Pongo

Profile

7/11/05: What a great dog! Pongo is a perky little dog of about 55 pounds and is full of excitement for life. After picking him up, we brought Pongo to our family picnic. He loves people and sat nicely for pets from the kids. It was pretty exciting and he managed to calm down and lay down for a nap while we talked and the kids ran and played. He learns so fast. When he goes to jump up I tell him, "uh, uh" and point my finger and he's learning to sit nicely and wait for attention. He knows sit and down and "go potty". AND, he is housetrained, yippeeeeee! He's also been very well behaved in the house.

Pongo's previous owner had this to say about him - He is 1 1/2 years old, has good response to commands, doesn't tear furniture or carpet, doesn't dump trash or howl or roam or chase cars or chew. He does dig holes in the yard, walks on leash, rides well in the car and jumps up on people. He's active, affectionate, easygoing, friendly, gentle, happy and playful. He gets along with children, men, women, dogs and cats. He was raised with kids who are now 3 & 6. They also had a cat. They've owned Pongo all his life and bought him from a breeder. They gave him up because they are moving.

The kennel had this to say - Pongo... is 12 months old. He is dark red and he is a very good boy. He is housebroken and he is good with other dogs and cats and loves kids. He is also crate trained. Pongo was brought to us because his owners were moving. He is not doing so well here in the shelter; the kennels are really stressing him out.

Pongo spent a week at a Humane Society before coming into RAGOM. He was transported by three RAGOM transport volunteers from Iowa to MN. He's great in the car. I picked Pongo up last night and took him to the vet today for his pre-surgery check-up before his neuter on Wednesday. He is heartworm negative, has been microchipped, and is up-to-date on shots. His fecal showed a very, very slight coccidia infection and because he's under stress will get medication for treatment. Ordinarily he would shed off this little bit of virus, but because of all the changes we don't want it to catch hold because his immune system is stressed.

He's been wonderful with my dogs - a 7# Shih Tzu (who is top dog in the house), a 20# Shih Tzu/Lhasa and a 75# GSD/Golden. He likes my cats and treats them like they were dogs. He follows me and then zonks out (either on the floor or couch). He's been great in my house and was allowed off the tether after just a couple hours because he now follows me everywhere without it and looks to me for direction. I will use it on and off to help him learn quickly. He was pretty excited while at the vet today, just like a puppy, and will need someone to work on channeling that energy into fun activity for him (afterall, despite common belief, these dogs do not come programmed). He wasn't too happy about being crated last night (he expressed this by barking and digging a couple times - until he understood that wouldn't work - he is smart and figured it out faster than most). Since the previous family said he was used to a crate, I am guessing that he developed some negative feelings about being isolated while in the Humane Society (they told us he wasn't doing well there). I will continue to crate him so that he can re-learn.

Pongo is a very fun dog to work with and I'm looking forward to seeing who he really is when he gets used to being in a calmer, quieter environment than the kennel. That can be a tough environment for sensitive dogs. There is a lot of intense energy there, and as hard as the workers try, it's not easy to reassure dogs they're okay while they are in that environment. Pongo is settling into my house nicely already and it hasn't even been 24 hours. Dogs are so resilient! Pongo will need to remain in foster care for a little bit after his surgery, but if you are interested in meeting him, email [email protected].