Teddy #04-050

(Fostered in Twin Cities Metro Area)

Teddy is 11 1/2 years old and has spent his life, to this point, as a stud with a backyard breeder in MO. Recently Teddy has become less than effective at breeding, meaning he no longer chose to. Unfortunately for Teddy, that meant he was no longer wanted. Which actually probably is a great thing for Teddy because it means he made a trip to MN, became a foster dog with RAGOM and will find a forever home that will appreciate this wonderful boy and give him lot's of love!

Teddy is a smaller sized Golden, approximately 55 lbs., with a white face. At first glance he seems very shy, maybe even a little frightened. But Teddy had a lot of changes in a short time and we need to let him settle in and find out what the good life is like.

UPDATES:

5/5/04:  Teddy continues to become more comfortable with people everyday.  I have left his new bed in the living room, to encourage more time spent out with the rest of us, rather than going to his room (well our bedroom, but don't tell Teddy, he thinks it is his room).  Initially I knew he was spending the work day on his bed (if he could get there before one of the cats).  When we would get home from work that was where he was.......  Now he is on the his bed when we are in that room.  I didn't work on Monday and he basically followed me from room to room.  If I was in the kitchen/dining/living room - he got up and went on his bed in the living room.  If I went into the bedroom - he followed me in.  Teddy doesn't seek out attention, but he likes being where the action is.

On Saturday Teddy joined the whole family at the Animal Humane Society's annual walk.  I wasn't sure if he should join us, since I was worried that all the people would freak him out.  Well, Denny thought he was up to it and he was right.  Teddy didn't really pay attention to all the people, because he loves all the animals and he was just enthralled with it all.  Denny and Teddy did cut the walk a little short - just to make sure it wasn't too much for him (5 miles).  He has been building his endurance, though.  Before, if he was tired, he would stop walking.  He never showed that intention here.  When we stopped for lunch at the end, however, he curled up for a nap.  He was pretty tired and didn't really want to get up when we needed to head to the car.

Teddy is a wonderful boy and it is such a joy to see him enjoy everything so much.  He really is starting to branch out and do things he didn't want to before.  Car rides were scary to him, but if it means hanging out with his buddies (Sophie, Suzi and Simba......well, and Dad) he is eager to go along.  The rest seem to like going on errands with Dad, so it must be OK, right?!  Teddy wouldn't miss the morning walk either and even lets one of the other walkers pet him!

4/19/04:  Let me tell you a little story about Teddy........... After spending the first 11 and a half years of his life in a Puppy Mill, basically living on a concrete floor in a cage, Teddy has been thinking life is pretty good lately. Due to his retirement as a stud dog and moving into foster care with RAGOM, Teddy now lives in a house. He gets to sleep either on floors with carpet, or a really nice dog bed (he just got a new one last week and boy does he like it!). He gets two tasty and nutritious meals a day, periodic snacks, plays in a big backyard with his foster sisters and brother and goes on daily walks..... All this has seemed pretty good to Teddy. Teddy loves his walks and really likes it now that it is light out later, since we go over to the park reserve on some evenings. There he sees wildlife like rabbits and a fox, which he is very interested in, even though he doesn't get to get close to them! Well.......Teddy found out the life can get even better than all of this! On Saturday we took a long drive. Teddy couldn't understand why Sophie, Suzi and Simba were so excited to pack up the car and head out (personally riding in the car is a little nerve racking to Teddy). But Teddy's new bed was in the back, so he got comfortable and let things happen as they may. Well to Teddy's great delight, we went to the cabin! The ice was out of our lake and Sophie went from the car directly into the lake. Guess who followed (if you ask me that had to be pretty cold!). Teddy made sure he was always with either Sophie or Simba, so he never wondered off at all. He watched them and did everything they did (well - except swim!). Teddy waded in the water, but going as far as not having his feet touch the bottom was a little too much for an old guy! Sophie had a chipmunk up a tree and Simba and Teddy took over guarding the tree (I don't think they knew what was up there, but they didn't seem to mind!), they explored the yard and all the great new smells that spring brings. When we packed up to come home on Sunday, Teddy didn't want to leave.......which is generally how we all feel! This morning - all dogs were pretty tired - they decided to pass on the morning walk. Of course it was still raining a little and Dad didn't feel like taking them either, but they didn't even care.

We are still working to get Teddy more comfortable with people. He does pretty good at times. He went to the RAGOM meeting last week and didn't shrink away from anyone (at least not too terribly much). Teddy is ready to find a new forever home. Any candidates need to be aware that certain things are slow going with Teddy, but he is a lovable guy and turns the heads of everyone he meets!

4/12/04:  Last week Denny and I went to the Twins game (thankfully it was the 11 inning game - not the 15 inning game!) and our daughter came to take care of the dogs. She was curious as to why Teddy was so skittish (she wasn't familiar with Puppy Mill Dogs and them not being comfortable with strangers) - but thought he was absolutely gorgeous! She fell in love with this sweetie. Teddy does have a very cute (albeit white) face!

Teddy had a very busy holiday weekend! We hosted a Bridal Shower for our son's fiancé on Saturday. Since Teddy is still somewhat nervous riding in the car, we decided he didn't need to drive around town with Denny and the other dogs on his errands. Teddy generally likes it in our bedroom, well I think he feels it is his room, so he stayed there while the party was going on. He did this with the door open, where he could have come out and visited, but he thought his room was much safer. A four year old guest, who was in search of one of the kitty's discovered Teddy in the room. She absolutely loved Teddy, and he loved her back. Usually, he only lets you stay and talk to him for a short period of time before he leaves, but on Saturday I don't think he felt like there was any safe place to leave to with all the people in our house. So he just stayed with little Samantha, and was very good with her. A few other guests came and visited, he just stayed put. Everyone has the same reaction - they all think Teddy is absolutely adorable. (I have film in to be developed - so hopefully I will have new shots on the web soon!)

On Friday I was home cleaning and getting ready for the shower. For some reason all the dogs but Teddy were inside. I looked out the window and Teddy was tossing the ball in the air, catching it and then rolling on the grass. He was having a grand ole time. He continues to watch and maybe partially play with the other dogs. He shows such enjoyment at some of these simple games it is really fun to watch him. He definitely watches everything, takes it all in and then tries things.....sometimes when he thinks no one else is watching. But he enjoys experiencing all the things my dogs have always taken for granted!

Teddy made a return trip to the vet and got his stitches out. He did very well recuperating from his neuter. He is a healthy 11 year old that takes a little pill each day to help with his effects of slight arthritis. With this medication he really shows no signs of limping.

Teddy continues to need patience, since quick movements make him nervous. Generally I think he is a happy dog, that will make someone a very good companion. His forever home should probably be a little laid back, another dog would be good. If watching this sweet dog come out of his shell, he just may be the dog for you!

3/29/04:  Teddy was neutered this past week, so he spent part of the week recuperating! Teddy made it through surgery just fine; he was neutered, had his "wart" removed and was X-rayed. Before going in for surgery he had been limping a bit, something that he hadn't done before, so we thought it was best to have it checked out. They discovered that Teddy has slight hip dysplasia, but nothing like his buddy Simba (Simba's before and after X-rays are on display at our animal hospital due to the drastic improvement that occurred!). There really isn't anything that needs to be done for his hip dysplasia and his main problem will be some arthritis, which is probably why he was limping slightly. They put him on some arthritis meds and he hasn't limped since. This is something that they will monitor, to see what if anything he may need on an ongoing basis. Teddy is still quite an active boy for his age and we do not see this slowing him down. Due to his neuter, Teddy spent a couple of days with the E-collar on, we didn't want him ripping out those stitches! He did really well, though, and doesn't have to wear that darn collar anymore. Boy is he happy about that - it sure made getting around difficult. All he needs now is to get the stitches out and he is as good as new!

Teddy is still shy and doesn't come and ask for much attention. He has a favorite corner in our bedroom that he likes to go for peace and quiet. I was in sitting on the bed the other day, talking to him and he got up and left. I guess I was invading his personal space! :-) But he still likes to be near everyone and what is happening, he just prefers a little space. We work on that with him daily, so he gets used to being touched and figures out that is a good thing!

Teddy's perfect home would definitely have another dog in it. He loves being with all of the dogs that either live at our house (we have 3) or have come and visited lately (seems like a lot of people are taking trips....we have had 3 different dogs come to visit). He doesn't exactly join in the play in the backyard, but he is getting pretty close to doing so. His tail is usually high and wagging when outside watching the dogs play. He still gives in easily when Simba comes and takes a bone, or toy away from him. He is too much of a soft touch. Simba's sisters (Sophie and Suzi) would NEVER let Simba take something away from them until they were good and finished with it! But easy going Teddy doesn't mind. He does like a good bone, or a fun toy (although retrieving isn't big for him..........well, yet). Treats - he doesn't generally take, but will eat if left for him (we literally have to leave before he eats them). But this boy has discovered his appetite and doesn't even care if "people" are around while he enjoys a good meal!

3/22/04:  Well, I do not have much to report on Teddy this week. His foster family went on a much enjoyed cruise, leaving him with another RAGOM volunteer family. Teddy enjoyed his vacation with Bogey (formerly Kelby 03-118) and Bogey's family. As you can see by the new pictures, Teddy and Bogey enjoyed each others company.

From what we understand Teddy had a good week, and had a few new experiences. He had walks, went for car rides (this is something that stresses him a little, but he is learning that they can be fun!) and met new people.

3/9/04:  Teddy continues to learn the everyday enjoyment of living in a house and being part of a family. On the one hand he still shies away from quick movements and doesn't seem altogether comfortable when we show him attention, on the other hand he sticks close by so he doesn't miss anything! He is learning and he tends to watch closely and take EVERYTHING in! We had company on Sunday, he came up behind the visiting female and sniffed her from behind (good thing she didn't turn abruptly - Teddy would have really been startled!) and took a treat from the male.......well not out of his hand, but when he put it on the floor by him he ate it. We just keep taking baby steps to make him comfortable with his surroundings.

Teddy's blood screen came back normal, so his general health is good, which we had thought. He does need to go back to get a few things taken care of (like a little wart like growth in his ear, etc.), but we were waiting on the results of the health screening (and hoping that he gets more comfortable in strange situations - he was SO nervous when he was at the vet the first time around!). We will make that return trip soon. But the good news is he is heart worm negative, which we always worry about with these guys that haven't had any prevention for it!

The boy who didn't eat when he first came to live with us now has a very good appetite! He also enjoys a chew bone every now and then, although is so passive that he allows Simba to take it away when he tries. A past foster (Chester 01-139) has been with us a couple of times in the last two weeks. Chester and Teddy are the same age, and they truly enjoy each others company. Although Teddy likes the younger dogs, too. He still is the happiest playing (or just watching the others play) in the yard. Teddy still doesn't pay a lot of attention to our cats, but has taken up the chase with Simba a couple of times.

I thought that Teddy was always kind-of checking out our bed, thinking it looked really comfortable. Since we let the dogs on the bed (when the bedspread has been removed), I had Denny put him up on the bed with me on Saturday. He was real nervous and didn't feel comfortable, so he got down pretty quickly. But we enjoy treating him to luxuries that he isn't used to!

3/1/04:  Teddy is a VERY sweet boy. We think his background is much closer to being a puppy mill boy, rather than a regular breeder. He is very shy and unsure of himself, and gets nervous quite easily. That said, he also is very sweet and even though he shies away from human touch, he stays close by. He is very interested in what is going on around him and tries very hard to want to be pet by us. He has an adorable face that seems pleasant - now if we could just get that tail up in the air wagging more frequently!

This was a big week for Teddy and even though he has just been with us since Sunday evening (2/22), he has made some great strides! He did not eat for two days, but we mixed some canned food in and he has started eating. Generally Teddy is happiest our in the backyard. On Tuesday he hid in the kennel, and showed very minimal interest in the tennis ball I tossed to try and bribe him out, by Wednesday he came all the way into the house when I called and on Thursday he actually came to the door and asked to come in! All of these steps may seem small, but to a dog like Teddy they are huge and we have been SO excited at each new step. The fact that we saw something each day was real progress and we were so happy! Teddy's first walk was met with a great deal of stress. First there was that darn gentle leader to get used to, he didn't understand that at all. When he got home (this was a fairly short walk) he was panting heavily and it took awhile to get him to relax. He has since gone on a few more short walks and he does not come home panting! By Wednesday Teddy showed his first glimpse of interest in a dog toy and by Thursday he chewed on a bone for a few minutes. So as you can see, he is taking in his environment and learning that he too can partake in some of the more pleasurable things! He still is nervous about the stairs and crouches very low to walk up and down, that is inside the house only! He has master the steps on the deck and goes up and down those quite easily with the rest of the pack.

Teddy was quite a mess when he got to our house.........very dirty and smelly. Even though he was nervous (or maybe because he was nervous!), he sat nicely in the tub while we bathed him. His ears were filthy and he let Denny clean them. This is not to say both of these activities were not very traumatic to him, but he was happy to be clean. Teddy went to the vet on Saturday, which made him VERY nervous (sounding like a trend, isn't it? :-) ) . All the rest of the dogs got to stay home, and they are his security blanket. They are so great with him at our animal hospital, that even though Teddy shock the whole time, they handled him gently and they were able to complete everything that was needed. He weighed in at 64 lbs., had his vaccinations, a blood screen and an overall exam. We are waiting to hear the results on the blood screen to make sure he is heart worm negative, etc. They felt Teddy is in good shape physically, we just have to get him comfortable socially. He has a wart like growth in his ear, which they will take off, but we wanted to do things slowly so as to not scare him unnecessarily..

2/23/04:  Teddy has been with us less than 24 hours, so we don't have a lot to report on him yet. He is very shy and at times he seems to back away from us when we go to pet him. He has a very sweet face, and does eventually come to get a few pets, but he is very tentative.

Meeting the brood at our house was fairly uneventful. We have two Goldens - Sophie and Simba (02-331), a Westie - Suzi, and two cats - Samson and Sassy. The dogs met in the backyard and it was pretty uneventful. Simba is very active and was excited with the new addition. Teddy is a little more laid back than Simba, but was happy to meet him. Teddy has not been wagging his tail much yet, but he did when he greeted Simba this morning. He seemed to smile when he saw him.......he is definitely more comfortable around other dogs, not people. The cats were another nonevent. He has seen both of them and didn't even react (which I think disappointed Sassy - she likes to cause a little trouble with the new fosters!). So I would guess he has been around cats before.

We believe Teddy lived in the backyard - literally - since he is very unsure of himself indoors. Stairs seem foreign to him and he really liked our outside kennel (our dogs never even go near it!), this morning he went in there rather than come inside. As with many previous "outside" dogs - there were no accidents in the house. They are generally used to only going potty outside! He has not eaten for us yet. As I said, he seems pretty nervous. He slept in the crate, in the kitchen. He never made a sound.....but at 3 a.m. I got up to get a drink of water and he was awake, panting in there. We are hoping he starts feeling more comfortable soon! I would say he is more nervous, then scared. But he had a long trip from MO and everything is probably very foreign to him. At least Suzi has been nice.....so far anyway! :-) I am sure she will wait until he feels at home before she lets him know that she IS the boss at this house.