Bear 11-370

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Let me introduce you to Bear! Bear is a 10 year old male Golden Retriever mix. But PLEASE don’t let his age fool you! He has the energy of a much younger dog. Bear made the 500 mile journey a few days ago, and he is so happy to be sprung from the Humane Society! What we learned from them was that he was with the same family his entire life. His family had to move into a new home and were not able to keep Bear. Bear is the most affectionate dog I have ever met. If you are sitting on the couch, he will sit next to you, and put his head on your lap. We have a 7 and 9 year old, and he will do this to them as well. (They LOVE that!)

Bear had his vet visit, and received (almost) a clean bill of health. The exception being a Staff infection and allergies. (Currently on antibiotic and anti-itch medicine). We are going to try fish and sweet potato dog food, which our resident Golden, Buddy, is also on. This may help with allergies.

We are keeping Bear in a crate while we are gone. The longest will be 6 hours. He doesn’t seem to love it, but seems to be best. He goes in with a little treat persuasion!

Bear also pulls quite a bit on a regular lease. We are using the gentle leader, and it has helped immensely!

Bear would do well with any family. He loves kids!! I’m not sure about cats, though. While at the vet, he definitely pulled to get a closer look. (And when I say pulled, I mean PULLED!!) And in true golden style, he is also a Velcro dog! He gets along with our resident Golden, Buddy. Buddy is also a male and is 8 years old. They get along and have the occasional male dominance, which is minor and very normal!

Please do NOT let his age stop you from taking a look at Bear. His overall health is GREAT, and could still have many years left. He would make an excellent addition to any family.

At a Glance #11-370

Mixed Breed Born: October 2001
Male 70 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

 

Let me introduce you to Bear! Bear is a 10 year old male Golden Retriever mix. But PLEASE don’t let his age fool you! He has the energy of a much younger dog. Bear made the 500 mile journey a few days ago, and he is so happy to be sprung from the Humane Society! What we learned from them was that he was with the same family his entire life. His family had to move into a new home and were not able to keep Bear. Bear is the most affectionate dog I have ever met. If you are sitting on the couch, he will sit next to you, and put his head on your lap. We have a 7 and 9 year old, and he will do this to them as well. (They LOVE that!)

Bear had his vet visit, and received (almost) a clean bill of health. The exception being a Staff infection and allergies. (Currently on antibiotic and anti-itch medicine). We are going to try fish and sweet potato dog food, which our resident Golden, Buddy, is also on. This may help with allergies.

We are keeping Bear in a crate while we are gone. The longest will be 6 hours. He doesn’t seem to love it, but seems to be best. He goes in with a little treat persuasion!

Bear also pulls quite a bit on a regular lease. We are using the gentle leader, and it has helped immensely!

Bear would do well with any family. He loves kids!! I’m not sure about cats, though. While at the vet, he definitely pulled to get a closer look. (And when I say pulled, I mean PULLED!!) And in true golden style, he is also a Velcro dog! He gets along with our resident Golden, Buddy. Buddy is also a male and is 8 years old. They get along and have the occasional male dominance, which is minor and very normal!

Please do NOT let his age stop you from taking a look at Bear. His overall health is GREAT, and could still have many years left. He would make an excellent addition to any family.

Updates

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

We had the pleasure of dog sitting our first ever foster, Bear, last weekend.  Bear was our foster Halloween 2011-March 2012.  He was appox 10 years old when we had him and is still doing well at age 12!  (Although a bit thicker around the waist!)

I was unfortunately out of town, but my husband said he’s still the same ‘Silly ‘ol Bear’!  He’s more mellow than he was 2 years ago.  He played well with our one year old girl, Ginger, and still ignored our 10 year old, Buddy!

So happy we got to ‘save’ Bear, and even happier his forever family found him!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

When Bear was adopted in March, we knew we would miss him, but were so happy because he was going to the perfect family. So when Bear’s adoptive Mom asked if we would watch Bear last week while they were vacationing, it was a no-brainer! We were THRILLED to see Bear again. He was the same in some aspects, but also different! He still liked to hide his treats to be eaten later (He hid them in some blankets!). But we also found him to be a more confident dog. When he lived with us those 5 months, he always had to be RIGHT NEXT TO YOU! He may have felt like, “Well, my first family had me 10 years and they left. Maybe you’ll leave too?” This time around, he didn’t feel the need to lay on my lap, like a little poodle.

Bear is the luckiest dog to have the K family as his own. They LOVE that he’s silly and just a little bit naughty! And I know he LOVES antagonizing the cats and also running free in their (fenced) backyard.

Thank you a million times over to RAGOM for helping this crazy, funny, loveable senior, and to the ‘K’ family for loving him for the ‘Silly ‘ol Bear’ that he is J

Sunday, March 18, 2012

We are very excited to report that Bear has met his forever family. This is one very lucky dog. Bear is the only dog, has a fenced yard, and has another little boy to love! I could not have asked for anyone better for Bear. As he was our very first foster, we will miss him dearly. But we are so happy we got to help Bear out of the humane society, and find an amazing home. We love you, Bear!


Bear with his foster Mom

Thursday, March 8, 2012

What a great week it has been for Bear. He finally has a playmate! (Our resident golden, Buddy, doesn’t play too much) We got to take care of Tilly, an 8 week old golden mix, and Bear has been a complete angel. We are calling him ‘Uncle Bear’ this week. He is very patient with her, allowing her to pull on his neck CONSTANTLY! He also ‘checks in with her’ when she is in another room, or asleep. It is VERY sweet!

Here are a few Bear/Tilly pictures:


Friday, March 2, 2012

Hello RAGOM world, it’s Bear here! Have some great news in regards to cats! Turns out I don’t want to eat them after all!! I got to go over to my new friend, Karen’s, house to meet her cat, Snickers. When I first saw Snickers, I was so excited that I barked! A lot. But after a few minutes, I learned Snickers was boss, and I pretty much left him alone. I still barked at him, though. Cuz I wanted to play and he didn’t!!! So Karen agreed that I could go to a family that has cats! Wahoo! Just please be patient with me in the beginning. Living with cats will be new to me, and I may want to bark at them!

My FM wanted to share a few pictures of me. The first one is of my favorite little boy. I was so tired, but I guess he was faking it ;)

The next picture was from the ice storm. My FM took me outside and all I wanted to do was eat the ice off the trees!

And the last picture is me just being me. While my FM was on the computer doing this update, I went under the stairs where they keep their ‘junk’ and thought this tub looked like a comfy bed. Turned out I was wrong. I didn’t really fit in it, and plastic dolls really aren’t that soft. How funny am I???

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hello everyone! It’s Bear again. First of all, I’d like to say how fun it was to meet so many people at the Chuck and Don’s in St. Paul last Saturday. My FM said I was a complete gentleman, and I didn’t knock anything over this time! I met an especially nice lady named Marilyn. I loved her right away, cuz she had treats for me hidden in her purse! Thanks to everyone who gave me so much love!

I went to the vet for a vaccinations on Monday. The staff there let me get tested on a cat! (Thank you Valley View Pet Hospital!) They held me back, because BOY! I wanted to play with that cat!! (We were unsure how Bear would do with a family with a cat. It was the vet’s opinion that Bear is merely curious, and not aggressive towards the cat. He recommended saying if a family wants Bear and has a cat, to ‘proceed with caution’. I still think it would be in his best interest to have a family without a cat, but if you are willing to work with him, then we can ‘proceed with caution’.!)

Please let your placement advisor know if you’d like to learn more about me. I am a very sweet boy. I love kids of all ages. I love to give hugs. And I may even love your cat!!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Hello Golden Lovers! It’s me, Bear, again! I really don’t have much to report since last week, so I just thought I’d share some more pictures. Are you getting sick of seeing me snuggling with ‘my kids’??? Because I’m not! I LOVE TO SNUGGLE!!!


“Oh, this is Heaven!!”

My FM also wanted everyone to see where I sleep. I used to sleep in my FM and FD’s bed, but they told me I was a bed hog, so they kicked me out! But look at the comfy place they made for me!!! When everyone goes to bed at night, I go right to my spot.

And lastly, here is a picture of me in my crate. Now that I’m not crated during the day anymore, I like my crate! It is super comfy to lay in, and I will go in there while my FM is on the computer. (Bear now has free range of the house while we are at work. And if you put the garbage where he can’t reach it, he is PERFECT!)

I will be at Chuck and Don’s in Highland Park on Saturday from 11-12:30. I would love to meet you!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Hello RAGOM people! My FM is graciously allowing me to do this week’s update! She wanted me to tell you all about my likes and dislikes.

First of all, I just LOVE sitting outside taking in the sun. Even on cold days! I will find a stick and shred it all up. I also love my daily walks. My foster family doesn’t have a fenced yard, so I really love to get out and stretch my legs! (and have I mentioned that I LOVE to run?) My FM also takes me on her jogs, and I stay close to her side. (She uses a gentle leader. I don’t love it, but I guess I’m getting used to it!) And I haven’t met a human I don’t like!

I also like to play with my foster brother, Buddy. But I wish he would do it more! He’s kind of an old guy, though. He’s not as old as me, though! I’m 10 years young, as my FM always says. Here is a picture of me and Buddy. We both LOVE to chew the skin off of tennis balls! (Does anyone else do that?) My FM HATES it, cuz it leaves yellow fuzzies all over her carpet!

I also like to empty the dishwasher when my FM is loading it! She thinks it’s pretty funny, so she took a picture of me.


Mmmm, I think this one had chicken it in!

Here’s my pile of dishes. I like to carry them over to the carpet. My FM calls me the ‘pre-washer’.

Thanks for reading all about me! I’m a really nice boy, who only wants a family to love me.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Not a lot to report from this beautiful, sweet boy! He’s wondering why his door isn’t getting pounded down by all the interested applicants! This is the sweetest dog I have ever met. He loves to snuggle and will give you kisses until you are wet in the face! He also LOVES kids! Here is a picture of my son reading to Bear. (He has to read to someone and Bear graciously volunteered to listen!)

This picture my son is giving ‘the boys’ a treat, but only after they sit! (Buddy back/left, Bear front/right)

Bear is a typical golden retriever. He only wants to please. So won’t you please give him a chance? He will love you forever and ever.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Bear went to his first meet and greet at Chuck and Don’s last weekend. He was so excited to meet lots of people was surrounded by bags and bags of dog food and toys and was in complete overload!! I’m pretty sure he licked every single bone that was in a display bin, knocked over ENDLESS cans of stacked cat food, tried to climb up a shelf to reach his favorite dog food, wrapped his leash around a greeting card display (I caught it before it tipped over), peed on the side of the building (sorry, but he had to go real bad!), slobbered all over a toy (which I then bought for him) and had a few words to say to a fellow RAGOM girl. Have I mentioned this dog has a personality??? If you are looking for a super mellow dog, you may need to keep looking. While Bear LOVES to snuggle and thinks he’s a Pekinese lap dog, he is strong, likes to ‘talk’ (doesn’t bark a lot, but will tell you when he needs something by doing a low howl), and he does need a little work on his ‘manners.’ (Has been caught counter surfing) He also may do better as an only dog. While he gets along with our resident golden, Buddy, he may have issues with other dominant male dogs. Buddy is very passive, and generally doesn’t really care what Bear does. But I can see Bear thinking he’s top dog, and ‘butting heads’ with another dominant dog.

A few updates ago, I posted that Bear got into chocolate cookies that I left within Bear’s reach on the counter. Well, the cookie monster strikes again! This time he found a ginger bread house (in a box!) that I had packed for next Xmas, but didn’t seal the storage bin. This dog has an amazing sniffer!! He took it out of the box, and I found pieces of ginger bread as well as unopened candy, stashed all over the house!

Won’t you please give this outgoing, sweet, and absolutely amazing character a chance? He does the funniest things and makes us seriously laugh out loud all the time!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

First and foremost, a big huge slobbery kiss goes out to Ozzie and Josey from Bear, for their awesome donation to RAGOM on Bear’s behalf! And another big thank you to the anonymous donor! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

Nothing too new to ‘report’ with Bear. He is still a fun, playful, silly, and affectionate dog! We did transition him to a homemade bed on the floor, due to the fact he’s a HUGE bed hog! (He really prefers soft things. If he’s on our couch, he will adjust the pillows and lay on them. If he’s on our bed, he will lay next to the pillows and rest his head on them…very cute!) But seriously nice to have more room on my bed ;)

We are also not crating him anymore! Was a good idea early on, as it appeared he had separation anxiety. (Who wouldn’t after being with the same family for 10 years, and then living in a humane society for a month?) If we don’t put the garbage in a place he can’t reach it, he will get into it. If we leave food on the counter, he will counter surf and eat it. (and hide it for later!) If we take care of those things, then he is very happy to not be crated for 6-7 hours sometimes!

Here is a picture of Bear opening his Christmas present!

“Wahoo! Just what I wanted!”

Also couldn’t resist this picture of Bear with my son. Bear was sleeping comfortable on our couch, and my son decided Bear needed to ‘hibernate’, and therefore had to ‘tuck him in’, and give him a hug. Aren’t they just the cutest?!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Merry Christmas from two 10 year old fur kids to another in memory of our human dad From Ozzie and Josey, Merry Christmas from two 10 year old fur kids to another in memory of our human dad

Happy Holidays from anonymous Happy Holidays from anonymous

Monday, December 5, 2011

Bear spent the past 3 days with another foster family, while we had a mini-vacation. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Al and Erna! They summed up Bear’s personality in a nutshell: He’s very much like Marley, from Marley and me. (But without the destructive behavior) Bear is very unaware of his actual size, and is pretty clumsy!

Here is Bear at his weekend-getaway-home:

He also made a new friend, Dakota. (A fellow RAGOM alumni)

Bear is currently being treated for an ear infection, and will have to start up on his allergy meds and antibiotics. The vet thinks he could have allergies (unknown if they are seasonal or food) because his skin is starting to flake again. (His skin was pretty flakey when he came to us, and after a round of antibiotics and allergy meds, it got better.) He could also have a staff infection, which should clear up with his ear meds.

Bear is 10 years old. I understand that may scare some people away. But this 10 year old dog does not act like a 10 year old dog! He has many years left, in my opinion! (And the vets!) So why don’t we keep him, you may ask? Of course, if he does NOT find a forever home, we will keep him, and we will treat him like he’s our own. But I feel like I have already ‘saved’ Bear by getting him out of that humane society and placing him in the RAGOM system. I get daily pleas (yes, DAILY!!) of dogs that need my help. It kills me to read it every day, knowing there are more dogs out there needing homes, through no fault of their own. Bear would make an excellent addition to any family (except one with cats!). I will be very, very sad to see him go. But there are other dogs waiting for me to help them...

 

 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hello Golden Retriever lovers! Just a few things more we have learned about Bear. He would LOVE a fenced yard! We don’t have one, but took him to a friend’s house to let him off lease, and HE LOVED IT! We give him plenty of exercise, but he really loves to stretch his legs! He has snuck away from us before, and BOY can that dog run!!! (Seriously, he’s 10 years old, but his age DOES NOT slow him down!)

Funny Bear story: While eating his food, he’d take a piece, bring it over to the couch, and hide it under the pillow by using his nose. Later, he’d go back to the pillow and eat it! He will also do a whiny bark, almost like he is talking! He usually does this right before bed. He will jump into our bed, roll around and do a moaning/whiny bark! It is so hard to describe, but it’s the funniest thing! This dog has personality, that is FOR SURE!!!

Please consider this silly, silly dog to add to your family. Bear will make you smile!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Hello golden lovers! Bear has been with us almost 2 weeks and it feels like he’s been with us forever. In that 2 weeks, he has definitely relaxed more. He is STILL a Velcro dog and follows me EVERYWHERE! Did I mention he likes to snuggle?

He will also snuggle with our resident golden, Buddy! (Bear on left, Buddy on right)

Also LOVES playing tug of war with Buddy! (Bear on right, Buddy on left)

Our resident, Buddy, taking his new friend, Bear, for a walk!

Please consider this wonderful, wonderful dog as a completion to your family. The positives are endless.