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Dexter's Story
It's
official. I'm a Tahoe Truckee Hospital Volunteer Dog. So happy! Just completed first visit.
This is Dexter’s story, a story of Carole and Terry from Lake Tahoe who were in search of an English Cream Golden Retriever to add to their family. Happily they contacted us about meeting some of our trained golden retrievers. After some discussion on what Carole and Terry were looking for it was decided they would come out to the Ranch during their visit to the LA area.
“We definitely want to come see you when we're in Los Angeles. We're very interested in a trained pup, preferably a male English Cream (but a female will do). We would definitely want the dog crate trained, house trained and possibly some basic commands.” ~ Carole
Carole and Terry loved coming out to Golden Meadows, but they really needed to think it over. It is a big investment bringing in a new family member, and so Carole and Terry continued their LA trip plans.
“... Well, we are still reeling from our visit with you, Tim and of course ... the pups! What a treat! …We think that's it for now. We are heading off to our grandson's Little League Game and then we are back at our cousin’s house for a BBQ all evening.” ~Carole
It wasn’t long before Carole was calling us and making an appointment to some pick up the one boy they really fell in love with, Dexter.
“The plan is to come get Dexter, meet with you and Tim, tomorrow (Sunday) morning by no later than 9 AM. Thanks for putting up with our schedule as we have an 8 hour drive back to Tahoe.” ~ Carole
This couple had been discussing what they were looking for and what they wanted through e-mails and phone calls then when they had the chance to come and visit us and see some of our golden retrievers they fell in love with a very special boy, and in the course of 24 hours decided he would be their newest family member.
Once home we began to receive videos and pictures along with updates on how well Dexter is adapting to his new home.
“Good report. No accidents! Great day yesterday. Lot's of play, especially with two dogs. He fell asleep on the floor of our bedroom at the foot of the bed, while Terry and Opti (cat) were passed out on top of the covers. Poor guy ... I had to wake him to put him in his crate! He ate a great meal this morning. Went out for a second pee, and the he pooped! We love the specific area he seems to have chosen to do his toiletry in, as well (rock area). He is at our feet, in the kitchen, laying with his toy, while we sip coffee and listen to the Today Show. We are in heaven! Hope to see the Vet Wednesday . . . calling to order food & Vitamins today. xoxo I hope you have received the videos/pics ... let me know.” ~ Carol
We began to receive regular updates about Dexter how he gets along with the neighbors, other animals and how he is doing on all of his training. Carol and Terry are avid dog owners with experience so they understand that sometimes it’s not the dog but the people that make the mistakes.
“He's had another eventful day ... no dull moments around here! We feel none of this was his fault ... if anything it was ours, not being better prepared. When people come by (he's a major attraction!) he gets very excited ... which means we should keep a close watch on him for signals. We also have to make him sit, and stay (command) before we open the front door, something we have been slack with (opening the door first). Other than these few mishaps, he's been perfect. Eating well, playing well, loving exceptionally well. He is sleeping on the floor of the kitchen as I type this. He wants to always be with us, which we love about retrievers. The routines are slowly falling into place ... mainly the exit way to the yard so he can pee/poop, and we even put him in his crate this afternoon for a nap. Tomorrow we go to the Vet ... Dr. Kim Barnes at Pet Network. He will get his rabies vaccine shot and a “greet & meet”! I ordered food today, and Vitamins. Still need to do the paperwork on the chip, etc.xoxo His potty business is slowly kicking in and like all training (as you well know) it has everything to do with consistency. We use the sliding door off the living room which goes out to the patio and the stairs (down to the yard). So, it seems he understands that's his exit. He's been good and has even found his "spots" in the yard (especially for pee). His only mistake happened this afternoon when the cleaning gals came (3 of them). It was hectic to have all these women in the house and we were wrong not to take him outside immediately, on the patio. So, he evidently (no one saw) went to the sliding door to go outside and peed on the mat. This showed he had good intentions. Then, when no one saw him do this ... probably out of frustration he went over to the stairs and started to poop. I saw this, caught him in the act, and scolded him ... then took him by the collar and took him outside. He knew he'd been bad, trust me.” ~ Carol
We knew Dexter was a sweet boy and from Carol and Terry’s letters it’s proven time and time again.
“He met the Vet yesterday. Got his rabies, and other protection for dog park visits, etc. Vet loved him and he was very compliant. Hope you're not missing him too much . . . Xoxo Dexter had his first "hosting" job last night ... some friends in town who came over for dinner. We sat in the yard as it was a beautiful evening. So, I shot a short video on my IPHONE. The wife (Shari) contemplated stealing him!"
We loved receiving stories about the silly antics of our dogs and Dexter has not disappointed us or his new family.
“We put his toys in a basket at bedtime, but first thing every morning (after his romp in the yard) Dex likes to get ALL of them in a pile! A boy and his toys!” ~ Carol
It’s been great getting the updates from Carol and Terry and we expect many more to come.
“Greetings from Tahoe!Well, today is our one week anniversary of having Dexter as part of the family. All things considered ... he's been incredible!
He survived an 8 hour drive to Tahoe without a whimper or whine ... he sleeps through the night in his snug crate (except for a snore or two!) .... aside from two house accidents (partially our fault) he seems to know which doors mean "access to the yard and Potty" . . . . he has entertained several guests in outstanding fashion (except for prancing around last night with our friend's flip-flop in his mouth!) ... he has marked his Potty territories in the yard, which are fairly consistent (especially where he poops) ... he continues to pick-up/chew/toss pinecones by the dozen, bark, and twigs and romps in the yard as if he owns it! ... he is always close by, laying with us wherever we are in the house .... he has been to two restaurants (one for dinner, one for breakfast) and behaved well on each outdoor dining patio ... he plays with ALL his toys, just like a kid ... he wakes around 6:30-6:45 announcing a request to come out with a soft whine, and knows to go to the sliding door so he can go out into the yard. Once he's done with his business, he comes back up the patio stairs, waits to be let in, and goes right for as many toys he can put in his mouth as morning is his most favorite time to play ... he eats like a champ (and loves the tablespoon full of low fat cottage cheese we give him ... he has a variety of scarves to choose from, courtesy of all the scarves I saved from my last Retriever (so they're hand-me-downs from Bella!). Today he is sporting violet! ... He LOVES when people show up at the house and has played with a neighbors dog (Fozzie), and as of yesterday went to Tahoe City Dog Park (fully enclosed) where we let him off leash to see how well he'd do on commands. He was so overwhelmed with all the dog scents that it took a good 15-20 mins. to get him to figure out we were still there! ... he will probably stay in excellent shape as he goes up & down the stairs constantly ... and come evening he is exhausted! He usually falls asleep on the floor and I have to wake him to go into his crate. Today felt like he really crossed over into settling in, trusting us completely and admitting to himself that this is his home. So, quite the 7 days, huh?
He had his first visit with his new Vet (Dr. Kim Barnes), and got a glowing report. He's now received a rabies vaccine, and Boardatello so he can mingle at doggie parks safely. His stool sample was negative, and he now has a toothbrush & toothpaste for weekly brushing! He weighed in at 50 lbs on the nose!
I will send a couple of recent pics. Wednesday we have a shopping list for Reno and PetSmart is our first stop. We were wondering if his crate is starting to become too small ... and, we definitely need to get a "ramp" for the cars. Terry has been picking him up and putting him in the car as Dex seems very skittish about jumping into the Lexus, and the Hummer is even higher a jump. Today was the first time we coaxed him into jumping "out" of the Hummer. If you have tips for this, let us know.
Commands have been working ... to be honest I think we need more training than he does! We fall back on old commands (from our old dogs) and catch ourselves ("Out" instead of "Wrong", for example). But we put the "Puppy Whisperer" sheet up on the kitchen bulletin board to remind us of all the right cues. Next week we'll start working more seriously as we are still cautious about letting him completely off leash (especially on his first visit to the un-fenced Incline Dog Park). We ordered his food, and Vitamins for delivery, and registered the Micro-Chip & AKC.
Most of all ... we are smothering him with LOVE! ... and we believe he knows he's adored. That's all that matters, right?
Sorry for the lengthy update, but after all you're his birth parents and without you he wouldn't be part of our lives ... so thank you!
xoxo” ~ Carole
We received wonderful news form Dexter and his family in Tahoe.
We train many of our dogs to go into therapy work so to hear Dexter has earned his vest makes us very proud parents.
Here is the latest update from Carol:
Hi Tim & Barbie . . . well, here's our "Snow Dog" . . . and we are not exaggerating when we say "Snow Dog". There is nothing Dexter would rather do than lay, play, dig and romp in the snow! Nothing!! He is officially 15 months old and is a true Tahoe Dog . . . officially a "Geese Patrol" dog (Vest and all) chasing the Geese off the Incline Beaches. Dexter has also started his TDInc (Therapy Dogs Inc.) certification process and after that's completed, he will get his SPCA "Canine Good Behavior" certificate. I will send a photo (separate) from one of his Retirement Home visits down in Reno. In the spring he'll start visiting the Tahoe-Truckee Hospital's new Cancer Center. Dexter's loving, nurturing, calm personality literally blows people away! He is so social that we take him everywhere possible ... and he wins over everyone's heart in a matter of minutes. I don't know what we did before he came into our lives ... thanks to all of you. Please add these pics to his "Blog", if you can . . . we hope his story excites everyone who visits your remarkable web site.
We PROMISE to come visit whenever he makes a car trip down to LA with us ... not sure when that will be, but we PROMISE!
xoxoxo Carole & Terry
