Maggie

Profile

Hey RAGOM Fans!  My name is Maggie.  I am new to the RAGOM family as of November 1st and will be conducting interviews in the near future to find my new forever family.  Could it possibly be you?  (My birthday is coming up November 30th so I anticipate a little party for me.)

Here's a little bit about myself.  (I am phoning this in as I am spending the night at the vet because I had surgery today to get spayed.)

I am 11 months old, purebred and absolutely gorgeous.  (FM apologizes for the poor photo quality and promises to resolve that issue post-haste.)  My fur is incredibly soft and feels like silk.  I am petite at 55 pounds and full of puppy energy. I might gain a couple more pounds, but probably not much.  I am up-to-date on all vaccinations, on heartworm preventative (HW test was negative), have clean ears and shiny white teeth. I have great recall with my name and come running everytime I am called.  (Even my foster sisters don't do that and they are a little older than me.)

It took me all of 5 minutes to adjust to being in my foster home and to start playing with the resident dogs in the back yard.  I am currently living with 2 resident RAGOM goldendoodles who love me to pieces!  And their cousin fur-butts come over to play too and we run, run, run in the backyard. I am highly social.

I don't appear to have any anxieties to household sounds or people.  I totally love people paying attention to me and will crawl in your lap for hugs.  I came from a home that had an 18th month old child that I grew up with for approximately 7 months and an older child, so no issues there.  There was also a 3 year old golden retriever.  I am not cat-tested yet.

I do tend to jump up on people when excited, but have made good progress in my first week here.  It is just that I am so happy to meet people that my exuberance gets the best of me sometimes.  

I have learned that it is ok to hang out in the crates in the house as we get lots of treats and toys when FM is gone.  My 15 month old fostersister Lilly is in the crate next to me and cool as a cucumber. (She's a fabric chewer so is not trustworthy yet if FM is not home.)  However, if she gets to go outside before me when FM gets home, I do remind FM that she may have forgotten me and start to whine with an occassional bark.  I am sure with some more training, I will be able to handle being alone in the house in a crate.  I get free run of the house when FM is home so we are plenty active until bedtime.  I only pick up dog toys and ignore FM's shoes by the door.

I know how to sit for treats and my food.  I learned that very quickly from my foster sisters as we all have to wait and "watch" FM until she says "OK".  Then I inhale my food. Ha!  I am highly food motivated. (Good to know for training.)

I read dog signals well.  A couple of time Kraelyn told me to back off and I totally respected that, so I went back to Lilly to wrestle with her.  I do not not resource guard food or toys.  FM can pet me or put a hand in my bowl and give high-value treats while I am eating.  I just wag my tail all the more.

I love to steal toys just to be chased or to be the chaser. I am easy that way. FM can take toys from me no problem.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to play fetch and am pretty good at that if I say so myself.  I can be touched all over without issues.  In fact, I prefer that and will show you my gratitude with kisses and a wiggly butt and tail.

I have dug a couple of small holes in the garden just to see what was down there.  A big nothing.  I was looking for a big stash of treats or bones, but apparently the resident dogs don't hide stuff outside for later.  I will respect baby-gates when in the house with the other dogs and FM is home, but have not been tested by myself yet.  

I am pretty good on flat leash, but do pull a little as I am excited to be out and about in the big world.  FM needs to buy another gentle leader so I can try that.  With some training, I will be good at this.  I also enjoy car rides with my foster sisters.  

I was surrendered due to "potty" issues.  I did have one little poop accident by the door the first night as FM didn't know my signal. (FM accepts all blame for that.)  Apparently the residents will bark to go out, so I am learning how to do that.  (I am not a big barker, more of a little whine when asked to speak.)  Other than that, I have been accident free.  Plus we spent a lot of time outside in the nice weather Friday thru Sunday while FM did chores outside so that helps too.  I will sleep all night 8+ hours without any issues.

FM needs to test me a bit on being alone in the house, so that will happen in the next couple of weeks during my recovery time.  

Some requirements in my new forever home:

--Plenty of toys.  Kong Wubba is a must as I love to squeek it and throw it in the air and catch it.  
--Be allowed to snuggle in bed and on the couch.  I am a great date for movie nights.  I need that physical contact with my peeps.  You won't have to invest in an electric blanket for winter.  See, I am saving you money already!
--I would love to have another younger dog (or young at heart dog) for a playmate as I have lots of energy to burn off.  I was fine with a 30 pound goldendoodle too.  I like to play hard, so probably need a dog more my size for wrestling.  Or my new family has to have lots of energy and time to get me exercised. Did I mention I love to play fetch?
--Since my recall is so good, I don't think I will need a fence, but would definitely prefer it over being tied outside so I can burn off energy. Remember, I am still a puppy; a walk around the block is not enough for me.  (FM can't test me at a fenced in dog park for liability reasons).
--Someone committed to taking me to obedience classes and socializing me in various public situations and working with me daily.  Trust me, this will pay dividends ten-fold!

So there you have it in a nutshell.  I am a great girl looking for that special someone or family to spend the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays with and start my new life.  Please contact your placement advisor if you are interested in meeting me.