Alex
Alex, age 6
AVAILABLE SOON
Updated 8/25/11
Just another quick note from Alex’s foster dad!
I finally found a toy that Alex really likes and has not destroyed. We all know that he really likes balls, and he loves squeaky toys too, but he’s chewed up all the squeaky toys I’ve given him. However, I found a super-tough rubber ball shaped like a football and about as big as two tennis balls put together. The new ball is bright yellow and has little nubs on it AND it squeaks, so Alex is in love with it.
He generally holds two tennis balls in his mouth. In the kiddie pool he will grab one ball and then gets a second one by pushing it down underwater to the bottom where he can force it into his mouth. He is generally pretty quick about doing that.
Well, today he was in the wading pool and had his new bigger ball in his mouth when he spied a tennis ball floating in the water, so he pushed his head underwater to employ his usual technique. I was watching him. He kept his head under there for some time and finally came up still with the big yellow ball in his mouth and I was thinking he did not get the tennis ball. So much for my theory —he walks over to me and drops the big new ball, and then a tennis ball comes out! I have no idea how he forced the tennis ball into that mouth, which was already full of his new ball. At least I found out he can hold his breath for awhile. I could not stop laughing…Alex makes me laugh all the time.
Updated 8/22/11
What better way to relax on a hot afternoon than by taking a cool swim with a friend? Here you see Alex and his buddy Louie getting ready for a refreshing splashfest. Foster dad says, “Louie is somewhat darker in color than Alex, but they are two-peas-in-a-pod. They look similar in the face, they stay & play together all the time, they sleep together, they both are ball nuts, they are about the same size, and they are similar in personality = one hundred percent friendly.”
Alex will be all done with his heartworm treatment in just about three more weeks!
Alex received his 2nd heartworm treatment on 8/9/11 - and should be available ~9/15.
Updated 7/27/11
As you read our
earlier post you can tell that Alex has not had an easy life; suffering from
sarcoptic mange and heartworm positive, he was found wandering the streets of
Alex loves tennis balls – and I mean LOVES tennis balls !!
If there is a ball
to be found he will bring it to you and literally shove it at you. He may not
give you the ball if you act like you want it, but just ignore him and he will
drop the ball for you. Many times he will have two balls and drop them for you
[see his pictures!]. Even when I take a shower, I see the shower curtain move
inward and then a ball drops into the tub; he likes to get in the tub too. He is
finally learning that bedtime is NOT ball playing time. Although, I routinely
wake up with a couple of balls in bed with me … I’m not sure where they came
from, since Alex is sleeping on the floor next to me ... but let’s just say Alex
is NOT subtle about this love of his!
Alex is a bit of a
‘bull in a China shop’; he does not watch where he is going when he chases a
ball, running into other dogs, water bowls, people, furniture, fences, and
anything else between him and the ball. However, he is a clean boy; he likes to
drop his ball into a water bowl, take a drink, and then retrieve the ball.
So I do end up changing the water a lot,
but at least he has clean balls to play
with.
When you tire out of
playing retrieve with Alex and his tennis balls, he is good about you taking
them away and hiding them. However, you have to show him the balls and that you
are putting them away – for example, up high or in a drawer. As long as you show
and tell him the balls have to be put away, he is fine. If you don’t let him
know where the balls are disappearing to, he will start hunting for them!
While Alex does not
play or interact much with my other three dogs, when we had Mikki (see GRR
website for
our Extraordinary Goldens) he loved her.
They played and slept together but his eyes were only for her. One
interaction I always take account of with my foster dogs is how they interact
with Murphy, my Irish setter with cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
Alex does very well with him - he obeys
Murphy’s commands and even his ‘wild playing gyrations’.
Alex is great in a car, is not destructive in the
house, does not need to be crated, has no accidents inside, and other than
chewing up tennis balls and a few stuffed toys – oh but what Golden doesn’t!? -
is a wonderful companion.
Alex is hoping his forever home will find him soon. He promises to be a wonderful family gem!
Updated 6/15/11
Alex, the Capsule Summary:
Outgoing, calm, loving,
cuddly, playful, quiet. Attentive, listens to commands. Housebroken, not
destructive. Loves to play fetch. Loves to be brushed.
In even fewer words: he’s
just a great dog!
Alex is being kept
separated from the rest of the dogs in his household while he’s being treated
for mange, but “he does want to meet the others,” says his foster dad.
“And I cannot wait until he
gets the all-clear, either!”
Once Alex completes his
mange treatment and is deemed healthy enough, we’ll tackle the heartworms. If
this supersweet survivor sounds like the dog for you and you’d like to add him
to your home sooner rather than later, we’ll be happy to help you get him
through the HW treatment. Our hope is that he’ll be finished before autumn, in
time to really enjoy the cooler weather… if it ever comes! Just let us know.
Updated 6/2/11
Wow… where to begin? We can’t really start at the VERY
beginning, because the first six years or so of Alex’s life are a question mark.
So let’s start on May 20, the day his new life began. On that Friday morning,
Fate led a tired, hungry, thirsty Golden Retriever to an office building right
beside the freeway… where some dog-friendly lawyers, heading toward the doors to
work, spotted him hovering nearby. Like so many Goldens, Alex has faith in
people—seeing someone who might help him, he approached willingly, if a little
timidly, and trustingly offered his paw. How could anyone not fall in love on
the spot?? Soon the weary dog was enjoying a bowl of food and a larger bowl of
water—and his new friends were planning their next move. “He’s a mess,” they
said, noting the jutting ribs & hipbones and the missing patches of fur all over
his body, “but we know just the person to call.”
Yes, Alex had picked the right place for sure! It just so
happens that one of the firm’s part-time employees is a wonderful lady who
routinely rescues dogs in need, to the point where she has a standing
arrangement with her vet—she drops a dog off, “and they know to do whatever is
needed and put it on my tab,” she explained. And in Alex’s case, “whatever is
needed” was a LOT! Besides the usual stray-dog issues—fleas, dirt, poor
nutrition—he turned out to have hookworms, heartworms, and sarcoptic mange
(hence the missing fur). They’re all treatable problems (in fact, the hooks are
already gone), but it’ll take time. For that reason, his rescuer decided to put
out a plea for help: “He is so happy to be receiving attention now. But he’s a
project dog, so I feel that it is best to find a reputable Golden rescue for
him.” And a day later, Amazing Alex officially became a GRR dog.
He’s already started on his mange treatments, and he’s no
longer itching and scratching, but because this form of mange is contagious,
he’ll need to be kept separate from other dogs for around another month or so.
Alex is counting the days! He likes other dogs and cannot wait to socialize. In
the meantime we’ll focus on building up his immune system with good food and
vitamin supplements… we aren’t even going to worry about treating heartworms
until he’s much stronger.
We’ll try to post regular updates as Alex continues along
the road to recovery!