Adopted Dogs · Happy Endings · Rainbow Bridge Memorials
Sponsored by: Susannah Charleson
Monday, April 27
Hi, allow me to introduce myself! My name is Maui. I am a 14 year old male, and am a purebred GR. My foster parents say I am cute and very gentle. My foster parents think I bark sometimes for no apparent reason, but mainly I bark when I want some attention. I was given up because my former owner goes out of town a lot for business and he thought it wasn't fair to keep putting me in boarding at my age. So, he surrendered me to RAGOM. I can't climb steps very well and even have a hard time going on short walks. I have some arthritis and am a little stiff in the morning. The other night I loved my fosters so much that I attempted to climb the stairs. It was a success even though I fell down a lot. I would need a home with very little stairs. I take my medicine very easily so you don't have to hide it in food. I am very calm, sweet, and I snuggle with my foster sister. Foster dad likes to play with me. So, I still have some playtime squeezed inside resting and walks. I am a polite beggar when it comes to dinner. That's when the meat comes out. Yummy meat! The other day foster mom took me outside to just sit on the porch for a while. We sat out there for an hour before I would come in. So, I LOVE sitting outside everyday. I would sit out there all day if I could. I am going to the vet today. So, wish me luck and I will get back to you soon. I am in retirement right now. My days of chasing balls and long walks are gone. I need someone who understands that.
Friday, May 1
Hi, Maui again! I went to the vet the other day and I weighed 80 pounds. I got micro-chipped and adored by the vet. I ran into some other dogs and was fine with that. I didn't even move a muscle, I just sniffed the air casually. The vet says my back legs are weak, but isn't sure if it's because of arthritis or neuropathy. That's not a surprise to me! I also have a heart murmur.
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Hi, Maui here!
Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been busy playing with my fosters. I am having so much fun here, but I will have even more fun in your house. I love being around people so I will follow them wherever they go. I can walk up a few stairs, but sometimes my foster dad carries me up. My fosters give me medicine that helps a lot.
I am still enjoying sitting outside each and every day. I’m getting sweeter and sweeter every day. I even smell sweet and my fur is really soft after having a bath. I was not too sure about the bathtub but I sure liked all the scrubbing. I feel great except for my back legs which have arthritis. I generally find a place to lie down and stay until my fosters change rooms. I do get up whenever someone is in the kitchen. I am a great behaving dog. I don’t do anything wrong that makes people mad.
I have met dogs of all ages and I get along with them all. I don’t like it that much when puppies jump on me, but I take it in stride. A five year old golden came over for a week. I couldn’t keep up with him, but he encouraged me and I now pick up a tennis ball now and then. Here are some new pictures of me being my silly self!
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Maui here again. I have good news. I now have a sponsor !! Thanks Susannah C. The other good news is that I have been back to the vet and my lab work shows I can continue on my Rimadyl which keeps me comfortable. My back legs are still kind of stiff, but I get around to where I need to go.
I have settled into a pretty nice routine here at my fosters' house. I will run you through my typical, grueling day: I sleep at the bottom of the stairs. In the morning foster dad comes down and wakes me by rubbing me. I pretend I can't get up so he will rub me some more. If he doesn't rub more I give a little bark. When I have had enough rubbing I get up, but sometimes I wait until I see a snack, or see foster in the kitchen. Once I am up I get a little snack to tide me over until foster dad makes his lunch for work. Then I go outside for a short walk and do my business. Back inside I nibble some of my dog food and then lay down and wait for foster mom to come and make the kids lunches. During the day I take a long snooze to get my rest after all that begging. When foster mom and the kids return I pull the same stuff all over.
As you can see I am quite an easy dog to care for. I just require someone to feed me, let me outside, and give me the occasional rub down. I especially like the top of my head scratched. All for now.
Maui went to the vet about two weeks ago because he broke a toe nail. We nursed him back to health. It was quite the challenge to keep a bandage on his foot. Other than that he has no new health issues.
Maui is doing great here! He loves chewing on tennis balls and making us fetch the ball instead of him. Here is his idea of fetch! He picks up the ball in his mouth and releases it when he bobs his head back. Then he watches in hysterics as we clumsily run after the ball and bring it back to him. Maui took a bath yesterday and is all clean now. He didn’t really like it that much until we started to rub in the shampoo. Then it got way better. He may be old and stiff but he got out of the bath tub really fast.
It seems as if Maui isn’t growing older but the exact opposite. He’s acting younger!
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 This is what Maui said when asked if he liked his bath... or if he wanted another! |
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Merry Christmas to the Golden seniors 
Marilyn & Maggie-girl
Lori, Kerry, and the Mutts
Maui continues to be a sweet senior golden and a great companion. His back legs still are weak and stiff but we still walk a few blocks a few times a day and he manages to climb up the steps into our house. He takes Rimadyl twice a day and that seems to keep him comfortable. Maui will be getting mutt Luks for Christmas which will probably help him get up off the hardwood floors.
He now shares some space with a pet rabbit. He takes very little interest in the rabbit even though the rabbit sits on top of its cage. Sometimes we need to scold him for eating the rabbits cheerios though.
We are starting to plan for Maui's 15th birthday this January. I'm thinking steak or pork chops.
Maui celebrated his 15th birthday in January with some ribs and cake. He also got a new haircut. He continues to do great while taking his Rimadyl.
He has had several canine visitors around and does well with all of them. Recently he had Teddy over (see picture) for an extended stay. Teddy has been over several times and they get along like true buddies. Teddy is very active and that perks Maui up. Typically Maui only goes out 2 or 3 times a day, but when Teddy was around he was going out 6 or so times, more if we were up to it. Maui usually takes his time eating his bowl of food during the day, but when he saw Teddy wolf his down he started doing the same. Even today with Teddy gone he thinks he has to hurry.
Maui just loves the snow and likes to go roll around in it. He does not seem to mind the cold at all.
Maui would do best in a house with another dog and easy access to outside and few stairs.
A very big THANK YOU to Maui's sponsor, Susannah Charleson, and all those who gave him Christmas tokens!
Maui here again. My foster brought me to the vet a few weeks ago for routine blood work which is done while taking Rimadyl. My labs came back as normal. But my foster asked about my bad breath. Turns out I had 4 abscessed teeth that needed to be extracted. I had those teeth removed and my others cleaned and now I have really fresh breath and pearly white teeth.
I have had several small visitors lately, a Shetland sheepdog, and a King Charles Cavalier. I get along with all dogs. I had a hard time figuring out how to get into the king's bed though!!!
Maui is enjoying the spring weather. The other day he shared an ice cream cone with me. He loves to sit outside on the porch and breathe in the warm sunny days. We are planning on giving him a trim for the hot summer weather. We’ve learned his new “ahhh” spot. Right on the top of his head. That’s when he squints his eyes. Whenever we stop he begs for more.
Maui has made some new friends in the neighborhood including the golden retriever puppy a few blocks down and the husky that lives on the other side of the neighborhood. The vet thinks that Maui should lose 5 pounds but that doesn’t stop him from waiting under the table for any food that might fall from the table.
Maui just got a nice and short haircut for the summer heat! He looks very cute! So now maybe he can impress that poodle down the street. We gave him a bath after he got his haircut . Maui is still going on his short daily walks and is still taking Rimadyl for his arthritis. No slowing down for him!
| It is with immense sadness that we decided to help Maui cross the Rainbow Bridge on September 1, 2010. Maui’s health was starting to fail and he was struggling to do his favorite things. When we first started fostering Maui in the Spring of 2009, he struggled to walk and there were concerns about his ability to be adopted. We agreed at that time that we would look after him till the end. From the beginning he was in our hearts and we were happy to have him, and he was happy too! So even though his legs didn’t work well and his breathing was always labored, Maui was not one to ever quit. We would just take our time with him. Until the end, at more than 15 years old, he kept up his walking. He would walk slow and deliberate, fall at times, but would be right back up and going. He had a regal demeanor that other people and dogs noticed. We called him ”Our Lion King.” We have many fond memories of him, too many to list here but one we would like to mention. In the evenings when the day was winding down Maui would soft bark out to us alerting us he was waiting for his evening “rub down”. If we didn’t respond fast enough the barking got a little louder and a little more frequent until we got on the floor with him and gave him a “rub down”. He enjoyed that time with us and so did we, and we always felt it helped his legs feel better. Maui had a best friend named Teddy. He came to our home for sleepovers at least monthly. Teddy would come with just a tennis ball and the two would play for long periods of time until Maui got tired. Teddy would lay down by Maui until he was rested enough to play again. (Sometimes for hours).These visits always brought joy to Maui and he was sad to see him go. Thanks for all the support given by RAGOM and the care he received from Dr Hunter and her staff at Carver Lake Veterinary. He will be missed by all of us and in particular his golden friend Teddy. Farewell Old timer. We hope you can run without pain now, and when it is our time we’ll be there to scratch your head again. |