Raven 11-173

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Please help me welcome RAGOM's newest addition, 2 year old Raven.  Not much is known about Raven's history as he was saved just in the nick of time from a rural animal impound where he had been held for a week after being picked up as a stray.  Lucky for Raven, a nice volunteer from another rescue met him and knew he was a diamond in the rough so she put out a request to any rescue who could save this sweet boy.  I happened to see her post and RAGOM quickly agreed to take him.  As luck would have it Raven was able to hitch a ride with a wonderful  volunteer who was in the area doing a transport of another stray from another shelter.  He spent his first night as a RAGOM dog at the local vet office after getting updated on his vaccines and received his microchip.  Raven is heartworm negative and pending his fecal test results is healthy other than a minor skin infection on his belly and groin area.....probably due to being wet and dirty while living as a stray.  He does need to be neutered, we will schedule that in early June....he'll need to finish his antibiotics before he can have his surgery. 
 
Raven is 71 pounds, well probably 70 now as I think I bathed and brushed at least a pound of dirt and hair off of him already!!  Thankfully he smells much better after bath number 2.  He was a champ about taking a bath, stood in the bath tub without an issue and even turned around so I could rinse the other side of his body.  Raven must have lived with a family at some point as he knows sit, wait, no, off, come, down and heals pretty well.  He is 100% comfortable in the house and is unafraid of loud noises such as the garbage truck, school bus or motorcycles. He marks a ton outside but I've kept him tethered to me inside so I'm not sure how he will be....I'm taking it slow since he is not neutered and did pee in my truck when I picked him up.  He loves kids and dogs of all ages....was tested on the first night as we encountered  5 loose dogs and 6 young children playing outside during a late night walk.  I was a bit worried when I saw 5 dogs running up to us but Raven took it all in stride with tail wagging and friendly sniffs all around.  He had no problem getting tons of pats from the children and jumped into their Suburban, laying down on the seat with a look of "lets go home".  Kind of made me sad as I have to think someone somewhere must be missing this sweet guy but I know we will find him a wonderful forever family and he will never be a stray again.  He is safe now.  Thank you RAGOM. 
 
By now you are probably wondering when I'm going to mention that Raven is not your typical Golden.....he is most likely a black lab/golden retriever.  He has a medium length coat, with a good undercoat similar to a Golden Retriever.  While his coat color may not be typical of a Golden, he does have the typical Golden personality. He is sweet, smart, and so happy to be a RAGOM dog.  I swear I can see the appreciation in his eyes and certainly in his tail wags....it's not stopped since I picked him up.  He loves belly rubs and quickly rolls onto his back if he thinks he's found someone to rub his tummy. 
 
Raven will make his RAGOM debut at the Bloomington Chuck and Don's on Sunday, May 22nd. We'll arrive around 11 and will stay as long as Raven is comfortable.  Please come meet this sweet boy.

 

At a Glance #11-173

Mixed Breed Born: May 2009
Male 50 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

Please help me welcome RAGOM's newest addition, 2 year old Raven.  Not much is known about Raven's history as he was saved just in the nick of time from a rural animal impound where he had been held for a week after being picked up as a stray.  Lucky for Raven, a nice volunteer from another rescue met him and knew he was a diamond in the rough so she put out a request to any rescue who could save this sweet boy.  I happened to see her post and RAGOM quickly agreed to take him.  As luck would have it Raven was able to hitch a ride with a wonderful  volunteer who was in the area doing a transport of another stray from another shelter.  He spent his first night as a RAGOM dog at the local vet office after getting updated on his vaccines and received his microchip.  Raven is heartworm negative and pending his fecal test results is healthy other than a minor skin infection on his belly and groin area.....probably due to being wet and dirty while living as a stray.  He does need to be neutered, we will schedule that in early June....he'll need to finish his antibiotics before he can have his surgery. 
 
Raven is 71 pounds, well probably 70 now as I think I bathed and brushed at least a pound of dirt and hair off of him already!!  Thankfully he smells much better after bath number 2.  He was a champ about taking a bath, stood in the bath tub without an issue and even turned around so I could rinse the other side of his body.  Raven must have lived with a family at some point as he knows sit, wait, no, off, come, down and heals pretty well.  He is 100% comfortable in the house and is unafraid of loud noises such as the garbage truck, school bus or motorcycles. He marks a ton outside but I've kept him tethered to me inside so I'm not sure how he will be....I'm taking it slow since he is not neutered and did pee in my truck when I picked him up.  He loves kids and dogs of all ages....was tested on the first night as we encountered  5 loose dogs and 6 young children playing outside during a late night walk.  I was a bit worried when I saw 5 dogs running up to us but Raven took it all in stride with tail wagging and friendly sniffs all around.  He had no problem getting tons of pats from the children and jumped into their Suburban, laying down on the seat with a look of "lets go home".  Kind of made me sad as I have to think someone somewhere must be missing this sweet guy but I know we will find him a wonderful forever family and he will never be a stray again.  He is safe now.  Thank you RAGOM. 
 
By now you are probably wondering when I'm going to mention that Raven is not your typical Golden.....he is most likely a black lab/golden retriever.  He has a medium length coat, with a good undercoat similar to a Golden Retriever.  While his coat color may not be typical of a Golden, he does have the typical Golden personality. He is sweet, smart, and so happy to be a RAGOM dog.  I swear I can see the appreciation in his eyes and certainly in his tail wags....it's not stopped since I picked him up.  He loves belly rubs and quickly rolls onto his back if he thinks he's found someone to rub his tummy. 
 
Raven will make his RAGOM debut at the Bloomington Chuck and Don's on Sunday, May 22nd. We'll arrive around 11 and will stay as long as Raven is comfortable.  Please come meet this sweet boy.

 

Updates

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Hi everyone, it's me Raven. Thought I'd drop you a note to let you all know how I am doing these days. Life is still GREAT here at my forever home. We have been fostering quite a few dogs since I came to live here. Most have been a ton of fun, like Tanner, Snowy, Willow, James, Cocoa and the new little guy Maverick. We've also had one that was pretty a pretty tough foster, Biscuit, and he and I had a few scuffles but he finally got adopted, so all ended well. He really needed to learn some manners with both humans and canines. I heard he is doing really well in his forever home now and his parents have taken him to school. I really like the girls better than the boys, and really had fun with Snowy and Willow. We also dog sat for Ruby and Jewel for a few days, they were fun to play with too....but wow, were they busy!! I was very tired when they went back to their foster mom. I like all the foster dogs as when they are here we get more company and I like people so it is good. I also like having dogs to play with and like to teach them things like mom is good and where the treats are kept. Forever mom says she is happy I have not taught any of them to jump the fence as I do like to jump the 4 foot chain link fence to go next door and visit with my dog friend who lives there. I come back when I'm done visiting and only go into their fenced yard so I stay safe.

Besides helping with foster dogs, I've been keeping busy going to a few RAGOM events, usually going with a foster brother or sister so I can show them the ropes and make them feel more comfortable with the new place and humans. Lately I have been going to work with foster mom a few times, boy that sure is fun!! Everyone at work really likes me and I am very good when I get to go with mom. I love going for car rides and running errands. And I've been going on sleep overs to my friend Bailey's house. Her folks really like me and I love going to their house as they have lots of yummy treats and their are two humans and when I am there, two dogs. Bailey is so lucky, she has two humans to just one dog....not like my house where there are usually 5 dogs and 1 human. They also have a cat, I'm pretty interested in the cat but she normally stays in her room when I am there so I don't get a chance to chase her or hurt her. Bailey's folks take me to the dog park and I really like that. She also comes to our house for play dates and that is really fun too.

I love winter and love playing in the snow and just being outside. I do like to bark at the neighbors and at the neighbor dogs, mom says we need to keep working on that. I just like to talk to everyone!! I'm a very happy guy and so grateful to RAGOM for saving my life. Thank you to everyone who helped save me and took care of me.

All for now, have to go and play with the new foster dog and with Willow.

Your buddy Raven

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Hi, everyone, it's me Raven checking in to let you know how I'm doing now that I am safe and secure in my forever home. I can sum it up in just three words.....LIFE IS GREAT!! I am very happy living with my mom, brother Rocco and sister Jimmie. We have a foster brother staying with us right now, his name is Tanner and he is a tennis ball crazy boy. He's going to his forever home in a couple more weeks and then we'll probably get another foster brother or sister for me to play with. I'm having tons of fun this summer. I get to play with Bailey (was Rona 11-017) every Tuesday and we have a great time running and wrestling....I sure like her. I've been to several RAGOM events and have been a good boy for the most part. Last weekend I got to ride on a school bus, boy that was fun, I just jumped right in and sat down on the first seat I could find. Everyone laughed and told me how handsome I am. Mom says we have to work on my barking at other dogs at the events and some times I need to be reminded on how to meet and greet other dogs. I'm just so excited to see everyone that I forget my manners sometimes but we'll work on it. I love my back yard and love to chase the bunnies and squirrels.....have only caught one so far but I keep trying everyday. I heard I am going to go swimming this weekend so I'll let you know how that goes. I love the kiddie pool in the back yard so going to a real pool that I can swim in will be really fun. Well, got to go now as Bailey is on her way over for her play-date. Talk to you all later, woof, woof. Don't forget to check out the other black dogs on the RAGOM available dogs page.

Your friend Raven the black lab/golden mix.


Handsome Raven


Tanner and Raven

Monday, June 27, 2011

Hey everyone it's me Raven and I have fantastic news to share with you all.  I finally found my forever home!!  In my forever home I have two 4 legged siblings, one is a 9 year old female yellow lab and the other is a 4 year old male chocolate lab. We all get along just great and love to play and hang out in the backyard kiddie pool.  I have a wonderful human mom and a nice big fenced in back yard to run and play in and a great deck to hang out on.  My new mom lets me sleep in bed with her and I can sleep on any furniture I want. There are at least 10 dog beds in this house and I can sleep on any of them.  I get to go on daily walks with my mom and get to play as much fetch as I want.  I will get to go to tons of RAGOM events and I will even get to mentor other RAGOM foster dogs.  I am going to go to obedience school so we can work on my high prey drive issue and maybe we will check out agility at some point.  I tried agility at Pride yesterday and loved it.  I have my special blanket and tons of toys and treats at my new house.
 
Boy oh boy am I a happy guy, I'm doing the happy dance today.  Guess what the best part is.....are you ready for this one??  I didn't have to move anywhere....my foster mom adopted me!!  I am such a lucky guy cause I just love my mom and my forever 4 legged siblings Jimmie and Rocco.  Foster mom says it was not love at first sight for her as I peed in her truck the day she picked me up and the first time she left me off leash in the house I ran upstairs and peed on her bed.  I also growled at Rocco and Jimmie over some treats and toys and tore up some towels and a rug.  Well, lucky for me she was able to overlook those little mistakes and helped me learn how to share and what was ok to chew on.  Somewhere along the way she fell in love with me.  I think I won her over when she hurt her back and had to spend a couple of days laying on the living floor on ice packs.  Jimmie and Rocco pretty much ignored her but I stayed right by her side and would lay next to her with my head resting on her.  I made sure she was ok and I think that won her over...plus the fact that I am one very handsome, sweet dude who gets along just fine with everyone I meet.  I think it helped that she has a soft spot in her heart for black dogs and has missed having a black dog in her life after loosing 13 year old Lwood 13 months ago.  Mom says she fosters to honor Lwood and it is fitting that the dog she adopts from RAGOM is a black dog. Did you know black dogs are overlooked just because we are black in color?  I feel very special and lucky cause I'm the 18th dog she's fostered in less than a year and she could have adopted any of the previous 17 dogs.  See how lucky I am!!
 
I would like to say a huge thank you to RAGOM for taking me in and giving a chance to a stray black dog.  Wow, was that ever my lucky day.  My time was up at the impound place I was staying at and I was scheduled to go to the back room to be euthanized the next day.  Mom saw me posted on a site by another rescue lady who had visited me at the impound place and she said I was a nice boy.  Mom read that I was a black lab/Golden Retriever mix and she asked RAGOM if they could take me in and they said yes.  Since she was in the process of adopting out her last foster she offered to foster me and I grabbed a ride with a wonderful transporter who happened to be in the area picking up another stray Golden Retriever from another shelter and so I became a RAGOM dog.  The rest is history.  I guess somethings are just meant to be. 
 
I'd like to put out a special plea for the other two adult black dogs on the RAGOM site.  If you are reading about me and are thinking about adopting a RAGOM dog please, please, please look at Patch 10-223 and Lucky 10-232.  They are both black lab/Golden Retriever mixes just like me.  They would so love to find a forever home of their own....just like me.  Please help end Black Dog Syndrome and adopt one of these guys.  They are very nice boys just like me!! They might not be perfect dogs but neither am I, so they are just like me.  Please be just like my mom and take a chance on one of these boys, so they can be just like me and find their forever homes!!
 
Thank you RAGOM for saving my life and for finding me a fantastic home with my very own mom.  I promise to love her as much as she loves me!!
 
Your pal, Raven.  Woof, Woof. 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Hey everyone it's me Raven.  I figured I'd better send in my own update as foster mom seems to be busy with other stuff these days.  Bet you are all wondering what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks.  Well, I've been a busy guy.  We've had some 4 legged house guests lately and I've been helping take care of them by playing with them.  Bailey (Rona 11-017) has been coming over to visit every Tuesday and this weekend her sister Quigely 11-018 is staying with us. They lived here with foster mom as they came from a puppy mill in ND and survived parvo before she found them their forever homes.  They told me they were really, really sick and RAGOM saved their lives.....guess it cost a ton of money but you would never know they were ever sick by how they look and behave today.  Boy, do I love those 6 month old girls!!  I play, play, play with them.  I love to chase them and let them chase me.  We wrestle all over the house and yard, play tug of war and even go for walks together.  Foster mom says I'm just a big puppy and based on the way I play with the young pups she thinks I am younger then 2 or 3.  I know how old I am but I'm not telling....I like keeping everyone guessing about me.  Foster mom still plays the "lets guess Raven's name" game.  Seems like she has tried 200+ names and once in a while I respond but usually only once.  I do respond to Raven now and even respond to Rave, or Wavy as the neighbor kids call me....they can't pronounce their "R's" very well yet. 
 
 
This past weekend I was in a parade!!  Yup, if any of you were at the Parktacular parade you saw me walking with a bunch of Golden's.  I kind of stuck out as I was the only black dog in the group and several people asked if I was a black Golden.  Foster mom said yup, he's one of the rare black colored Golden's....that made people laugh.  I did really well at the parade.....only had one time when foster mom had to drag me down the street.  I saw a bunny sitting in a little girl's lap and well I just stopped in the street and refused to move.  Yup, I still have a very high prey drive and would so love to eat....no I meant meet...every rabbit and squirrel I see.  Foster mom says we are working on this but I'm not changing my ways too quickly. 
 
I also got to spend one night with another foster family so foster mom could go out of town for a job interview.  I had tons of fun staying with my new friends and got along great. Thanks Deana and family for letting me hang out with you guys.  They thought it was really cute that I carried my fleece blanket around the house, I love that blanket and sleep with it all the time.  No one ever gave me my own blanket before.  Oh and I also took a trip to see the doctor to get neutered....would rather forget about that trip but all went fine and I'm recovered now.  Sure was glad to come home from that place.  Sure glad it's one time thing too. 
 
Foster mom is totally in love with me and would adopt me in a heartbeat.  She says when she gets a job we'll talk about it if I've not found my perfect family by then.  I keep telling her to adopt me anyway and then she will get a job, cause I think I have already found the perfect home living here with Jimmie, Rocco and foster mom.  So if you are interested in me you might want to hurry up, cause the longer I stay here the harder it will be for foster mom to let me go....could I make her a foster failure??  After all, I am her 18th foster and well she has to adopt one of us at some point right?  And I know she has a huge soft spot for us black dogs. Plus I remind her of her old boy Lwood....we have the same eyes.  See how I'm working on her!! 
 
Rumor has it I'll be at the Pride festival this weekend.  Foster mom says probably Sunday but we are still checking our schedules so look for an update later this week.  Got to go now and play with Quigley.  Foster mom is trying to take pictures of us but so far all she can get is a blur...but she did get a good one of me with Bailey cooling off in the pool. 
 
See you all later....your pal Raven.  Woof, Woof. 


Raven and Bailey


Raven at the Parktacular Parade!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Raven continues to do well in foster care. He met two cats last week and as I suspected he was a bit too interested in the cats. He did not try to harm the cats but did not walk away from them either. I think if the cats ran Raven would chase them and while I think it would be a game to Raven, it would be too stressful for the cats. So no cats in Raven's forever home. Raven is a young, strong boy with a very high prey drive. I walk him using a gentle leader and an easy walk harness plus a flat collar with his id tags. When Raven sees a squirrel or rabbit on our walks, he immediately goes into "hunt mode". He freezes, points and would sprint off in a chase if given the chance. I usually have to redirect his attention back to me, using treats or the "watch me" command and blocking his line of sight.....it is a work in progress and requires strong arms!! Makes me wonder if he was trained to hunt or if this is a left over from his time as a stray.

Raven does well in the house, only one accident the first week, so he is house broken. He sleeps in the bedroom, either on a dog bed or on the bed and he gets along fine with my resident dogs. I've left him alone (with my resident dogs) for 5 hours without any issue, so other than destroying stuffed toys, he's not destructive. He does like to bark at the neighbor dog who runs the fence and Raven will join in if given the chance. He does listen and will stop when told but again is learning what is acceptable behavior. I remove him from the situation and he is learning quickly. Raven wants to please, just needs to learn or relearn the rules. He would benefit a great deal from obedience school and an experienced owner. He will be neutered on June 9th and will be available for adoption after that. Raven will be at the Ollu Dog Wash on Saturday the 4th from 11 am to 1pm. Please stop by and meet this handsome guy....he'll even sit and shake for a treat!!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Hey everyone, it's me, the big black dog they call Raven.  My real name is not Raven but I'm not telling anyone what it is so that's what they call me now. I'm playing a cool game with the nice lady I'm living with.  I think it's called guess my name.  Several times a day she calls me by a bunch of different names thinking that she will say the correct one and I'll respond....so far I've responded to Sal and Red....bur she's not convinced either of those are my real name, so we'll keep playing her game.  Good to keep her guessing.  I like being a mystery dog.
 
So far all is going fine at my foster home.  The resident dogs are nice to me, we play some but most of the time I want attention from foster mom or I'm sleeping or going for walks.  Those are my favorite things to do, I also love tennis balls and can destroy them in a few minutes.  I do play fetch but get distracted and don't always bring the ball back.
 
I'm not afraid of thunderstorms or any of that stuff.  Foster mom took me to Chuck and Don's on Sunday and we got caught in the storms both on the drive there and home.....didn't bother me one bit.  I even slept through the storms later in the evening.  I had a very nice time a Chuck and Dons and foster mom said I behaved very well.....we even stayed for the entire time.  Everyone that met me said I'm very handsome and sweet.  I got lots of treats and pats....that made me very happy.  Foster mom has a couple of things to say about me too, so I'm going outside to play in the pool....see my photo with Rocco.
 
Foster mom here:  Raven is doing very well, he is so sweet and smart.  He did great at Chuck and Don's, met dogs and people of all sizes and ages and was his happy, out going self.  He is a young energetic boy who needs regular exercise and someone who will work with him so his manners stay consistent.  Raven has not been exposed to cats yet but I do plan to test him with some dog savvy cats later this week.  Right now I can tell you he has a high prey drive for squirrels and rabbits.  I am working on teaching Raven that lifting his leg inside the house in not appropriate....so far only one accident.  Here's what I think Raven needs in a forever home:
 
A yard with a 6 foot fence or an owner 100% dedicated to keeping him on a leash or tie out.   There is no doubt in my mind he will run after squirrels and rabbits.  Probably how he ended up as a stray.
 
Children over the age of 10 or dog savvy.  Raven is 70 pounds of energy and will knock over toddlers but loves kids of all ages.
 
Cats:  Unknown but will test him this week.
 
Exercise and training. Raven is young and high energy.  He needs consistent daily exercise and someone dedicated to working on fine tuning his manners.  he will shine in obedience school, he is very food motivated and loves to please and get attention plus already knows the basics or more. 
 
While Raven may be a black dog on a Golden site, do not let Black Dog Syndrome keep you from adopting him.  He is a gem of a dog and will make some lucky family very happy.  I'd also like to put out a special plea for RAGOM's other black gem.  If you are reading about Raven and considering him please check out Patch 10-223.  Patch is also a black lab/Golden Retriever but has a shorter lab coat, which I think is easier to care for....having had dogs with both types of coats.  I've met Patch several times and he is a sweet, sweet boy.  I know he's still in foster care because he looks like a black lab.....please don't over look him or Raven.....let's end Black Dog Syndrome and show these dogs that life can be Golden, even if you are a black dog.


Handsome Raven!
Raven and Rocco