Rufus finds a home for Christmas

I shared the story of Rufus's rescue on Thanksgiving day, link to it here.

UPDATES FROM RAGOM BLOG:
12/05/2013:

Hi all! Rufus here. This is a busy time of year for my FM in her shop so she told me I could go ahead and use the computer if I promised not to lick, drool or chew on it. She's so picky.

Things have been going well for me the last few weeks.

Thanksgiving was great. I got to go to FM's parent's house where there were lots of cousins and two other dogs, a golden retriever and a shih tzu. The GR was very nice and quiet and we smiled at each other once or twice, but that was about it. She's a little too old for me to get rambunctious with. The shih tzu was kind of whiny if you ask me, but I did my best to ignore him. We had our crates lined up in the grandparents house- they have a lot of cream colored carpet and couches and they were using china and crystal that weekend - and I think I did a good job of just relaxing and enjoying a few days of vacation. People kept saying how well behaved I was. Well, duh?!

I love to take my family on walks, but between you and me, they are just so slow!! Don't worry, I pull them right along to pick up the pace. FM keeps saying we need to work on that. I don't know what this "we" thing is, but yes, she needs to get with the program. I've compromised a little. Now she needs to. Speaking of that...FM keeps trying to put this TERRIBLE thing on me called a Gentle Leader. You would think she would get the picture that I think it's annoying. I mean really how long do I have to paw at it before she realizes enough already! I guess persistence will be the key to getting my point across.

Okay, here's a secret, but don't tell my FM. I'm really a very smart boy. I know that I should come when I'm called, I know that I should wait for my food until I'm told it's ok to eat, I know I should not take pens and socks and gloves and baseball mitts and floral arrangements and refuse to give them back, BUT if they are willing to give me a treat in exchange for all of these things, why not use it to my advantage?? I do follow the rules most of the time just to be nice because it really makes my foster family happy and then I get extra pets and butt scratches. Speaking of butt scratches, is there anything better in life?! Oh, except maybe my Kong and my dog food and my treats, but other than that nothing better for sure!

I have a bone to pick with my foster family. Really I love them like crazy, but they insist on me practicing stairs in their house, like every single day. Wears a boy out and I just am not sure it is necessary. I get by just fine living on their main level.

(Okay, FM here, Rufus really does still have a strong aversion to the stairs inside of our home. We have been able to get him to put his front feet on them, but the minute a back foot goes up he realizes what he has done and runs away, back to a safe distance from the stairs. We do work with him almost daily on this and try to make it as calm and rewarding as possible, but as of today, stairs inside of a home are a problem.)

Ok, Rufus here again, just took a break to eat lunch. I still eat three times a day and I can tell I'm getting very buff. I am still a little bit underweight, but feel very strong and healthy and energetic. I like to sleep in my crate at night with my Kong. FM won't let me have a teddy bear - something about mutilation or something like that- so I'm good with just me and my Kong. My family is very inconsistent in the morning. Sometimes my brother gets up at 5:30 for basketball practice before school, sometimes no one wakes up until 9:00 on the weekends. It's all whatever. I just wait until they let me out. I am very quiet. Even when I hear them talking in the kitchen. I just wait. I'm pretty easy like that. Plus, I have never had a potty accident like some other resident dog I know, shhhh.

I may be a "mix", but I do know one thing. I am getting good at using the Golden nudge to get attention. I usually just push on my people with my nose, but sometimes when they are not getting the point fast enough I'll throw a paw onto the lap. That always works! I also have moments where I think it would be fun to be a lap dog. That is usually followed by FM groaning. Guess I'm a little too big for her lap but it's worth a try once in awhile.

Ohhh, I want my future family to know that germs are not a bad thing, really. My favorite game is retrieve the Kong, but it is hilarious to then play keep away when I bring it back. I'm really good at slobbering it all up and then insisting you take it from me, but not before a little game of tug. Sure, I know "drop", but what fun is that? It's much more satisfying to play my way. Keeps my fosters on their game.

One last thing, I know this got long, but if you are anything like me you took ten breaks to do other things before you finished reading it. That's okay. I don't need a sit still kind of family. FM is going to add a picture of me walking on the frozen lake. Ice is slippery and fun, stairs are bad. Thanks for reading my story.

(FM here again, Rufus did a great job, but he's too modest to tell you how stinkin' adorable he is. If you are interested, please contact your placement advisor. Rufus our Big Dufus is a wonderful guy! I'm sure you'll love him as much as we do.)

12/16/2013:
Rufus met a man this past weekend who was very excited to be adopting his first dog ever! I think he picked a gem. Rufus will be going home with him just in time for the Holidays. He will be an only pet to this active young man and will get a lot of one-on-one attention, exercise and the opportunity for play dates with close friends' dogs. I'm so happy for both Rufus and his new dad.

RUFUS BEFORE :-(

Rufus: Hungry no more

Rufus came to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue as a malnourished surrender during the October clinic. We were able to get a placement for both Rufus and Louis, another golden mix, with RAGOM (Retrieve A Golden Of Minnesota). Dennis transported them on October 26th. We were so pleased to receive a great update from Rufus's foster and to see Rufus posted for adoption on RAGOM's website.

Karen

RUFUS AT CLINIC

UPDATE FROM FOSTER HOME:

I am currently fostering a gorgeous male Golden retriever/Lab mix named Rufus through RAGOM. I know he was originally being taken care of through your rescue organization in October, if not longer. (He came in to RAGOM with Louis who was RLRR also).

RUFUS AT RLRR

He just went to the vet today and they said he is looking and doing great. He could still stand to gain about 5-10 pounds but has made great progress. Rufus seems to have been taught some manners at some point. He knows how to sit and stay. Maybe you worked on this with him or maybe he had memory of it from another home?

Rufus is very food motivated as you know, so we are working hard on "wait"! Although my vet told me today, he can't be completely blamed for his craziness towards food and treats as he was starving at some point.

He is making good progress on the leash, knowing his name and recall. He is very frightened of the stairs in my home, but oddly not the stairs on my decks and patio. Other than that we have witnessed no anxiety or fears. 

RUFUS IS HAPPY NOW

He is just a great guy, friendly to our dog and cat and all people he has encountered, who has a lot of energy and loves his toys and butt scratches! I just am trying to fill in a few of the puzzle pieces. I also wanted to thank you so much for all you have done for him to start him on this path to a beautiful, loving life!

RAGOM UPDATE:
Rufus is available for adoption!

Please welcome Rufus who came to us ten days ago through the Red Lake Rosie's Rescue organization which was just too overcrowded after the October clinic. They knew RAGOM would get him into a foster home and on his way to a new life. He is a young, neutered male Golden Retriever/Lab mix (?) and is likely less than two years old. He came in with very little background info, but was quite malnourished and dehydrated.

 He was recently given a clean bill of health at the vet and is UTD on vaccinations. The vet said he could stand to gain another 10 pounds as he is only 60 pounds right now. His ribs are still visible. We have him on a three-meal-a-day feeding schedule. Rufus LOVES food and treats. I do not say this lightly. He is learning to be more patient, but it is a work in progress. He just has the hardest time waiting and bounces up and down when he knows it's time to eat. It's incredibly cute the look he gets when told to wait. He sits and wiggles and tap dances and looks at FM as if to say, "I'm trying soooooo hard!" 

I am happy to report he has no resource guarding issues. We have pet him all over his body and head, and put our hands in his bowl and taken it away from him as he is eating to no reaction. Our smaller resident dog has even walked under him while he is eating with no problem. Rufus does inhale his food and we are working on slowing him down by putting his food in muffin tins.When giving treats, you must know that as gentle as he tries to be, it is very common for him to get fingers and hands in his mouth with the treat. We are working on a human's definition of "gentle" versus Rufus' definition and starting to see a little progress, but I would still be wary of young children with him. Also, Rufus is big, tall, and very, very strong. Even my 16-year-old son, at 6'1", finds him to be quite the handful. 

Obedience classes would be a great thing for Rufus! He likes going for walks, but pulls hard on the flat collar/leash. He is slowly being trained on the Gentle Leader. He does know his name and has very good recall. He needs an active family dedicated to giving him tons of exercise. Rufus is a go, go, go type of dog and, at less than two years, still has some of that extra energy associated with pups.

He has a hard time settling down and just cuddling. This is hard on FM since he is so darn cute!

Rufus does however sleep beautifully in his crate at night in the dining room (away from the rest of the family because he is terrified of the stairs which lead up to the bedrooms). We hear not so much as a peep until we open the crate door the next morning. I do give him free roam during the day since I work from home. I check in on him every few hours. He will occasionally chew on things he shouldn't if they are within reach (like socks and pens). Like I said, he is terrified of our stairs, and no matter how much bribing we do, he will not ascend or descend them. We thought it was just the tile set at first, but he won't do the carpeted ones either. Strangely, the stairs outside on the decks (wooden and cement) he has no issues with. This appears to be his only fear.

Rufus loves toys, but will destroy them within minutes! The only toy that has survived is his extra large Kong and a Nylabone. Stuffed toys are dismembered in seconds, rope toys shredded in minutes, rubber toys with squeakers end up in a hundred pieces, tennis balls and sticks, no chance!

If Rufus - who we lovingly refer to as Dufus on occasion when he looks at us with his head tilted as to say, "What? me?" - seems like the Active dog for your family, please contact your placement advisor. If you have seen Marley and Me, this should give an idea of what he is like. He is a great dog!

Thanks Twin City Pet Rescue!

Twin City Pet Rescue has been a great partner of Red Lake Rosie's Rescue this past year. They have taken many dogs and cats into their foster program and found homes for them.

Most recently they answered the call and took in three cats, Dona and Dana two juvenile calicos from Ponemah, and Dancer, a juvenile female that was left behind after a housefire in Red Lake.

On the same transport they took a small dog, named Rufus, that had been surrendered and fostered at Carol's house in Bemidji. They left on transport May 26th.

He is Jack Russell and Havanese, probably about 9 months old now. Very shy, but warms up nicely and then is very affectionate and snuggly. He needs to learn some manners, but seems pretty smart.

We appreciate the network of rescues that have been so responsive to the needs of the Red Lake animals.

Sincerely, Karen Good
Red Lake Rosie's Rescue

Tres Magnifique!

During the recent clinic, DeeDee and Karen were in Ponemah waiting for residents to pick up their newly altered animals when a young man approached to ask for help. He said that his dog had been hit by a car about five days earlier, and the "bone was sticking out."

DeeDee followed him home to assess the situation and found a juvenile black lab cross with a homemade splint/bandage on his leg. She told the man that the dog needed to see a veterinarian immediately. He did not own a vehicle, nor could he afford to pay the veterinary costs, so he surrendered the puppy to Red Lake Rosie's Rescue.

Back at the warehouse, he was given the name Rufus. Despite his considerable pain, Rufus was happy and friendly.

UPDATE FROM ACT V:
Rufus (now known as Tres) came from Red Lake to us as an urgent request by DeeDee and Karen Good. He's a 17 week old lab/shep mix that had been hit by a car about 5-7 days prior to being turned into Red Lake during a spay neuter event. His hock joint was completely destroyed and the bones exposed to the environment. DeeDee transported him to us and stayed with him until evaluated.

Unfortunately, his leg could not be salvaged and it was amputated the next day. His new foster says he's doing really well. He's a snuggly guy. Wish him luck in his quest for a new loving home.

Act V Rescue

NOTE: All of these photos were taken after his surgery.

MORE before the storm...

Fluffy pups
We had a couple days notice of a big storm with snow and wind and cold moving across Minnesota this past weekend. I had planned a transport driving up on Saturday and back on Sunday, but it was clear that Sunday would not be a day to travel. Karen really needed to get some dogs moved to rescues before the storm, so the trip was changed to a drive up and back to Bemidji -- all on Saturday.
Rufus
The O'Sullivans helped out by driving from Bemidji up to Red Lake and back to bring down the animals for transport. We met and exchanged our load of supplies for Karen for the animals before noon. I drove in freezing drizzle that kept threatening to cover my windshield, but had no other problems. Thanks to G. for swapping vehicles with me (again) and K. for riding up and back with me.
KeelaWe delivered a darling gray and white chihuahua to D. in Rogers. Next stop was the Brooklyn Park office of Minnesota Animal Rescue Services (MARS) where we dropped off Moneya and her three medium-sized pups. Then we went to my house and two women from the Akin vet clinic in Farmington came to get big Rufus (who was quite intimidated by the snowmen in the lawn across the street), three squirmy little fluffy white and black puppies and two tiny shepherd mix pups.

J. came to claim Mama Mia's five darling kittens that are quite a bit older now than this picture.
NOTE: Please send your best wishes to Bev K. of MARS who was injured in a car accident just after meeting us and distributing the dogs to their foster homes on Saturday. A drunk driver hit four cars, including Bev's, that were stopped at a red light. A man in another vehicle was killed and Bev is in the hospital with a head injury, but is expected to recover fully. Karen spoke to Bev and Bev told her that "She was happy she had no animals or other people along or they might have been killed."