Sunny 06-358

back to Adopted Dogs

Profile

8/12/06: There are some things that happen in life that are meant to be. Sunny ending up with RAGOM and at my house is one of those very special stories, and I'd like to share it with you. Get your coffee and hope you had a nap :)

It was Friday and I was on my way home when I decided to stop and gas up the Doggie Mobile. I filled up and as I was going in to pay I noticed a car with a woman and Golden in the back seat. When I came out I just decided to wander over and see the dog. The man was just getting into his car when I said hi, I just wanted to see your Golden....I do Golden Rescue. The woman looked at the man and said, "She's just the person to talk to". He got out and we chatted and he told me he had seen an ad for the dog in the Metro paper, but wasn't sure he should get her. When she was in the paper a second week, he knew it was meant to be. When he picked her up, she jumped right in the car like it was the most natural thing to do. So off they went to his home to meet his 2 Goldens, Great Dane and 2 Persian cats. A couple days later he took the dog to his vet. He received the devastating news that she was heartworm positive and he would have to make a choice, put her down or run tests to check her other functions. If they were good, then go through a very expensive treatment that would require her to be kept quiet and calm during the weeks of treatment. Not an easy thing to do with a Golden who was accustomed to running in her yard most of the day. Worse yet, he found out the dog has a "high prey drive"....which means cats, bunnies and other small furry things are fair game....and not to play with. This man had this sweet dog for less than a week. Amazingly, he chose to have her treated, but he would have to find someone who could care for her and eventually find a home for her. But he would pay for the expensive heartworm treatment. So he made a call....

Friday morning......

My friend at our St. Cloud Humane Society emailed me about a Golden that was heartworm positive and the owner had to give her up because she has a high prey drive. But he was willing to pay for the heartworm treatment. Did I think RAGOM would be willing to take her? So I started things on my end with RAGOM. Meanwhile, my friend would have to wait to get ahold of the owner to see if he would indeed be willing to surrender her to RAGOM. I figured this would take the weekend to figure out and get all parties in touch with one another.........

Friday afternoon....

As the gentleman was telling me his story about the dog in the car and how he needed divine intervention.....it hit me...this had to be the man Vicki had called me about. I said excuse me, but did you call Vicki at the Humane Society about a heartworm positive dog needing a foster.....and that he would pay for the treatment? He just looked at me and said yes. I said...well that would be me.......the lady who Vicki called. We all were just amazed how we came together at a gas station and I ended up meeting Sunny.

We moved our cars out of the way, got Sunny out, I did a quick _eval of her, called my RAGOM mentor, talked, and decided she would be a welcomed addition to our RAGOM family. We exchanged names and numbers and he said he could keep her at least through the weekend. On the way home I called Vicki and she said she was so sorry she hadn't gotten back to the man.....and I told her I'd just met him.....she had goosebumps!! Our great RAGOM Intake people got things done and by Friday night we were set. So today we met at our favorite gas station and Sunny came home with me. Many times I have stood where this man stood...saying goodbye to a dog I had known and cared for.....for a short period...and had wormed its way into my heart. This gentleman had a very difficult time saying goodbye to this beautiful girl after only a week. He asked to be kept updated on her treatment, recovery and adoption. He kissed her goodbye more than once and I finally saw what others see when I say goodbye...the pain of saying goodbye, but knowing the dog woud be loved and cared for. I know we will find a wonderful home for Sunny when she has completed her treatment.

There are people in this life that can have a dog for years and never feel what this man felt for this dog in one short week. There are people who would choose to put the dog down rather then spend the money, if they had it, to give the dog the treatment. I feel it was meant to be that I walked over to his car to see the dog....I see many Goldens in many cars....but I never go to meet them. I feel blessed to have met such a warm, caring, loving and generous man.

In a few short hours I have learned that Sunny is housebroken, will go into a crate, has a nose that won't quit.....when she was outside her nose was to the ground smelling where the rabbitts had been. She is sweet, ate her supper out of my hand, but barked whenever she saw one of the dogs, even in a separate room with a gate keeping them all apart. I did forget about the cat thing....and we went up stairs to see the house and walked into the bedroom and there was poor Sedwick napping on one of the doggie beds. Oh boy....Sunny just went nuts, barking and lunging, but Sedwick wouldn't budge and stood his ground hissing and growling at her. I think had he run she would have tried to get him. But now Sedwick knows to stay away from her. Fact is, we haven't seen him since!!

We've been a bit dry up here, but tonight when I took Sunny and Finn out to go potty, the thunder started and this girl was like a bullet shot out of gun....right for the door. So, storm anxiety big time. I gave her some Valerian Root in a couple capsules and rubbed some calming oil on the inside of her ear flaps (after I let her sniff it). Thought she might be happier down in the basement level, so made TM go get another crate and set it up. Meanwhile it got quiet and so we tried to go out again. No dice. Sunny wanted in the Doggie Mobile......so I opened it up and let her in. She sat in there while we got the crate set up. Only thing is, she didn't like this crate, or the room or whatever, so took her back up to the living room and crated her. Turned all the lights off and came down to tell Sunny's story. Not a peep out of her.

Sooooo....for the duration of Sunny's heartworm treatment she will be unavailable, living a very quiet and sedate life. Won't be much for newsy updates, but will send in a few more pictures down the line.

One last thing....thank you to Dennis for trusting Sunny to me and RAGOM. You are a very special man and it was Sunny's saving grace that you brought her home with you that day and stopped for gas on Friday :)

Foster Mom and the Crew

SunnySunny

At a Glance #06-358

Breed not specified Born: September 2002
Female Weight not specified

Status: Adopted

Profile

8/12/06: There are some things that happen in life that are meant to be. Sunny ending up with RAGOM and at my house is one of those very special stories, and I'd like to share it with you. Get your coffee and hope you had a nap :)

It was Friday and I was on my way home when I decided to stop and gas up the Doggie Mobile. I filled up and as I was going in to pay I noticed a car with a woman and Golden in the back seat. When I came out I just decided to wander over and see the dog. The man was just getting into his car when I said hi, I just wanted to see your Golden....I do Golden Rescue. The woman looked at the man and said, "She's just the person to talk to". He got out and we chatted and he told me he had seen an ad for the dog in the Metro paper, but wasn't sure he should get her. When she was in the paper a second week, he knew it was meant to be. When he picked her up, she jumped right in the car like it was the most natural thing to do. So off they went to his home to meet his 2 Goldens, Great Dane and 2 Persian cats. A couple days later he took the dog to his vet. He received the devastating news that she was heartworm positive and he would have to make a choice, put her down or run tests to check her other functions. If they were good, then go through a very expensive treatment that would require her to be kept quiet and calm during the weeks of treatment. Not an easy thing to do with a Golden who was accustomed to running in her yard most of the day. Worse yet, he found out the dog has a "high prey drive"....which means cats, bunnies and other small furry things are fair game....and not to play with. This man had this sweet dog for less than a week. Amazingly, he chose to have her treated, but he would have to find someone who could care for her and eventually find a home for her. But he would pay for the expensive heartworm treatment. So he made a call....

Friday morning......

My friend at our St. Cloud Humane Society emailed me about a Golden that was heartworm positive and the owner had to give her up because she has a high prey drive. But he was willing to pay for the heartworm treatment. Did I think RAGOM would be willing to take her? So I started things on my end with RAGOM. Meanwhile, my friend would have to wait to get ahold of the owner to see if he would indeed be willing to surrender her to RAGOM. I figured this would take the weekend to figure out and get all parties in touch with one another.........

Friday afternoon....

As the gentleman was telling me his story about the dog in the car and how he needed divine intervention.....it hit me...this had to be the man Vicki had called me about. I said excuse me, but did you call Vicki at the Humane Society about a heartworm positive dog needing a foster.....and that he would pay for the treatment? He just looked at me and said yes. I said...well that would be me.......the lady who Vicki called. We all were just amazed how we came together at a gas station and I ended up meeting Sunny.

We moved our cars out of the way, got Sunny out, I did a quick _eval of her, called my RAGOM mentor, talked, and decided she would be a welcomed addition to our RAGOM family. We exchanged names and numbers and he said he could keep her at least through the weekend. On the way home I called Vicki and she said she was so sorry she hadn't gotten back to the man.....and I told her I'd just met him.....she had goosebumps!! Our great RAGOM Intake people got things done and by Friday night we were set. So today we met at our favorite gas station and Sunny came home with me. Many times I have stood where this man stood...saying goodbye to a dog I had known and cared for.....for a short period...and had wormed its way into my heart. This gentleman had a very difficult time saying goodbye to this beautiful girl after only a week. He asked to be kept updated on her treatment, recovery and adoption. He kissed her goodbye more than once and I finally saw what others see when I say goodbye...the pain of saying goodbye, but knowing the dog woud be loved and cared for. I know we will find a wonderful home for Sunny when she has completed her treatment.

There are people in this life that can have a dog for years and never feel what this man felt for this dog in one short week. There are people who would choose to put the dog down rather then spend the money, if they had it, to give the dog the treatment. I feel it was meant to be that I walked over to his car to see the dog....I see many Goldens in many cars....but I never go to meet them. I feel blessed to have met such a warm, caring, loving and generous man.

In a few short hours I have learned that Sunny is housebroken, will go into a crate, has a nose that won't quit.....when she was outside her nose was to the ground smelling where the rabbitts had been. She is sweet, ate her supper out of my hand, but barked whenever she saw one of the dogs, even in a separate room with a gate keeping them all apart. I did forget about the cat thing....and we went up stairs to see the house and walked into the bedroom and there was poor Sedwick napping on one of the doggie beds. Oh boy....Sunny just went nuts, barking and lunging, but Sedwick wouldn't budge and stood his ground hissing and growling at her. I think had he run she would have tried to get him. But now Sedwick knows to stay away from her. Fact is, we haven't seen him since!!

We've been a bit dry up here, but tonight when I took Sunny and Finn out to go potty, the thunder started and this girl was like a bullet shot out of gun....right for the door. So, storm anxiety big time. I gave her some Valerian Root in a couple capsules and rubbed some calming oil on the inside of her ear flaps (after I let her sniff it). Thought she might be happier down in the basement level, so made TM go get another crate and set it up. Meanwhile it got quiet and so we tried to go out again. No dice. Sunny wanted in the Doggie Mobile......so I opened it up and let her in. She sat in there while we got the crate set up. Only thing is, she didn't like this crate, or the room or whatever, so took her back up to the living room and crated her. Turned all the lights off and came down to tell Sunny's story. Not a peep out of her.

Sooooo....for the duration of Sunny's heartworm treatment she will be unavailable, living a very quiet and sedate life. Won't be much for newsy updates, but will send in a few more pictures down the line.

One last thing....thank you to Dennis for trusting Sunny to me and RAGOM. You are a very special man and it was Sunny's saving grace that you brought her home with you that day and stopped for gas on Friday :)

Foster Mom and the Crew

SunnySunny

Updates

Friday, September 8, 2006

Wow! Progress! Slow, steady, progress! It has been an eventful week at the Apple River Resort. This week Sunny has mastered her stay command. When it is time to go out, she now goes to the door and sits. We are still in the process of re-enforcing the behavior with repetition, but we are light years away from where we started just a few short weeks ago.

We also discovered that Sunny knows how to hold perfectly still and flip a treat from her nose directly into her mouth each and every time you set one on her nose. That’s a fun little trick, but not too conducive to a good diet, so now that we discovered it we will be reserving it strictly for showing off to all of our two and four legged friends.

We received a delightful little package from our good RAGOM friend in charge of supplies this week. I think the package came straight from Heaven, either that or someone exchanged my Sunny Bunny for another while I was away at work. We received an easy walk harness and although it was a new contraption for me, I don’t think it was all that new to Sunny. She stood perfectly still all the while I fitted it to her plump little body and never struggled with it a bit. After all that we had been through with the Gentle Leader training, I expected the harness to be a major undertaking as well, but no such bad luck. Our first run out was smooth! I believe she must have been walked using a harness prior to coming into RAGOM because when she is wearing it she doesn’t even attempt the same type of lunging behaviors that she might otherwise attempt with just her normal collar on. It is great! One of Sunny’s largest obstacles to becoming an exceptional member of four legged society has been overcome.

One more hurdle coming up this week (her final heartworm treatment) and she is going to be ready to take all you doggie loving forever homes by surprise. Please take a moment to think of Sunny and her recovery and all that RAGOM does for our wonderful dogs while you are enjoying yourselves at the picnic next weekend. Though Sunny will not be there in body her spirit and hundreds like her will be all around you! I promise a quick update as soon as I know anything about Sunny’s condition late next week.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Now that Sunny has spent a couple weeks with us I feel a lot more comfortable telling you all a little bit about her. In the last week she has really come out of her shell and has started to let us see just a small glimpse of who she really is. She greets me very happily at the door no matter if I’ve been away five minutes or five hours. She requests her fair share of attention, and if it is not doled out accordingly, she will lovingly take her head and flip your hand up to the top of her head. It is so cute!

Her house manners are absolutely excellent! She doesn’t counter surf, scratch or chew, she is completely housebroken (no accidents, even in a new house and takes care of business quickly when she is let out), doesn’t beg, and doesn’t jump on any furniture unless invited. I couldn’t ask for a better house guest. She is content to sleep in a dog bed at the foot of my bed and usually settles down fairly quickly at night. On the rare occasion she needs to go out during the night (only once in two weeks) she barked at my room door until I awoke and took her outside.

She will do anything for a small treat. (Even get in the bathtub!) So far I’ve figured out that she knows how to sit, lay, stay, and shake, but all are only when she is so inclined. Sunny is kind of headstrong and when she gets excited, listening tends to go out the window. She is very strong on the leash. I have requested a halter for her as she is still strongly resisting the Gentle Leader. She will need continued work on leash manners, but her excellent inside skills more than make up for any misgivings on her leash. As her earlier foster mom mentioned, Sunny does have a high prey drive and she will chase just about anything that is small, furry, and runs. Because of this I am going to be requesting that her forever family have a fenced in yard. She deserves to have a yard where she can ran and play and not have to worry about being distracted by a pesky squirrel. We continue to work on getting Sunny to sit and stay right inside the door while I put her leash on. She is catching on slowly and I think in a short time we will have that skill mastered.

Sunny is truly a heart-throb as can be seen in the picture below with my resident dog Tiny. When Tiny reached in for a little kiss Sunny shut him down in a hurry. REJECTED! I guess all of us single men should get used to that.

Our vet appointment last week went well. We got a new medication for her ears, and they seem to be clearing up very quickly. We also scheduled her last heartworm treatment for the 14th of September, which will unfortunately take us out of commission for the RAGOM picnic, but this was one of the few times when the vet’s office could guarantee two very quiet relaxing days at their facility. We’ll be in touch again soon with some new pictures and hopefully some fun new adventures to tell you about.

Friday, August 18, 2006

I wish the last picture I had of Sunny and bed buddy, was more clear. But she was so cute just laying in the kitchen with her buddy. Sunny has packed up her bowl, toys, and meds and headed for WI to stay with a new foster and will have a foster furbutt brother. Sunny is a sweet girl who I'm sure is crossing her paws in thanks for the gentleman who saved her and then when he knew he couldn't keep her, was kind enough to give her a chance with RAGOM. Paying for her heartworm treatment was frosting on the cake. So from Sunny and us at RAGOM - Thank You, Dennis!

Sunny's new foster will be taking over the updates from here on out. I'm sorry I couldn't keep her longer, but needing peace, quiet and no stress just wasn't gonna happen here with Ms. Casey and Sedwick the cat. But we got her started on her treatment, up to date on her shots and now she will rest and recover in her new foster home.

Foster mom ..... take it away Foster Dad :)