Seka #02-275

Seka is a wonderful, almost 8 year old sweetheart who is patiently waiting for a family who will give her attention, time and love and who has the ability/desire to help her deal with her storm worries. She was never destructive during storms, just very scared. Desensitization is being used by her foster home, and that, combined with medication prescribed by a veterinarian, can help this lovely lady feel comfortable during thunderstorms. She is completely housetrained, wonderful with children, dogs and cats. She is a good walking companion and can be very silly when she starts to play with her toys. She is calm in the house and only gets on the couch when invited. She is a good watchdog who barks to tell you when someone is at the door or pulling in the driveway. She respects baby gates, and is learning that a crate offers treats. Once in a crate, she lays down quietly and rests. She enjoys a fenced in yard, but doesn't need this, as her previous family let her be loose at their lake cabin, and she stayed around and loved to swim. She knows a few commands: come, sit, lay down and is learning that "that's enough" means that she has done her job barking and can now be quiet. She is eager to please and yet confident enough to go lay down somewhere, on her own. She isn't a velcro dog, but enjoys company and cuddles. If you are interested in learning more about this lady, please send an email to placement@ragom.org - she is going to make someone very happy!

UPDATES:

12/23/02:  From Seka's new family...

Dear Karen,

Thank you so much for your nice note about Seka.  She has settled in as if she always was with us. She has a cute behavior when she gets excited especially when she greets someone coming into the house.  Where most Goldens and other retriever type dogs tend to goose people in the crotch when meeting them, Seka looks for something to grab and runs around with.  Since we live in Northern Minnesota where the custom is to take off your shoes when you come into someone's home Seka is in heaven. Shoes tend to be found all over the house. Fortunately, our guests are good about this and since she doesn't chew there is no harm done. She will trade a shoe for one of her own toys easily.

This Christmas we have a family visiting us from Mexico and they are having a wonderful time with Seka. When you scratch by her tail she dances...we have called it shaking her booty...but our Mexican friends call is doing the "coochie, coochie." Maybe she will be responding to Spanish by the time everyone goes home.  We are still working on the counter cruising. We tried the old mouse traps under newspaper trick and being a smart girl...Seka only avoids cruising the counter when there are newspapers on it. We are learning to put things away...not a bad outcome actually.

We are thrilled to have Seka as part of our family and think that she is happy with us as well.

Cheryl

12/1/02:  I have been getting almost daily notes from Seka's family and they LOVE her! She and their other dog, Hobo, are doing just fine together and she is very much loved. I have sent info about storm anxiety and a thunder CD, as they plan to continue to work on the desensitizing, but as they already have experience dealing with a dog with these types of worries, they are not worried and plan to try Rescue Remedy, desensitization and counter-conditioning. A happy new beginning for a girl who waited 6 weeks for the perfect family to come along!

11/23/02:  My sweet Seka has been adopted by an amazing family who have a 12 year old Golden. The girls look very much alike, and had a nice introduction. If, in my next life, I come back as a dog sharing a home with this family, I will consider myself quite lucky! She will be living like a queen, which is completely deserved by this wonderful dog. Her storm anxiety didn't worry them, as they have already dealt with it successfully with another Golden. I will send photos of her and her new friends when they come to me.

Thanks to all of you for your help - she's been with me for 6 weeks and it was definitely worth the wait - she hit the jackpot in this adoption!

11/14/02:  Seka is such a pleasure to have around. She has discovered an interesting way of staying busy while I am working at my computer – she takes toys to the top of the stairs and drops them down the steps. This has happened several times and appears to be quite deliberate on her part. Very funny to watch! She continues to walk to the elementary school to pick up my kids and handles the crowds very well. She enjoys playing fetch and is learning that “enough, thank you” means that she has done her job of letting me know that someone is at the door or walking by the yard, and that she can stop barking. We are working on listening to low volume thunder sounds on the CD player. So far, she can handle it without any problem. I plan to continue raising the volume gradually to help her become comfortable with the noise.

Seka is a very sweet, easy going girl who is waiting for someone who appreciates the advantages offered by a mature Golden. She has the run of my house when I am home and is gated in the kitchen when I am gone. She respects baby gates but also accepts a crate. She still does not choose to spend time in a crate, but when put in there, will calmly lay down and rest. Knowing that a crate is a safe place should help her during storms. Seka is completely housetrained and does not have chewing problems – she knows where the dog toys are and helps herself to bones and toys when she wants something to play with or chew. She is a wonderful girl and I love fostering her, but it’s time for her to go to a forever family and get settled.

11/7/02:  Seka is busy enjoying our big basket of dog toys and making friends with my foster kittens, as well as the children in the neighborhood. She is still occasionally confusing the kids toys with the dog toys, but is always happy to do a trade. (She thinks it's a great deal for her - give up a toy and get something better!) This girl will make a wonderful addition to a family who wants someone calm in the house, completely housetrained and able to have the run of the house. Seka accompanies me to school to pick up the kids and does a nice job handling the crowd of kids and dogs who want to meet her. If you are someone who knows the value of an aged wine, this girl may appeal to you. No puppy peeing, chewing, crazy energy level……just a gentle sweet lady who walks nicely by your side for a few miles each day. She barks at people who come to the door or pass by the fence, but stops as soon as they step in to say hello. She is happy to lay at your feet, but still has energy to play and bring a smile to your face. If you are interested in learning more about her, please send an email to placement@ragom.org and someone will contact you.

10/27/02:  Seka is such a joy to have around. She is discovering toys – when she first arrived, she only wanted the kids’ stuffed animals, and completely ignored the huge baskets of dog toys, but after a few days of being redirected, she is learning to go first to the dog toys and search for a goody. She has even brought a tennis ball to me to throw for her.

She does love to bark – sometimes even at a leaf blowing by – but is learning that “Enough, thank you” means that she has done her job and can be quiet. She is noisy when out in the fenced in yard, but is improving in this area. Continued work will be needed for her to learn to just relax in the sun and not bark at everything.

Her previous family said that they had a cabin by a lake where Seka was off-lead and she loved to swim. She did not run off when off lead but stayed around the cabin.

Seka (02-275) with foster sister, Brandy (02-259) asleep on the couch.

She loves attention and people, but is also very quiet and calm in the house (unless she feels the need to bark and alert you of something). She is not a velcro dog, but will lay down somewhere and relax while I am walking around the house. She ignores all my cats, does not get on furniture, and doesn’t chew inappropriate items. She is completely housetrained.

It has been raining over the past few days, and Seka has shown no worries about this. Her family said that she is scared of the noise and wanted to hide during thunderstorms. Desensitization may be an option with her. She did not have this problem until she was 6 years old, when living close to fireworks started the phobia. Seka is not thrilled with a crate, although she is discovering that yummy things are found inside her crate, and is getting better at going in, slowly. Once comfortable with a crate, that may also help her during storms.

She is doing wonderfully with her Gentle Leader. She walks calmly by my side, never pulling at all. At the beginning of each walk, she paws a bit at her muzzle, but then forgets about it and enjoys the outing. We have met several dogs on our walks – big, small, and she has greeted them all without a problem. She will calmly walk past a barking dog who is behind a fence. Her family said that when she walked with the mother and 2 young children, she would occasionally growl at another dog while on lead, then do the sniffing and be fine. This behavior was never done with the husband, and only started with the wife after the children were born. I have tried to put her into many different dog greeting situations, and all have been fine, even with my kids along.

Seka had a triple pelvic osteotomy when she was 1 year old on her right hip. There was evidence of degenerative joint disease, so she will most likely have arthritis as she ages. She does just fine right now, we have been walking a few miles per day and she is even able to jump into my Durango by herself, as well as occasionally place her front feet on my kitchen counter, so she manages to get around just fine!

Seka is ready for her forever home. If you are looking for a calm, sweet girl with whom to take walks, who is wonderful with kids, cats and other dogs, send in an email asking about Seka 02-275. Please remember that you will need to be willing to help her with her storm anxiety, which will take patience, understanding and time.

10/20/02:  Seka arrived today. She is a pretty red girl with a white face. She is already spayed and current on her vaccinations, so hers will be an easy trip to the vet tomorrow for fecal and heartworm tests. She had a calm, friendly greeting for my dog and ignores the cats all together.

She is gentle and kind to my young children. She seemed to like their piano practices, as she went over and tried to sit with her front paws on the bench and lean into them as they were playing. She does not jump up on them, but leans into them for petting and then tips over onto the floor for a belly rub. Her previous family had 2 young children and said that she was wonderful with them – they hugged her, played with her, etc. and the most she would do in objection, if she was tired of them, was to get up and walk away. She did occasionally pick up and carry around their stuffed animals, but allowed the children to take them back from her.

We went for a short walk and she met two dogs during that time. She pulled a bit to get to them, but after a quick sniff, was ready to be on her way. Her family told me that she pulls hard on lead, but the Gentle Leader should work its magic, along with time and patience. She wasn’t too keen on going into her crate, but a few yummy treats helped to change her mind. Once in there, she settled down without a peep. She loves being out in the yard and keeps asking to go lay on the cement floor of the breezeway.

She is showing no signs of wanting to get up on the furniture, but has put her front paws on the kitchen counter a few times already. However, she responded quickly to my “ah-ah” (That’s okay, I’ve been trained by years of sharing my home with Goldens, and I know better than to keep anything edible on the counter!) She doesn’t seem to know what to do with the balls and toys, although she enjoys carrying shoes and slippers around in her mouth. No chewing, just carrying them around.

Seka has thunderstorm anxiety, which I may not get to see at this point in the year. Apparently, she pees and hides during storms. Medication was not tried in her previous situation, and should help provide this lovely lady with some peace during storms. Her adoptive family will need to be willing to work with their vet on finding some medication that will help her deal with her fear. They will need to be understanding and patient as this issue is dealt with. We all have our own quirks and fears, and her sweet personality will more than make up for extra help she needs with her storm anxiety.

More in a few days, as I get to know this 7 year old sweetie. She will make some lucky family a very special friend.