Gunner

Profile

I am a new boy on RAGOM’s block and my name is Gunner 11-224. I came all the way to Maple Grove from Sioux Falls, SD. I owe a debt of gratitude to the wonderful RAGOM Transport Team and specifically John H. who really went the extra mile to bring me to safety. Also many thanks to Rona D. who helped me get ready for the trip. She saw that I had good care, necessary and complete medical attention and she put all my known history and papers in order. My paperwork conflicts on the question of whether I am a purebred Golden or a mix, and I’m not telling! I act like a Golden, I look like a Golden and my genes are predominantly Golden, as you will see from my pictures.
My FP’s will tell you my personality is so much like Golden you wouldn’t mistake it for anything else.

So far, all those I meet, people or dogs, I love them. I’m a very tall boy and my FP’s are showing me I have to stop inviting all I meet to join me in a dance. I don’t know how I would behave with children or cats as I haven’t met any in my foster home. I have met several small male dogs and we all got along very well. Some of us even took treats side by side with no incidents.

Gunner has a large frame but presently weighs only 48 lbs. His accurate birth-date is 9-5-07 bringing him close to 4 years old. He is completely UTD on everything necessary for his good health except for Heartworm medication due in August. He has 2 microchips and is neutered. He has a slight ear infection in his right ear which has been treated and appears to be healing. On the inside of his right hind leg is a scar which remains slightly pink but is definitely healed over. There is nothing in his history to indicate how it happened and it certainly has no hindrance to any of his normal bodily leg motions. He is house-trained and is in the process of being trained to go on walks in the orderly fashion of coming, heeling, sitting, staying and down. He knows the commands of come and sit. He was unwanted by his former families, not of his own doing and was also a stray. He has not been accustomed to regular care, at least in quite a while, so it will take him time to adjust the new and far better circumstances of his life.

There is little doubt that Gunner was literally starved because his ribs and hip bones are visible, protrude out and are felt when he is petted as indication of it. He is extremely thin but the good news is that his appetite is very good. He presently receives 2 cups of kibble with ¾ cup of cooked oatmeal, and a small cooked chicken breast all mixed together twice daily and topped with a Tbsp. of Missing Link with each portion to bring his coat back into the condition it should be. It has been very dry and rough but already, after only 3 days we see improvement which undoubtedly will continue. He really gobbles his food right down with no hesitation which is another very good indication he is hungry when he eats. He also loves treats which he gets a lot of to help train him and also help to put the necessary weight he needs back on him. This emaciated boy has also been the victim of very bad treatment (frankly we think abuse) in his past and has to learn to trust his human caregivers again.

He is wonderfully mellow with absolutely no aggressions that have come to our attention in this short time. He so desperately wants to please and needs, wants and responds to love and affection. We are happy to accommodate him but trying to do it without making the mistake of pampering him. A new owner should understand that he like all good dogs needs discipline but he has some real fears that he is in the process of overcoming and he will also need encouragement along with kind, reasoned discipline and that type of continuing care in his future. He does get nervous without someone sitting next to him during car rides but we believe he can overcome it. We do not yet know if he has storm anxiety but we expect to be able to determine that soon because we are in the summer season of Minnesota weather.

Our requirement for his new home is with someone that must love and protect this dog from any future abuse of any kind whether it is vocal or physical. For that reason we are unsure about placing him with small children. It could be a single person, a couple or a whole family and may be a place with or without other animals or fences but this wonderful boy has to be able to trust the hand that calls him, feeds him and will be faithful to him. He deserves to be given that kind of Golden forever home that we of RAGOM all believe in and write about. If you can give the kind of unconditional love Gunner needs and he will give back to you, please contact your placement advisor on his behalf.