Enzo 21-016
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Sunday, May 16, 2021
Enzo (11 months), a resident of DeWitt, Iowa and a proud RAGOM dog, passed away Wednesday April 28, 2021, after a life-long battle with kidney disease. He passed while in the arms of his foster dad and his foster sister by his side.
Enzo was born May 17, 2020, and entered foster care on January 28, 2021. His foster dad and foster sister Nikki were very excited to welcome him into our home and very fortunate to have known Enzo during his short time with us.
Enzo was a quick learner and loved to work and please his human. Enzo attended obedience class weekly since coming into foster care and was becoming the star of the class, often demonstrating the proper way to perform the skill that was being worked on in class.
Enzo also loved his daily walks and always had a bounce in his step. Enzo met a lot of people during his time in foster care and was developing a fan club and received a lot of compliments on what a handsome young man he was. He also got comments that his neck fur looked like a mane.
Once Enzo figured out how to get in his chair that was one of his favorite spots regardless of where the chair was located. When he disappeared in the house you would usually find him in his chair or in the bathtub. Enzo also liked to sit on the couch and chat with his foster dad. Enzo learned to trust us enough to roll over and allow belly rubs to be given to him.
“It’s hard to forget a dog that gave you so much to remember." —Unknown
Rest in peace buddy. We miss you!
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
After many tests and a visit to a specialist, Enzo has been diagnosed with kidney disease and has a very short life expectancy. The specialist has estimated worse case a couple months of life expectancy to best case 1 – 2 years. So, with that prognosis, the decision has been that Enzo will not go through the stress of being adopted out and will stay here in his foster home for the duration.
We will continue to monitor his kidney values and he is on medication to control his blood pressure and hopefully keep his kidneys from having to work so hard. The only symptoms he is showing at this time are drinking a lot of water and urinating quite a bit.
Enzo still loves his walks every day and has no problems doing 3 – 4 miles daily. He is such a pleasure to walk with as he keeps a loose leash and only has mild interest in birds that come too close. He is learning how to greet people on our walks politely. He gets many compliments and is beginning to build a fan club.
We started an Obedience I class at the end of February for a 6-week course and he made leaps and bounds in his ability to be in a room with multiple dogs and showing less stress. This guy wants to please you and is happiest when he is working.
After completing Obedience I, we rolled right into another class and plan to continue his training as long as he is healthy and feeling well enough. He is gaining confidence and is not the same dog as he was two months ago.
I have given him a couple baths since the last update and he does very well standing in the tub and soaking up the attention. He even tolerates the blow dryer.
We went to the groomer a couple weeks ago for a haircut and nail trim. He was somewhat excited and nervous, but did very well for his first time. The groomer has two standard poodles and numerous cats. Enzo did fine meeting all of them. That was a lot of stimulation for this guy and he handled it well!
Enzo’s recall is improving enough that he can be in my fenced back yard without a leash. With the warmer and drier weather Enzo and my resident dog enjoy romping around outside. Enzo is making great improvements in his manners and attitude.
We are still working on him getting used to a crate and not being upset when I leave the house for work. I am certain this will become less of an issue as he continues to settle in and gain more confidence.
Please consider sponsoring Enzo. His medical bills are substantial and he will require ongoing care to keep him comfortable and provide as normal a life as possible. Enzo and RAGOM will thank you!
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Enzo came into RAGOM a couple weeks ago and is settling in with my resident dog, Nikki, and me. He is an 85-pound, 9-month-old puppy with a lot of energy.
He already knew sit and wait very well and also clearly recognizes and responds to his name. I have been expanding these with down, chair, come, shake, give it and going thru a door politely. He knows and recognizes these words, just not as strongly yet. We began an obedience class Monday, February 22 to improve and expand his skills.
Enzo still needs to be neutered and that is scheduled for the middle of March. His former owner's vet indicated that Enzo might have kidney disease. RAGOM is doing further testing.
Enzo will require a child-free home. He is young and can be very mouthy when excited and stimulated, a bit of “a bull in a china shop”. His transition will need to be as quiet and low key as possible.
Foster Dad is working on Enzo’s mouthiness and it is lessening as he gets more relaxed here. Walks help greatly to alleviate some of his nervous energy and he is not as mouthy when he is properly exercised.
Enzo can live with dogs, but the dog in the home should not be timid. He needs a dog that can put up with him being a bit of a bully, as he plays rough with his mouth and body. He will need a dog that knows how to appropriately tell him that his behavior is not appreciated.
He does get along with my resident dog 85% of the time, but my resident is not assertive and I have to keep a close eye on both of them to keep Enzo from getting too rough and my resident dog from being overwhelmed.
Enzo will require a physical fence. Also, he will still need to be on a leash in a fenced yard as his recall is not good enough to allow him to wander around without an additional level of confinement. I take him out to do his business on a leash and it works wonderfully for him.
Enzo seems to get his best exercise and enjoyment when we go for walks. He is a dream to walk! He keeps a loose leash on your left side. When he gets out front and tightens the lead, I make a simple verbal correction and he falls back into the heel position on my left side.
Once his growth plates are fully formed at 1½ – 2 years of age and a vet has approved him to run, I think he could make a great running partner.
When we go for a walk, I have not seen any signs of nervousness or anxiety when we meet other people or vehicles going down the street. He has shown interest in other dogs, but no aggression or overstimulation. More of “I want to meet you.”
Cats are unknown at this point as I have not had an opportunity to introduce him to cats.
We are working on Enzo’s anxiety when I leave and have made progress in just a few short weeks. When I return, he is calm and sits while he waits for me to get in the door and greet him. At this time Enzo does not like being in a crate. I have a 5’ x 10’ partitioned area in a room that he stays in while I am gone.
Enzo is house trained. With that said, he had a few incidents in the house the first week, but I take full responsibility for these as I was learning his cues and schedule. He was telling me, but I wasn’t listening.
Training for Enzo will be a must. The past couple days I have started to notice that he is thinking and making decisions instead of just reacting. Enzo is going to absolutely need someone that is committed to him and his training to keep him entertained and on the straight and narrow. At this time, if you give an inch he will take a mile.
Enzo does like to get on the couch and cuddle with me or lay his head on my dog Nikki. Enzo has been showing quite a bit of affection recently also. He will give kisses, rub his head on your leg, lay his head in your lap and lay at or on your feet.
During the night he sleeps on his pillow or blanket next to my bed through the night with no issues at all, but I do keep the bedroom door closed to keep him from wondering at night.
I am working on getting him a bath. He has learned how to get in the tub by himself, but we have not turned on the water yet. Touching feet or cleaning ears has not been an issue with Enzo.
He likes riding in the vehicle and is always ready to jump in and go. However, it does a take minute or two for him to settle when first getting in. When he picks up something that he shouldn’t have, he trades it out nicely for a treat.
Enzo is a good boy who is a quick learner and looking for direction and confirmation from his people.
Recently Deceased: Enzo recently passed away and will soon be listed on the Memorials page.