Hey-O Everybody,

I'm so excited I went to the spa with Meg & Heather yesterday.  I walked up the ramp into the tub with no problem.  I got scrubbed and massaged and tons of lovin.  I was a little scared of the blow dryer hose at first, but after a minute, (I thinks its the noise), I settled down and enjoyed it. Heather & I got a pawicure and my fur was trimmed up a little bit.  Meggers got the full treatment.  We are struttin & looking like "hot" dogs if I do say so myself just in time for the cruddy weather tomorrow.  FM said it figures, wash the car and it rains.  Wash the dogs and it snows. Thanks for our golden makeovers Ms. Jodel at Ollu Dog Wash.

We're out walking almost every nite now and I do the long block with no problem.  Auntie Laurie joined us the other nite.  She would love to adopt me but she's not home very much and I would get lonely.
We always stop for a quick "hi" to the lady huskies in their yard on the way home.  I look forward to seeing them.  But today they had a "boy" with them.  Didn't like that so much.
 
Hey Hey its the weekend and we get to sleep in.  Yay.  We understand "Go Back to Sleep"  That works for about 30 min. and then we send Heather up for wake up kisses patrol.  Then I jump up and say its poddy/breakfast time, no hesitation there.  Today I was alone with MiMi for 4 hours while FM went to a RAGOM volunteer/reception event.  The time dragged on & on & on.  So we just slept.  I've been left alone before when they went to the dog park but that was just a little while.  I just want you to know I don't get in trouble or mischief or anything like that.  You can trust me. 

Hey, there's an egg on my blog an egg in memory of Libby & Sam.  Thanks.  You are "eggstra" special.  My special friends in ND and my sponsors Jessica & Adam are "golden" eggs, too.  Its special remembrances like this that lets RAGOM continue to rescue and re-home us furbutts.

Heather wants me to send kisses to Ms. Cynthia and to Steve & Gail R.  Have an "eggcellent" Easter.  I'll share the chocolate bunny heads......just kidding.

Love Try Try.
Oops almost forgot.  Contact your placement advisor if you want to meet me. 

Hey You, its me the Golden Gansta commin at cha,

Happy Spring everyone.  High paw to my friends in North Dakota for the pretty butterfly, a sure sign of Spring.  And double high paws to my sponsors, Jessica and Adam.  I think about you often.

The yard lakes are gone but that doesn't stop us from tracking in mud.  FM says its time for a Spring spa.  Dog gone it, I just hate that warm water, soapy lavender massage and gentle rubdown with special treats afterward. 

Heather got one the other nite cause she shimmied under the deck and came out black.  Meg will go to a special spa place cuz she gets her bloomers and all the rest trimmed and spiffed up.
 
Now that its Spring we go on more walks and the girls go to the dog park.  I stay home alone for a couple hours.  No problem there.  I don't get into or destroy anything.  I wait patiently for my pac to return.  Did I mention that I love to go on rides.  Yup, most of the time I sit in the front seat.  I'm a great co-pilot.  We went to the vet for Meg's spring tuneup and its official, I am 69.1 lbs.  Me & Meg weigh the same.  Someone gained almost 10# over the winter and I'm not pointing any paws, but it wasn't me.....just sayin.  Someone else gained 5 so both are on the green bean diet.  I gained 2# of lean mean muscle.  Boys rule....yea!
 
The kids came over last week.  The little girl was scared of me cuz I wanted to kiss her & get some loving back and almost knocked her down a couple times. And Heather wanted to "herd" her so she spent a lot of time sitting on the kitchen counter with her feet up.  Silly girl. 

I met 2 families.  We met on the street during a walk first.  Its all happy tails and fun.  Then we all go play and chase in the back yard.  They say "Try is perfect, beautiful, fun, fast, special." And I hear a new word "Adoption" with a maybe after it.  And we all go inside to talk about me.  And I'm laying on the dog pillow with the kids and getting love from everyone.  And then I forget my manners and growl a little at the family dog.  And I snap out of it and go back to playing. And I growl again a little louder this time and me & FM have "the talk".  And then when I'm getting love and attention from the mom or dad and their dog gets to close to me I get naughty.  I don't know why I do that.  And then the family leaves.  Maybe the "A" word scares me. Meg & Heather told me what it meant for them cause they stay here.  It means something else for me cuz I 'realistically' can't stay.  As much as I would love to stay here with the girls, its just not feasible, so I need a forever family.  I know someone is out there.  Could it be you.  Here is my list:
 
Kids at least 10+
Cats are ok
Obedience training to build my self confidence cuz I'm not getting it here.
Physical fence
Your one and only dog for now but maybe later we can add another brother or sister to our family
Regular exercise to keep up the strength in my good leg. But I'm not a jogging or running partner.
Keep me under 70# so my leg isn't stressed.
No dog parks
 
So there you have it.  I'll be waiting for you with my paws crossed.

Thanks for reading about me.  Have a "golden" Spring!.....Try Try.

Yo, hey, whadda ya say?  I say THANK YOU to Kristine L. for my holly present.  I remember your family coming out to see me at the 2 stores.  I'm sorry that you can't adopt me.  I think it would be fun.  I hope you find a very special furbutt soon.  We have a lot of dogs looking for a special family like yours.
 
And another shout out to my sponsors Jessica & Adam.  Unfortunately, I don't get to attend training/boarding for my "dog" issue, so I may be the only golden retriever with a muzzle on at the pet stores.  Cross your paws we get me figured out soon so I can be available to more families. Thanks again for sponsoring me.  Leslie, Kathy & Jeff, we nailed the holly on the doorway so I get/give kisses whenever I go under it.  Kisses for you!  Karla, I'm still spinning and ringing the bell for the furbutt angels.  FM says I'm gonna turn into peanut butter pretty soon.  I have to continue spinning so the angel in the backyard grows wings again.  She is looking pretty sad without wings.

We went to the dog park again on a really cold day thinking no dogs would be there.  There were 6 dogs.  So while Meg & Heather played with everybody FD and me went for a walk.  We saw deer and a hawk and people with tennis rackets on their feet.  (??)  Must be another weird human game, although it didn't look like much fun.
 
We are still making trails in the backyard and having fun in all this snow.  A "special" Try Try Hi Hi and kisses to Aunt Dee for the Christmas presents. 
 
Hope everyone has a "golden" new year.  See you in 2011...............Try Try

Ding, Ding Ding. Anyone hear a bell? I have a beautiful bell from my new friend, Karla. Bells aren't just for ringing. You can wear them, too. I can ring and spin at the same time. And you know what they say: Every time a bell rings, an furbutt gets their wings. Thanks, Karla. Many wings will be given this year.

I Love Christmas time. And I LOVE this weather. We all went for a walk around the block. Check out my new boots.

It was so cold the girls wore jackets. The low temps don't bother me. I could stay outside all day. Making snow angels is fun, too.

I LOVE the snow. We lost our race track around the shed so we made another one around the screenhouse. Once around that and I am pooped. Meg made a trail so we can navigate it better. That really helps me and Heather. FD snowblowed the deck so we can run down and do our business in the little yard.

Heather thinks the poopsicles are chocolate afternoon snacks. She needs a timeout in her house for that. Girls, go figure. If it looks like chocolate. YUCK!

FM says we will be at the Quarry Petsmart in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 19. I hope to see you there, Karen so I can give you a special Try Try smooch.

Thanks for reading about me.

Hi, its me again.  I have so much to tell you about the last couple days.  I'm loving the snow with the girls especially if there are sticks in it.

I had the dreaded bath a couple nites ago.  What do you think?  

I'm ready for the holiday parties.
 
Friday morning, 6:30 we went outside and this is what we saw. 

That is the biggest, scariest dog EVER.  FM came flying out the deck door cause Meg & Heather were going crazy.  I didn't say a word.  Nope only 2 voices were causing that noise.  I was running back and forth, being silent.  FM apologizes for the picture quality.  Turns out when FM apologized to our neighbor that nite, she said no problem, cause when there's crazy barking over here she knows there is something out of the ordinary.  We love our neighbors. The neighbor also said she saw 2 more deer and was glad Meg & Heather woke her up.
 
Today we tried deck skating.  This is a sport I can live without.  Its funny when a four legged furbutt falls flat but not so funny when I lose balance. We only have 6 short stairs and I go down them good, but coming up is scarey when they are icy.  FM came out in her socks to help me up today.  Its a good day to stay inside and sleep. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all the RAGOM families, sponsors, volunteers and friends reading our updates. Stay safe and warm and on your 2s and 4s..........Love, Try Try

Try tolerated another lavender shower & massage.   I believe he was cautious of slipping in the tub because he laid down so I scrubbed one side of his body and rolled him over for the other side.  Not much cooperation, but no resistance either.  When he jumped out of the tub he enjoyed the towel buffing.  Try Try LOVES to be brushed. His white belly feathering is growing and he is developing body structure.  

His head is big, but at 65#, he is thin and underweight.  We are feeding him more to increase his physical strength but not overdoing it as not to stress his stable leg.  If he had a normal physique, he would probably be comfortable at 80-90#.  Dr. said about 70-75# is good.  We are gradually introducing yogurt, berries, cottage cheese, Omega 3 and eggs to his diet. Tonite he had a little scrambled egg with bacon.  Try loves the healthy additions as treats or topped on his bland dry kibble.  I think his ear infection is cleared up.  I still flush his ears twice a week just to be sure they stay clean.

This boy is AMAZING. When Heather, the athletic coach sets the tone to play all 3 run the racetrack around the shed and screen house, up on the deck, circle, and repeat.  Heather was faking them out and dodging Meg & Try at every turn.  With one exception, Try outfoxed Heather on turn 3 and they collided.  Try lost his balance, refocused and the hot pursuit continued.  I was amazed that Try was able to keep the pace with Heather.  At the dog park she frequently has several dogs flying after her with no contact.  Try on 3 legs can best her in the backyard.  Good boy!  I encourage this in the morning so they are tired and sleep most of the day. After the race, the winner gets a kiss. 

No more puppy pen.  

Try has had free roam for 3 weeks with no accidents. The kids have been very good when we are gone.

Try jumps in the car, on the couch or bed with no hesitation.  He is getting better about OFF and DOWN.  He just wants to be close and the center of attention.  He longs for human touch.  He has a big kissable nose that is not used to affection.  So we are saturating his nose with kisses at every opportunity.  Its a game now.  He buries his head as if to say "no, no, stop, I hate that." Then he kisses and bugs us when we stop.  Silly boy!

Try Try is a big spoiled puppy.  He butts in for attention when we are loving the girls, but backs off when we tell him to.  He rolls over on his back for special rubs and massages and loves it when we talk to him face to face.
You can touch him anywhere on his body and he is fine.  I'm always playing with his feet, ears and mouth so a doctor or child would be okay to touch him.  I can put my hand in his bowl when he eats or take it away.  He is fine.  At first he was a little snarky with taking stuff from the girls, but he knows the rules now and we haven't had a problem lately.

The weekends are for sleeping in so the dogs may have to wait an extra hour or so for breakfast.  Their inner clock is set for 6:30 but if I say "Go back to sleep", Try is the first to flop back down on his bed and wait until I get up.  He is such a good boy!  Thanks, Try.

Within the last couple days, Try developed a very very bad habit:  When the wake up radio goes on, the dogs jump up for the "good morning" kisses. Then they jump down to rush outside and breakfast.  Try takes it one step further.  He grabs the sheet and blanket and pulls both completely down so I have no choice but to get up.

If you have sleepy kids that just won't get up with that obnoxious alarm, then this is the boy for you.  If you've tried everything to get those kids out of bed in time to catch their bus, adopt Try.  He won't disappoint you.  He is a big sweet, silly boy that LOVES kids.  Contact your placement advisor for this "wake up" opportunity.

Thank you for reading about Try Try.