Simba

Special Needs - Please Help Me!
Simba has hip dysplasia and just had two expensive operations.

Simba with Suzi the Westie

Simba #02-331

(Fostered in Twin Cities Metro Area)

Simba is a big bouncing baby boy. He will turned one year old on December 20th. Simba was rescued by a kind soul from another home that didn't have time for an energetic young Golden - and he called RAGOM to find Simba a new home. We just picked him up this afternoon and haven't had a great deal of time to find out all about him yet.

Simba 02-331 with Lucky 02-116 on him and Chester 01-139 in front.

So far, he is a good-natured boy - and he does LOVE attention! He rode in the back seat of the pick-up fairly well for the 1 1/2 hour trip home - I don't think he's done much riding in a car though. With a few more rides, I'm sure he'll settle into it well - he didn't beg when we ate burgers and fries right in from of him either! He met our three dogs without a problem and has been playing pretty much non-stop with our 8 month old dog. Simba has been an outside dog most of his life - we have had several previously outside-only dogs before and they never seem to have a problem adjusting to the "luxuries" of indoor living! Curiously enough, they are also the ONLY fosters who haven't had accidents in the house either!

Simba does need to be neutered but is up-to-date on all his vaccinations. His coat is well-groomed and he appears to be very healthy. Hopefully we can arrange to get his neuter done before the Thanksgiving holiday and if things go well, he should be ready for adoption shortly. He is fairly tall and if I had to guess at his weight, I'd say he's about 70 pounds, but definitely not overweight. Simba did originally come from a breeder and is a full-bred Golden.

Simba will definitely need obedience training. He does seem to know sit (for a treat) but that is about all. We'll keep you updated as the week progresses!

UPDATES:

5/28/03: Well Simba is doing wonderfully. We talked with his doctor yesterday, the follow-up x-rays show both hips healing nicely. His vet stated that most dogs could be back to "normal" activity at this point, but not Simba. Simba is a VERY high energy dog, who has some habits that do not run to the normal (you have read about the roof climbing, right?). Anyway, he feels that Simba should remain on a short leash (literally!) a while longer (that is why it still says special needs for him....). He can do some off leash playing in the yard, but under supervision so things don't get out of hand. Now don't get the wrong idea, Simba isn't a wild man. He is just a young male with LOTS of energy! All other health issues are fine. Blood work after his second surgery showed some abnormal levels regarding kidney function. They weren't concerned, it was just something to watch. That has been retested and everything is now in the normal. It was probably a bad reading, or it could have been the result of his surgeries and medications. Everything is fine now. Denny said that the vet said Simba had high blood sugar - which I was confused at. I think they were both kidding me because he just meant that he is a little hyper.... That energy level again.

Simba and foster sister Sophie

We spent a great weekend at the cabin over Memorial Day. Simba got to ride in the boat and try some swimming. He has figured out the boat fine, but is still working on the swimming. Our Golden, Sophie, loves to jump out of the boat after her swimming dummy. She flies and her head never goes under when she hits the water. Well Simba followed her off the boat, his head sunk and he came up somewhat startled. He immediately turned back to the boat! He did give it a second try, but the results were the same. So he needs to work on that. I have talked a lot about Simba's high activity level. I want to tell you how sweet he can be, too. Simba walks well on a gentle leader, but pulls and is somewhat unruly without it. Well my Mom was at the cabin with us this weekend. She is 80 and has not been well. When Denny and I were busy she would keep him on the leash for us ! (another thing he does fast is to chew through a tie if left alone on one!) He was extremely gentle with Mom, he would walk until the leash pulled tight and then stop and wait until she caught up (he did not have a gentle leader on). He never pulled hard for her, he could sense that she couldn't handle that. What a sweet boy!

Simba and foster kitty Sassy

5/12/03: Simba continues to improve every day. Hopefully when he goes back in for new x-rays they agree, because this boy is ready to be off the patient list! He is "approved" for limited activities, which walking on the leash is one. Once again we have been lengthening his walks - he now goes for the full length of the morning outing (3 miles, I think). He also joined us on at the AHS Walk on May 3, but we didn't take him the entire distance.... He loves meeting people and is generally impressive to new people. Since he definitely has a shaved hip, that brings questions. Many people were impressed with how well he walked and his general outgoing personality, especially after hearing about his recent surgeries.

Simba will soon be ready to find his forever home. Since we have been spending so much time in his updates on his health, I thought I should go over his habits, bad and good..... I know it may seem unbelievable, but this guy does have a few bad habits... He is so loveable - we really hardly notice them - but others may. Actually, maybe I should just say "habits" and everyone can make up their own minds as to whether they would be bad.... Simba is an excellent walker, although he still tries to remove the gentle leader. I have never seen a dog who can get one off as fast as he does.... Simba is a barker. Now this I find somewhat annoying, but he likes to be heard. He definitely barks when he needs to go potty, which is a good thing. But sometimes he barks when he just isn't getting attention, we are working on that. Which brings me to the fact that he is a definite velcro dog. I just wonder about this poor guys first year (or really 11 months.......), I can't figure out how he could have been neglected, he just doesn't let that happen. Probably because it did then, it isn't going to again. That isn't a bad thing, or it wouldn't be if he wouldn't bark because you have to leave him for a short time. :-) Simba really can't pass an open waste paper basket without putting his head in and removing something. Since most of our baskets are in closets, the bathroom and bedroom ones are the only ones available. So his main thing is, he is a tissue shredder..... And, now this probably wouldn't happen at many houses, but Simba is a garage roof climber! Can you say limited activity?! You can't even leave this boy on the deck, unattended on a sunny afternoon. Next thing he is on the roof!! Not exactly the movement the doctor ordered for the healing hips! As you can see, none of these, with the exception of his untimely barking, is really bad. He is just too sweet to be bad. On the good side, he is much better than our quiet, mellow, Sophie at begging. Simba goes off and plays with a toy when we are having dinner, while the normally well behaved Sophie sits and stares at us eat!

Simba with Lucky 02-116 in the kennel

5/1/03: Simba continues to get stronger every day. We all went to the cabin last weekend, which was a treat with Simba on a short leash! Sophie was showing off and letting him watch her swim and chase sticks off of the dock. Denny had, however, talked with our vet about being at the cabin. He felt swimming may be a good exercise for Simba....... Well, we introduced Simba to the water and he was a little tentative at first. I am fairly certain he didn't get an opportunity to swim last summer (so basically ever before....). On Saturday Simba did a little wadding, actually stopping short of swimming. He didn't seem to know what to do when it got too deep. But by Sunday he gave swimming a little try. He didn't go far, but he will definitely be a swimmer. Other than that he has been going for short walks, that we extend a little further each day. Simba has spring fever (don't we all!!) really bad, and isn't happy with his confinements. But we are making it through....... He still has a limp, but it isn't too bad. It shows up more when he tires...his leg sort-of shakes too when he is tired. All in all he has been a pretty good patient, he is just tired of being the patient!

4/21/03: Just touching base with a quick update on Simba. Tuesday (4/22) will be the 3 week mark from surgery number 2 and Simba continues to do well. On Friday he got his stitches out, so no more E. collar!! Thank goodness, even with all the practice he had, he never quite got the hang of that darn thing. Running into walls was very common place at our house. The vet thinks Simba is progressing nicely. A side from the fact that he is on limited activity for 12 weeks (9 weeks to go - yikes!), he needs to go back for x-rays in about 4 weeks. That is mainly a follow-up to the two surgeries, to make sure everything is looking like it should. Amazingly, even with all he has been through there, Simba loves everyone at his animal hospital. So going back for check-ups isn't a problem.

4/9/03: All I can say is - oh the joys of having a dog just out of surgery! Initially we felt Simba was a little wobblier this time around, which seemed reasonable due to the fact the his "good" hip was just 8 weeks out from surgery and now had to be the strong hip. Well, that didn't last long. First of all, Simba is not happy being back on the invalid list. So, he is trying to do a lot more, a lot quicker. Not good for us, and trying to keep him calm to recoup! Surgery was Tuesday, 4/1, by Saturday, 4/5 Denny thought he needed to go back in because he thought Simba removed some stitches. And, yes, he did! Simba has three incisions: on the hip, back by the tail and on the under side of the leg.... Back by his tail Simba was able to remove a couple of stitches and on the under side, all of them! Hmmm, and this is with him wearing the E-collar when we aren't with him! It was decided that he didn't need to be put to sleep, to get re-stitched, everything was healing fine. But, Dr. Carter said he was on the one strike rule and he had to wear his E-collar 24/7. That doesn't make for a happy boy! She also said, however, that he was a poster boy for post surgery recovery! He was such a happy boy and trying to walk on his leg, she thought it looked like he was doing great! He is trying a lot, the problem is, he tries too much! So, we are constantly on guard. This spring weather is really going to make it tough to have him on that dreaded "limited activity"! This time around - we ALWAYS need the baby gates up - otherwise he is taking the stairs, and he is right there trying to sneak out (which is difficult with that E-collar) any time the door opens. It will be wonderful to get the stitches (well the remaining ones, anyway) out, so we don't have Simba knocking into walls all the time!

4/3/03: Surgery number two is now behind us, and just the road to recovery ahead! Simba had his right hip operated on, Tuesday, 4/1. He came through the surgery well, and also got a huge thumbs up on the progress for the left hip. Simba stayed in the hospital on Tuesday night, so we have just had one evening with him. He seemed a little bit more agitated the "first" night home, compared to the last time. The main reason for this, we believe, he can't get comfortable. Simba generally lays on his right side, and now that side hurts to lay on. It wasn't a big deal with the left hip, this time around he sits and then he spins trying to decide how to lay down. Once down, he only stays put a short time..... He will figure it out, but he seems confused. Let me tell you, it is hard to look in those big "sad" brown eyes. He wants to know why he is back in this condition AGAIN! I told him last night that he didn't have anymore hips to do, so this was the last time. I guess you can understand his skepticism, he is only one years old, after all.

3/19/03: We are just checking in with Simba. There really isn't anything new to report. The left hip is healing very nicely, and we are waiting for April 1 to do it all again. Right now the worst thing about his recovery is that he is still suppose to be on limited activity. This boy feels good and has energy to burn. What does that mean for his foster family? Well, he doesn't really get tired out during the day, so sometimes he thinks 3 a.m. is a good play time! (It's a good thing his foster mom is a sound sleeper - or is it a good thing that his wonderful foster dad moves downstairs with him so she can sleep?) I mean, he is awake and bored, shouldn't everybody get up?

3/6/03: What can I say, Simba is just a doll! His left hip is healing nicely and even though he still limps a little, it is really hardly noticeable anymore. So, that is where our problems come in! He feels good AND he wants to play! He is basically on leashed activities (only) when outside, due to the twelve week recovery period. He doesn't always understand, and sometimes he tries to sneak out when the other dogs are going outside. But there are other times when he stays put, like he knows he can't go out just then. Simba also has this "look" that he gives us, the equivalent of your kids rolling their eyes at you. Like really I can do this (it is really pretty adorable)! All in all he continues to improve and to entertain us! His best friend is Sassy, our Siamese mix, who is only a few months older than Simba. They tease and flirt, and basically just love each other. If their play sounds like it is too rough, Suzi steps in to protect Sassy (who doesn't need protecting, let me tell you!). During this interim period, between surgeries and while Simba is feeling good, we are working a on a few training things with Simba. It isn't much, since it either has to be on leash, or in the house. But Simba heals like a champ, sits on command and sometimes stays.... He does well while waiting for his food, though, which we think is great. If I haven't mentioned this before, Simba doesn't have any real "issues", he loves all animals (feline and canine - either sex) that he meets, he loves chew bones and toys and has a good appetite (with no weight problem). You can take bones, toys and food away from him and there are no problems. Once in a great while there might be an argument over a bone (between Simba and whomever - one of the dogs.....), but it has never been serious. Just one dog trying to steal another's bone, that sharing thing that they all forget from time to time. The tail is always wagging however, and it stops when they are told to stop.

We were disappointed to learn that his surgeon has quite a busy schedule. So Simba's next surgery is not scheduled until April 1. My concerns about his left hip being strong enough when the right is operated on (for the initial recovery period) won't be a problem. But that puts the date out pretty far for Simba to be able to run free while playing. :-( Oh well, it will be worth it in the end!

2/27/03: Well, Simba has had a busy week this week. We had Lucky (02-116) visit for five days, Chester (01-??? - oops can't remember) is visiting still, Mom stayed home to paint on Monday (Lucky and Simba were really trying to become slate blue in color!), Tuesday was spent at the vet office for his new set of x-rays and he annoyed the painter we hired to do our ceilings on Wednesday (so much so he is visiting with the girls at Heritage Animal Hospital again today - they love him - even if the painter doesn't!). Pretty much happening in a young boys life, and one who is still recuperating from surgery, while preparing for another one! So....we are just waiting to hear when we get on the surgeons schedule and hip number two will be worked on. It will be nice to have both surgeries behind us, but I am not looking forward to that first ten days after! Other than that, all continues to go well.

2/20/03: Simba continues to do really well. We now take him for short walks, which really make him happy! (Let me tell you, I wasn't getting any extra sleep at 5:15 a.m. when Denny took the other dogs out and left Simba with me!) Tuesday (2/18) was four weeks since the surgery, and I really think Simba is feeling good. His left hip and leg are still tender, but he knows how to get around well without putting a lot of weight on that side. We talked to the vet on Monday to cover next steps. Simba will probably go in next week for x-rays, and the next surgery will get scheduled. Yikes!

Well, we made the dreaded trip to the cabin last weekend. Only dreaded because we were worried how Simba would handle being in the country and not being able to run and play. Let me tell you, it went much better than we expected! Yes, he had to be on that darn leash, and the other dogs didn't. But he was out side a lot more, since we all were. Also, the cabin is all one level, so he didn't have to negotiate any stairs. I think that was a big relief to him and gave him some needed healing time without going up and down steps. This week - the steps at home haven't been a big deal. Of course we need to slow him down, because he is ready to run up and down them again (that is what baby gates are for!).

2/14/03: Simba is recovering very well from his first surgery for hip dysplasia. Last Saturday, 11 days out from surgery, he went to the vet. His incisions (he has three different ones) were healing beautifully, enough so that he was able to have his stitches removed. His vet thought everything looked really good! And they couldn't believe how fast his fur was growing back (we still think it looks funny - because he has an entire hip and leg with no fur!). Now, six days since the stitches were removed, his scars have blended in well! He still wants to scratch like crazy - I think it is all the new fur growing! Simba has started to go down stairs on his own, but does not like coming back up. He even thinks his foster mom can carry him up now! Oh - did I mention that he is slightly spoiled? It is hard not too, he has so many things he is not allowed to do right now (mainly run and play in the snow with his foster sisters), it just kills you to look into those big , droopy brown eyes. They look so sad..... I dread the fact that we have to do this all over again on the right hip! Simba doesn't understand that is for his long term health! But we will get through it!

After much debate, we determined that it is not in Simba's best interest to place him at this point. With another surgery pending we feel he needs to stay in a stable environment, one in which he is already comfortable, until he is through the worst of it. So, we will not be actively looking for his forever home until a few weeks out from the second surgery. This is one great dog, who will make a lucky family complete. But, right now he needs to stay with the surgeon, vet staff and foster family that he has to make it through step two (which could be harder than step one, since the left side will not be 100% yet). We will continue to update you on his status, and let you know as soon as we start actively pursuing placement again.

2/6/03: Simba is doing really well since his surgery last week. I was really concerned about him wanting to "do" to much (and know that will still come!), but as the paperwork we got from the surgeon stated, initially the dogs will curb their own activity level based on the pain and swelling they have. That is partially true, but they also said that would cover the first 2 - 4 weeks, not! Tuesday evening - exactly one week from surgery - Simba was ready to go! Poor guy, we have all of this wonderful new snow and he just wants to get out and run and play with Sophie in it. Overall though, I want to say the first week out of surgery has gone very well. We have some issues around the house - unfortunately there is a half flight of stairs every time he needs to go potty. It isn't a problem when Denny is home, Simba gets carried up and down the steps then. But, with me, that is a different story. Tuesday's and Wednesdays are our nights home alone, Denny has basketball and bowling those evenings....... We (Simba and I) have worked out a system of getting down the stairs slowly, but up is another story! He really doesn't like the up process, but he has no where but the landing if he doesn't go up and if he went down, he would have to come up the next time he went out (plus I am generally up - we wouldn't want to be alone!). All in all Simba is still our happy boy, he just really doesn't know what hit him last week to cause this pain!

Aside from the surgery and recovery, two things Simba has mastered are sitting patiently while dinner is prepared and asking to go out to potty. Through all of the dogs we have fostered I think Simba is the first to let us know when he wants to go out. We always get asked that questioned by adoptive families and have to tell them we don't know. Our own two dogs definitely tell us, but when one asks they all go out. And Suzi asks a lot! So, the other dogs generally don't have a chance. Probably because we haven't been putting him out with the other dogs this week, he needs to let us know!

1/30/03: Well, what can I say, we are having quite the week! Simba had surgery for his hip dysplasia on Tuesday. Basically this is phase one, since he needs to have surgery on both hips and they only do them one hip at a time. Simba is doing great for what he just went through, but the poor guy just doesn't know what hit him! You are talking about a 13 month old puppy, who didn't realize there was a problem. Being sent home with a "no activity" order is just a treat. Right now he isn't in any condition to be active, he is still groggy and the hip is painful. Just wait until he is feeling better, the drugs wear off and is still suppose to be on very limited activity! Yikes! The surgery.......all went very well, and given time to heal and recover he should be in perfect condition. In about six weeks he needs to have the other hip done (the right hip - currently he has had his left hip operated on), then complete the recovery and there you go, he will be in perfect shape! Oh well, we will have some challenges keeping him calm while recovering, but it will be worth it in the end. And, at least the end is in sight now that he has had the initial surgery. That is basically all - one surgery done - that he came through well. We just have to keep giving him hugs and encouraging him, because he looks so sad.

1/20/03: Hello again, just a quick update on the big guy. Simba continues to be an absolute doll. He is our shadow, but has decided if Denny is going to leave home without him, Mom isn't so bad. He doesn't have to spend twenty minutes crying at the door in the hopes that Dad returns to take him with! He now redirects his attention to me! Simba has also determined that it isn't to bad to stay out and play in the yard, even when the humans have gone back into the house. He stays out longer playing with Sophie and the neighbor's dogs (They run the fence together - each on their own side! Not sure the fun in that, but they seem to love it!). Simba is an active, lovable dog, who likes to wrestle with the other dogs, play tug of war and catch! He has even started to wrestle with Suzi (our 14 pound Westie), which is great fun to watch. He is very gentle and seems to know that he needs to change the level of roughness when it is Suzi versus Sophie. At times he rolls on his back to give her the advantage. And of course the favorite down time activity remains a good chew bone! For living outside in his previous life, Simba does not chew on inappropriate things (unless you consider kleenex as inappropriate!). He has issues with taking tissues out of the waste paper baskets, but I am talking destructive behavior. He shows no sign of being destructive. We are still working with him on his jumping up, but he is a smart dog, who wants to please.

Simba's surgery has now been scheduled! He had new x-rays last week, which have now been reviewed by the surgeon and he is on the surgeons calendar. Surgery will be Tuesday, January 28th! Monday (the 27th) Simba will go to the vet for the "patch". I do not remember exactly what this is, but it is a type of medication that they want to start him on in advance. We are somewhat concerned about keeping him quiet AFTER his surgery. He is currently such an active boy, I can see him wanting to play when he isn't ready yet. So, the challenges to come!

1/9/03: Simba continues to thrive in his current environment. He loves being with people and is our constant shadow. He doesn't want his "people" to be out of site too much. Don't even let Denny leave the house, because the big guy sits and pouts at the door for awhile (what am I - chopped liver?!). Last Sunday Simba, along with Sophie and his foster mom and dad, spent some time at the Land O'Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show. What a perfect gentleman! We didn't know how he would react to the crowds of people, and happily he was a little timid. Preferring to stick to our side. After we walked around, we worked at the Ragom booth, and met with people to tell them about Ragom. Again Simba was great! Of course he loves attention, so everyone coming up to pet him was just his style. He was good with people of all ages, and the kids just loved him. He would do great in a home with children, since he loves to play. But whatever the make-up of his new family, it should be an active one. Simba has a lot of energy, that he needs to be able to exert. To get ready for the dog show, Simba had a grooming on Saturday. He loved the bath tub, and doesn't mind being brushed. The clippers used to trim up the hair on his feet didn't go over real big, though. Nothing major, it was just strange to him and by that time he thought he looked good enough that grooming should be over with. Simba's greatest trick is climbing on the roof of our house! He is the second of all of our fosters to have done this, and we have had several. Now our dogs don't do this, and Sophie thinks he is nuts, but he leaps up there all of the time (what hip dysplasia?!). I told Denny he gave him the idea when he was up there to put Christmas lights up, and now Simba hasn't forgotten. The roof of our garage is at the height of the deck railing, and boom it is a short jump for Simba's long legs. What a goof! What can I say, Simba continues to add a lot of spunk in our home, even the cats adore him. Sassy loves to pick a fight with him, and at first Simba didn't know what to do about that. And, for the biggest test of being accepted, Suzi (our Westie) was cuddling up to him last night.

Now, about his surgery.......... It has been difficult getting this arranged over the holidays. Once we finally got the x-rays to our vet, and the surgeon was in, he felt they were too old (they were taken right before Thanksgiving). So, now we need to schedule new x-rays, with the surgery to follow right away!

12/26/02: Boy we have been busy since we last reported in! On Friday, December 20th, Simba turned one years old! Don't tell him though, he still believes he is a puppy! With a birthday and Christmas during the last week, we haven't had a lot of time for anything else. Other than being overly excited most of the time (we had a lot of company!), Simba came through the Holidays with flying colors. In general he is a very happy dog, and is always pleased to meet new (or ones he knows!) people. Christmas Eve at the Lamm house hosted as many dogs, as people (7 each!), so can you say commotion?! We made it through with everything intact, which in itself is amazing! There have been a couple of instances where Kirby (my Mom's poodle) has snapped at Simba, and there is never a negative reaction from our sweet natured boy. He just looks at Kirby like what is your problem and moves on.

Simba has no issues with food, bones (well a little hoarding goes on) or toys. They may try to steal each others stuff, but whoever walks off with it gets it, no fighting. The one left without just starts plotting how to get whatever the treasure of the moment is (because you know, it is only interesting if someone else wants it!) back! Simba has gotten pretty good at walking, too. Initially he fought the gentle leader, which is common, but now he pretty much leaves it alone. With the gentle leader on he walks like a pro; without he is a wanderer. Simba loves to play catch, run with his buddies and a good chew bone, not to mention HOURS of petting. He is a cuddler, but sometimes has a short attention span. The longest he stays interested in something is about five minutes. Also, he wants to know where we are at all times, so it is up and down to follow us as we go about our business. Simba isn't fond of getting kenneled, he cries and barks when put in. But I am fairly certain it is short lived, once we have left. He is always calm when we get home, and never makes a sound until we let him out. He sleeps in our room, on the floor, although he has a tendency to wake us periodically by jumping up on our heads! That is on purpose, though, because once he goes outside he settles right back down. It would be nice if he came up with a gentler way of letting us know he needed to go out........

We have been working at getting Simba's surgery set-up. That hasn't been an easy task with the holidays. There has been a lot of telephone tag, etc. Denny finally had arrangements to pick up Simba's x-rays today, so they will be hand delivered to our vet. Then we can get this surgery thing rolling. It will be nice for Simba to get that out of the way, and on the road to recovery. So far the hip dysplasia has held him up at all, but it could, so we want that done with.

12/17/02: Simba moved to a new foster home on Friday, 12/6, and basically made himself right at home! The main reason (well, the only reason!) for his move was to get him into a foster home that he is comfortable in prior to surgery, if he is still in foster care for surgery. His first foster home didn't have the space to help him recoup, which we do. They were very sad to see him go, and we know why. Simba is absolutely a lover and adores getting attention, what a doll!

Since the surgeon had suggested Simba have surgery in the next 2 months, we are trying to arrange this for early January. We are still playing a little phone tag with the appropriate parties, but in the mean time we are working on educating ourselves as to what all this will take. This can all change, if Simba were to find his forever home in the mean time. Not that he doesn't still need the surgery, and that the surgery should happen in the same time frame, but his new forever family may want to be with him during this period........

Now back to our boy! This is one handsome boy, and one where nothing really bothers him. Talk about resilient! Of course I do think he is trying to make up for lost attention, because he wants it all the time. He came in to a house full of pets, there is our Golden Sophie, our Westie Suzi and the cats Samson and Sassy, along with my Mom's poodle Kirby. Now our animals are used to visitors - Kirby - not so much. Kirby can be a pain, but Simba doesn't blink an eye. Suzi, on the other hand is generally the boss and they get along wonderfully. He plays well with the dogs and only chases cats infrequently, which doesn't scare our cats at all. Actually Sassy tries to antagonize him into chasing her! Can you say good luck to the Christmas tree! You can take toys and treats away from him; after he eats, if someone else isn't finished he pushes his way up to their dish; he is just all around good natured. He and Sophie both try to hoard the chew bones - but there haven't been any fights over them (they really just need to learn to share a little!). He happens to be a klutz however, not really paying attention to what is in his way. He is big (not fat) and long legged. So, he just goes where he wants, not really paying attention to what may be in the way. Basically he needs training, but he is a smart boy and has already picked up on small things. Once the crazy busy of the holidays is over (so we, or his new forever home has more time!), and he recoups from surgery, more time can be spent on some basic manners/training. I can imagine that he will be a quick study.

Simba can move to his forever family prior to surgery if they are interested in helping him through all of this. At this point, we (his foster parents) are trying to gain as much information as we can, so we can pass that along appropriately. If he is not placed by the first of the year, we will go ahead with the surgery. If he is placed, we will make sure his mew family helps him through this process!

12/2/02: It has been an eventful first week here for Simba. He was neutered last Tuesday and came home Wednesday in time to join us all for Thanksgiving. He did well with his neuter and has healed just fine.

We did, unfortunately, get some bad news out of the hip dysplasia check that was done. The great Vets at Animal Care Clinic thought they saw problems and so took some x-rays. The diagnosis of hip dysplasia was confirmed and a surgeon was consulted. The surgeon suggests that Simba undergo a TPO procedure for his hip dysplasia and also said that his prognosis is a good to excellent outcome for the surgery because Simba currently shows no arthritic signs in his hip joints. The surgeon also suggests that this surgery needs to be done soon - within the next 2 months - to achieve optimum results for Simba.

In other words, Simba really needs to find a very special forever home - and as quickly as possible. We are also looking for all you kind-hearted souls out there to help us finance this surgery for Simba's new family. What better Christmas or Chanukah gift to give than to help a wonderful fun-loving Golden achieve his potential and live a long normal life!!

Outwardly, you would never suspect there was anything wrong with Simba at this point. He is a very happy boy and a quick learner. He still needs work on many things but has come so far in just a short week (and that was with two days at the Vet). He promptly sits for treats and is learning "down". He still tends to try and jump up when he's excited, but he's really, really trying hard to remember that he gets better response from us humans when he sits for his pets and attention. He has also never failed to come when called - no matter what he's doing at the time.

I would suggest his new family not have toddlers just because of Simba's size (70 lbs.) and the energy level of an 11 month old Golden. Simba doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body - we've pinched him, pulled him, taken bones and food away and he never bats an eye - just gives you his sweet "I Love You" look. He is so eager to please and is 70 pounds of snuggle bug - sometimes a very wiggly one at that!

We're hoping there's a wonderful home out there for Simba in time for his 1st Birthday on December 20th. Simba would really be a gift to yourself that will keep on giving and giving for years to come.

3/14/04: The year of 2003 has had many ups and downs for Simba, but in general the end result is a high up! Simba turned one in December of 2002. Shortly before that first birthday he had been diagnosed with hip dysplasia in both hips, which needed to be taken care of soon, to avoid further damage (i.e.arthritis, etc.....). His first hip was operated on in late January, followed by approximately 12 weeks of recovery, the second hip was operated on April 1. Some April Fools joke, not! Poor Simba thought he was almost home free and then was knocked down again! That left him on "limited" activity until the end of June! Not fun for an energetic one year old (or his family!). In May/June his third potential home fell through and his foster family decided that we had all been through TOO much to look for another home. Shortly after Memorial Day, 2003, Simba's foster home became his forever home! Simba has had a wonderful summer, learning the art of cabin life from his older sisters Sophie and Suzi (the Westie - and boss!). His hips are in tip top shape and he is running, swimming and jumping out of the boat like an old pro. As you can see by the series of pictures included - life at Lone Lake is the best! The first picture shows Simba and sister Suzi resting after a busy day of chasing chipmunks. The second one - look I did it! I jumped out of the boat to get the retrieving dummy! The third - resting on the shore - by our dock. The fourth and fifth - enjoying a boat ride (Sophie even shares the front with me!).I don't think Simba ever thought he was leaving his foster home, he was that content from day one. Even though it was never our intent to adopt this big lug, he is an absolute doll, and we are very happy that we took that plunge. Since Simba joined our family, he has had a foster sister (Chloe 03-200 - aka Clover) to raise....he thought she was his baby and a foster brother (Ska-Zi 03-216) to show the ropes. Simba loves everyone and has one of the easiest going (albeit wild at times!) personalities.

Gay and Denny Lamm

Sophie, Suzi, Samson, Sassy and Simba.......