Welcome to RAGOM, Dakota! Dakota is an 18 week old female Golden Doodle who was donated to RAGOM by a breeder in South Dakota along with her brother Dawson. The trip from the country life to the big city has been a little scary for Dakota, but she is settling in nicely and getting more curious and adventurous every day.

A Golden Doodle is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle, and she definitely has the best of both breeds. She looks like she has a poodle type coat, which is hair instead of fur, so shedding has been minimal and her coat is incredibly soft. She has the cutest little face, and when she runs, she looks like a little bear cub coming at you, she is positively adorable. I'm not sure photos do her justice. Other than ear mites which we are treating, she is healthy and is now up to date on all her shots.

Now for all the good stuff. The first several days for Dakota were kind of scary, and she would flatten out whenever she was frightened and try to hide, and would run when she saw people. That behavior is mostly behind her now, she is curious and playful with her foster family and the resident dogs. She was very brave when she went to Aunt Lu's for doggie daycare for a day, she played with Belle and Cody and Jessie and snuggled with Aunt Lu (thanks a million, Lu!!). Kota follows Wyatt and Sassy through the doors to go outside and play, and just loves running in the yard. She tears after Wyatt at top speed and can nearly keep up with him already! She loves to go up to people for pets and snuggles now, and will even take a treat from the neighbor through the fence, a big breakthrough for our girl. Kota has discovered a love of toys, and can't decide if she wants to pounce on the tennis ball like a cat or carry it around like a dog. She seems to love water, as she lays down in the bath water every day with no coaxing. After her bath, she snuggles in my lap wrapped in towels and gives little chin kisses.

She should be able to meet her adoring public in another week or so. Dakota will need a family willing to be a little patient while she learns to trust, and she will definitely need structured obedience training and continued socialization, with both dogs and people. Right now we think she needs a fenced in yard, as she might still try to run if she gets frightened. We are undecided if she will need a second dog or not. She is coming along by leaps and bounds, so we will continue to watch and see. If you are an approved family interested in meeting this special girl, please contact placementragom [dot] org  This girl won't last long, she is adorable and oh so sweet!