Mandy

Mandy, age 5

AVAILABLE SOON HW POSITIVE

Updated 9/15/11

Has it really been nearly two months since Mandy’s last update? It’s past time to let everyone know what’s going on with her.

This great gal has had a little hiccup in her HW treatment. After her second shot on July 25, she had a bad reaction—she became very lethargic and painful and didn’t want to eat or move around much. The vet was concerned enough to keep her for another full day— and then decided to skip the “clean-up” third injection and just send her home to recuperate. Foster mom was worried!  “She was able to walk the dog ramp to get in and out of the truck, but once home did not want to move.  She did not eat that night and it took everything we had to get her up to go outside, she was in a lot of pain and let us know. But next evening—it was like someone turned the light switch on! Around dinnertime, she got up on her own and had a meal. Within a few days she was back to normal, with a spring in her step.  She is wanting to play, but I have to remind her to slow down. Now she’s acting like a two-year-old. What an amazing girl! She will go back to the vet on September 19 and the vet will re-evaluate then. If we had room for a third dog she’d be it!”

Sweet Mandy does have mild hip dysplasia, but she’ll benefit from mild regular exercise and swimming would be fantastic for her. She gets along well with other dogs and a friendly canine companion would be just the ticket for her.

Updated 7/18/11

“Mandy is a dream!  She is perfect in the house,  was obviously trained not to ‘get in your face.’   Foster mom says she’s learning to love getting kisses & now Mandy looks up & wants a kiss.”

Mandy had her first heartworm injection on June 23, and is scheduled for her second on July 25^th. The first shot made her pretty sore & there’s still a tender lump at the site – but that will eventually subside. She doesn’t like the crate, but that’s no problem, because she is doing great at observing her exercise restriction without it. After her first shot, we’d put her on leash to go potty, but she stays right by your  side; lately we haven’t even used or needed the lead at all! But she was very playful & active before heartworm treatment, so we know she’ll be delighted when she can romp and play again & toss her stuffies around.

Mandy is very calm and well behaved indoors, perfectly trustworthy when left loose by herself, even when nobody else is home. She sleeps like a rock all night and gets up when you do. She’s a bit growly at first when meeting other dogs, but with slow intros, everything is just fine.  She’s now good buddies with her foster dog brother and sister.

This lovely girl would be the perfect dog for a first-time Golden owner.   She is so well behaved! She would love a home with another friendly dog, and above all a family who will play with her and take her on walks and outings.

Updated 7/12/11

Anyone suffering from double  vision?? We think we might be! In just the first week of June, we’ve taken in three pairs of Goldens. Sister and brother Mandy and Gary came into care on June 1,  and sisters Phoebe & Sophie, as well as Brylee & her friend Bowan, all arrived on June 6.

When volunteer Lisa spotted an ad for “two 5 1/2-year-old Goldens free to good home” in a local paper, she sprang into action & contacted the poster pronto. In these cases, we typically hear “oh, we’ve already placed them,” but not this time: Mandy and her brother Gary were still on the premises. Hooray! However: “Somebody IS interested in having them, & he’s coming by tonight.”  That gentleman intended to keep the dogs as outdoor pets, though, and we couldn’t have that… especially not with another blistering Texas summer already moving in. “I’d love for GRR to take them and find them indoor homes,” said the owner, “but please, it has to be NOW.” She and her kids were staying with friends in a small house with a rambunctious pitbull pup, and things were beyond hectic.

The transport team went into overdrive (they’re used to it!), and soon the charming Golden duo had arrived at the vet’s for the full treatment. With the family’s finances tight over the past few years, regular heartworm meds had gone by the wayside, so unfortunately both Mandy and Gary are heartworm positive. But that’s about the only bad news there is, because personality-wise these two are sweethearts.

Mandy is an adorable, slightly shy girl with a cute “halo” of fuzzy hairs—not on her head, but all around her muzzle, giving her a very distinctive look. She did just great in the car on the long trip to her countryside-resort foster home. She’s skinny, and her coat is dry, but treating the heartworms & feeding her up on good-quality chow will take care of those problems.

Arriving at her foster home, she enjoyed a quick run around the backyard; she instantly adored her foster dad, and began to follow him, and when he sat down, so did she! She has a  foster Golden brother, Beau, who’ll show her the ropes, and he’s been nice and gentle with her. Looks like everything is going to be just fine on that score.

Mandy needs a couple of weeks to recuperate from her spay surgery, and then she’ll get going on HW treatment. By the time her sixth birthday rolls around (on October 31!), she’ll be more than ready to head out for Hallowe’en trick-or-treating with her new family. Start thinking about costumes now…

Adoption Procedures