Bear

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A gift to sweet Mr. Bear from Alan and Chien, in honor of Bob C's birthday

 Happy Valentines, Byron and Larry

 From Laura K

June 15, 2012

HELLO RAGOM!

Please help us welcome back a VERY SPECIAL BOY named “Bear.” Bear is an 8-year-old, 60-lb. Golden Retriever mix that captured our hearts when we first fostered him! He was adopted out to a wonderful couple about 18 months ago, but recently has had some increased anxiety in the home as the family prepares to welcome their first child and sell their home. Wanting to do what is best for Bear, his adoptive family asked RAGOM to find a quieter home environment where Bear could be most comfortable and happy. So here he is—all vetted up and back with us in RAGOMland.

Bear returned to us much like he left--- happy, healthy, and as lovable as we remember. We’ve had Bear with us for almost 2 weeks now. He met the crew with nothing but a wagging tail and then off he went to do his favorite thing---run, run, run! We think there is some blend of Husky, Lab, or Shepherd in this Golden boy----he’s just so beautiful when he runs and absolutely loves to run free with the other dogs!

And as you can see---he also enjoys plenty of “hang time” with his buddies!

Bear and the Resident Boys (aka The Three Musketeers!)

RAGOM Girl Sugar 11-437 & Bear

Bear was very playful the first time we had him and continues to be this time around. His adoptive family mentioned that he didn’t care for toys, but he sure wanted in on the action the other day when the rest were all playing catch. Bear does not fetch---but bats the ball around, grabs it, and takes it on one of many victory laps with the ball proudly displayed in his mouth---so cute to see!!!

It was noted that Bear was having some random accidents in his adoptive home-- both urinating and defecating. This surely concerned us all as Bear always had free roam in our home and could be left alone for up to 8 hours when we were away at work without issue. Bear was checked out by a vet by his adoptive family to rule out a medical issue as the cause but nothing specific was found. We have NOT experienced either issue since Bear arrived 14 days ago and we’ve left him for up to 7 hours during the day with free roam. We are hoping this continues and that the change in environment is exactly what Bear needed to wash away whatever anxiety he was feeling or reacting to. We do live out in a more rural setting which is probably Bear’s ideal setting---quiet surroundings, room to run, and not too much outside commotion in the neighborhood.

The first few days back on the Ranch---we used a long trailing lead on Bear (literally –trailing on the ground not tied to anything) when in our fenced in yard to make sure Bear would not jump our 4’ fence— its hard to keep track from foster to foster on who jumps what—but we only used the lead for a few days, but no longer need it--Bear is just all about running and cuddling!

Bear is a very “sensitive” little boy—with good reason I’m sure. When Bear originally came into RAGOM, he was a bit very stressed out. Bear and his son, Junior, were surrendered together because the owner could no longer care for them. Bear and Junior lived together in an outdoor kennel their whole lives. Unfortunately, the stress of moving and an unknown medical condition led to the unexpected, sudden death of his son, Junior. Bear was now in a strange place as an “only dog” trying to adjust to living in a home and was scared of everything—Bear really struggled for a time and even today needs a little extra care, reassurance, and patience to help him feel secure about new things.

We have no idea what Bear lived through prior to RAGOM---but we do know he has some real fears of being hurt. Bear will “cry” or “yelp” if anything touches him unexpectedly, or accidently pokes him, or if a tennis ball lands too close to him, or if a dog runs into him. Sound is also very scary to Bear, but we are noticing he is becoming more relaxed with the sounds that are common in our home---more so than when he arrived. Bear hits the floor and scurries across the floor if the garage door opens, or if a drawer slams shut, or if his shadow silently sneaks up on him---seriously! But the vacuum and my hair dryer seemed to be okay. With all this said----get Bear outside—running around the track or in the woods and a very confident boy emerges---the dog he was born to be! Luckily---Bear is NOT afraid of people---he LOVES people and dogs and will look to both for comfort and guidance.

This is what we originally discovered about Bear when he was with us 18 months ago and what we have rediscovered over the past two weeks with him:

• Bear MUST HAVE another medium-sized dog in his home to rely on for guidance and comfort.
• Bear needs good exercise opportunities multiple times a day---especially before he is left alone for a period of time.
• Bear loves face rubs, hugs, cuddling, and just to be touched.
• Bear loves other dogs and people and is CAT-APPROVED (lived with cats at 2 different homes).
• Bear has been trusted with free roam with the other dogs since arriving and during his last stint with us. We are gone 4-7 hours at a time with NO potty issues or naughty behaviors from Bear as of yet.
• Bear does NOT resource guard anything.
• Bear CANNOT be crated.
• Bear needs a home with no kids or older, mature kids that understand he can be very nervous and scared at times and needs tenderness and patience.
• Bear can run like the wind…he runs ahead of you and then turns around to come back and check on you. He loves to be cheered on----“Go Bear! Go!” A fenced yard is preferred---so he can run free.
• Bear is very playful with the dogs. He likes to run alongside of them and play chase. He has just started to wrestle with them and play bow.
• Bear would be a great candidate for the Dog Park or doggie daycare—he enjoys the company and the space to run.
• Bear does not counter surf.
• Bear has seasonal allergies---possibly a food allergy. We changed his food to a high quality—grain free diet in hopes of curbing some of the allergies his previous family noted.
• Bear is one of the sweetest dogs we’ve ever met and can’t wait for him to find his perfect forever home!!!

More to come as Bear continues to settle in with us...though it feels like he never left.