Ben Franklin

Ben has now been adopted by a great family in Iowa. He has three adult two-legged family members to call his own. His family let me know he is happy running in and out of the house, playing with his new toys. Ben is a survivor with a fantastic personality and his Christmas wish has come true for sure.

Ben Franklin met a great family today and they fell in love with him. He is adoption pending and will go to his forever home tomorrow.

Ben is a happy, energetic, active boy who loves to play in the yard. I have two blue balls with handles that he throws, and then, he runs with abandonment back and forth, up and down the yard, never seeming to tire of his game now that he has recovered from his neuter. Ben now weighs 80 lbs., but probably could add another 10 lbs. to his large frame as muscle, not that he is ready to walk and play.

Ben loves playing with my Golden, Bridget, as well as my foster, Lesa. I monitor them as he plays hard and my senior or my little dog are not up to his level of energy. Last night, he was a little rough playing the oral bite game with Lesa, and she yelped and showed him her teeth. He leaned back, wide-eyed, very surprised, as if to say, "What did I do? I'm just playing." He did listen and toned down his play and they continued on with their game.

Now that Ben is no longer activity-restricted, we headed out to walk. As I have mentioned before, Ben has shown a high prey drive in my yard and thus it continues when we are out walking in the neighborhood. Ben is on alert, and he spied a squirrel before me and was ready for a squirrel casserole. Needless to say, I was off guard and nearly got a flying lesson without the benefit of the plane. For this reason, Ben's new home should be devoid of any small creatures, even cats, as anything enticing him to chase may not fare so well. Ben does well with my 20-lb. small dog and has never shown any aggression, but he can play rough, so caution and supervision will be important in his new home. Enjoy the pictures.

Today is Ben's big day to be neutered. It seems like I have been waiting forever to get this done because of his heartworm status. So this means Ben is almost ready to adopt once he recovers from the surgery.

Ben went to a RAGOM event in Iowa City Saturday. He did very well for the first 1 1/2 hours we were there. The store was very busy with lots of people with their dogs, but toward the end of the session, Ben became very sensitive to dogs entering the store which were met with lots of growls. My immediate suspicion was sensory overload with his first social event causing his personal space to diminish significantly. I say this because this is not his typical behavior in a foster home with three other large Goldens and one small dog. He is loving, playful, and very tolerant of my dogs, but to every human we have met. Ben was able to stay by my side and lay down while I maintained control of his leash until the event ended.

So one of the positive outcomes is Ben's need to experience a social climate in a controlled setting just like we did on Ben's arrival in my home. Socialization is critical for all dogs and something Ben may have had little experience with in his previous life. Ben's adoptive family will need to increase his experience outside of his home so he feels more confident and less stressed around other dogs. He loves yard activity now that he is less restricted and interacts well with my pack in the yard. His ears perk up when he hears the neighborhood kids playing, so I still believe he will do well in a home with older children. Ben shows he can live with another dog, but I also think he would do well as an only dog in a home. At his age, he still has lots of energy and play to share with an active family as well as lots of love.

If you are interested in meeting Ben, please let your placement advisor know and hopefully we can set up a meeting.

Ben completed his 2nd and 3rd heartworm injections on the 13th and 14th of October. He was pretty sore and quiet for about 4 days, but then out comes his bubbly, happy personality by the end of the week. Ben has to remain on exercise restrictions for the next 6 to 8 weeks, which he has come to accept and kennels up after potty breaks very easily.

Ben will be able to complete his neuter procedure by the 14th of November and I will be getting that schedule so I have a confirmed date on my calendar. Ben is not gaining lots of weight, but he is holding steady and any extra he gets I think he is depositing in my yard. He still thinks my 14-year-old senior is the cat's meow and she still responds with a good tongue-lashing when he bothers her. Amazingly, there are two other females that he doesn't give the time of day to, so I have not figured out why he is so enamored with my Katie-bug.

As the weeks have gone by, I think Ben will require a fence as he has a fair amount of prey drive and would run out of the yard if not secured in some manner. Ben will be very happy when his activity level can be advanced as he has a favorite blue ball with a handle that is missing him these past few weeks.

Magnificent Ben received two tokens on his web page. A big Thank You to Beau 14-117 and Ann Myers for this gift of love. Also, Chester, Bernie, and Hailie Wellcome, in memory of your Oscar - what a wonderful tribute to remember him by giving this gift to a rescue with medical needs.

Fostering such beautiful dogs can sometimes be bittersweet, but seeing the numerous people who adopt and support rescues keeps us doing the work we love. These beautiful dogs enrich our lives so much more in the short time they are allowed to stay in our home as they wait for their perfect companion and home to find them. I know Ben is grateful for this second chance in life as I am grateful to be able to be his foster mom.

Ben received his first Melarsomine injection on the 15th of September. He spent the day monitored at the vet and then came home that evening. He was quite subdued until the next day in the evening when his happy personality emerged.

Ben weighed in at 71 pounds, so he continues to gain weight. He will be on the Prednisone in decreasing doses for four weeks, so his appetite for food is great and along with this medication, he consume lots of water.

Ben will continue on kennel rest and leash control throughout the entire treatment. I can't say he likes to be leashed, but he is very cooperative and has become accustomed to the routine. He knows he goes right to the kennel after being outside and does not object. His need to sing to me has diminished dramatically, knowing this is the routine, but I have also added a pheromone plug-in to the bedroom which seems to have helped immensely.

On days 90 and 91, he will receive an injection each day and will again go on the Prednisone. Thirty days after that, I will schedule Ben's neuter and he will be available to adopt after his recovery.

Ben has been a trooper so far and his personality and temperament continue to amaze me. He is always happy and excited to be with his humans.

Well, I started this update four days ago, so time to get it sent in. Enjoy his pictures as I think they would be better if he were off-leash and having fun running in the yard.

Ben is doing great and now weighs 71 lbs. He remains picky and only eats what he wants and leaves the rest. If he is feeling pesky, he will slap the pan with his paw and upend everything in the kennel. So, he now gets 1 1/2 cups of dry with 1/3 cup of moist canned and only leaves a few pieces for later.

Ben is enjoying the company of foster dog Winston 14-228 and I allow a short period of time for the oral bite-my-face game every day. When Ben gets too rambunctious, I stop the gaming and he goes into his kennel without a fuss. Sometimes he lets me know he would prefer to be out with the pack and as long as he is quiet, he is allowed some respite from the kennel.

Ben received his heartworm preventative on August 18th and will begin his injections 30 days after that dose, which is around the 17th of September. I am hoping he will sail through the treatment with the minimum of discomfort or side effects. Ben remains a sweet, loving boy who, typical of Goldens, wants to be next to his humans all the time and shows great tolerance to the chaos of a multiple-dog home.

Ben is sending forward paws to his sponsors who found him special enough to sponsor him. Again, he thinks you are very special and he has a special place in his heart just for you. Ben will accept any other donations to his care if you have an extra penny in your pocket. Foster mom thinks he is a pretty special boy to have such a great personality coming out of a less-than-desirable life. I am looking for to the day I can start looking for or entertaining applicants interested in meeting him.

Ben is quite accustomed to the routine of the house now. He has a good appetite when I mix the soft canned food with his dry kibble and he sure loves that Velveeta pill sandwich that comes before the bowl. He continues to eat in his kennel undisturbed by my residents and rarely leaves a dry piece of kibble in the bottom of the bowl.

Ben's vocal response to being in the kennel has quiet times and at other times, especially in the evening, is very pronounced. I really don't blame him as he so loves being out in the family room with the others and his humans. I hope to borrow an additional kennel so I can have one in the bedroom and one in the family room to see if that helps calm his frustration. I placed a pheromone plug-in near his kennel and now, two weeks out, he seems to be calming down, though it could simple be his becoming accustomed to consistency in his routine.

Ben is progressing with his heartworm meds. As long as it comes with cheese, he has no complaints. I will try and keep a consistent documentation in his notes, so those who are interested in his treatment progress and interested in him from an adoption perspective can keep updated. He continues on this Doxycycline and this is the last week of his Prednisone.

Ben was introduced to our new foster, Winston 14-228, and he was a perfect gentleman. For his size, Ben is a very gentle, loving big boy. We have not tackled his first bath as I want him to feel safe and comfortable before we hit the shower. Hopefully, I will have some new pictures of Ben on the next update as he is starting to grow fuzz on the left side of his face where his wounds were.

Thank you for reading about this special guy and all of our special RAGOM dogs.

Ben spent the day at the vets getting his work up and confirmation of heartworm status. He is in fact positive with only a very few microfilariae seen on low scope fields. His dose of Doxycycline he came into RAGOM taking was too low, so we recalculated his dose based on current weight and he will take that for the next 30 days before beginning the next stage. The vet believes he will have some scars on the side of his face and she is unsure if he will grow hair there, but he is happy, safe, and getting healthy, so that is what counts the most in Ben's life right now. We confirmed Ben is intact and will be neutered 30 days after his last heartworm injection.

Ben is challenging me with his eating habits, so we begin his meal with a Velveta cheese and pill sandwich which he gobbles right down. I have been feeding him puppy food with some softened canned food mixed in, but sometimes he is hungry and sometimes he just wants to nibble. He is not the happiest camper in the kennel, but he now takes care of business outside and comes right back straight to the kennel without even being asked.

Ben has a sponsor for which I am very grateful. Thank you, Paul and Mary T., from the bottom of both of our hearts for making Ben such a special guy with such a special gift of love. Kisses coming your way from Ben and hugs from foster mom.