-Anonymous
Woo-Hoo!!! Welcome Gus (we now call him Red)! What a handsome, sweet boy! Red was surrendered to RAGOM from the Orono, MN area. He had made his way as a stray from a barn where he lived for 9 months.  A Good Samaritan (thank you) that lived in the area noticed Red on the farm and after a few months was able to convince the farmer to let RAGOM find a home for Red.  Red has been making us smile since Sunday, 7/10/11.
Since Red was found as a stray, the 3 Vets he visited can only estimate at his age. They believe he is between 5-6 years old.  During his first week with us he visited 3 different Vets.  First visit was for his initial check up for weight and vaccinations.  Red weighed in at 73 pounds and made everyone at the office smile.  Next he was neutered on 7/13/11. Red has recovered fully and didn't even try to check out his incision.   During the procedure the doctor found a grossly enlarged left testicle and wiry hair with some bald patches on his back left flank.  She recommended lab work on his blood. On 7/15/11 after the Vet reviewed the blood work she found his red blood count very low.  She suggested further testing for any possible bleeding.  After an abdominal Xray and ultra sound was reviewed,  she discovered a small lesion on his spleen. This could be from a kidney overlap on the test or possibly hematoma.  A second ultrasound has been requested and we are waiting on the appointment.  The good news is it could also be a side effect from his large testicle that was removed called a sertoli cell tumor, they produce estrogen and can cause abnormal hair and anemia.  This would explain the low red blood count and his wiry coat.  And to my surprise his coat has improved over that last week.  He does take an omega 3 vitamin and is getting good nutritional dog food.  I can't even imagine what he was eating over the last year of his life.  His  coat is a dark red color with a little white patch on his chest. Now on to the good stuff about Red. He is a true gentlemen. So sweet and well behaved.  Red is always at my side or following me around. He has been in our home for 15 days now. He immediately took our resident dog at home(male age 2). He was been retrieving and playing with our daughters ages 13 and 11.  Red has also been playing with friends that have been at the house- some of the children as young as 3. I was also amazed at how well he listens. He comes when you call his name and can sit and lay down on command.  Red is also house trained with free roam of our home. We did use a baby gate the first few nights and he was totally fine with that. Red was definitely part of a family before he became a stray. With his gentleness, good listening, house training and love for walks someone really spent time with him. He is the most LOW MAINTENANCE dog we have ever had as a permanent dog or foster. And he loves to be groomed (along with getting his belly rubbed). We brush him everyday. He also visited the groomer (he was sprayed by a skunk the day before he arrived at our house) for 3 hours last week and they said he did awesome. Don't worry, the skunk smell is gone.
We have a routine that works for all of us. We take 3 long walks a day. His favorite thing to do is go out on the dock and watch the girls fish or bark at the ducks.  He also loves to cool himself off by laying in the lake.  Our meal routine is 1.5 cups twice a day (morning and dinner). He isn't a big eater but loves treats and is a big water drinker.  Red shows no aggression or food guarding towards our resident dog while eating, getting treats or toys. We have left Red alone(free roam) for up to 5 hours, he did great! Red is such a lover and gentle boy. Be prepared to get the GP(golden paw) and head nudge from Red if you are sitting down. He wants to be your best friend.   Please keep him in your thoughts over the next couple weeks as we have more tests done.  This big RED gentle boy needs to enjoy the love from a forever home when the time is right.  Until then, our family is going to spoil the heck out of him.  My girls can't give him enough belly rubs:)