Holly 11-059

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Love RAGOM boys Cody and Teddy  Love RAGOM boys Cody and Teddy

From Abby, another silly Golden girl From Abby, another silly Golden girl

With Love from Grizz With Love from Grizz

Take care lil one and I hope your seizure's get under control soon!!...Love from Danielle who also has seizures...xoxo  Love from Danielle who also has seizures...xoxo

 

March 7, 2011

Let's give a big RAGOM welcome to our newest member, Holly!  A 6 year old PB Golden, Holly came to her fosters in Big Lake from a loving home here in Minnesota.  Her previous owner could no longer house Holly, so she did the best thing for her and gave her to us! She knew RAGOM would take the very best care of Miss Holly, and we are doing all we can to fulfill that promise.
 
So, what can you say about a girl like Holly?  How about, gentle, loving, sweet, beautiful...the list goes on and on!  After being in her foster home for a week, Holly has been nothing short of an angel--absolutely zero negative behaviors!  She is perfectly housetrained, takes treats nicely, loves to go on walks, and is just an all around velcro dog.  Holly stays off the furniture (despite my pleas to come sit with me on the couch!) and has fantastic recall. 
 
She's very, very, VERY laid back--sometimes she gets the "zoomies", but they only last a minute or two before she's back in front of you, waiting for some love.  I've been surprised that she doesn't chew or play with anything; I don't know if that's because she just never learned to play or not, but she's the first dog we've had that turned her nose up at a big femur bone from the butcher.  We leave her out in the house while we're gone, and as far as we can tell, all she does is sleep by the front door.
 
We took Holly in to be groomed recently and had her hair trimmed up, but you should see the feathers on this sweetie!  She has a wonderful Golden coat and is feathered from toes to tail.  I'm telling you, Holly is a heartbreaker--if her tender brown eyes and soft coat don't melt your heart, the way she leans into your hands for love surely will.  

 
One of the things RAGOM does when a new dog comes into our system is to take them to the vet for a thorough check up.  Holly passed with flying colors, except for one thing--her back legs.  Seems Holly's rear joints have taken a beating and this little girl has been living in terrible pain for who knows how long. I can't begin to imagine what life must be like with hips and knees like hers, but you would never know it to meet her.  Holly shows no signs of being in pain; had we not had those areas x-rayed, we would've never known the extent of the issues.  She maneuvers up and down stairs with little problem and although she does the classic "bad hip bunny hop" now and again, she gets around with no problems.  Holly does need to lose weight, though, she's a rotund young lady and those extra pounds are not doing her knees and hips any favors.
 
We expect to have some follow-up appointments with an orthopedic specialist for Holly, so she's not quite ready for adoption.  Don't let that stop you, though, from contacting your placement advisor about meeting this beautiful girl.  Holly is tailor-made for a quiet, less-active home and she's got lots of Golden love to share with her forever family. 

 

At a Glance #11-059

Golden Retriever Born: October 2004
Female 70 lbs

Status: Adopted

Profile

 

Love RAGOM boys Cody and Teddy  Love RAGOM boys Cody and Teddy

From Abby, another silly Golden girl From Abby, another silly Golden girl

With Love from Grizz With Love from Grizz

Take care lil one and I hope your seizure's get under control soon!!...Love from Danielle who also has seizures...xoxo  Love from Danielle who also has seizures...xoxo

 

March 7, 2011

Let's give a big RAGOM welcome to our newest member, Holly!  A 6 year old PB Golden, Holly came to her fosters in Big Lake from a loving home here in Minnesota.  Her previous owner could no longer house Holly, so she did the best thing for her and gave her to us! She knew RAGOM would take the very best care of Miss Holly, and we are doing all we can to fulfill that promise.
 
So, what can you say about a girl like Holly?  How about, gentle, loving, sweet, beautiful...the list goes on and on!  After being in her foster home for a week, Holly has been nothing short of an angel--absolutely zero negative behaviors!  She is perfectly housetrained, takes treats nicely, loves to go on walks, and is just an all around velcro dog.  Holly stays off the furniture (despite my pleas to come sit with me on the couch!) and has fantastic recall. 
 
She's very, very, VERY laid back--sometimes she gets the "zoomies", but they only last a minute or two before she's back in front of you, waiting for some love.  I've been surprised that she doesn't chew or play with anything; I don't know if that's because she just never learned to play or not, but she's the first dog we've had that turned her nose up at a big femur bone from the butcher.  We leave her out in the house while we're gone, and as far as we can tell, all she does is sleep by the front door.
 
We took Holly in to be groomed recently and had her hair trimmed up, but you should see the feathers on this sweetie!  She has a wonderful Golden coat and is feathered from toes to tail.  I'm telling you, Holly is a heartbreaker--if her tender brown eyes and soft coat don't melt your heart, the way she leans into your hands for love surely will.  

 
One of the things RAGOM does when a new dog comes into our system is to take them to the vet for a thorough check up.  Holly passed with flying colors, except for one thing--her back legs.  Seems Holly's rear joints have taken a beating and this little girl has been living in terrible pain for who knows how long. I can't begin to imagine what life must be like with hips and knees like hers, but you would never know it to meet her.  Holly shows no signs of being in pain; had we not had those areas x-rayed, we would've never known the extent of the issues.  She maneuvers up and down stairs with little problem and although she does the classic "bad hip bunny hop" now and again, she gets around with no problems.  Holly does need to lose weight, though, she's a rotund young lady and those extra pounds are not doing her knees and hips any favors.
 
We expect to have some follow-up appointments with an orthopedic specialist for Holly, so she's not quite ready for adoption.  Don't let that stop you, though, from contacting your placement advisor about meeting this beautiful girl.  Holly is tailor-made for a quiet, less-active home and she's got lots of Golden love to share with her forever family. 

 

Updates

Friday, April 15, 2011

I'm so sorry for the lack of updates; just think of it as "no news is good news!"  Holly continues to blossom with every new day and is truly a dream dog.  She's got such a funny little personality, every thought in her head is written on her face!  She went the other day to the groomers to be bathed and trimmed up, and when we got back home she was so upset with me that she wouldn't even look in my direction!  Of course, being the velcro that she is, she'd follow me from room to room, but when I'd say to her, "Holly, are you still my friend?" she would look away and huff, as if to say "How could you?"  Eventually she forgave me-- I think the treats helped!

We are still waiting on confirmation for ACL surgery, but in the mean time we're staying active with walks in the backyard (easier on her knees).  She still throws up every now and then, but we try to keep her calm after eating and that seems to help.  She loves to be outdoors and now that the snow has melted, she's ready for cookouts and camping.  Holly is available for adoption, so if you'd like to meet this beautiful girl, be sure to let your Placement Advisor know!


Holly says, "Someone told me
there would be marshmallows?"

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Hiya guys, it's me, Holly!  FM is busy folding laundry, so I thought I'd sneak in here and send you an update.  I'm not supposed to be on the computer without FM, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Right!

As you can tell, I'm starting to feel my oats a little bit, or at least that's what FM says.  I'm not sure what that means, but she says a lot of things I don't pay attention to...words like "Come!" or "Stop!" "Get back here!".  Sometimes I even pretend that I don't know my name, but that's just so I can spend a few more minutes outside.  It's especially fun to do this in the morning when FM is ready to leave; she tries to get mad at me but I just look at her with my sad face and everything is okay.

I've been taking my medicine like a champ lately (man, are those cheese slices yummy!) and I'm starting to feel like a new girl.  FM and I went for a walk in the back yard this afternoon and I even ran for a few minutes.  Thanks goodness there was still some snow left so I could cool off after such hard exercise; oh, to stretch out in that patch of icy goodness was the best!

Thanks to everyone that came out to see me and my fellow RAGOM dogs yesterday in Forest Lake--aren't we a good looking bunch?  I had so much fun sniffing and snuffing, and I felt a lot less anxious there than I did at Pet Smart.  FM says we're going to the next event on April 9, so I'm hoping to see all of my friends there--maybe you will come, too? I hope so! Uh oh, I hear FM...better get back on my little rug and act all cool!  xxoo-Holly

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hello everyone, it's FM here with another Holly update.  Over the past few days I've come to realize that Holly and my 13 year old daughter have quite a bit in common: both of them run out of the room whenever I sing "personalized" Lady Gaga songs ("Holly-razzi", "Puppy Face"), neither of them like it when I tell them that their hair needs brushing, and despite being the one who does *everything*, they are way more glad to see their dad than they are me!  So it appears I've got two teenaged girls living under my roof--how did I ever get so lucky?!?  At least one of them is easily swayed by Kraft American Cheese slices--but I'll let you figure out which one!

Other than acting like a diva-in-training, Holly has had a string of wonderful days.  For whatever reaaon, her vomiting seems to have stopped and her eating has picked back up; I wish I could pinpoint the cause, but we just don't know.  She's been able to take her seizure and pain meds without a problem (see: Kraft Cheese slices!) and that has improved her quality of life greatly.  With the pain medication at a steady level, we've begun walking again--oh, you should see the leaps and spins Holly performs when she sees her leash!  You'd think it was an audition for Swan Lake, the way she jumps and turns in excitement.  She settles right down to let you put her leash on (we walk with a flat collar and 4 ft. leash) and trots out the door, pleased as punch. 

Holly is a pretty good walker; although she pulls a little, she's easily corrected.  We have quite a few dogs in our neighborhood, and when we pass one, she begins that "Golden Prance" we all know so well--head is up, tail is out, and she literally prances on her toes as we walk on by.  I told you, girlfriend is a Diva!  She only barks at other dogs while she's in the yard, otherwise she's content to just have them watch the beauty that is Holly.  We're beginning to think that Holly might actually like a home with a resident dog to keep her company and to play with when she gets her zoomies going, too.

We have begun tethering Holly when she is in the backyard; our land isn't fenced and although we have an acre or two, Holly has begun venturing out of bounds.  She doesn't care much for the tether and tries to avoid being hooked up, but she eventually consents.  It's obvious she'd much rather be "free", so a fenced yard would definitely be a plus for any forever home.

Holly was at the RAGOM event last Saturday in Plymouth and we will try to have her at all the events in the near future.   We're working on her anxiety out in public, so every chance we get, Miss Holly will be front and center, drooling and pacing away!  Hopefully after a few more events she'll see that these are  great places to get pets and treats, but until then, don't be put off by the "nervous nellie" behavior.  When she's comfortable, Holly is a playful, loving, silly Golden girl. 

Thank you again for your continued support for our wonderful Holly-bear! 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Hello, everyone!  It's Holly's foster mom (FM) here, sending you a quick update on our special girl.  We have had Holly for two and half weeks now, and with each passing day she is getting more and more comfortable with us.  It's been amazing to watch her come out of her shell; she's gone from being shy and a little frightened to being a goofy Golden.  When she gets excited, she likes to play this little game where she tries to chase you--but then she'll stop and run away, which is your cue to chase her!  Play time doesn't last too long, but during that time she turns into the silliest thing ever. She's a great antidote to the blues because her crazy antics will put a smile on your face (and in your heart) in no time flat.

We recently switched Holly to a grain-free food and that has made a difference with some little issues she'd been having.  She's losing weight slowly but surely and is responding well to the pain medication for her hips and knees.  Honestly, she has no problem with our stairs at all and will oftentimes race us to the top; she stands at the top of the staircase with a goofy grin on her face because she just beat us to the top!  I've seen her run in the backyard for a minute or so, and she navigates the snow with ease.  In other words, don't be scared off because of her hip and knee issue, because Holly gets around just fine.  She's never going to be a super-active dog, but there are plenty of people out there who would prefer to have an animal with less activity needs.

Because I think Holly will be available for adoption sooner than later, here are some general guidelines for a forever family:

  • No other dog needed--Holly is okay with being your only dog
  • No fence needed--although a fenced yard would be ideal, Holly does just fine on a tie out
  • Commitment to dietary/medical needs--she must be on a grain free diet and will always need to take medication for her joints
  • Daily exercise--even if it's a walk around the block, Holly needs to have daily exercise in order to keep her joints healthy

I would encourage you to contact your placement advisor today (and I mean TODAY) if you are interested in Holly.  She is the dog so many of you are looking for--older, trained, affectionate, and less active. You will fall in love with her the moment you meet her--and that's a Golden guarantee!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Hello, RAGOM!  It's me, Holly Jolly Big Bear Girl--but you can call me Holly.  I'm starting to get used to my foster home, but boy oh boy did I miss my mom at first.  I was with her ever since I was a little pup, so it made me pretty sad to have to leave her.  But I'm okay now; my foster family has been spoiling me with lots of belly rubs and ear scritches and foster mom has even put me up on her bed once or twice! I know, right?  To be honest, I didn't like it very much because my first mommy told me that beds are for two-legs only, so foster mom helped me get down (her bed was really high!) and I felt much better.  I guess you could say I'm a stickler for rules, but there's nothing wrong with that, right?

Because FM said my back legs need a break, we haven't been going on as many walks as I would like.  That makes me kind of sad, because I love my walks!  There's so much out there to see and sniff, you know?  To make up for it, FM took me on a walkabout in the back yard, and I was like, "SNOW!!" Do you know how much I like SNOW? You can eat it, roll in it, run through it, make snow angels, throw it...the list goes on and on, and I made sure to do all those things today.  FM couldn't even keep up with me in the deep snow (but then again, she's not a Minnesota gal like I am), so I just took off running and left her in my dust!  Oh, I ran and sniffed and dug and rolled--it was like the best day ever!  I was even looking for my forever family--FM said that they are out there looking for me, too, so I made sure to look extraspecial hard behind all the trees just in case they needed some help finding me.  After awhile, I got kind of tired and my legs felt wobbly, so I took a break in the snow.  That's when FM said it was time to come in, so here I am, writing to you!  I think I will go now because I'm still pretty tired and my pillow is looking awfully good. 

I'll be sure to write again, but could you do me a favor?  If you see my forever family, will you tell them that I'm here?  My FM said that pretty soon I'll be ready to go with them, so I want to make sure they know how to find me.  Thanks!