Hi RAGOM World! 

Teea continues to make wonderful progress with her people! She still loves to sleep in our bed, and will give little nudges and kisses to let us know that she is there and expects some pets and ear scratches.  

We've been putting her on a longer lead and having her follow us around, which has worked wonders because now she knows that she can be close, get treats and pets, and we're not so scary.  

She's much less reactive to people coming and going, and sometimes we can walk right by her without her even paying attention. It may not sound like much, but this shows us that she's getting more trusting. She's still skittish, but slowly and surely she's discovering that we're not a threat, and we're not going to hurt her.  

She will follow the lead of the resident dogs, and will sit next to us for snuggles and puppy love. She will approach us, and seek attention. My favorite new Teea behavior is that she will grab a toy and parade around the room to show it off! I wish I could express how sweet it is to see this girl blossom, and start doing "normal" Golden things!  

Her whole demeanor is relaxing, and we are loving it! Teea is a special girl, and she still needs patience, acceptance, and unconditional love, but she is taking such beautiful steps forward and we're so proud!  

It seems redundant to say Teea continues to take baby steps forward, when in her world I’m sure it feels more like giant steps.

Teea has added a new routine to her morning happy time. All the dogs get up with mom for potty time. Typically, Teea would run outside, quickly go potty then race back in for breakfast.

Lately, she’s added zoomies to her morning routine and more recently her voice. Every morning, foster mom has to tell her this is not the time the neighbors want to hear from her. The problem is, she likes to bounce when she barks, so it’s hard to stop laughing to tell her to be quiet. I think she thinks this is her play time.

Teea has learned so much since she came into foster care, but she is not what most people would call a “normal” dog. She isn’t a cuddler or a super affectionate girl, but she is so sweet and she is definitely happy.

She will require someone who wants to invest time and lots of love to help her continue to grow. She has so much potential and she wants to belong to her very own family.

There are some days she will actually act a little silly, like rubbing her face or sitting next to a wall continually wagging her tail. It’s almost like she has a special secret going on.

She prefers a more quiet environment. When my adult kids come home, they always bring along their RAGOM furkids and Teea will pace. This means we have 5 - 7 dogs in the house.

If she doesn’t settle, I will put her in her crate to give her some space. She goes in her kennel freely and without any complaints. If my kids come home without their dogs, she stays at a safe distance to watch. I think with so many dogs around it gets overwhelming for her.

Here are some things that she has mastered:

• She likes to follow her family members everywhere
• She no longer runs up and down the stairs, she will walk
• She doesn’t mind being pet anywhere on her body, can even lift her feet with no issue
• She will now calmly trot through a doorway instead of crouching down and bolting
• She will allow me to pet her outside in the yard (with an outstretched arm)
• She will lay right next to the bed and I can step over her to get to my side (only at night or morning)
• She allows kisses on her nose, when she does come to you
• She will come running when she hears the refrigerator door open
• She will take treats nicely from my hand
• She will play bow during her morning zoomies and loves it when we act like we’re playing along with her
• She is totally potty trained but she doesn’t have much of a sign, she will just sniff the floor
• She likes to ride in the car, it’s just a little scary for her to get in
• She will wag her tail when you talk to her
• She loves her meal time, she runs as fast as she can to her kennel and will sit patiently while you pet her before telling her to eat

If you think you might be a good fit for this very sweet girl please reach out.

Teea continues to take baby steps forward to becoming a trusting Golden. Her foster family took a much needed break and she spent a short time with another foster. Teea’s foster mom was very worried she would have tremendous setbacks, but she proved me wrong.

According to her foster sitter, Teea was able to take a treat from her hand and even allowed her to give pets. Although these are things foster mom has been able to do, I was certain Teea would be too shy or overwhelmed to take that step forward with a stranger. I was so pleasantly surprised to learn Teea handled the transition far better than I expected.

Miss Teea loves all vegetables and fruit and will, most times, happily take it from your hand. There are times she is hesitant to come but that is becoming less and less. I should emphasize although she will take something from my hand, she will quickly retreat to eat her morsel in peace. I am not able to give her a treat and have her stay put, she needs her safe distance.

Teea’s babysitter struggled to get her to eat from a dish in a kennel even though this is her preferred spot in her foster home. She was able to hand feed Teea with the assistance from her resident Goldens. Teea definitely needs the reassurance she gets from a resident dog. Teea actually seemed happy on her ride back home.

Once Teea was home, she quickly went back to her usual routines. For whatever reason, Teea loves bedtime and mornings. When it’s time for bed she is the first to find her spot in the bedroom, usually close to foster mom’s side. Earlier she would move away when I came to bed so that she was not close. After I would get into bed she would settle back in her spot. Now, she finds her spot and I am actually able to pet her, give her a kiss on the nose and step over her to get into bed. That is a huge step forward for this girl.

In the mornings, she is actually bouncy. She will run around the yard with her tail wagging. She will wait in the laundry room while I fill food bowls. When she knows it’s her turn, she will dash to her kennel and sit pretty waiting for me to set her bowl down.  We have a ritual before she eats, I set her bowl down then pet her from head to tail and lift her foot into my hand. At first, she would tremble, afraid of my touch. Now, she just sits and lets me touch her without flinching. For this sweet little girl that’s amazing. Human touch was something she was terrified of, now she allows it every day.

Teea seems to enjoy our male resident more so than our female, but even that has gotten much better. I don’t think Teea had a great deal of interaction with other females in the breeding barn she lived in. I wouldn’t say they are best buddies, but there has been no fights just a little grumble now and then. Teea responds very well to “No”.

Another step forward has been during dinner time. Teea is now in the habit of sitting next to me when I eat, and she will poke my arm with her nose. It’s almost like she’s trying to make sure I know she’s there. It’s pretty funny. Occasionally, she will even give my arm a lick, it makes me laugh.

Foster mom works from home most days now, so I get to spend lots of time with Teea. She joins the resident furkids when they hang out in my office. On those days I go into the office she is allowed free roam of the house and there have been no issues.

Teea is a special little girl who will need a forever home that understands she will need time to feel comfortable and confident resident dog to help her adjust.