OK..who looks happier? Magnificent Jake or his Fabulous Family?
Jake 08-243
Profile
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Jake was welcomed into RAGOM the beginning of May, 2008. Big Jake the Wonder Dog. Eight year old Jake has come to the household from a wonderful foster in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He was owned by the same family until the economy and hard times forced an even harder decision. Jake, in my estimation, is the ultimate dog. He is completely housebroken, save the urge to countersurf. He has beautiful manners and plays well with others, humans and canines alike. He is one of four Goldens and a Boxer in this household and he's a happy and chivalrous boy. He plays like a puppy with Lakota and Jerry Bear (both three year olds) and then is content to curl up with Nike (10 year old Boxer) and take a nap. He's affectionate and loves his pets and rubs - but not pushy about it and he has an endearing habit of talking you into one more pat - a ten second grumble that, if not followed up, provides him a good excuse to curl up at your feet. He's not growly about food, toys, treats or bones and willingly offers any and all up to the first interested party, to move on to something new. This big guy (83 pounds and not overweight) is a perfect addition to ANY family. Click here to see Jake's original web page. |
July 23, 2008:
With the help of his first foster mom, Jake has turned into an absolutely divine, poised and gracious indoor dog.
We're on day three of our new foster adventure with Jake and little Sam and it has been a joy and a breeze. Jake met resident dogs Lakota and Bear (Jerry 08-175) with equanimity and a gentle playful spirit. It's hard to believe Jake is eight - he's keeping up with the two and three year olds with no problems.
Jake is a big beautiful boy. He has HUGE paws and his gait reminds me a bit of a black bear. Given his height, that is not so surprising - when you look at Jake the first thing you think is... "my, that's a big golden." The second is, "What a doll."
We haven't had one accident in the house. His counter surfing is not unreasonable - most of my Golden's have and continue to do it from time to time. What is wonderful is that Jake is very very responsive to commands. A quiet "no", to this point, has always redirected him, whether you're right next to him or twenty feet away.
It's hugely apparent that someone, at some time, in his past hurt this beautiful boy. We share the house with a male roommate, who quietly told Jake "No", out on the veranda, when he was table surfing. The big boy (Jake, not Paul) dropped to his belly, lifted his leg and peed himself in fear. Poor Paul felt just awful, but even when he bent down to pet Jake, there was no sign of aggression, or growlies, even the fear quickly dispersed. Whatever went on in the past, Jake has almost completely overcome it. Such an amazing spirit!
To this point we have tried many gentle ways of tugging, grabbing and wrestling with Jake to pinpoint the growly response, with absolutely no luck. I can't seem to make him growl at me for anything more than attention. OH...another great trait in this dog. He LOVES belly rubs. But unlike the other furrbutts in the house, he neither pounces on you for attention or butts any part of your body. He simply stares at you with soulful, hopeful eyes. When someone takes the time to pet him and then stops, he talks to you. A slow, quiet half growl half yowl that without doubt is a combination of "I love that" and "Please don't stop". He's not persistant. It's a ten second talk session, but it is so very cute.
What else? His table manners are perfect to date. He happily lies down a couple of feet from the table and occasionally thumps his tail, just to remind you he's there and he's interested.
He has no resource guarding that I've seen, is perfectly willing to share his food and move on to the next bowl - I think he enjoys a game of musical food bowls. He's definitely a Hoover - there will be no crumbs on your floor, ever - whether protein or plant, he'll take it. I offered him a piece of cucumber the other day which he took just as happily as if it were chicken or a dog bone. And BONES - he loves bones. He's also particularly good at guiding and leading - Sam - when there's stress and distressing any dog related arguments. He's a joy!
I was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst with both of these two. I'm amazed and delighted at the ease and grace of the transition. As much as I'm sure he misses his first foster Mom, he's happily ensconced himself into the middle of our pack.
Jake is, without a doubt, ready for his furever home. Please, if you're looking for a calm older dog with a ton of personality, don't hesitate to contact placement
ragom [dot] org ! OH! And if you want to keep up with our exciting play weekends, check out our blog at : http://anadventureingoldens.blogspot.com/
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Jake helping with the yard work! |
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At a Glance #08-243
| Golden Retriever | Born: May 2001 |
| Male | Weight not specified |
Status: Adopted
Profile
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Jake was welcomed into RAGOM the beginning of May, 2008. Big Jake the Wonder Dog. Eight year old Jake has come to the household from a wonderful foster in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He was owned by the same family until the economy and hard times forced an even harder decision. Jake, in my estimation, is the ultimate dog. He is completely housebroken, save the urge to countersurf. He has beautiful manners and plays well with others, humans and canines alike. He is one of four Goldens and a Boxer in this household and he's a happy and chivalrous boy. He plays like a puppy with Lakota and Jerry Bear (both three year olds) and then is content to curl up with Nike (10 year old Boxer) and take a nap. He's affectionate and loves his pets and rubs - but not pushy about it and he has an endearing habit of talking you into one more pat - a ten second grumble that, if not followed up, provides him a good excuse to curl up at your feet. He's not growly about food, toys, treats or bones and willingly offers any and all up to the first interested party, to move on to something new. This big guy (83 pounds and not overweight) is a perfect addition to ANY family. Click here to see Jake's original web page. |
July 23, 2008:
With the help of his first foster mom, Jake has turned into an absolutely divine, poised and gracious indoor dog.
We're on day three of our new foster adventure with Jake and little Sam and it has been a joy and a breeze. Jake met resident dogs Lakota and Bear (Jerry 08-175) with equanimity and a gentle playful spirit. It's hard to believe Jake is eight - he's keeping up with the two and three year olds with no problems.
Jake is a big beautiful boy. He has HUGE paws and his gait reminds me a bit of a black bear. Given his height, that is not so surprising - when you look at Jake the first thing you think is... "my, that's a big golden." The second is, "What a doll."
We haven't had one accident in the house. His counter surfing is not unreasonable - most of my Golden's have and continue to do it from time to time. What is wonderful is that Jake is very very responsive to commands. A quiet "no", to this point, has always redirected him, whether you're right next to him or twenty feet away.
It's hugely apparent that someone, at some time, in his past hurt this beautiful boy. We share the house with a male roommate, who quietly told Jake "No", out on the veranda, when he was table surfing. The big boy (Jake, not Paul) dropped to his belly, lifted his leg and peed himself in fear. Poor Paul felt just awful, but even when he bent down to pet Jake, there was no sign of aggression, or growlies, even the fear quickly dispersed. Whatever went on in the past, Jake has almost completely overcome it. Such an amazing spirit!
To this point we have tried many gentle ways of tugging, grabbing and wrestling with Jake to pinpoint the growly response, with absolutely no luck. I can't seem to make him growl at me for anything more than attention. OH...another great trait in this dog. He LOVES belly rubs. But unlike the other furrbutts in the house, he neither pounces on you for attention or butts any part of your body. He simply stares at you with soulful, hopeful eyes. When someone takes the time to pet him and then stops, he talks to you. A slow, quiet half growl half yowl that without doubt is a combination of "I love that" and "Please don't stop". He's not persistant. It's a ten second talk session, but it is so very cute.
What else? His table manners are perfect to date. He happily lies down a couple of feet from the table and occasionally thumps his tail, just to remind you he's there and he's interested.
He has no resource guarding that I've seen, is perfectly willing to share his food and move on to the next bowl - I think he enjoys a game of musical food bowls. He's definitely a Hoover - there will be no crumbs on your floor, ever - whether protein or plant, he'll take it. I offered him a piece of cucumber the other day which he took just as happily as if it were chicken or a dog bone. And BONES - he loves bones. He's also particularly good at guiding and leading - Sam - when there's stress and distressing any dog related arguments. He's a joy!
I was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst with both of these two. I'm amazed and delighted at the ease and grace of the transition. As much as I'm sure he misses his first foster Mom, he's happily ensconced himself into the middle of our pack.
Jake is, without a doubt, ready for his furever home. Please, if you're looking for a calm older dog with a ton of personality, don't hesitate to contact placementragom [dot] org ! OH! And if you want to keep up with our exciting play weekends, check out our blog at : http://anadventureingoldens.blogspot.com/
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Jake helping with the yard work! |
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Updates
Monday, September 1, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Hello friendly two foots, Jake here. I had a crazy week in the Den and out of it. I got my first experience at the dog park and I really loved that. My foster brother Jerry Bear (08-175) went with me and man did we play. The long lead is kind of a pain in the butt, but more so for the other dogs that get caught up in it than for me. Me, I like to prance around and watch everyone, rubbing noses once in awhile and staying WELL away from those growly types. My second trip was a bit traumatic, but Foster Mom seems to think it proves something...not sure what - I've always been a great dog.
Would you believe, I got my toenail CAUGHT in the bottom of the chain link fence on my way into the park. Oh man, that was excruciating. Poor Foster Mom didn't quite know what was going on when I howled in pain just after I got through the first gate. She stopped and ...check this out...backed AWAY from me...but in confusion, I think. So then, when she came back up to me, I grabbed her hand in my big ol' mouth. JUST hard enough to hold her with me. I needed her help! Poor FM...when she figured out what was going on she was a little "hand"icapped *laughing*, since I refused to let go of her hand. She reached down with the other one and tried to gently pull my poor paw away from the fence but that SOOOOOO didn't work. I howled even louder, despite her little hand in my grip and she stopped. I've never seen FM frantic before. She tried to pull her hand away but uhuh... I wasn't having any of it...we're in this together, right? So finally, she called over some help from the other two foots at the park. This VERY nice man came over and while Mom held my head (hand still gripped firmly between my teeth) he wrestled my foot out of its predicament. Oh man, I screamed! But he got it loose, quickly.
I'm not sure what was going through FM's mind, her face was absolutely white...I thought for a minute that I might be hauling HER out of the park. But as soon as I was free I released her hand and reached up and licked her face, tail tucked firmly between my legs. For some reason, she just sat there staring at her hand...I don't know why, there wasn't a mark on it. I'm really grateful she loaned it to me in my time of need. Well, Jerry Bear and I bounded into the park ahead of her and you should have seen the people...everyone petted and cuddled me to pieces. They said they'd never heard anything quite like that before.
Then my foster brother, Lakota, went to the fair. Wow, is he full of himself. He told me there were thousands of people there to see JUST him...I think he's crazy, but he sure came back prancing and wagging his tail.
Later in the week we had a new friend stay over - Max 08-406. He's a friendly playful critter! We played ball for an hour together in the backyard while lazy Jerry Bear sat in the pool. Lakota refereed the game - he's far too concerned about his public persona now to actually play. Foster Mom told him not to get dirty the night before the fair, when she gave him a bath. I wonder if he realizes that it's all over and NOW he can get dirty again? I heard Max went to a wonderful foster home in Stillwater. We'll miss him.
We also met Smiley, who's as big as I am! I'll even admit that his tail is bigger and fluffier than mine and he wags it like a fool. Lakota leaped over the fence to greet Smiley. Man was he in trouble. He was banished into the house. All in all, a typical week at the Den except for one big break through for little Sam. He let another human TOUCH him this weekend. That seemed to have all the two legs smiling like crazy people. Sooo, wonderful humans...surely there is SOMEONE out there that has a home and heart big enough for this gentle, mannerly eight year old boy? I love foster mom, but I'm really pining for a home of my own! I need more cuddle time, one on one! If you want to meet me, I'll shake paws with you and show you what a glorious dog I am! Please contact placementRAGOM [dot] org
I've included a picture of me, and another one of me and my foster brothers. I'm the one on the couch, the really handsome one.
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
Hello all you wonderful humans. Big Jake, Executive Dog, here. We've had a great week at the Den, full of friends and family and adventures, but Sunday morning was the best! I got to attend the RAGOM meeting with Fostermom and WOW! Humans and furrbutts galore. It was really really cool. I walked in with my head held high and my tail wagging like a fool (FM says). I was just testing out my power posture for its most positive results. And, I might add...it worked. Everyone liked me...a LOT. I got to see my old friends Miss Meg and Dick (Benjy) and their two foots, who are really cool - even if they are foot challenged. Others friends of the Den were there too *waving a paw and tail like a fool*. Those humans sure like to talk, don't they? I did a little tail wagging and sniffing with ten or twelve dogs and then layed down after the talking went on interminably. FM embarrassed the heck out of me - she packed my favorite toy and pulled it out about halfway through the meeting. Sheesh, what kind of picture did THAT present? But I willingly shared it with any and everyone to show interest. I was an INCREDIBLE dog!
So...I've decided to become executive dog. All the way home I was talking to FM about the meeting and I had some spectacular points to make too! I was pretty enthusiastic, but my conversation was one sided, I'm afraid. FM doesn't speak Golden - she pretends, mumbling along with me sometimes like a young pup, which is really cute, but we're DEFINATELY going to have to do something about the language barrier. I'm going to have to get her to take me to Sax for a power suit. Well, maybe just a power tie for summer. For now my red collar will do but...one must consider image, don't you think?
Sooooo.....forever families out there! I know that for some of you that my fully matured age of eight is a challenge. BUT, let me tell you something. I'm in great health and have the spirit of a four year old. I can keep up with whatever you have to throw at me, and then some, but am also more than willing to curl up at your feet in front of the TV...or....I really really like classical music. FM laughs at me, watching my ears twitch and tremble as I take in every divine note, but that's OK...she's not all that cultured. But I'm learning her!
You see that picture above? That's my whimsical wistful look...one that says, where is my forever home? I KNOW you're out there...and I yearn for the day that we will complete each other. If you think you may be the one, please don't hesitate to contact placementragom [dot] org
Meanwhile, please be sure to join us at http://anadventureingoldens.blogspot.com/ for our ongoing adventures and accomplishments at the Den.
Magnificent, Magical and Management Jake
Friday, August 15, 2008
Jake the Magnificent here! I am a stunning senior (8 years) Golden Retriever with all the hallmarks of this majestic breed. Even at eight, I have enough puppy in me to want to play and run with the younger foster brothers here at the Den and I LOVE to chase the latest stuffed squeaker for Foster Mom's amusement. I get her to laugh every night. I'm a cuddler too, but not pushy about it. All is right in my world when I'm sitting quietly at FM's feet in front of the TV, enjoying the occasional pet and stroke...life is good!
We watched something the other night that was fascinating! It started out with these five HUGE rings on 
the screen. I was thinking "WOW...the perfect toy for this place, five rings to chew!" Then suddenly there was this HUGE SWIMMING POOL! I thought brother Jerry (Bear) 08-175 was going to lose his silly little Golden head over that picture. He absolutely loves to swim. So these eight people dive into the pool and they swim laps...and laps....and laps. All that water, you'd think they could do something more fun. I bet my brothers and I could teach them a lot about what to do in a pool! Even little Sam came out from under the bed, after he was sure there wouldn't be anymore fireworks. But I think he misses that drum opening from the other night. Man that looked like fun.
We had visitors this weekend, Mari and her foster Dick (Benjy), and Christine and her resident, Robbie. They were a lot of fun. Mari kept chasing everyone around the yard with this silver thing, but I guess it was worth it...see the pictures of me *preening*? Am I handsome, or what? No one can understand why no one has come to see me yet...but then, they all know what a perfect gentleman I am. I even help clean counters!
Hello everyone, Heidi, Den Mother, here. Perhaps all of you looking at senior dogs have skipped this bio or have been reluctant to seek out Jake because of his early transition. Let me tell you, this guy is absolutely everything you could want in a companion. He is easy going and laid back, but enjoys a romp or two in the yard. He loves his walks and enjoys the occasional foot wetting in the pool. He is truly a wizard at desqueaking squeakers...with surgical precision, I might add. The toy looks whole and intact, with the squeaker pried out of some little hidden hole somewhere. I keep trying to catch him in the act, just to see HOW he does it, but no such luck, yet. He rides extremely well in the car and loves to go for rides. Most exceptionally, I think, is that he loves people without being rambunctious or overwhelming (unlike resident Lakota, spoiled brat). He has a royal grace to him that is just something to see. All around, Jake is a well adjusted, good mannered, great personality dog. If you're looking for a great companion, please be sure to contact placement
