Woo-Hoo!!!  Welcome Aruthur (we now call him Bear)!  What a handsome, sweet boy!  Bear was surrendered to RAGOM from the Animal Control in Isanti County, MN. He was found as a city stray on 4/28/11 and no one came to get him. Due to over crowding at the AC they contacted RAGOM to have him transferred to boarding on 5/18/11.  Our family was able to take Bear immediately as a foster so no boarding was needed.  Bear has been making us smile since Wednesday, 5/18/11.

Since Bear was found as a stray the 2 Vets he visited can only estimate at his age. They believe he is between 4-5 years old.  He is also neutered and UTD on all his vaccinations. His thick coat is a dark red color with a little white patch on his chest.  Bear weighed in at 84 pounds. Yes, he is a big boy.  Please consider this when thinking about adding him to your Forever home. The Vet did suggest a good weight for him would be 75 pounds.  We have been working on that by taking 3 walks a day, which is his favorite thing to do.  He cries and wags his tail so fast I can hardly get his leash on. Although, he hasn't been a big eater so far at our house and is a true gentlemen when he eats.  Bears shows no aggression or food guarding towards our resident dog while eating, getting treats or toys. 
Now on to the good stuff about Bear or should I call him Grizzly, Gentle "Ben or even BIG "Ben" for his size..  He is a true gentlemen.  So sweet and well behaved.  Bear is always at my side or following me around.   He has been in our home for 8 days now.  He immediately took our resident dog  at home (male age 2).  He was retrieving and playing with our daughters ages 12 and 10 immediately.  Bear has also been playing with friends that have been at the house- some of them children as young as 3. I was also amazed at how well he listens.  He comes when you call his name or say "treat treat" (better then any dog I have had in my home) and can sit on command.  Bear is also house trained with free roam of our home.  We did try to use a baby gate the first night but he knocked it over when trying to get to the girls.  He was so excited.  His favorite thing to do is SWIM! Or just retrieve outside.  

Bear 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 for 3 hours last week and they said he did awesome. 
We have a routine that works for all of us. We take 3 long walks a day, and have done a lot of swimming since we live on the lake.  He spent last weekend retrieving water training dummies with 4 other dogs.  All 5 dogs got along perfect.  We always have a water bowl full for him.  He's a heavy drinker:)  Our meal routine is 2 cups twice a day (morning and dinner).  We have left Bear alone (free roam) for up to 5 hours, he did great!

Bear is such a lover and gentle boy. Be prepared to get the GP (golden paw) and head nudge from Bear if you are sitting down. He wants to be your best friend.