After a search of nearly 1000 miles and 3 weeks, Biggie found his fur-ever home. (I told you he had a GReat nose on him!) Congrats to Biggie and the R family. You will enjoy each other immensely!
Biggie 12-043
Profile
Don't let Biggie's name fool you. He is not very big physically, but he does have a big ol' golden heart filled with affection and an even bigger one with patience. Biggie arrived at his new foster home in Cedar Rapids, IA very late on 2-11-12 after a long 800 mile journey from North Dakota. They don't get much longer than that! Biggie says "thanks" and gives the two-paws-up sign of approval to the awesome RAGOM transport teams that got him safely here. Sure beats walking!!
What a deal for Biggie to deal with once he got here so late at night. Biggie needed to quickly adjust from life in cars for the day to an animal carnival with 4 new dogs and 4 cats for the night.
After that long of trip, anything short of asking for a T-bone hot off the grill for supper was acceptable behavior. As most fosters are their first night, he was a little nervous, a little restless, not very sleepy, and a whole lot curious. (Another foster (Bowen) who made part of the trip with him was also spending the night with us.) Once all of that was enough and the pecking order was established, everyone finally settled in for a long 1-1/2 hour nap. Biggie has some sleep to catch up on tonight! (Please, Biggie, please!!)
Biggie is light-to-medium golden in color, slender build, energetic, and loves to have toys. He went through the entire basket of dog toys looking for just the right one. It keeps changing, but tennis balls and a kong seem to be his two top favorites. To early for much more Biggie details in this report, but will post more after he has his vet appointment tomorrow and give you all the vital stats. We will also see how he ride in the car WITHOUT a kennel. After an 800-mile ride in a kennel, maybe Biggie DID deserve that T-Bone hot off the grill when he got here after all!
At a Glance #12-043
| Golden Retriever | Born: July 2010 |
| Male | 65 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Don't let Biggie's name fool you. He is not very big physically, but he does have a big ol' golden heart filled with affection and an even bigger one with patience. Biggie arrived at his new foster home in Cedar Rapids, IA very late on 2-11-12 after a long 800 mile journey from North Dakota. They don't get much longer than that! Biggie says "thanks" and gives the two-paws-up sign of approval to the awesome RAGOM transport teams that got him safely here. Sure beats walking!!
What a deal for Biggie to deal with once he got here so late at night. Biggie needed to quickly adjust from life in cars for the day to an animal carnival with 4 new dogs and 4 cats for the night.
After that long of trip, anything short of asking for a T-bone hot off the grill for supper was acceptable behavior. As most fosters are their first night, he was a little nervous, a little restless, not very sleepy, and a whole lot curious. (Another foster (Bowen) who made part of the trip with him was also spending the night with us.) Once all of that was enough and the pecking order was established, everyone finally settled in for a long 1-1/2 hour nap. Biggie has some sleep to catch up on tonight! (Please, Biggie, please!!)
Biggie is light-to-medium golden in color, slender build, energetic, and loves to have toys. He went through the entire basket of dog toys looking for just the right one. It keeps changing, but tennis balls and a kong seem to be his two top favorites. To early for much more Biggie details in this report, but will post more after he has his vet appointment tomorrow and give you all the vital stats. We will also see how he ride in the car WITHOUT a kennel. After an 800-mile ride in a kennel, maybe Biggie DID deserve that T-Bone hot off the grill when he got here after all!
Updates
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Time for foster dad to ask some questions about little Biggie.
WHAT IS THAT TUGGING ON MY SHOULDER STRAP?! Oh, it's Biggie, resting his head on it from the back seat, trying to get as close as he can to me or the window. I wonder which one it really is.....
WHAT ARE THOSE THUDDING SOUNDS I HEAR?! Oh, it's Biggie, dropping his solid rubber Kong ball over and over again on the wood floor as he invites all who can hear to come play fetch with him. Sorry, Biggie, I don't like playing fetch at 2AM.
WHAT IS THAT "SPLASH" I JUST HEARD?! Yes, you guessed it, it's Biggie again, dropping his ball in the dog water bowl to get it all clean and fresh. Maybe we can teach him how to do the dishes!
WHY IS THERE WATER ALL OVER THE BATHROOM FLOOR?! Never mind......it's just Biggie learning the difference between a water bowl and a toilet bowl. You don't drop your ball in there for washing. Leave it, Biggie. I will get it out for you, but you gave it a nice try! And don't try to do dishes in the toilet either. That's what kitchen sinks are for!
WHY IS IT SO QUIET IN THE HOUSE? Uh-oh......I don't see Biggie. Quick! Check the kitchen!! Too late. Forget about having that soup we were going to heat up for lunch. At least he knocked the container in the sink. Maybe we really can learn to do dishes after all. He seems to be learning, or at least trying.
NOW WHERE IS HE?? I don't see him. I don't hear him. Very strange....
OK, who was the one who let Biggie out and did not let him back in? Here he is, sitting by the back door as quiet as can be, waiting patiently for someone to let him back in. Poor little doggie.
Good boy, Biggie! You're such a good dog. A happy dog. A fun dog. Let's go find you a nice big dog treat!
Monday, February 27, 2012
After fostering Biggie for the last two weeks, it is now possible to give a pretty fair assessment of the kind of dog he really is. Until a new foster has some time to adapt to his new surroundings, vet appointments, and routines, you do not always have a clear picture of the dog's true nature. The same is true when you adopt a dog. Meeting a dog in his foster home will also give you the opportunity to see the dog in a "normal" mode.
Now that he is comfortably settled, Biggie is a fun dog to have as a foster. His name is quite a misnomer based on his physical size. If I were to rename him based on his character, I would call he Pepe (peppy). Not crazy-type uncontrolled behavior, but always eager to please and interact. He is curious, very alert with cat-quick reactions when playing fetch, has a great sniffer, and can run like the wind.
Biggie has learned the right way to play and wrestle with our 3-1/2 year golden. Initially, he took it a little too seriously. It is easy to tell when they get a little too involved now, and they both back off quickly when I tell them "ENOUGH!" before anyone gets hurt in their wrestling matches. Once in awhile he will chase after a cat for play, but again, stops quickly when I tell him "NO!".
Loves chew toys, but we found out early they have to be durable. He wiped out the rope bones, tennis balls, and Kongs that were in the dogs' toy basket. After he went through all of those, he found other things such as my snowblowing gloves. Needless to say, I made a trip to the pet store soon afterwards in search of something more acceptable. Biggie is now the proud owner of a solid "Extreme" Kong ball and it has survived without missing any pieces for the better part of a week. He will let you know when he wants to play with you. Biggie will drop his ball on your lap, bed, at your feet, or on your bed, waiting for you to pick it up. Sometimes it sounds like he is dribbling it when he is amusing himself. If you tell him to go find his ball, he will do so and bring it to you for play.
Once Biggie realizes and understands you are his caregiver, friend, master, and pack leader, he is pure enjoyment. He will follow you and your every move, After you let him out to do his thing in the back yard or when he is on free roam, he comes quickly when called. He walks nicely with a gentle leader. He cannot wait to get in the car when taking him along for the ride, and heads directly to the front door when you arrive home. He does prefer the front seat, but it is not always available when one of the other two dogs are sitting there.
Biggie has 24/7 free roam in the house. The one thing he needs work on (or maybe we need work on) is not letting his super sniffer lead him to the kitchen countertops. He has managed to find the grated cheese portion of a lasagne dinner recipe in-process, a bag of brown sugar, and some leftover hamburgers that were waiting to be microwaved for lunch. If he keeps that up, maybe "Biggie" will be a good name for him after all! :>)
In dog years, the life expectancy of one (or two) of Biggie's rope bones is about one week.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Biggie went to the vet today for his RAGOM physical which includes blood and fecal tests, ear and dental inspections, microchip implant/scan, needed shots, overall health review, neutering or spaying operation if needed, and picking up a month's supply of flea/tick and heartworm preventatives. As with all RAGOM dogs, each is fully vetted BEFORE adoption by their "fur-ever" family. The adoption fees are in large part to cover these initial vet expenses each dog incurs when they enter RAGOM World. Often times, these costs exceed the adoption expense, so keep those much appreciated donations coming in!!
So how did Biggie do? Very well! He did have a minor ear infection, so he most surely is a Golden!. Biggie tipped the scales at a whopping 57 pounds. All tests were negative and he handled the needles like a real trooper. Teeth are white as the snow falling today with nice pink gums, which the vet made special mention of during the examination. He has been fed high quality dog food since being a puppy, and the benefits of the more expensive brands include nicer looking teeth, a nice coat, better weight control, and better overall health. Biggie is scheduled for neutering tomorrow, so he will loose just a little more weight and be missing some body parts. The only other missing part of his life will be the adopting family he is still looking for.
After being with us for several days, we call him by "Busy" instead of Biggie. His youthful energy is obvious, or maybe he hasn't quite settled in yet to a new life being surrounded by lots of other people, dogs, and cats! Loves to chew on all the dog toys, so be sure he has plenty of them to keep him away from the people stuff. He will also let you know when he wants to play fetch by dropping a toy at your feet or on your lap, then patiently wait for you to take the bait to start the game.
Biggie has free roam of the house, day and night. He knows the right place to do his "jobs", which not all dogs know. (That's a big hit with foster parents!) Biggie was also given his first Gentle Leader lesson and did quite well for it being his first time. In a week he will be a PERFECT walking companion. In case you are not familiar with them, in my humble opinion the Gentle Leader is the miracle cure for dogs who want to take you for a walk with their constant pulling instead of letting you take them for a walk right beside you.
Between now and the time Biggie finds his adopting family, we will spend time sharpening his command skills of "sit", "stay", "come", "down", "heel", "away", "NO!", and "OFF!" (for counter surfing),
We will let the new family work on the tricks. With his energy and intelligence, Biggie might also turn into a pretty good agility dog.
A rare snow for this winter is falling today. Who would have ever thought an Iowan would be saying that in February??!! Maybe it will be a good day for another outdoor pic of Biggie. Here it is......
