Chauncey/Happy

Beautiful Happy has found his forever home! Happy, who was afraid of most everything when he came into foster care, has made great progress - however he is still fearful of noise and strangers. He's going to live in a perfect setting for him - out in the country with a very nice couple who live a quiet, but active lifestyle. Happy loves quiet and he loves active! It has taken a long time for Happy to gain trust and learn to be a dog, and he probably won't every be comfortable in busy settings. So this is perfect for him.

Happy will live Happily ever after in his new home way out in the quiet woods.

Happy (formerly Chauncey) is a 6-year-old golden doodle whose SO had to surrender him when her living circumstances changed. He has been in foster care with RAGOM for several months as he becomes more socialized.

With his female foster Happy is extremely loving and sweet. He is however, pretty protective. He doesn't really like men (but has improved greatly!) and will bark and lash out at some if they get too close. The resident foster male has made huge progress with him and they now play, walk, cuddle, etc. Again, huge progress in light of the fact that Happy at one time bit him (warning bite, did not break skin). When Happy first came into our care the foster male of the house could not even get near enough to clip a lead on his collar. Happy continues to bark at his foster dad (rarely now) when he leaves the room or re-enters it. But quickly warms up when approached. He seeks him out for cuddles and play.

Happy’s first foster home had cats and that agitated him on some level so a cat-less home is probably best. But he LOVES his sister RDs and engages in play on a regular basis.

Happy is somewhat of a flight risk so he needs a fenced yard or someone who can take him on long walks. He loves walks and is extremely friendly when approached outside of the house. He also loves car rides.

Happy is such a sweetie in so many ways. He actually gives real hugs, wrapping his arms around your neck and snuggling in when you come home from work! He has also made HUGE progress lately, as he's started to approach visitors in the home and extend his paw!

Happy will need a quiet home, with extremely patient permanent parents who help him get comfortable and socialized. This will not happen quickly but it is so worth the work to give this adorable cuddle bug a forever home!

"In memory of Decoy." -Anonymous

 

Following Happy's behavior evaluation, we're modifying some of his requirements to provide him with the best opportunity for success in his next home:

• No cats (or other small animals) due to his obsession with and desire to chase and snap.
• No children under 14 living in the home; Happy should be sequestered in another part of the home if kids under 14 are visiting. Due to his reactivity level, a physically fenced in yard is strongly recommended.
• Family should have a quiet, laid-back lifestyle without a constant flow of visitors in and out of the home. This will be essential to his "Happy"-ness.
• A low-stress environment that is consistent and provides a predictable routine will be very beneficial to Happy’s level of security. Family should have at least one female adult that participates in his overall care. He may be in a home with men, but he is much more comfortable with women. We believe he would adjust more quickly to a home with women.
• Mental stimulation will be very important in managing Happy’s anxiety. Puzzle toys, bones, and Kongs can really help to lower the anxiety.

Family should be able to provide him with walks or other forms of exercise; due to his fears and reactivity, dog parks are not appropriate. Happy does enjoy playing with another dog who he is familiar with and comfortable around. Supervised play dates after careful and proper introductions would make him happy and burn off some of his nervous energy.

Happy is beginning medication to help ease his anxiety and is currently looking for a new foster or forever home that can better meet his needs. RAGOM is committed to helping Happy become his best self and will provide access to behavioral modification services and support. It's almost time for Goldzilla, RAGOM's biggest and most important fundraiser of the year. It's one big Golden day of fun for the whole family happening this year on Sunday, September 11. To find out more about the event, please visit http://goldzilla.ragom.org. Even though Happy won't be attending, he'd so appreciate you checking it out and helping us reach our fundraising goal!

 

 

Happy had a behavior evaluation with our Behavior Services Manager this week and she feels his fearfulness is from a lack of proper socialization beginning as a puppy and to present. She will be developing a behavior modification plan to help him become a more confident and secure dog. We also have a vet appointment to start anti-anxiety meds to help him relax and be more comfortable with new experiences. 
Happy continues to improve his comfort level with men and recently "hugged" my husband for the first time. I'm confident Happy can bond with a man in the home, particularly if provided patience and understanding as well as someone who's equally involved in Happy's care. 
Happy enjoyed having a foster puppy to play with for a couple weeks . For the most part, he was gentle with the little one. He would occasionally get too rough and need to be redirected. He continues to engage my resident dog in play as often as he can convince the old man.
Happy has spent time at the lake and will get in the water, particularly if he sees an opportunity to play with our resident dog or to stay close to me. He's not really interested in swimming, however.
Happy will do best in an environment without kids under 14 and no cats. His introduction to other dogs must be done carefully and not during walks on leash. Patience and a commitment to his behavior modification plan are important and no doubt, will turn this timid guy in to a great addition to the right family!

Happy continues to settle in to his foster home. As he's gotten more comfortable, he's developed an obsession for one of our cats and is showing more prey drive. Therefore, it is not recommended his forever home have cats or pocket pets.

Happy is eating well and consistently. He really enjoys the wet food and we're hoping it helps him fill out a little. We continue to feed him separately since the other animals really want his meal.

Happy is playful with our resident Golden and would like him to play more often. We've not seen much in terms of interest in playing with toys so far.

Happy enjoys his walks and walks nicely on the leash. He has a harness and we continue to use it just to be safe due to his skittishness with unexpected noises and reactivity towards other dogs. He is highly reactive to dogs we meet on our walks and we're working on counter conditioning to improve this behavior. He's not reactive to humans while on a walk, although he has no interest in meeting anyone.

We are learning Happy's triggers and how to limit his fearful behaviors with humans. It's a work in progress and his forever family will need to be committed to and patient with continuing the process. The payoff will be well worth the effort!

Chauncy is in his new home!  The little boy we knew as Charlie will now be called "Happy."  From what his new mom reports, that is the perfect name for our little guy.  His foster families wish him all the best!

Good boy, Happy!

Charlie went on a visit last night.  He met his future adoptive mom and his new playmate.  Things went very well and it looks like there will be an adoption taking place next week.

We are very excited for Charlie.  He is really a sweet, fun puppy.  We wish him all the best in his new home and hope he learns to overcome his fear of men and grow into a confident young man who never stops being the delightful goofball that we have grown to love.

Congratulations, Charlie!

Charlie is having an excellent stay in foster care.  Similar to an earlier update, he still perks up bright and early each morning to play with resident Leroy.  In fact, we have started to put Charlie in a crate at night to prevent their full on wrestling from beginning each morning at the early hour of 3am.  Charlie hasn't made a peep from his crate in our bedroom durign the night.  He is happy to get attention from me each morning, and ready to wrestle after a good night's sleep.

Charlie went to the vet and has ear infections and worms.  Neither is uncommon in puppies, and he is being treated for both.  He takes the medicine well, and had a second bath on Saturday.  He continues to make small steps in his fear of men.  Friday night we host a weekly poker game with between 6 and 10 men.  When people arrived we had Charlie in his crate, where he feels most safe.  He was a little uncomfortable when one man sat next to his crate, and just backed quietly into the back corner.  Once the game was well underway, I opened Charlie's crate door and let him wander the basement, in the same large family room where the card game was occurring.  Charlie bolted out of his crate.  He was very timid, but curious about the game.  He didn't come close enough to allow any of the men to touch him - but he was close enough to know there were several men in attendance.  He paced a little bit, and was happy to go back in his crate and safe spot.

Right now, Charlie and Leroy are getting their nightly wrestling match in.  As usual, they were getting rough so I put them outside.  When I looked outside 10 minutes later, they had been wrestling so hard that resident Leroy was soaking wet from falling in the pond. 

Charlie's split personality mystifies me.  When Dan isn't home, he is a sweet, loving dog, jealous of any attention I give other dogs, jumping on me for attention, even giving me the golden paw when I'm sitting on the toilet.  When Dan is around, however, he's a different dog.  He sometimes barks, but mostly figures out how to escape being near Dan and get near me.  Charlie seems to be making small progress with Dan, but still feels most safe in his crate if Dan in the same room.

If you are interested in a dog that will love you, and other dogs, yet is extremely well behaved for 6 months, please consider Charlie.  He has made big strides in his 3 weeks with us, and in the right home with plenty of patience, I know he'll adjust with time.

Charlie had an eventful Labor Day weekend.  Lots of dog wrestling and play dates.  He is a really sweet boy.  When there are no men around, he is a perfect darling who will nudge you for pets and will rest his head on your lap when invited up on the couch.  Once there is a man around, he gets nervous and does a bit of pacing.  I sure wish he would learn to trust men. Oh well, we will give him some more time.

On a slightly bad note, Charlie went to the vet for his heartworm check.  No bad news on the heartworm, but he does have a couple tummy parasites that we will be medicating him for and watching our dogs very closely for as well.

Hopefully there will be better news regarding men later on.  Until then, Charlie will continue to have all the puppy fun he can handle. Leroy could use a break once in a while though!

I have the pleasure of hanging out with Chauncey during the day.  He has come a long way in the last week and is funny, loving, and cuddly, although he still spooks easily at our house   He does well with my cats and hasn’t met a dog that he doesn’t want to play with. He knows how to sit and shake and is sporting a new haircut, which makes him look more like a poodle.

I can’t get over how frightened Chauncey is of men.  His foster dad is a good friend and we kid him about being the dog whisperer.  I have never met a dog that didn’t adore Dan.  My dog loves to lick and flea bite his head and pretty much comes out of his skin every time “Uncle Dan” comes to visit or even if I just mention his name.  I watched Chauncey be led by Dan on a leash last night and he was clearly terrified, even after spending a week with him.  He has this reaction with all men. Chauncey is only six months old and I can’t imagine what happened to make him so afraid of men. If anyone can help him with his fears, it is his foster dad. When he does trust, he is an absolute gem.

Charlie is in heaven!  His daily routine consists of waking up in the morning to wrestle with Leroy.  Then it's off to day care where he gets to play with Bogey (Kelby 03-118) all day long.  After a nap or two, he comes back home and plays even more with Leroy before a brief dinner break.  After that, he and Leroy increase the intensity of the wrestling well past lights out.  Charlie has decided that he should sleep next to the bed, Maren's side of course.  He sleeps through the night and wakes up ready for more action.

Charlie's fear behavior improves every day.  He is less growly with me and will even let me pet him if he is in a comfortable place.  The growls he gives are simply out of fear, not aggression.  He has never shown me his teeth or made any indication that he would bite.  The poor guy is just so traumatized and his behaviors have become a habit that makes him feel safer.

His fear of men is going to take some patience, but I think he will be fine.  My plan is to let him get comfortable in his new foster home for just a little while and then use a tether leash so that he will be stuck to me instead of to Maren!  (He is stuck to Maren right now by choice, he will be stuck to me later for his own good.)  I will send more updates soon along with some pictures - he is awfully cute!

I am dedicated to helping Charlie, but if you would like to welcome him into your home and take on his rehab please contact your placement advisor.  Charlie would love to meet you and your dog.  He is a bit of a fixer-upper at this point, but imagine how proud you will be of Charlie, and of yourself, once he learns to be a normal puppy in your loving home.

Chauncey arrived in St. Louis Park this morning.   His first foster mom said her goodbyes and he decided pretty quickly that Maren would make a good enough new foster mom so he started following her around.  He was not interested in me; he doesn't care much for men right now.  He did meet our dogs with his tail wagging and was almost wrestling with Leroy (Madison 08-486), too bad our boy was too tired to play properly!

Like his first foster family, we are calling him Charlie and he understands his name just fine.  My goal for the next couple days is to get Charlie to relax when I am in the room.  I would love to give him tummy rubs by this Friday, but we will take things slowly if we need to.

Stay tuned for more updates on our cute little poodle-poodle-golden-doodle.  Maren will try to get some more pictures of him too.

Initial Bio:  Hi, Chauncey here…I’ve been in a whirlwind moving in with my new foster and then whisked off to the vet for an unmentionable surgery. Whew! I’m a ginger colored Goldendoodle, six months old with a very shy disposition. I like to slowly warm up to people, but once I do…look out…the love boy is here! I won’t say I like cats (what dog would??) but I don’t bug them…and likewise. I have a great golden foster sister…we love to play and chew on each other. Did I mention I’m healthy? Yep, got all my shots…and we already discussed my (ahem) neutering. I am in the fly weight category…weighing in 28 pounds. Unlike all those purebred goldens…I’m special…I do not shed!!! Put that vacuum away! My foster mom thinks my coloring is beautiful, I won’t argue with that! I’ve been hanging around my foster home for a couple of weeks now and I enjoy playing outside and I’m not one of those kinds of guys that takes off when no one is looking. I like to play with my foster sister and the neighbor dog. I don’t quite understand some of those human created dog games, like fetch. What…why throw a good toy away? My foster mom thinks I must have a 10 gallon bladder ‘cause I’ve really got that potty training thing nailed! I have had a couple of accidents, but not because I didn’t ‘get it’…but because I just got caught off guard. I am a bit uncomfortable with men…what can I say. I get nervous and bark a bit. I’m not angry or mean, but just a little scared. My foster dad has been doing his best to get on my good side, and I’m trying to give him a chance. We’re taking it slowly. You can see from my pictures, I’m pretty cute and huggable. I have a poodle haircut on my face right now, but my foster mom is growing it out so I look more golden doodlish rather than golden poodlish. I am ¾ poodle, but I have the golden heart!