed wires in his crazy little head that result in his fear-based guarding issues. There have been a number of new people dropping by the past few days, and Louie's reaction is almost always the same: he barks (with a high pitched tone) at the new person and if they move, the bark increases in intensity. If they stand still, and if I reassure him, the barking subsides, the person is allowed to enter, and eventually, Louie is sitting next to them, begging for pets. If hey get up to move, he gets anxious again.

He does seem to have three specific triggers that I have observed: new people, tight spaces, and the need to guard his perceived alpha person. He's had some minor guarding issues with my resident dog, but generally gets along with him fine. However, when the resident approaches me, Louie will insert himself and block the way. If Louie is resting on the floor and my dog tried to come into the office, Louie will sometimes offer a slight growl and definitely gives him the eyeball. This morning, my assistant came to ask me a question about a work issue. He (still a new person) stood in the doorway (tight space), and my resident dog moved toward my assistant and Louie's need to guard kicked in: he started barking and snapped at the assistant. He didn't bite, there was no damage, but it was the first time that I saw the poor guy's issues really flare up. I'm glad he's going to a foster home where he'll get to work on his stuff. I really believe that he can learn to socialize with some consistent work, AND I really believe he's worth the effort because he is such a good boy when he's not afraid. This afternoon, I got him to romp around the yard and he was so playful and just a delight. I've really enjoyed having him here and so hope he can recover from his life on the streets enough to enjoy the golden life!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Louie is an adorable 5 year old golden retriever mix who arrived here tonight as a temporary foster until he goes to his permanent foster a week from today.

Louie's had kind of a rough life, it seems. It seems he came from a rescue in St. Louis, and he underwent heartworm treatment and was recently neutered. He's apparently nervous about meeting new people, does not like being in tight quarters, and has had a snapping/biting incident when he has been startled. He's been tested by other RAGOM folks and has not shown aggression and apparently has come a long way in his anxiety about meeting new people. My experience with him today has shown none of those issues. He met me at the boarding kennel and was just fine. He rode well in the car, he did great with my resident dog and cat (very respectful of the cat) and when my neighbor came over, Louie trotted right up to him and met him. I'm sure I'll learn more about him in the next few days, but he's given a very good impression on his first night here.

Louie's housebroken, and he let me know when he wanted to go outside. He and the resident dog Moe have a a couple of rounds of almost wanting to play with each other. He ate his dinner, then started in on Moe's leftovers but let me take the bowl away from him with no issue. He's been very calm in the house.

Louie's super-cute, kind of fuzzy, very alert--just adorable. He's about 55 lbs and is a little on the smaller side for a golden. We do know he needs a home with no children (because of his history) and he needs a fence as he apparently is an escape artist (the people at the kennel said he learned to flip the handle on his kennel to get outside and then would find himself locked outside all night!) He was a favorite of the staff at the kennel and he seems to be a real charmer!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

I have to add one more update, as I read his bio yesterday and realized someone important was missing.  This is a picture of Louie and his best friend in the whole world.  She’s the one who found out he needed RAGOM’s help, and the one who spent hours with him each day making him feel loved and secure, and the one who trained him day after day so he would be as ready as possible to move to a new home.  Although Louie will grow to love his new family more than he ever dreamed, I think he will always have a special place in his heart for this gal.

 


Louie learning to play with toys

Monday, June 18, 2012

Just when Louie thought things couldn’t get any worse...the bath happened.  He needed one so badly, but we’ve held off until he was totally comfortable with us and not sore from his first heartworm shot.  He did not like it one bit and stood there looking miserable the whole time, but we got ‘er done and he smells just lovely now!

This Monday (6/18) Louie goes in for his second heartworm shot, so send good thoughts and prayers his way.  He’ll go back all day Tuesday for his second one, and then we have a 30 day wait for the rest of the heartworms to die off and he’s done!  I imagine this week he’ll be feeling pretty rough if it goes like last time.  

Louie has continued to feel more nervous when new people enter the yard/house and telling them he’s nervous with sharp barking.  Although this week’s treatment will put a damper on any training, the long term goal continues to be to show Louie how to go to a safe place when he hears the doorbell ring, and to have him wait to approach visitors until he feels comfortable with them.  We did learn this week that Louie loves, loves, loves hot dogs, and once he knew I had them it was easier to convince him that he would rather look at me than bark at the person coming into the house.  We’ll continue to work with Louie and keep you posted on his progress.


Louie's "torture" session
You have got to be kidding me!

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Louie continues to feel better, and he is going absolutely crazy with this whole no-activity thing.  He has this part of him that is like a little puppy, he tries to play and is totally clutzy and awkward about it, so cute!  The more energy he accumulates, the more we see him trying to mouth things like a puppy (mainly human things like our arms...), but it is easily handled by trading him for a toy.  If that doesn’t work, we clip on his leash and go walk around the yard and that seems to reset his energy down a notch.
 
We’ve noticed something new this week that Louie will need help with in his forever home.  For some reason, that we will never know, Louie is afraid of one of our neighbors.  He has met over 25 people and seen many more from a distance, and other than normal/healthy caution has done just fine.  But, when he saw this person, he immediately started barking in alarm and backed up.  When I immediately retreated to a distance from which he felt safe, the barking stopped, but Louie watched every move she made.  When this person sits in a chair, Louie relaxes and approaches her, but when she stands he is immediately nervous again.  We are working on this with him by having the neighbor sit before Louie sees her and ignore him completely, except to throw yummy shaved turkey his way every so often.  Because he has met so many people without a problem we know that this is not a reaction to new people:  there is something specific about this person that makes him fearful – there are many things it could be such as this person’s gate, mannerisms, looks, etc.  But it is highly specific as no one else has invoked this reaction.  So a new family would just have to be willing to continue to train him if they encountered a similar issue.
 
Since that meeting with the neighbor that startled him, Louie has been giving a woof to new people that come in the house, but only one woof and then he relaxes and follows us around not worrying about the visitor.
 
Louie has also had a few accidents in the house, so we’re making sure that when we take him out he remembers that in addition to marking all over the yard he needs to actually empty his bladder – what a concept.
 
Other news about Louie:  Louie had a fun weekend, he spent an afternoon with us at my brother and sister-in-laws camper.  He sat on the deck with me and watched tons of people and dogs walk by, napped, and enjoyed getting lots of attention.  When the big thunderstorms rolled through he wasn’t phased at all even with our other resident dog pacing and panting like crazy. 
 
We took some new pictures of Louie for you to enjoy also that show off his handsome face, hope you enjoy them!


Isn’t he just the most handsome boy?


Louie playing with one of his “people”


Nap time with RAGOM dog Mindy

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Today Louie showed us that he has learned the golden “elbow nudge” for attention, just another thing to show us he is feeling better from that heartworm shot and wants more attention and less sleep.
 
Funny Louie story of the day:  We have three cats, the youngest is a 9 month old Tuxedo named Cocoa.  Cocoa just loves to go in paper bags, clothes baskets, cardboard boxes, etc – she will go in and either play or just sit there and sleep for awhile.  The other night, we had thrown a grocery bag on the floor for her after it was unloaded, and she had zoomed in and settled down inside.  Unbeknown to us, Louie was sitting under the table nearby, watching Cocoa intently.  He become more and more curious, and decided to play.  The rest of us were sitting at the kitchen table and island minding our own business, when suddenly there is a scrabbling of feet under the table, Louie pops up and lands smack on the front of the paper bag.  Immediately there is this scuffle involving cat yowls, loud grocery bag wrinkling noises, and a bouncing Louie.  Then, ka-POW, the back of the paper bag explodes, a black furry bullet shoots across the kitchen and out of the room while Louie is still scrabbling with the bag trying to figure out where the cat went (keep in mind this is all happening in about 2 slow motion seconds).  My son and I hardly moved, but just kind of looked at each other across the table thinking “did what I think just happened actually just happen??”  Louie eventually trotted back to his spot under the table, and Cocoa, after an hour hiding in the basement, decided the house must be safe again and doesn’t seem traumatized by the course of events.  Poor kitty.
 
Awesome Louie story of the day:  we had a surprise visit from the house sitter that Louie is afraid of.  When we realized she was at the door, kids and mom flew into action, put a chair right inside the door, and foster mom armed herself with shaved ham and took Louie across the room.  We distracted Louie while she came in and sat down, then treated Louie each time he looked at her.  Once he was bored and wanted to go explore, our house sitter sat and ignored him while Louie walked up to her and sniffed her.  The he waited expectantly – he already is starting to associate her with treats!  We quick passed the treats to our house sitter (who may I say is SO awesome to devote time each day to helping Louie) who continued to ignore Louie while feeding him ham, ham, and more ham.  When she left I took Louie across the room again so he would feel safe, and when she stood (normally much more scary to him) he didn’t even care.  Looked at her and then proceeded to look at something else that was more interesting.  I was so proud of him!


Louie snuggles with another of his buddies