Adopted Dogs · Happy Endings · Rainbow Bridge Memorials
I would like to welcome Clyde, our honorary golden, to the RAGOM family! He weighs 70+ pounds, but that amount will be exacted after a visit to the vet. He was born in July 2009, so he is approximately 9 months old. Clyde is still a puppy and was surrendered because he was too much for the family.
I have found that Clyde is very smart and wants to please. Due to this I think that he should be put through some obedience. He reportedly had some obedience but I believe that his adoptive family should take him through themselves to reinforce what was learned prior and to build upon that. Since he is so smart he will need to be kept occupied through exercise and obedience. With these two components, he will be an absolutely perfect dog!
Clyde is, for lack of a better term, a strong brickhouse. He has muscles and isn't afraid to use them! He needs a gentle leader for walks otherwise he has the capacity to pull you wherever he wants to go :-) Again, with obedience this is something that can be worked on and eliminated as an issue. Not only is his body strong, but he has a monster of a tail! This thing can be heard for miles when he is happy :-)
He met my 3 dogs with no issues on his part, other than be a little scared - but who wouldn't be scared being met by 3 large exhuberent dogs! He is in love with Millie and they are constantly playing with each other, chasing each other around my living room, giving kisses and play bowing. He hasn't been reading the signals of my two male residents. They have been raising their lip when he tries to take their toys/bones and he isn't backing off. I'm hoping that this is just some of his puppy naitivity.
I took him on a homevisit today and it really took him a little while to settle down. He was very excited to be in a new place and needed to explore the whole house. I found out that he also bonds well with males. He has nothing against us females, however he really took to the guy at the homevisit.
Although Clyde hasn't been here for long, I can tell that everything he does is because he needs attention. He wants nothing more than to be pet by you, hugged by you, giving big slobbery kisses to you. He wants to be near you and he needs positive reinforcement. I have found that if he needs redirection and this is given in a neutral tone with lots of loving afterwards that he is very receptive to this! He is an incredibly smart dog who needs an outlet for that.
Of course, being a puppy means he needs lots of exercise too! He was receiving daily runs at his previous home but I think that a few walks a day, combined wtih attention, and tasks to help him use his mind he will not need that high of a level of exercise. Of course, if you are a runner all the better :-)
I have found that he truly loves kids. Unfortunately he loves them so much that he will knock them down in his exuberence. Due to this and the fact that he has a very strong tail that I can see hitting a kid in the face, I am saying that he needs to be in a home with older kids. With younger kids they are at risk for being inadvertedly hurt.
It was reported by his surrendering family that his recall is not so hot, especially when on the trail of a critter such as a bird. He gets so distracted that he doesn't come when called. Due to this, I think a fence would be the optimal thing for him, unless you are commited to several levels of obedience. He has really started listening to me and my directions but I haven't and won't be letting him off leash.
Clyde is housetrained! Although he has only been here for a short while, I can lthat he is housetrained because he hasn't marked my carpet which has been thoroughly marked by Millie's UTI's and former fosters :-) I watched him and he didn't make a move to potty, he smelled and moved on!
He is exceptional in cars! I keep him in the back seat and he immediately lays down. I also figured out that him being in a car is like a baby being in a car as it puts him straight to sleep!
So if you're home can accomodate the needs of a puppy; exercise, obedience, occasional puppy misteps and you love giving belly rubs and getting slobbery kisses, please let your placement advisor know!
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Another positive for Clyde is he has no resource guarding. He has been playing with a toy or sitting by a bone and Millie will come and take it away from him and he just looks at her like "what??" and lets the prize go without a sound or movement. He just happily moves on to the next toy. And speaking of toys, he has some toy ADHD which means you will need to have a lot of toys to keep him happy. He also eats in my small kitchen at the same time as the other 3 dogs and has no issues with that either. He sits to get his food like the rest of them and doesn't flinch when they finish first and stand around watching and waiting for him to be done as well.
I have found that what Clyde needs more than exercise is consistency. He needs someone who can set up healthy boundaries and follow through on them. He now knows that if he wants to be pet, he needs to sit. So, he now comes up to me and sits down looking like the proudest little dog in the world. No matter what I am doing, I stop and tell him "good sit" and give him a cuddle. If he jumps, he is told "off" and he'll then sit and get a cuddle. He is learning that there is no positive reinforcement (ie any kind of touch) for not being in control. He has a good handle on this, however he needs the reinforcement everyday. With this reinforcement, he will be a well adjusted and happy dog! Along with this reinforcement he needs assurance that he is being a good dog and that he is loved. He is truly a velcro dog and follows me around everywhere.
I always kennel my foster dogs overnight for not only the safety of the pack, but it gives my fosters a chance to feel safe and comfortable falling asleep and lets me sleep too! The first night it took about 30-60 seconds for him to lay down and fall asleep but the second night he went right in and laid down. I think he too was happy to have a little sanctuary.
Clyde is a fantastic dog who will make some family very lucky! With consistency, attention and love he will grow out of his puppy-ness and will be a well rounded fantastic dog! He will make you laugh on a daily basis with his antics. If you would like to meet Clyde or know more about him, please contact your placement advisor. He is waiting to hear from YOU!
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Have I mentioned that I am completely in love with this boy? Well, I am. Clyde is such a good dog and such a lover! He now sits whenever he comes up to me and looks at me with those big puppy eyes wanting a cuddle. He tries to anticipate where I'm going to sit on the couch so he can be the closest dog to me. He lays with his head on my lap or he'll put his head up under my chin for a cuddle. Sometimes he'll sit in front of me and just melt into my lap, it makes my heart swell! He follows me everywhere and right now is laying right under my feet while I'm on the computer. He is not a wildly crazy puppy that he was when he first got here because he knows that he gets attention with good behavior, not bad. It took 4 whole days for him to get this down.
He is also really good with routines. The happiest time of day for him is when he gets out of his kennel in the morning. He runs right over to the bed and waits for me to come over and wish him a good morning. He is full of kisses and I'm kind of worried his tail will fall off he is wagging it so hard :-)
Clyde went into the vet on Saturday and weighs a whopping 70.6 pounds. The vet thinks he will fill out to be about 80-85 pounds, so he won't get bigger per say, he will just fill out as dogs do. I got him in right away because I could tell he had an ear infection and it turns out that it was a pretty yukky one so he is on ear drops for the next 10 days. I am also cleaning his ears every couple days to help get all the gunk out. He is heartworm negative and has no parasites in his stool so he is ready to find his furever home!
I was prepared for the worst and it turned out to be not so bad, I walked all 4 dogs at once. I've done this with other fosters but never with a puppy. My dogs bunched him in and helped him walk great! He does pull but obedience is sure to cure him of this. He will bark at passing dogs, but it's in "lets play" mode and not aggressive mode. We met some potential RAGOM volunteers on our walk (I think I talked them into it anyways) and they absolutely fell head over heels with this boy, but really, who wouldn't?!?
Yesterday his foster grandpa came over and Clyde grabbed the biggest bone he could find and brought it grandpa all the while whining and crying and grunting! It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long while. He didn't jump up, gave a quick bark and instantly went into the whining with tail banging on the wall.
Clyde has become a whole new dog in just 4 days because I've shown him that he will get attention each and every day and that he doesn't need to be over excited to get it. He will make some family so incredibly lucky, are you that family? Contact your placement advisor!
My how time flies! Clyde has been busy busy here at casa la dog. He has a girlfriend, Millie, whom he gives so much love and attention to. They are constantly giving each other kisses in between the zoomies. They now lay together when napping at times too. So very cute.
He still continues to torment my poor kitty, Gizmo. He now has a couple owwies on his nose to indicate his obsession. Gizmo really wants to like him and will do the kitty give me love and attention sounds, but Clyde just overwhelms him. Due to their intense love affair, Clyde now sleeps in Gizmo's spot during the day (see the pics). He thinks, rather knows, that a 70 pound dog is meant to lay on the back of a couch!
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I no longer kennel him at night as he knows "bedtime, go lay down" and he will find a place to rest his head. I gate all the dogs in my bedroom so there are no midnight walks so he quickly learned that there is no fun to be had staying up when everyone else is asleep.
Clyde went to the PetCo event in Maplewood on Saturday and had a blast! He met so many people and didn't meet one he disliked! He also got introduced to lots of different dogs and had a great time horsing around, especially with Spice! He had some mild barking, but otherwise he was a complete cuddle bug!
I cannot say enough about how sweet and loving this guy is. He is literally a complete goofball who will steal your heart. If you think you'd like to meet him, please contact your placement advisor!
Today is the beginning of a whole new life for Clyde! He just got adopted by Jim, who is the absolute perfect fit for this young dog. When I first started fostering Clyde I thought that a young guy would be the best fit for him since he bonds well with men and he has lots of energy... Well guess what!? Jim is that person! It was a match made in heaven from the very beginning. I wish you both the best but Gizmo the kitty says "thank god he's gone" LOL
From Clyde's forever family...
Here is a picture of Clyde playing frisbee in the backyard. He loves to play with the frisbee and tennis balls and will play all day if given the opportunity! Clyde and my parent's dog, Buddy, are getting better and are beginning to play with each other: usually they taunt each other with a stick, ball, or frisbee and then go running around the yard. I believe Clyde almost got worn out the other day after Buddy left.
He thinks he's lap dog and will try (and has succeeded) in sitting on my lap while sitting in a chair. He hasn't figured out how to properly climb up on the furniture- he prefers to jump from behind or from the ends. I no longer need a tv, Clyde is my source of entertainment, excitement, and not getting anything 'productive' done!
