[Mackenzie’s Admin]

Intake Date – 3/17/2010
Adoption Date – 5/21/2010

Update: 5/22/2010
Red had a great day today! He’s been smiling nonstop since you dropped him off. So far we’ve played with toys, had lots of treats and went for a walk using his new Gentle Leader. He took to it no problem and was walking beautifully with a loose leash! I was amazed at the difference it made.
After all that he took quite a long nap this afternoon in his "kennel" area and seemed quite comfortable in there. Ben is now home and he is enjoying some bonding time too! Red seems really attached to me now, since I was with him all day. ” title=”Smile” /> He has gone potty several times outside, no accidents inside but we are watching him like a hawk! The thunderstorm we had this afternoon didn’t seem to bother him one bit. He ate dinner very happily (half your food and half ours).
We couldn’t have hoped for a better first day, he’s settling in very nicely and we’re so pleased at how he is getting along with the cats. I’ll email tomorrow and let you know how his first night in his new bed went. ” title=”Smile” />

Update 5/25/2010
Just wanted to let you know that Red continues to do very well and all three of us are ecstatic! ” title=”Smile” /> We had a GREAT weekend with him. He loves his backyard and to play and run back there. He’s also really funny when he plays with his toys; he can’t seem to decide which one to play with! He just goes from toy to toy and acts surprised when he finds a new one.

We’ve gone on a walk each day and he’s gotten several compliments on how well he walks. He’s really a sight to see, almost prancing at my side with a proud look on his face. One lady even asked me, "do you train dogs?". No, the Gentle Leader is MAGIC!! We met some other dogs on our walks and he was a friendly boy.

He has started to show some more curiousity/interest in the cats…nothing bad or aggressive, but we are keeping a close eye on them together. I think he is just curious about them and wants to interact with them. But until we know for sure that nothing will happen we are monitoring the situation.

He has bonded really closely with me and follows me everywhere. I am calling him the velcro dog. It doesn’t bother me one bit. ” title=”Smile” /> He’s also shown the protective side that we hoped for – barking at strangers that walk by the house, etc. He does love Ben too and enjoys playing with his daddy in the back yard. It’s just obvious that he’s a mama’s boy first and foremost!

His only quirk that we’ve seen (which you are familiar with) is that he’s nervous in the car. I took him for a short ride to the Pet Supplies Plus on Sunday and the car obviously freaked him out. He was drooling everywhere and just laying down in the back seat. No puke though! I’ll take it back a step and just get him used to sitting in the car with me parked in the driveway. Hopefully we can get him over this hurdle fast as we need to go to Obedience class on Wednesday. ” title=”Smile” />

He’s been a perfect gentleman in the house – no potty accidents and doesn’t get into anything that he shouldn’t. He is calm and happy in his kennel area, which we are thrilled about. I am working half days this week to ease him into being alone during the day. I don’t think he will have a problem at all. He just goes in there, chews on a toy, and eventually falls asleep.

I don’t think we could have found a more perfect dog! So many thanks to you, and all the staff and volunteers at Mackenzie’s for bringing us together!

Update on Red 7/14/2010

Tommie brought Red to our home on May 21st. He reacted well to our cats, which was a concern for us, and we were overjoyed to have him home. He has settled in very nicely, has had no potty accidents and seems to know the ropes of living in a house. It has been great having him home! We love him very much and it seems the feeling is mutual! He wakes us in the morning with tons of kisses; sometimes well before we are ready to get up!

Red seems to be enjoying life in his forever home. He loves the weekends with us at our cottage in South Haven, where he looks forward to wrestling, running, and playing with our friends’ dog Biscuit. Biscuit’s dad is a runner and has included him on occasion on his runs on the beach (3 miles). He gets a 45-minute walk each weekday morning – Mom gets up at 5am to make sure he is excercised before going to work! Once or twice a week he attends Camp Fido dog daycare (check it out at campfido.com- it’s very cool) where he has lots of fun playing with all his friends there. Red also seems to really enjoy our weekly obedience classes and is excelling at this! The instructors are encouraging us to "go further" with him, whether it be obedience competitions or something like getting him registered as a Therapy Dog! They feel he has the temperament and skills for this sort of work. I am quite interested and will likely pursue the testing with him in the near future. Everyone who has met him has been so impressed and has fallen in love with him, so it is quite possible he has what it takes to be a Therapy Dog! We will definately keep you posted. (Pictures from his home are posted on the frig in the kitchen)

[Mackenzie’s Admin]

Hi, I think I figured out how this thing works!

Red continues to do great! He is in obedience classes and his performance there has far exceeded my expectations. The instructor is EXTREMELY impressed with him and we have only had two classes so far. We are calling him "Rockstar Red" in class. Because of his great performance and excellent disposition I am considering pursuing therapy dog registration/certification with him. I’ll keep you posted!

I thought you would also like to know that we have enrolled him in doggie daycare and he will attend 1-2 days per week so he can have fun with other dogs and get his energy out. He had his first day yesterday and his behavior was "excellent" according to the daycare. He loved it and came home extremely exhausted. I posted his "report card" on my Facebook page if you’d like to check it out – it’s really cute.

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