Lexi

Hello Lexi fans - we have some news on what she has been up to the last few weeks.  Life is good in her new Foster home.  Her typical day starts early - up at 5:45am and out for a leash walk with Foster mom.  She likes to sleep on the floor or on the couch next to her Foster Mom.  She is still a little shy at first and may scoot away (sudden noises still tend to startle her) and run to the couch (her proven safe space) and wait to have her harness put on.  She is cooperative with getting dressed in her harness and readily jumps off the couch and heads to the door.  Now doors are still a little scary for her but she is doing much better.  A calming voice and loving reassurance makes it easier and she will patiently wait once she gets outside. 

Lexi loves to be outdoors and this is when her personality shines!  Inside she likes to be on her couch as that is her safe space.  She loves to sniff and explore outside and appears to feel much more comfortable.  Lexi walks very well on leash and comes when called or redirected/guided if she gets too far ahead on the leash.  She does her business immediately and will go for a nice walk and has even become an excellent jogging partner!  She loves the snow and will bury her face or roll around - a dog truly enjoying nature's gifts!  Her walks are 20 to 30 minutes depending on weather.  If she has wet or snowy feet she is great about wiping off her paws and will wait until her harness is removed and return to her safe space - the couch.

Lexi's household is a working family and Foster Dad comes home around noon.  She usually does not want to go outside with him and stays on her couch until Foster Mom returns home.  Then we harness up and out we go!

Lexi enjoys spending time on the couch with her Foster Mom.  She has the Golden nudge and will let you know when she needs more pets.  She also enjoys stuffies, bully sticks and peanut butter Kongs.  We have been working on rolling a tennis ball off the couch and she will retrieve it and bring it back up on the couch.  If she gets a little mouthy with toys she has been redirecting easily.

Lexi spent about a year in her adoptive home.  It is evident that her safe space was her couch and over time she became unwilling to share this space with a small dog in the home.  Lexi had two unfortunate incidents where she was on the couch with one of her humans and the other dog.  Fights broke out on these two different occasions where the human was intertwined resulting in one Level 2 bite and one Level 3 bite with a puncture wound to the human.  Lexi did unfortunately grab onto the small dog.  Her adoptive family made the heart wrenching decision to surrender Lexi back to RAGOM so that she could find a suitable home to meet her needs and keep her safe.  

Lexi has proven herself as a candidate for a home without a physical fence as she is doing wonderful being outdoors on leash.  She is very attentive to humans and she will look to you with her beautiful brown eyes.  Lexi has been a wonderful house guest and easy to care for.  She will need an active family that can take her outdoors for walks or jogs as that is where she truly seems happiest.  She is very attentive to children she has met and will try to give them a hug however we are working on telling her "off".  Fortunately she is very dainty and does not bowl them over. 

Barking is not really her thing unless you get too far away from her outside if she is on a tie out.  She shows some interest in squirrels and bunnies but does not pull your arm out of the socket.  Lexi has not been crated at her current Foster home but she was crate trained in her previous households.  She is a perfect little lady that has not counter surfed, begged or chewed any inappropriate items.

Little Miss Lexi is looking for a brand new start in a home where she can feel safe, gain confidence and have an active life outdoors exploring.  If this may be you please inquire - Lexi is patiently waiting for her happily ever after!  

When Lexi first arrived 2 weeks ago, she was extremely shy and would not move off the couch.  I brought her food dish to her just to get her to eat.  She was very skittish and spooked easily at any new noise, especially doors.

I'm happy to say that since that first day, she has come so far!  She still sits on the couch in her safe place but will get off the couch to eat and drink and will come to me when asked,  as long as it's a relatively short distance from the couch LOL!

She is starting to show interest in stuffed animals and is chewing on them.  I also brought out a tennis ball as I saw from her previous foster that she loved them.  I roll it off the couch and she will jump down and bring it back.  She loves to hold it away from me and turn her head to the side when we play.

She walks so well on a leash and is even better when jogging.  When we first go outside, she is a little spooked by going in and out of the door but that is getting better each time.  She does a quick spin around when we first step outside as she is a little nervous but calms down quickly.  She really is happy outside as her tail is wagging and she seems so much more confident.  Barking dogs don't seem to bother her but squirrels will get her attention! 

Lexi has not been destructive at all in the house and has had zero accidents.  The only indication you will get from her if she has to go potty is if she jumps down off the couch and starts to pace.  But I typically take her out for a walk twice a day and she gets let out at lunch so that hasn't really been an issue.  She goes quickly once outside.  

Lexi loves physical attention!  The more pets the better or she will nudge you with her nose until you start petting her again.  She has free roam of the house as she won't leave her spot on the couch.

 We did try a kennel but she had no ears for it.  I see that she is kennel trained with the previous owner and foster but we didn't force it on her.  This little girl is an absolute sweetheart and super gentle. She is still nervous around new people but has no issue being petted by strangers.

Even though she will sit in her "safe place" all day unless asked to come, she would do well with a semi-active family that likes to be outside or a retired couple who like to take daily walks as this is when she is happiest.  If she gets spooked, she may run, so a physical fence is required, but really just prefers to be by your side.  

This petite little gal has so much love to give.  I know we can find her a good home where she can grow in confidence with love and support!

RAGOM welcomes to the Golden Life!  She is a three-year-old purebred golden retired breeder mom.  Lexi is a beautiful cinnamon color with a fluffy sugar undercoat.  She is petite, weighing only 48 pounds, which the vet says is perfect. 

Lexi came into our foster home very shut down.  She had to be carried in and out of the house and was afraid to leave her crate.  She may be tiny, but she is courageous.  After just one week, she is excited to leave her crate to go outside with her foster golden brothers. 

We keep her crate door open, so she can slip out and peek at us.  She is very curious and likes to sneak out of her crate and steal stuffies and balls from her foster golden brothers.   She is crazy for tennis balls and is a bit of a hoarder.  She does resource guard toys with a lip curl and a hum, but she is getting better with this each day.  

Lexi watches her foster golden brothers, but she does not need another dog in the home. She tolerates other dogs but prefers her own space. She would love to be an only dog. 

Lexi is sweet and gives the most gentle hugs and kisses.  She is still a very frightened little girl.  She is learning to walk on a leash.  She is a bit wild at first, jumping and jerking on the leash, but she does settle down.  She won’t need a fenced yard, but she will need a plan to keep her safe.  She chews through leashes and woven tethers, so a cable tie-out would be best.  She loves to be outside and likes to wade in a kiddie pool.  She lays on the grass next to me while I garden.  

She is just learning how to be an indoor dog with doors, noises, and unexpected sounds startling her. She was very concerned about the TV.  She has had no accidents in the house.  She will need a crate to retreat to as her safe space and hoard her toys as she adjusts to a new home.

Lexi is going to be a great dog and a very loving companion.  She is a Velcro dog that will give you the “golden nudge” if you stop petting her.  Lexi will need humans who understand how frightened she is in this new life.  They need to be patient and loving with her as she learns about the golden life. 

Currently, Lexi is being treated for a mouth wound and will need to be spayed before she can be adopted.  She is truly a sweetheart who looks you right in the eyes and is so thankful for pets and hugs.  She will be yours faithful and true.  She will need you to be her leader, her love, and her life.