Lucas
Updated 10/07/10
This sweet, fun guy is ready for his forever home. He has slimmed down with a measured diet of kibble and fresh fruits and veggies for breakfast and dinner and snacks. (He would like you to know that his favorites are summer squash and peaches.)
Luke’s tail seems to wag more with each passing day and he carries his ball everywhere, hoping for a game. He gets along great with all the other dogs in the house, of course.
And the best news is that the Thundershirt has really worked for Luke! He hasn’t needed his Perelandra drops since we got it. He can tell when a storm is approaching and wants his shirt put on. Once he is wearing it, he can even go out in the rain to tinkle. The shirt gives him that feeling of security just like a favorite blanket gives security to a baby. Luke feels very secure once his is all “duded up”!
Updated 9/23/10
Here is Luke outside in his Thundershirt. He LOVES it. The shirt seems to give hime a sense of security, just like a child with his or her security blanket.
We can now leave Luke out loose with the other foster dogs in unsettled weather and not worry about anything being damaged or disordered when we get back home. Since using the shirt, he hasn’t even needed his Perelandra anti-anxiety drops. So far so good. ISN'T LUKE ADORABLE!
Updated 9/8/10
Gentle giant Lucas is an outgoing boy who gets along with everybody. Definitely a member of the pack. His only naughty habit is one he picked up from his foster sister Zoee – she taught him how to counter surf! Now the kitchen is off limits unless a person is there to watch, because at 95+ pounds Lucas is a big, tall guy who can easily reach countertops and tables (doubtless Zoee figured she’d have it made once she “trained” a partner in crime with such a long reach).
Luke just LOVES his tennis ball! As the weather cools off he’ll be getting in a lot more outdoor playtime.
We know that Lucas’s original owner gave him up because of his storm phobia, so we’ve been waiting to see how he’d react to T-storms now that he’s in foster care… and last week, we had our first one since Luke arrived. We knew the bad weather was coming, but I figured I had time to run to the market for 20 minutes or so. Lucas seemed fine when I left, but when I got back, he was definitely getting wound up (though we still had about an hour before the storm actually hit). He’d knocked down the babygate to get to the door he’d seen me leave from and scratched at the trim & molding. I gave him his anxiety medication (Perelandra “ETS” drops – flower essences along the lines of Rescue Remedy) on some bread, and then we wrapped him in 3 large ACE bandages. The even pressure from the bandages helped to calm him & he wore them all night, though he was panting a lot and sticking close to us.
Just a few days later we had a whopper here in San Antonio—lots of lightning and thunder and pouring rain. We gave Luke his Perelandra and he stayed right by my side on the sofa. Lights on, TV on. Lots of panting but not one bit of damage, and he was his usual happy, laidback self by morning. (Foster dog Ruben was on the sofa too! That was one bad storm.) Poor Luke! I hate to think how terrified he was at his former house when he had to stay outside. We’ve ordered a "thundershirt" for him & we will look forward to trying that out.
This guy would do great with any family who will give him love and attention and exercise – all the things any Golden needs! – and who will understand his storm phobia and be willing to keep him company when it’s thundery outside.
Updated 8/30/10
Lucas, aka Luke, is so cool. He just LOVES his ball and will let you spend lots of time throwing it to him and he returns the ball to be thrown again. He’s so alert. Has great eye-mouth coordination and catches the ball in the air.
Luke’s fur is growing out now and he will be a gorgeous Golden. He has the sweetest face. Waiting patiently for his forever family. He’s a fun, fun dog.
Updated 8/6/10
Lucas was originally posted on the shelter site as a Labrador, but a second look had the staff changing their minds and firing off an e-mail: “Can you please come take a look? Is this a Golden?” Yes! Shaved down with a bad “summer cut,” but a Golden for sure. No mistaking that handsome face.
Adopted out by another shelter a few years past, Lucas lived with a family until this summer. But like so many Goldens, he’s thunder-phobic, and the storms of June and July caused him so much stress that he lost his equilibrium once too often—and so, he lost his home as well.“Owner stated that dog chews on anything and everything during storms,” reported the shelter. “Gets anxious when left alone, escapes. Prefers to be indoors but usually made to stay outside.”
….But the owner also commented that Lucas is friendly, playful, good with kids, good with other dogs, respectful of cats. And while we wait on the next storm (and hope that just being inside and taking some anti-anxiety remedies will help Lucas cope), we can already tell you that he’s a great guy. He’s dieting to get off a few extra pounds, his ear infections are coming under control, and he’ll soon be a super-looking Golden that nobody could mistake for a Labrador. (:
He’s housebroken and doesn’t need crating; does fine babygated with his foster dog brothers and sister. “A perfect gentleman indoors,” says his foster mom. He’s a wonderful car rider, good on the leash, and adores retrieving—though he likes his ball so much he doesn’t always want to part with it for another throw!
Lucas will need a family who understands (or is willing to learn about) T-storm phobia, and of course once we have a storm we’ll be able to tell you a lot more about his reactions. But Luke’s foster mom sums it up for now: “He may be a ‘mature’ Golden, but he has lots of energy & needs an active family to walk him and play fetch. He gets along with all the other fosters and ignores the resident cat. What a great personality!”
