Ginger (Georgia 19-118C)
Profile
At a Glance #19-118C
| Golden Retriever | Born: May 2017 |
| Female | 68 lbs |
Status: Adopted
Profile
Updates
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Georgia is smiling again! She is feeling much better and it shows. Additionally, she has found an absolute perfect home and has been undergoing a transition plan over the past few weeks. It was very important for Georgia, who will now be called Ginger, to undergo a transition.
She adjusted well to her temporary home but having gone through several emergencies and then her dangerous infection, she and I had grown very attached to one another. Finding a perfect home for her was first and foremost, including the transition plan that slowly adjusted her to her new and wonderful forever home.
As of today, she is officially in her forever home!
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Georgia was not spayed when she made it into the country, so we had to allow some extra time for her to undergo a spay procedure. After the spay, she developed a complicated infection that first presented as peritonitis, but later revealed itself to be two different abscesses from her spay surgery. She was not well at all and it was a scary situation.
Georgia was good at communicating to me that something was not right.
While Georgia has someone committed to her adoption, we can't let her go until she is better. I'm happy to report she is doing much better now.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Georgia—our sweet, loyal, loving girl who thrives on affection and just being in close proximity to her people—continues to love her morning walks down to the lake.
She is very mellow, with the exception of what may be separation anxiety. She does not like to see you leave or go away where she cannot see you. In fact, if you walk across the room or the lawn, she is very attentive to your whereabouts. Eyes. On. You. (Or at least eyes on me.)
Georgia loves car rides now that this has become a familiar and frequent event. When she arrived, she could not get into our SUV, nor could she get out of it. Now she climbs in as soon as the invitation is presented.
Georgia is great on a leash and does not pull at all. She is still learning a left-side heel. We have a long way to go on that, but she has no desire to choke herself by pulling too much.
Georgia does protest going into her kennel at night. She settles down fairly quickly, but at times it can be tough to get her in it if you don’t have a treat to coax her. With the right environment and training, this can improve.
I believe this is also related to separation anxiety. When she awakes in the morning before you, she lets you know it’s time to come downstairs and let her out. And she doesn’t give up easily. Or at all.
Her greetings in the morning when she is let out of her kennel, or after a few hours away, are very enthusiastic! This is when she is most likely to show some energy. She may jump, zoom, or squeal with delight to see you.
Most of the time Georgia just wants to be with her person (that’s me right now). When by my side, she just wants to chill out and be with me. She will lay quietly by my side for hours at a time. When she wakes, she does so because I’ve gotten up and she wants to follow me around.
If I sit elsewhere, she will follow suit. If I am in the garden or at a friend’s house, she is by my side, but the difference here is that she positions herself to face out, towards the potential danger, as if she is protecting me. She knows I love her and she gives it right back to me. What a joy.
Georgia is very submissive with most of her human friends; the louder you are or the taller you are, the more likely she is to be timid the first few times around you. But overall she warms up quickly and gives a lot of affection!
As noted above, she does show signs of what could be previous abuse and she is fearful at times. That said, it is clear she is trying like heck to trust us and love us. It’s endearing to see.
Georgia does have habits that are potentially harmful to her. She is inquisitive and tends to investigate with her mouth. And if her mouth finds something tasty, she eats it. She can also get anxious when alone and tends to work out her anxiety with her mouth. She hasn’t been overly destructive because she is never alone that long. But she did find enough time for two close calls:
- On her third day with us she ate a bottle of her medicine. We spent six hours in the dog ER. She was lucky it was not a toxic dose.
- On her 10th day with us she ate some dish rags that had been used for a big dinner the night prior. She proceeded to spend 24 hours unable to keep anything down, then another day with the vet while they gave her some dye and x-rayed her tummy. We were lucky those rags didn’t have to be surgically removed, but it was a close call.
Her dangerous habits may not be things that change with age or comfort. She may not outgrow them. She’s been through an incredible amount in her short life, including having at least one litter of puppies.
It will be very important for Georgia to go to a home with someone that can and will devote a lot of time to her. Another dog might be OK, but not an alpha dog. She would do well as an only dog—again, as long as there is someone to spend a significant amount of time with her.
Georgia seems to be very smart, is clearly eager to please, and wants time with her human. She has picked up the English language well and still responds to some specific Mandarin words. (Can you translate the word “no” in Mandarin?) She knows the word very well!
Here is a picture of Georgia sticking her nose through the chair to say “I’m sorry.”
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Georgia is a 2-year-old, purebred, female Golden Retriever rescued from the illegal dog meat market in China and brought to the U.S. just a few weeks ago.
Georgia is sweet, loving, and loyal. She thrives on affection and wants company at all times. She is exploring her new world through her nose.
She has adjusted to a new culture, a new language, new rules, and much more. She has shown us a little about her previous life. She’s had at least one, maybe two litters of puppies. She was very likely abused. She was saved from an overcrowded truck of dogs in China, headed to the butcher.
Georgia may be developing a little separation anxiety when left alone. There are many theories as to why she gets into trouble when left alone, but the fact of the matter is that she should not be left alone.
Georgia is learning boundaries, right from wrong, positive reinforcement, and much more. In the mean time she likes to live through her nose and taste buds, which has not had favorable outcomes for her.
Georgia should go to a home where she can play a significant role in the family dynamic. She is OK with other dogs but should not be with an alpha dog. She is good with older children but not tested with younger kids or cats. She does have an innate prey drive but has not been trained to use it.
She will need to be with a family that can devote a great deal of time to her and reassure her she will never go back to her former life.
I believe Georgia would do anything for her human, which may make her a good pet for a special needs child or adult. She is not trained as a therapy dog, but she could play an important role with a special needs family member. She is very alert, smart, affectionate, and able to provide love and comfort.
Georgia will be available for adoption after she is spayed on June 25. We take great care in evaluating potential families for all RAGOM dogs to ensure the best match for both the dog and his or her adoptive family.
