Turbo

Profile

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In addition to LOVE this dog has the following requirements:
Entered Foster Care	Fence	Kid Friendly	Another Dog	Cat Friendly
9/25/2015	Optional	Yes, ages 10+	Optional	Yes
This is the most recent information available; however, it may change as we learn more about the dog.

Please welcome handsome Turbo 15-250 to the RAGOM family!  This sweet boy was surrendered to RAGOM after a change in family circumstances prevented him from getting the attention and medical care that he needed.  He's clearly been loved and he is just the sweetest boy!

Turbo is a 2 year old purebred Golden Retriever that currently weighs 97 pounds.  Our tentative goal weight for him is 80 pounds, but that may change as we get some weight off him and he builds muscle mass.  He loves everyone he meets, does great with other dogs, and mostly ignores our two cats.  He does not require a fence in his forever home, however, his recall isn't solid so a tie-out or leash walks for potty breaks will be necessary to keep him safe if he does not have a fenced in yard.  We have used a long 30 foot leash on him when we go out to a certain hiking area so he can have a little more freedom, and there are times he would probably keep going if it wasn't for the leash.  Usually he will come back when I call, but there have been a few times that I've had to physically bring him back with the leash since he's so interested in what is around him.  Turbo is house trained and does great while being crated during the day while I'm at work.  Although we expect some accidents when new fosters arrive due to a change in their schedule and being in an unfamiliar environment, Turbo has not had a single accident here!  At night, I gate all 3 dogs in my bedroom and he is happy to curl up on one of the dog beds and he sleeps through the night.  Turbo has done great with both of my resident Goldens (ages 4 and 9 months)!  He is interested in playing with our puppy, but usually just lays on the floor and mouth wrestles with him instead of full on wrestling or running around outside.  Turbo would do great living with another dog of any age, but he would also be fine as an only dog.  We have 2 cats and Turbo mostly ignores them.  Sometimes he'll show a little more interest, but my male cat is very dog savvy and just has to hiss at him and Turbo backs off. Turbo needs some work with leash walking, as he definitely wants to pull in every direction!  We have started with a gentle leader with some success, and we will continue to work on this with him.  Right now, we are up to 1/2 mile walks twice daily with him, but we are hoping to get him up to longer distances as we build up his muscles and stamina.  Turbo does know a few basic commands, but would benefit from obedience classes.  This also helps with the bonding with the forever family and will help to solidify what commands he already knows.  He is very treat motivated, so I think he will be a fast learner!

Turbo came into RAGOM with some skin issues.  He is currently sporting a reverse mohawk on his back due to the need to shave his hair because of several hot spots on his back and hip area.  He is on a steroid to help control his intense itching and is doing much better with that, we no longer have to use the e-collar!  He is also on an antibiotic for 2 weeks to clear up his skin infection, and we have given him several medicated baths.  In just a week, we have already noticed a huge improvement and he seems more comfortable.  While there is a small chance that he has seasonal allergies, we think all of his skin issues and itchiness are likely due to fleas.  We did find quite a few fleas on him when he arrived at foster care, but we have given him a flea bath and oral flea medication and we have been able to get them under control.  During his vet visit he was brought up to date on all vaccinations, had a negative fecal test and heartworm test, and had a thorough exam.  We elected to wait to microchip him due to his skin issues and a hot spot near where we would need to inject the microchip.  As soon as his skin is healed up completely, we will get him chipped.  Since Turbo arrived, we have noticed some hip issues.  We have started him on a joint supplement and fish oils to help his joints, and we are planning on doing xrays this week to send to RAGOM's orthopedic surgeon to see if she thinks he needs surgery or not.  We will keep everyone posted on this as soon as we know more!  We are also working to get his weight down, as the extra pounds add stress to his hips.  We have started Turbo on a high quality dog food in limited amounts to help his lose weight.  He does have some hesitation to use our stairs (about 8-10 to get outside) and his hips start really bothering him after about 1/2 mile on walks, so we are working to build up some more muscle mass to help him with this.  He is pretty painful with his hips right now and he does a lot of laying down and he avoids doing things that may stress his hips.  Right now, due to his sensitivity with his hips, we are looking for a potential forever family to not have kids under the age of 10, but this could change once we have a plan to control his pain better.  

Since arriving at foster care, we have had a mild thunderstorm and Turbo did not have any issues.  He had no problem going out in the rain to do his business before I had to leave for work, either.  We have not seen any anxieties of any kind.  He is really good about going into his crate and settles in nicely.  The first few days he did whine a bit, but now he knows our routine and what is expected of him.  Turbo loves to chew on elk antlers.  He does like to destroy stuffed dog toys, so we have had to keep those picked up.  Turbo will occasionally bark at someone walking by the fence, but usually only after our resident Goldens have started barking and he joins in.  He is not usually a vocal dog.  Turbo does like to curl up on the couch, but will get down when I tell him "off."  He also loves to sleep on the many comfy dog beds we have here.  It was reported that he liked to chew/eat socks, but we have to keep our house picked up since we have a 9 month old puppy, so that hasn't been an issue for us here.  We have not noticed any counter surfing with Turbo, but he does show interest if we have something put up on the countertop.  The first car ride he took made him pretty stressed out, but added with the combination of leaving his home and meeting lots of new people, that is definitely understandable!  We have taken several short car rides and he's learning how much fun they are!  He usually needs help getting into the car.

Turbo has the sweetest personality and is a total love bug.  He loves ev eryone he meets and wants to be best friends with everybody.  We have quickly fallen in love with him, and we know his forever family will, too!  He has adjusted very quickly to a new environment and schedule, so I think he will also have an easy adjustment to a new home and family.  Whoever that lucky family is, they will be getting an incredible new family member! 

Are you interested in meeting this incredibly sweet and loving boy or learning more about him?  Contact your placement advisor today!