Charlie

Profile

In memory of Kinze - Barry

Please welcome Charlie to RAGOM-land. Charlie is a 4-year-old male Golden Retriever. He weighs in at 96 lbs. and has a beautiful medium red wavy coat. His overall length is shorter than a average Golden and has a shorter snout and tail. Very handsome boy. Very white teeth.

Charlie came to RAGOM from a Humane society in central Minnesota. Little was known and no vet records/history. He was thought to have Kennel Cough [dog type of flu] when I picked him up. He was also on a grain-free food because of a said wheat allergy. Charlie was up to date on vaccines including Bordatella which is a Kennel Cough Vaccine. He had been previously neutered and microchipped.

First stop on the way home was at my vet [Dr. Sarah] clinic to get checked out and any possible preventive to protect my other foster and resident dogs from Kennel Cough. Dr. Sarah could find no signs of Kennel Cough in Charlie  [Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]. She did say that the recent Bordatella vaccine could have triggered a cough. She put him on amoxicillin just to be sure. Charlie hadn't had a heartworm check, but that had to wait untill the amoxicillin runs out. He will be going in very soon to have that done. A very good vet visit for a dog with unknown history. Of course, Charlie will be going on a diet and getting long walks to reduce his weight.

Once at my house, he met my resident dog, Ziggy and foster Cheyenne with no problems. We had intros outside before going in the house. Charlie also met the inside and outside cats with no problems.

We went for a walk later and Charlie did fine on a flat collar. He slept confined in my bedroom and bathroom that night and did fine other than he snores.

The next day he seemed to be adjusted pretty well [or so I thought] so I let him have free roam while I went outside for about 2 hours. I did take him out beforehand for potty. When I came back in, he had knocked over the kitchen wastebasket and with help from Cheyenne spread the contents all over the kitchen floor. He also had potty accidents [both] while I was out. I have crated him since then when I leave, other than one time when I confined him in the large bathroom for 3 hours. In the 3 hours he was very busy. He opened every drawer and cupboard and emptied them onto the floor. So, he does have some separation issues at this point. He does great when crated and goes in the crate without being bribed. No other potty accidents in the week plus since then. I take the blame for the only potty accident. Other than that, he seems to be well behaved. He will sit, come when called, and lay down when asked.

Some things I've noticed, is that he will cower if you move your hand fast and will run while cowering if you come up behind him on walks. Draw you own conclusions there.  I think he would play with younger dogs. Ziggy and Cheyenne are older and not real playful. I haven't tried fetch yet but will soon. He is said to like water but I haven't tried that yet either.

I have much more to learn about Charlie. He has been here 10 days, but did spend 20 or more days at the shelter. Some of his behaviors may change as he settles in even better here, so don't judge the book by its cover. Charlie is very affectionate and does want to please.

Here's a summary of what I know now about Charlie. Of course it can change as he settles in longer.

* Charlie is housebroken
* Charlie gets along with dogs and cats very well

* Charlie takes treats gently
* Charlie may not be good around small children just because of his size only
* Charlie requires a crate now, but that could change.

* Charlie needs exercise and a limited diet to get his weight under control

If you think Charlie 12-134 could fit in your heart and home please contact your placement advisor.