Duke 11-266

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    -Anonymous

 

I have the great privilege of introducing my very first senior foster – the one and only Dukester!  (He has a few other nicknames, but in the name of dignity, absolutely prohibited me from sharing them!)  11 year old Duke is a handsome, deep red, neutered PB golden retriever. Duke has had a rather sad story in the recent past. His original owner passed away several years ago, and sweet, loyal Duke was found standing by his owner’s side. He was then rescued by another older gentleman, who sadly passed away in the last month.  The daughter of the 2nd owner took care of Duke until he was able to come into RAGOM, as she was unable to keep him as she already had 3 dogs and 2 cats of her own. According to the daughter, the owner believed that food equals love, and our Duke was very, very loved!

He was the perfect gentleman at his recent vet visit, and is now up to date on all of his vaccinations and preventatives, has been microchipped, and is heartworm and fecal negative. His senior bloodwork checked out well, and a follow up thyroid panel is being done to determine if he is hypothyroid.  He also has some arthritis in his knees, and is very stiff when he tries to get up or lie back down. He has been started on Rimadyl for this, and I’m hoping to see an improvement in his stiffness before too long.  The biggest issue for Duke (literally speaking) is that he tilts the scales at approximately 120#!  Believe it or not, this is actually good news, as his weight had been estimated at nearer to 140#!  Duke’s diet is seriously underway, and much to his chagrin, will be the focus for him in the near future!

Duke settled into our house without as much as a hitch. He had immediate free roam, hasn’t had any accidents in the house at all, and sleeps through the night without a peep. He has already adopted several of the tennis balls and chew bones scattered throughout the house (once a golden, always a golden), and though a bit slow, his eyes already start to sparkle when he knows it’s time for our twice daily walks!  In addition to it being imperative that any adoptive family be committed to his weight loss program, it will also be extremely important to continue to increase Duke’s exercise tolerance, as it will not only aid in his weight loss, but it will make his joints feel much better in the long run!  Plus – he loves it!

I totally lost my heart to this boy the first time his tale thumped the floor like crazy when I walked into the room - it’s one of his most endearing characteristics, and I pretty much melt everytime he does it!  He has the sweetest golden personality, and absolutely loves being around us. He gets along great with the 2 residents, Belle and Bear, and has been nothing but friendly to dogs, adults, and kids on our walks.  He also has no issues with cats - actually, I can’t imagine him having an issue with much of anything, other than the fact that he definitely feels he is not getting enough to eat! Though very mellow, he also can be quite “talkative” when he wants you to know what he thinks about something!

As I’ve said in the past with other fosters, I am 100% convinced that there is a family out there for every one of our special dogs.  Duke simply wants to be by his people, and be loved and cared for through his golden years. The love, devotion, and loyalty you will get in return are indescribable. Please contact your placement advisor if you think you have the room in your home and in your heart for this incredibly special, senior boy. Believe me, you won’t regret it.

At a Glance #11-266

Golden Retriever Born: August 2000
Male 140 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

    -Anonymous

 

I have the great privilege of introducing my very first senior foster – the one and only Dukester!  (He has a few other nicknames, but in the name of dignity, absolutely prohibited me from sharing them!)  11 year old Duke is a handsome, deep red, neutered PB golden retriever. Duke has had a rather sad story in the recent past. His original owner passed away several years ago, and sweet, loyal Duke was found standing by his owner’s side. He was then rescued by another older gentleman, who sadly passed away in the last month.  The daughter of the 2nd owner took care of Duke until he was able to come into RAGOM, as she was unable to keep him as she already had 3 dogs and 2 cats of her own. According to the daughter, the owner believed that food equals love, and our Duke was very, very loved!

He was the perfect gentleman at his recent vet visit, and is now up to date on all of his vaccinations and preventatives, has been microchipped, and is heartworm and fecal negative. His senior bloodwork checked out well, and a follow up thyroid panel is being done to determine if he is hypothyroid.  He also has some arthritis in his knees, and is very stiff when he tries to get up or lie back down. He has been started on Rimadyl for this, and I’m hoping to see an improvement in his stiffness before too long.  The biggest issue for Duke (literally speaking) is that he tilts the scales at approximately 120#!  Believe it or not, this is actually good news, as his weight had been estimated at nearer to 140#!  Duke’s diet is seriously underway, and much to his chagrin, will be the focus for him in the near future!

Duke settled into our house without as much as a hitch. He had immediate free roam, hasn’t had any accidents in the house at all, and sleeps through the night without a peep. He has already adopted several of the tennis balls and chew bones scattered throughout the house (once a golden, always a golden), and though a bit slow, his eyes already start to sparkle when he knows it’s time for our twice daily walks!  In addition to it being imperative that any adoptive family be committed to his weight loss program, it will also be extremely important to continue to increase Duke’s exercise tolerance, as it will not only aid in his weight loss, but it will make his joints feel much better in the long run!  Plus – he loves it!

I totally lost my heart to this boy the first time his tale thumped the floor like crazy when I walked into the room - it’s one of his most endearing characteristics, and I pretty much melt everytime he does it!  He has the sweetest golden personality, and absolutely loves being around us. He gets along great with the 2 residents, Belle and Bear, and has been nothing but friendly to dogs, adults, and kids on our walks.  He also has no issues with cats - actually, I can’t imagine him having an issue with much of anything, other than the fact that he definitely feels he is not getting enough to eat! Though very mellow, he also can be quite “talkative” when he wants you to know what he thinks about something!

As I’ve said in the past with other fosters, I am 100% convinced that there is a family out there for every one of our special dogs.  Duke simply wants to be by his people, and be loved and cared for through his golden years. The love, devotion, and loyalty you will get in return are indescribable. Please contact your placement advisor if you think you have the room in your home and in your heart for this incredibly special, senior boy. Believe me, you won’t regret it.

Updates

Saturday, November 5, 2011

 

I really don’t even know where to begin, other than to say I’m honestly not sure if my heart will ever be whole again. A big piece of it went with my dear, sweet, precious Dukie, when he crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 11/2.

My Dukie was thriving! He was losing weight, and appeared to be getting stronger every day. He loved his walks in the beautiful fall weather, loved his fur siblings, and in particular, loved his fur sister, Belle.


He loved hanging out with “transport” mom, Amy L., and her dogs (can you believe the size difference?) when we were out of town, loved special treats such as frosty paws (thank you, Karen H.), and loved stuffed toys!

The Dukester was also a senior ambassador at a recent RAGOM event, and you’ve never seen a dog have such a good time! He loved all of the attention he received, and did his absolute best to greet every single person and dog that walked through the doors. I’m proud to think that he played an important role in showing people how incredible our senior dogs really are.

But probably the most important thing about Duke was his devotion to his humans. From the moment he walked into our house, he pretty much decided that he was never going to live anywhere else – it just took us a wee bit longer to realize it. Dukie always greeted us with a heavily thumping tail, and his eyes literally shone with devotion. I work at home, and he spent his days pressed as close to my feet as he could possibly be (thus earning the nickname of “breathing carpet” from my husband), and spent his evenings likewise pressed up against the side of the bed. It was incredibly comforting to drift off to sleep at night, listening to his deep, contented breathing. I will never forget that.

I had so many plans for my boy, and so many things we still needed to do. But it wasn’t meant to be. He fell seriously ill, and was diagnosed with splenic lymphoma. We began treating him with medications, and though we hoped that we would still have some time with him, the quality of his life disintegrated quite rapidly, and far too soon, it was time to help him to a better place. His dignity deserved nothing less. We thank the staff at VCA Richfield for the wonderful care they provided to Dukie, and to us.

So I go back to where I started in this final good-bye to my Dukie. My heart may never be the same, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I would foster him, I would adopt him, and I would love him, heart and soul. He knows that he was very, very loved in his final months here on this earth, and I know that he had one incredible reunion when he crossed the bridge and found his old beloved owners waiting for him. He is up there now, running across fields with those long legs of his, playing with all of our other beloved RAGOM dogs, chasing balls, and of course, eating to his heart’s content, without gaining a single pound.

I am touched beyond words by the outpouring of love and support we received upon Duke’s passing - thank you one and all. Please know that after some time has passed, and my heart has had a bit of time to heal, we will continue RAGOM’s mission by welcoming another senior dog into our home. Duke would expect nothing less from us.

On one last note, the evening we lost him, we were outside around sunset, when all of a sudden the sky turned a brilliant red. My husband and I just took in the beauty of the sky for a moment, and then he said, “See, Duke is telling you that everything is all ok.” And I believe that. I love you, my big boy, and I will never ever forget you.

 

Monday, September 19, 2011

A BIG thank you from Duke to his Anonymous Goldzilla Friend donator –  how wonderful is that?!?  If he could, he’d give you a big slurp and cuddle – he’s very good at both!

Also, a heartfelt thank you to all the terrific people that came out to visit Duke and all of the other special dogs at Goldzilla this past weekend!  Duke had an absolute ball at the event, and couldn’t have been a bigger sweetheart about all the pats and attention he received! He was in heaven! A special shout out also to the people who knew Duke prior to him becoming a RAGOM dog!  They told me that not only was he a much loved dog, but that he was also basically recognized as the mascot of the neighborhood!

Continuing with this love fest, Duke also greatly appreciated the cheer he received when his adjusted weight was announced at 114# during the Foster Parade! But now we need an even bigger cheer – at his weigh-in today, my wonderful boy was down to 112#!  We are definitely going in the right direction!

Probably the biggest change I’ve seen in Duke over the past few weeks is the change in his mobility, and I know it’s only going to get better. It is easier for him to get up and down, he navigates stairs fairly well, and now he can actually “sit” (he couldn’t do that before)!!  Best yet – he fetches! You haven’t seen anything until you see Dukie in all of his glory “gallumping” after a ball, and proudly bringing it back! He may be a senior, but he’s 100% golden, all the way through to his beautiful heart!

Check back for further updates in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of Duke with one of his other favorite toys, and also with his foster sister, Belle, both eagerly awaiting their dinners!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Woohoo!!! Fabulous news for our Dukester! He had a weigh-in at the vet clinic today and dropped to 114#!!  We’re a happy bunch around here tonight!!

Dukie continues to be the perfect gentleman in all ways. In all honesty, I can’t find one single negative thing to say about him! (Well, I guess he does bark when he knows it’s dinner time and his food bowl isn’t being filled fast enough!) This dear boy has totally worked his way into our home and into our hearts. He is absolutely fabulous with all dogs that he has met, and does his best to snuggle up with his foster fur-siblings whenever possible. He is great with all the little kids in our neighborhood, and especially relished a recent visit with our 1 ½ yr old nephew – I don’t think he realized how much food could actually be attached to a toddler’s body and face, and believe me, he took full advantage of it!  I wouldn’t have expected otherwise, but I also recently learned that he has no resource guarding issues. He stumbled on a bag of bones that I obviously had not hidden very well, and gleefully grabbed one out of the bag. Though it almost broke my heart to take it away from him (I’m pretty stingy with bones and treats for all the dogs during this diet phase!), he let me take it out of his mouth with next to no resistance.  He just looked so sad afterwards……poor Dukie!

Duke will be staying with wonderful Amy L. this upcoming weekend while we move our daughter into college! Thanks, Amy! Next up after that is GOLDZILLA!!! We aren’t able to stay as long as we’d like to that day, but Duke will be making his first official appearance in the foster showcase tent from 10-11 am! Please come out to see all of the deserving RAGOM dogs and of course dear, sweet Duke! How can you resist this face?

Thursday, September 1, 2011

As I was sitting in front of my computer, rubbing the ever present Dukester with my foot, I realized who he reminded me of.  When my daughter was young, she watched the movie “Homeward Bound” (only she called it “Lost Dogs”) at least umpteen hundred times. One of the main animal characters in the movie was a lovely senior golden retriever called Shadow. Shadow was loyal, dignified, smart, and extremely loving.  Though maybe a bit goofier, my Duke reminds me so much of that wonderful retriever, not the least of which is he is my ever present ‘shadow’ – no matter where I am, Duke is right behind me. I love this dog, pure and simple – he’s a gem!

Anyway, now that we’re done with that little journey down memory lane, just a few things to update about Duke! We received wonderful news from the vet a few days ago, indicating that his thyroid tests were all normal – yay! Of course that means he’ll need to be losing weight the old fashioned way – strict diet and lots of exercise – but he is adapting to both extremely well, and I will attempt to get him weighed in the very near future to see how he is doing!

His Rimadyl is really helping with the joint stiffness, and we’re now up to 2 walks per day, about ¾ mile each. He is cruising up and down stairs with very little difficulty, and also is having a much easier time getting up from the floor, and settling back down. I’m always surprised when I go upstairs, and all of a sudden he’s right there behind me, with a goofy grin on his face, and his tail thumping like crazy! Honestly, this boy seems to be getting younger each and every day!

Duke will not need a fenced yard in his forever home, as his recall his excellent and he really has no desire to wander away. He appears very interested in a retaining pond by our house (believe me, it’s nothing you’d ever let your dog swim in!), so I’m thinking he really enjoyed swimming at some point in the past – and maybe he still would!  He loves chew bones and balls, and always frantically looks around for one to bring to us at the door when we come home.  He hasn’t engaged in a game of fetch yet, but as I’m seeing his energy level improve, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that in the near future!

Duke loves the company of the resident dogs, but he doesn’t necessarily need to go to a home with another dog. He loves his people most of all, and a loving family will be what’s most important for him in his forever home. That being said, I have to include a few pictures of my attempts to get the 3 dogs to pose together. As you can see from the 2nd picture, they eventually got totally fed up with my camera antics, and decided to settle in for a nice snooze!

Duke is truly one of the most devoted dogs I’ve ever had the privilege to foster, and he would be an incredible addition to a family that is looking for a dog just like him. Check back for further updates, and if you think you are the perfect family for our boy, please contact your placement advisor!