Junior 07-102

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Sponsored by: Missy and Mark MacDonald 3/16/07: Yesterday we picked up Junior, a 3 year old, 60 pound pure bred Golden, to find out he was in a scary place in his life.  Upon taking him to the vet we discovered he has a broken hip (from an old injury) and a severe ear infection.  What an amazing boy.  Through all of the pain of the hip and ears, and all the poking and bending done at the vet, he did not even so much as flinch.  Just simply leaned into me for a hug.  Last night I slept with him on the floor in the living room once I coaxed him into coming into the house.  He was convinced he had to sleep outside.  He curled up on a comforter with his head on a pillow, his arm around a stuffed frog, and covered up by a superman blanket.  We were discussing how he was such a little superman like Clark Kent, and as soon as we said Clark his head turned and his ears perked up!  So, he really is a superman, and we affectionately call him Clark.              He is also having a little problem with his tail.  At this point he does not to seem to have much feeling in it but does lift it a little to go to the bathroom - and we even got a tiny tail wag out of him today!  The vet thinks this may be due to the pain from his broken hip, but they will check his progress at his next vet visit!                  He has been amazing with my resident Golden, and allows my cats to sleep with him and lick his forehead.  He loves all attention!  Due to his broken hip, the vet has suggested keeping him in foster care for 8 weeks until it is healed and he can be neutered.  In the meantime, we are still looking for his forever family!  Will send updates and pictures on his condition soon!                                                  

At a Glance #07-102

Golden Retriever Born: March 2004
Male Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

Sponsored by: Missy and Mark MacDonald 3/16/07: Yesterday we picked up Junior, a 3 year old, 60 pound pure bred Golden, to find out he was in a scary place in his life.  Upon taking him to the vet we discovered he has a broken hip (from an old injury) and a severe ear infection.  What an amazing boy.  Through all of the pain of the hip and ears, and all the poking and bending done at the vet, he did not even so much as flinch.  Just simply leaned into me for a hug.  Last night I slept with him on the floor in the living room once I coaxed him into coming into the house.  He was convinced he had to sleep outside.  He curled up on a comforter with his head on a pillow, his arm around a stuffed frog, and covered up by a superman blanket.  We were discussing how he was such a little superman like Clark Kent, and as soon as we said Clark his head turned and his ears perked up!  So, he really is a superman, and we affectionately call him Clark.              He is also having a little problem with his tail.  At this point he does not to seem to have much feeling in it but does lift it a little to go to the bathroom - and we even got a tiny tail wag out of him today!  The vet thinks this may be due to the pain from his broken hip, but they will check his progress at his next vet visit!                  He has been amazing with my resident Golden, and allows my cats to sleep with him and lick his forehead.  He loves all attention!  Due to his broken hip, the vet has suggested keeping him in foster care for 8 weeks until it is healed and he can be neutered.  In the meantime, we are still looking for his forever family!  Will send updates and pictures on his condition soon!                                                  

Updates

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Well, Junior has been with us for almost 2 years now in both foster and adoptive care.  He has been a blessing since the day he came into our lives.  His eating, which was his biggest struggle, has improved as long as we keep adding new things from time to time.  It has improved so much we have had to cut him back as he has hit a whopping 65 pounds!

He has been very tolerant of all the dogs who have come and gone over the past 2 years as fosters.  He greets them with a wagging tail and sends them off with their forever families in the same manner.  His sister Daphne could not be happier to have a forever fur brother.  They both attended our wedding wearing matching color this past April as well! 

Since adopting Junior it has not always been easy.  He has had two ear surgeries to try and repair the damage done from serious infection prior to coming into RAGOM.  It seems as though we might be making some progress but he still struggles.  Even with this he is still a loveable and tolerant boy who seems to understand we are doing things to help. 

Junior and RAGOM are a true blessing.  We could not imagine a better pair of pooches in Junior and his sister Daphne.  They brighten our lives with their love and loyalty.  Thank you RAGOM for bringing Junior to us. 

Friday, July 20, 2007

It is with great happiness and tons of happy tears I write the final update to Juniors page.  I have decided to adopt him, and make him a forever member of our family!  Now a letter for Junior I wanted to share.Dear Junior, You came to me many months ago broken down and full of grief, just like I was at the time.  I had lost my three year old cat suddenly only days before you showed up on the plea for a foster.  Something told me I had to foster you and I could not wait the four days your previous owners wanted to.  I had to have you the next day, no matter what.  So, after some negotiating we made the trip to meet you and your previous owners half way.  All the way, I was going back and forth on whether I was ready to foster another dog, and spent the two hours fighting tears thinking of my cats passing.  When we arrived the back of the van opened and inside sat a beautiful golden.  The problem was you had no life in your eyes.  You could not move, your hair was full of feces, and your ears looked as if there were tennis balls under them from the severe ear infection you had.  We had to lift you out of the van and stand you up on the ground.  You could not use your hind leg at all.  I slowly approached you and reached out to pet you.  You did not lean into me or even acknowledge me or anyone including your previous owners.  You were broken and battered and in need of love.  In that moment I knew without a doubt I could foster a dog, and whatever it was that told me I needed you, I said a silent thank you to.  We did an emergency vet call and were referred to the Ames Vet Hospital.  You had a hip broken in four places and a broken vertebra in your spine.  We made many trips back and forth to get you well.  You would not eat and in the first three weeks we had you and you lost 16 pounds.  Regardless of how hungry you were you would not eat.  You were checked and re-checked and nothing was found to be the cause of your not eating except your will not to.  A feeding tube was put into your stomach, but we only had to use it a few times.  Your eating came around and you slowly put back on the weight you needed.  Your hip healed beautifully and somewhere a long the way you stole my heart.  It wasn’t the nights of sleeping with you on the living room floor or the heartbreaking trips where we had to leave you in Ames, it was your sheer will to live, and love you showed me no matter how much pain you were in.  You grabbed my heart and would not let go.  I watched you blossom and learn to love and trust again.  You most likely lived almost four years of your life in a backyard enduring the horrible Iowa weather and being thrown food from the house.  You still only eat off the ground or off a clear plate or shallow bowl.     I have had the privilege to know you and help you heal.  What you don’t know is that you too helped me heal from losing my very first pet far too soon.  I felt guilty for not being able to save him, but I could help save you.  I feel like he will forever be with me, because somewhere part of him is with you.  I have decided to adopt you because I feel like you are a part of this family.  I have been able to watch you grow into what a dog should be.  You now roll on your back, give kisses, and even bark from time to time.  I am sorry you didn’t have a good life before coming into RAGOM, but I promise you the rest of you life will make up for it.  There will never be a day that goes by that you will not be walked, fed, and given a million kisses.  I will never walk by you without petting you, and never again will you sleep anywhere but on a soft bed.   Thank you for growing to trust me, and love me.  Thank you RAGOM for allowing me to be part of this wonderful organization.  While challenging, helping Junior has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life, and I could not have done it without your help and support.  Junior, I loved you the moment I saw you.  Welcome to the family, you are finally safely forever home.                

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Just a quick update on Junior.  He went today for his last acupuncture treatment.  He did very well.  His ear infection has cleared up, but we are going to use the medication twice a week long term to make sure it stays under control.  The vet feels that since his ears were so bad they may never fully clear up.  He also weighed in at 53.5 which is down a little under 2 pounds from last week.  The vet feels it is nothing to be overly concerned with as his activity level has increased so much in the last week.  He also had a few slow eating days, fireworks are NOT his favorite thing.  I have totally faith me will pick up on the eating he again.  He ate well tonight.  Once we are at a good weight we will be able to cut down a little on the food so it wont be so much at once.  Still no luck getting him to eat before the sun begins to set so he has to eat his 4 cups all in the evening. 

    
Here are a few pictures after his walk last night.  He is now walking BIG hills.  I think we all looked similar after walking him!  Tongues hanging out and tired! :)

  

 

 

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Well yesterday was our cities annual celebration, and we had a RAGOM float in the parade.  Junior did not fair to well while the other floats were going by.  Loud noises (such as drums) tend to scare him big time!  After we learned this we then made sure we walked him to keep his mind off it when a band went by.  Thankfully that worked.  Junior walked about half of the parade.  I could tell he was getting tired when he walked up in the crowd and sat on someone's blanket with them!  He rode the last part, and even got some TV time on our local channels!  Here are some pictures from the big day.  One is of Junior walking me and the other is Junior and Bella 07-319 standing on the float waiting to depart! 
  

  

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Well we had a big day today!  A group of storms passed through with tornados touching down near by and sirens, and the whole bit!  Junior has never had a problem with storms before but today he got sick.  :( 

     
We loaded everyone up (5 cats in one car, two dogs in the other) and sped across town to my moms.  Shortly after lost power and Junior was a major trooper the whole time!  He even jumped on the bed!!!!  First time for that!  Being sick did not seem to bother him for long.  He came home and ate his dinner just fine.  All is well and everyone is home safe with tails wagging!

        

         

 

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Juniors eating has continued to be GReat!  He is now consistently eating 3 cups of hard food each day plus 1 cup of a fruit, veggie, lean turkey mix.  Tonight he ate it in record time!  5 minutes!  He goes in on Friday for acupuncture again and I am hoping for 56 pounds!  That would be 2 pounds in a little over a week. 

          
He has also had some dog-breakthroughs this week as well.  He has begun to play with our resident dog.  They wrap their front legs around each other and growl and wrestle around.  Junior has also figured out stuffed toys are good to play tug of war with!  I am trying to get pictures but I am always miss it.  Tonight on our walk Junior and our resident both got very dirty so it was bath time!  Possibly only the 3rd bath he has had in his life and he did very well.  After the baths they were licking each other to dry each other off!  They also kiss (lick) when they pass by one another.  More pictures and updates after acupuncture on Friday! 
           

   

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Today was a milestone day for Junior.  He has his feeding tube removed!  It was slightly traumatic for all those who watched it happen but he just popped right up as if to say "ALRIGHT!  Lets get these shirts off!"  He has come around a lot in the past few weeks, and I look forward to seeing him (and his fur) grow back while we work on putting more weight on him!  Last weigh in was 54.1!  Only about 10 pounds left to go!

    

 

 

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Well, what a busy day!  Today Junior went to the Iowa volunteer picnic, and I could not believe how well he was running around, using his leg, and playing with every dog there.  Our resident was never far behind making sure things were going ok.  Before we left he ate a big breakfast (this was the first time he has eaten breakfast - usually only eats after dark) and he ate some food at the picnic, including sucking down a doggie cupcake!  It seems things are finally falling into place, and all the worries that "Now he wont eat tonight" can be discarded.  He met lots of wonderful people, including his sponsors Missy and Mark.  Thank you again for sponsoring him.  It was so great to meet you, and wonderful that you had a chance to meet the dog you have so graciously sponsored.  Junior has also progressed to jumping up and putting his front half on ours laps while putting all his weight on his hind legs.  He has also decided that chewing the eyes off stuffed animals isn't as much fun and ripping all the stuffing out too!  :)   Thank you to those who offered kind words and gentle touches today.  For the first time I saw Junior really trust everyone around him without fear. 

          

 

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Junior has been doing well and eating pretty consistently, although he is not putting on weight very quickly.  He went to the vet today and weighed in at 52.8 pounds.  So, he is up .8 pounds in two weeks.  Last night he thought the recliner looked like a really soft place to sit but once he jumped up he was overwhelmed with fear.  He did not expect it to rock!  He has also started to try and jump on my lap to sit with me.  He cannot make it, but I pick him up and he is quite the lap dog these days! 

     
We look forward to taking him to a picnic next weekend to enjoy the outdoors again.  We have started walking small inclines and he seems to get tired faster which means we are working the hip the right way.  The bone sticking up under the skin is becoming less obvious.  Only 12.5 pounds to go to reach his ideal weight!

      

 

     

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Hello everyone - Jr here!  Happy Belated Memorial Day!  What a big weekend I had.  I got to meet another RAGOM dog names Bella (07-319) who is shaved funny just like me!  We both got loaded in the car and went camping?  Well, not really camping but we visited my foster moms aunt who was camping.  Boy did I love it!  I laid in the shade by my foster mom and slept most of the time.  It was sure nice to be around a bunch of dog lovers.  When it was time to go, I did not want to.  So, I planted my butt on the ground and would not move.  Then I hid under the picnic table!  Finally, mom picked me up and loaded me in the car.  I am coming out of my shell and doing pretty good going new places.  I still get a little scared though. 

Just wanted to say hello to Mark and Missy, thanks again for sponsoring me, I hope you had a nice long weekend...whatever that means, every day is a weekend for me now! 
Until next time!
- JR

         

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Hello everyone - Jr here!  I have some news to share with you.  I have learned how to jump on the sofa and loveseat to sleep.  I think this is pretty neat but for some reason my foster mom cried when I did this.  She told me it was because she was happy that my hip healed enough for me to jump!  I just think its cool because I can sleep with
my foster sister and on something soft. I have also learned how to play a funny little game.  It is called the
"shake it shake it" game here.  When my foster moms moves her arms around and says "shake it shake it" I roll onto my back (which I was not able to do before with the broken vertebra in my spine) and squirm all over.  She sure thinks its funny, and takes lots of pictures!
  Here are some pictures of me sleeping on the sofa and love seat and of me playing shake it shake it. She took a close up of me smiling for the camera too.
     I have been eating pretty well, but am not making the transition to hard food very well.  Right now they say they don't mind, they just want me to gain weight.  I keep eating and I am still skinny!  One of these days I will fatten up.
Well that's all for now.  Off to Shake it! Shake it!  :)
                                                    

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Well Jr went for a checkup on his hip and the vet thinks it will heal well.  The biggest hurdle we have to face building muscle in his leg.  He needs until Monday to let the problem in his hip heal and then back to the walks.  Up hills and swimming.  If he does not build back the muscle he has lost his hip will not heal as it should, but I have all the faith in the world in him!             After making the 3 hour trip to and from the vet Jr stopped eating again, it seems that any time we leave the house for longer than an hour or so the eating stops.  Then the next day the water pipe broke and the digging outside the window made him not eat for yet another day.  He is back to step one - eating canned dog food.  Tonight I fed him about a cup of hard puppy chow by hand.  The eating is still a big issue for him, but we are working on it!  We are now to the point that we do not use the feeding tube unless he goes 24 hours without eating.  Keep your paws crossed that the hip heals, we get the muscle built back up, and he puts on some weight.  It has been a long road, and although the end is not in sight as of yet, I know it will be someday!             "I got a bath and I really do have fur under all the clothes!"

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

"Ahhh...so this is the Golden life I have heard so much about!  <snore>"

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Junior has begun eating again and has gained about 3 pounds.  He seems to be doing well in the eating aspect of things.  We have run into some trouble with his hip, but have no definate answers as of yet.  Here of some pictures of him in the car on his way to the vet!

      

                    

Friday, April 20, 2007

Hello everyone! I made it home from my physical therapy where I swam like a champ using my hip the whole way!  I feel like a new dog.  I had to stay a few extra days to have some tests (boy, am I tired of them) to see why I wasn't eating.  Well, everything came back in good shape until the day I was going home.  I have inflammatory bowel disease.  At this point we are not sure what I will need to manage this for the rest of my life, but the vet assured my foster mom that with the right diet and possibly medication, it would not shorten my life at all.  How exciting!  I get to live this great Golden life for many years to come.  I was so ready to go home that I would not even let the doctors show my foster mom how to use and clean my feeding tube (you can see it in the picture of me sleeping on my bed - it's sticking up a bit back towards my tail under my shirt).  I stood at the door with my nose to it, tail wagging until we left.  My feeding tube bothers me a little but I get to wear a cool red shirt!  The feeding tube will have to stay in until I am adopted and eating well because the doctors believe I will slip back into not eating when I go into a new environment.  I would not eat at the hospital, or when I visited my foster grandma's overnight, only when I am at my foster mom's.  More good news, I have not had to be fed with it since I left the hospital.  I am eating daily and walking about one mile day.  I even lag behind my foster sister so I can run to catch up.  I was neutered while there also.  I was so excited to be home that I jumped on the love seat for the first time!  I also get to sleep in bed with my foster mom, or on the floor by her bed with my foster sister on our twin mattress.  Well, that's about it for now! - JRPS - Kisses to Missy and Mark!                                                       

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Hello all and Happy Easter, especially to Missy and Mark!  I had a big day today.  I got to go on a very mini road trip to my fosters mom's family's house!  Boy, were there a lot of people and lots of tummy rubs.  I got to have some ham, as I am still not eating dog food.  They sure tried to coax me into eating the dog food by hiding the ham under it.  I just ate the ham and spit the dog food out!  I think it is silly but I can tell they are worried about me.  I hear I am going away tomorrow for a few days for therapy and some tests to make sure there is nothing wrong with me as far as my eating habits go.  Today I wore a bunny rabbit on my head and did not like it one bit, but I humored them so you all could see a picture.  One thing I do like is my paw print bandana, and here are some pictures of it and the bunny!  Time for bed, as I am going to have a long week this week.  I will be in touch when I get home!  Happy Easter and take care until later! - Junior                                    

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Hello again, it's me Junior!  We have had a pretty eventful week so I thought I would fill you all in!  I got a new collar this week, it is blue.  My foster mom said I needed a blue collar because I am being such a superman now.  I guess superman wears blue!I have started going outside on my own on a tie out.  I used to need help from my mom to walk me on a leash but now I go on my own.  Well, sort of, I won't go out without my foster sister Daphne.  I won't really go anywhere without her.  My foster mom was also giving me a hard time today because I won't leave Daphne's side long enough for her to take a picture of me alone! HA!  What can I say, I love her!  I am sending some pictures to share with you.I have had to start taking nine extra pills a day, and I must say I am not thrilled about it.  Mom says I have allergies and I chew on my paws ALL THE TIME.  What can I say?  They itch!  It seems to be much better now that I am taking those pills, and I get to eat bread to take them which is one of the things I will eat without fail.  As for other food, I still have not been eating normally, some days I don't eat at all.  We had some dog visitors this week.  I thought it went OK but everyone else did not seem to think so.  I keep hearing about me needing to be fixed.  I am not sure what that is but I am confident now that I will be OK no matter what it is.  I have found a safe haven with RAGOM, and I feel so much more loved and safe in an indoor home with people who pay attention to me.  I am going to need a family who does not mind a Velcro dog and a dog brother or sister who does not mind me butting in and taking any attention they are currently getting.  My life has sure turned around!  Until next time!JuniorPS- Check out the picture of me sleeping funny on the mattress! :)                                

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Hello all, it's me, Junior!  I have some exciting new to share!  There is more to my new home than just the living room, and for the first time I saw it!  I went sniffing twice in the last few days, and even found a soft place to sleep while my foster mom is on the computer!  I have started sleeping on my foster mom's mattress in the living room, and as one of the pictures shows, sometimes I spend more time half off than on the bed.  I have made great friends with my foster sister Daphne (she is a Golden, too) and we sleep together now.  I have started to get up and go to people to be petted instead of them coming to me.  My hip is healing and I will not even let my foster mom help me down the stairs with my sling anymore, I must do it myself.  I am a super man, you know?!  I have to keep up my reputation.  I get my staples out tomorrow, and get my ears checked out again.  My foster mom keeps telling me how much better they look.  The swelling has gone down, and now I can hear things like a normal dog.  Well, that's all for now.  Off to nap some more! - Junior                                                                          

Monday, March 19, 2007

Today Junior went to see another vet in regards to his apparent problems.  They have decided they are going to pin his hip in order to assure a great recovery.  Tomorrow they will be doing some further tests on his ear (which is looking much better!) and his tail.  He has a problem with the vertebra above his tail, and the vet needs to decide whether it should be fixed or if it will heal on his own.  Junior is on his way to becoming all fixed up!  He sure has been a trooper, and is missed a great deal while staying at the vet.  I will miss my sleeping buddy tonight, and Daphne (the resident Golden) is wondering where he is.  He will be such a great dog for a family with kids, cats, and dogs.  After having troubles with him eating, he was given a new pain medication and is now eating!  He will need to remain with us for 8 weeks once he returns from his surgery, but if your family wants a true love-bug-superman please fill out an adoption application!