RAGOM Dog MISSING!!

One of RAGOM's (Retrieve a Golden of MN) dogs has gone missing! She's from a puppy mill and is probably very very scared. 

Abby is missing in the Pine River Area about 22 miles from Brainerd in northern MN. Please keep an eye for her and if you find her please notify the police and animal control. They are aware of her status. 

A day in the life

I told you that Cody was beyond normal....below is an excerpt from my life with the craziest dog on four legs.

Ring Ring!

Me: Hello?

DH: We might have a problem...Cody at 3 corn cobs and isn't feeling that well...

Me: Shit

Fast forward an hour

Vet: He's going to need emergency surgery and it will cost you $2,000

Me: Double shit.

Fast forward two hours.

Emergency vet: Well it looks like your dog has just defined 20 years of veterinary science and he will be just fine without surgery. Your dog truly is a miracle.

Me: I need a drink.

Total cost: $250 plus about 3 years off of life span

That ladies and germs is what my life is like every couple of weeks. I have the vet, emergency vet, and ASACP Pet Poison Control Hotline all on speed dial. It's a wonder I'm not gray yet.

Big Black Dog Syndrome

Check out this article on Big Black Dogs.

It's a good one. Big Black Dog Syndrome is a subject close to my heart as most of you probably know. Black dogs have the highest euthanasia rate out there. They sit in the shelters the longest and often never leave. People pass them for a variety of reasons. Personally, I have a soft spot for all big black dogs. Especially mixes. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for a big fuzzy black face with those liquid brown eyes.

Home Remodeling/Cody's story

While Cody and I are sitting here listening the sounds of my husband tearing apart my master bedroom closet piece by piece, I thought I would enlighten you dear readers (I assume there's like 3 of you) about the love of my life. That would be the fuzzy face you see on top of this blog. 

I grew up with 

dogs and have always had a bit of touch with them. I was never very comfortable with people as a kid and thought dogs were way better. Who am I kidding? I still do. Fast forward several years and I've just graduated from college. I made it a grand total of 2 weeks before I broke down and said I need a dog. Of course the whole living on your own and being in an apartment was a bit of a deterrent. My BF at the time (now my DH) was headed out to work on the road for a year and thought it might be nice to leave me with some companionship. So one Saturday morning (June 11, 2005, but who's counting) we se

t off to get the "lay of the land and see what was out there", my DH's words, not mine. We hit a couple different shelters looking for a smaller dog. We finally went

 by the Golden Valley HS and asked to see their smaller dogs. The only one they had was not for me. I just started walking down the rows of cages for fun. I saw this big black and white face look up at me with chocolate brown eyes and was in love. Then I read the note on his cage. Euthanasia date: June 10th. I asked the nearest shelter worker why he was still  here and she said the vet called in sick on Friday and so Cody got a reprieve. That was all I needed. $220 later and I walked out of there with 50lbs of pure chaos and love. 

Now this would be the part where I say we lived happily ever after, but I would totally be lying through my orthodontically straightened teeth. Cody turned

 out to be a whole lot chaos that I was not prepared for. Case in point: 4 weeks after adopting him he  ate 3 feet of electrical wiring. Why? Your guess is a

s good as mine. I would list all we've been through, but I have a feeling that deserves its own post. 

Over the past three years, Cody and I have been through a lot. We've both helped each other to grow up. He's shown me a love that I have never known and helped me overcome a lot of things. I shower him with treats, affectation, and probably have a borderline obsession with his happiness. But you  know what? I don't care. People can say what they want. I know that he and I have saved each other and that in my opinion is all that matters.  

PetSmart - A journey

Ok, I know this is my third post today (which puts me pretty squarely in the pathetic category), but I have to rant about my experience at PetSmart today. Codyman and I just got back from a quick turn to restock up on stuffies (the others met a rather tragic fate of disembowelment) and I have one thing to say. IF YOUR KIDS CANNOT CONTROL YOUR DOG, DO NOT LET THEM HANDLE HIM IN A BUSY PUBLIC SPOT. Oy. You would think that it would be common sense. But apparently not.
Cody and had a fairly successful trip to PetSmart and were in the check out line to spend his daddy's hard earned overtime pay, when 2 boys about 7 and 10 coming barreling out of the grooming shop being towed by a giant yellow lab with 2 choke chains on. TWO?! The dog heads straight for Cody's butt. Now Cody likes other dogs, he really does. He just doesn't like it when they are incredibly pushy and stick their noses straight up his butt while he's trying to chew a treat. I pulled Cody aside to avoid any sort of conflict. The boys then continue to let the dog bully mine in line while their mom is chatting up a clerk. Neither she or any of the three clerks say anything about the horrific doggy manners that are happening here. I finally asked the boys to take their dog elsewhere. Of course they looked at me like I was the mean, crabby, dog lady. Nasty side effect I suppose of trying to avoid a doggy conlict in PetSmart. After I was checked out and headed for the door, I saw the same yellow lab trying to mount someone's poor basset hound. Oh yeah, the mom was still chatting....

On a positive note, Cody did let a 10 year old girl pet him without nipping her! That is a BIG deal. More explanation about Codyman's hate for children later. It's a long post.

RIP Max

One of the foster dogs in our program crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday. He had separation anxiety so bad that he would have to been essentially kept comatose. The more humane choice was to help him over the Rainbow Bridge. This brings up a point to me about SA.

Max was adopted by his orginal family when he was a puppy. Max spent his whole life living with another dog and was never left alone. His doggy buddy suddenly passed away and Max's whole world tipped. He never knew what it was to be alone. Max never knew if he would be safe again, he never knew if his people were coming back because he had never been properly socialized.
Many people think that if they get a second dog, they don't have to spend time to work with them or do the same things they did with their first dog to get them used to living on their own. This is by far one of the worst things you can do. When the first dog crosses over, the second dog doesn't have any of the skills to cope on his own. This can lead to severe separation anxiety and in extreme cases can end in a situation like Max was experiencing. While dogs are pack animals, that doesn't mean that they don't need to learn how to function on their own and learn proper behaviors on their own as well.

Moral of the story: Please socialize your dogs when they're puppies. Honor Max and make sure your dog doesn't have to go through the same terror and anxiety that he did. Take the time to train your dog, it's the best investment you can make.

RIP Max

Adopt me Friday

Meet Gabe! He's with Happy Hound Rescue. He's about a year, german shorthair pointer, chocolate lab mix. He was on his last day at the pound and he was pulled from the gas chamber at the last minute. Sweet guy who needs a home. Click on the pic if you want to learn more.

Doggy Bloggin' it

I've officially joined the world of bloggers. Scary place, but hopefully I'll enjoy it. I'm also sort hoping you will as well, but one step at a time I suppose. For those of you that know me, you know that dogs are my obsession. Always have been, always will be. Unlike those ballet lessons in the second grade....short lived interest. After 20 years of boring my entire extended family and all of my friends with my advice and stories revolving around dogs, I thought I would take them to the great wide world and blog em' out. This blog will (hopefully) be chock full of doggy stories, doggy behavior tips, pet peeves (pun intended), and exploits from the doggy rescue world. I also fully intend to have an adoption Friday. Check back every Friday to see who my featured fuzzy face is. 

Why do I do this crazy doggy stuff and what is my story you ask? My inspiration for my rescue work and obsession for all things doggy is my beloved four-legged companion Cody. I'll save his life story for another post. Stay tuned!