Luke 08-248

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Profile

Luke originally came to RAGOM in May 2008. He had little interaction with humans during the first year of his life. He was primarily raised in a hog barn. He has all of the characteristics of a dog that has been raised in a puppy mill. He will need a patient adoptive family and another large dog to help him adjust to life and to help him become the best Golden Retriever he can be. After several months in one foster home, he is now starting over in another foster home. Please follow Luke's progress as he continues his rehabilitation in St. Paul, MN.

At a Glance #08-248

Golden Retriever Born: February 2007
Male 60 lbs

Status: Deceased

Profile

Luke originally came to RAGOM in May 2008. He had little interaction with humans during the first year of his life. He was primarily raised in a hog barn. He has all of the characteristics of a dog that has been raised in a puppy mill. He will need a patient adoptive family and another large dog to help him adjust to life and to help him become the best Golden Retriever he can be. After several months in one foster home, he is now starting over in another foster home. Please follow Luke's progress as he continues his rehabilitation in St. Paul, MN.

Updates

Monday, October 6, 2008

Luke seems to be thriving in foster care. He is finally getting it. I took him to the RAGOM event in St. Louis Park this past Saturday. We had to walk about 6 blocks once we found a parking spot...and he walks like a champ. He was pretty overwhelmed by the crowds and the dogs but I don't think he was as overwhelmed this time as he was when I took him to Petsmart in Plymouth a couple of weeks ago. This was an outdoor event and Petsmart was inside, so that could have contributed to the difference, but he did seem to almost relax at this most recent event.

At home, he's doing well. He's acting more and more like a normal dog. He is learning to sit. We do this when the dogs line up for treats...I usually make them each do something for their treats. Luke is working on sitting. When people that don't live here are around, he sticks around, he doesn't slink off into his corner as much anymore. He is getting quite consistent at making eye-contact...something I wasn't sure he was even capable of when he first came here.

He does need another large dog in his new home....he is always within inches of one of mine. He's not picky, he likes all three. He sort of panics when he can't see another dog, like if they are all out in the yard and everyone else goes in and he's still in the yard, he hightails it to the door.

All in all, I'd say Luke is making huge steps towards normalcy. I assume he will revert to his old behavior once he finds his permanent home, but with time and patience, his true personality will emerge. I'm seeing glimpses of it more often now....if you are interested in making Luke your project, please email placementatragom [dot] org

 
Luke is usually tag-teaming it with one of my dogs.
This is my old girl that was Luke's first best-friend...
now he's equally comfortable with all three of my
dogs....and usually within inches of one of them,
especially when he's outside.

 
Luke (left) and my young guy are checking out
something in the neighbors yard.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Luke has had another busy weekend. He’s been here well over a week now and he’s relaxing. He now will come willingly into the house with hardly any coaxing. (He no longer wears a trailing leash.) He eats in the kitchen instead of in a bedroom with the door closed, although he still doesn’t like it when you look at him when he’s eating. He has found the toybox, mostly he’s picked up bones and chewed on them, I haven’t seen him with an actual toy yet. I took him to Petco on Friday night, I brought my older guy along for moral support. Luke walked right into the store, he wasn’t even phased by the sliding doors. We walked around the store several times, they both got petted by several people - Lucky’s favorite part - and they were offered treats by several store employees - also Lucky’s favorite part. Luke laid down flat on the floor when the people petted him and turned his head and refused treats but Lucky did a great job showing him how it should be done.

Saturday morning Luke went to the RAGOM event at Petsmart. He was a bit overwhelmed by all the people but he stayed for the full event. He was petted by several people. All-in-all I can’t say Luke enjoys human interaction quite yet, but he is relaxing when he gets petted. When he first came here, he was so tense when people touched him but now he seems to be relaxing. He has been taking treats from my hand and he still likes to be very close to the action…just not within petting distance. In my experience with rescued dogs, once they bond with their person, they bond hard…it would be so much better if Luke could find his forever home sooner than later, so that he can bond with his forever person instead of with his foster family. If you’re up for a challenge..one that will surely turn into a loyal, loving companion, email placementatragom [dot] org for more information.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Luke has almost made it through a full week at his new foster home. He is still incredibly shy, but he's not as scared as when he first arrived. I've learned that he is totally housebroken, he is crated when nobody is home and he seems to have no issue with the crate. He eats well and he is almost transitioned to California Natural (an Innova product). He still has issues coming into the house but he's coming around in that respect too.

My mother was over the other day and she got to meet him....after a while she said that he reminded her totally of my older male, Lucky, when he first arrived (10-years ago Labor Day weekend). I had forgotten, but it's true. Lucky crawled into my house, ran into a corner and sat there and shook....for days. Each new experience was a trauma for him. He now has obedience titles, excels in agility, has dabbled in rally and is a registered therapy dog. Lucky also had major issues with eye-contact. He now makes almost constant eye-contact and one of his favorite games is "watch"...when he gets treats for looking into my eyes on command.....he is a champ at that game. So...there is hope for Luke to turn into a normal Golden Retriever. We are going to continue to push him out of his comfort zone this weekend, with visits to PetCo tonight and the RAGOM event in Plymouth tomorrow. I'll update later to tell you how he's doing. If you would like to be the person(s) who helps him realize how much fun it is to be a Golden Retriever, email placementatragom [dot] org.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Luke has had a busy weekend. I’ve learned a ton about him and I’ll admit, I’m a bit confused. He goes for walks like a pro and he does equally well with a canine companion as without. His tail flies and he prances as he walks, he holds his head high and he appears extremely confident. He wears a Gentle Leader with no complaints. He also enjoys riding in the car and does not seem be stressed at all, once again, he does not need a canine companion to accompany him. He gets in happily and watches the scenery as we drive. He has not missed a meal since arriving here….which is quite surprising considering how stressful it must have been for him to move to a new home. He likes to pal around in the yard with another dog, he has chosen my young guy or my old girl…he stays completely away from my old guy. He also gets on the furniture, I think he’s been on every piece of furniture he has access to - he’s tried all the chairs and all the beds on the main floor of the house. He needs to be forced to go into a crate, but once in, he settles right down and is fine…. I only crate him when nobody is home.

On the flip-side….he does NOT like coming into the house, he goes out that same door easily, but he needs to be COAXED to come back in. Once in the house, he likes to be near the rest of us, but he does not push for contact, in fact, he has never yet initiated getting petted. He also isn’t big on eye-contact. I’m assuming from his behavior that he hasn’t had much experience inside houses and he hasn’t had much experience with people….it fits with his bio of being raised with the hogs. However, at this point, I’m not entirely sure what will be best for him as his forever home. So, if you are interested in helping Luke become the best Golden Retriever he can be, email placementatragom [dot] org and we can talk.