Golden Retrievers are SO Special!

Our red, curly-haired Golden Retriever, Logan, is brillant, beautiful, handsome, loving and playful. He is hurricane rescued, after Hurricane Jeanne, in 2005. He was found wondering on the beach along the Florida Gulf Coast after the hurricane, by a kind gentleman who already had a Rottweiler named Betty. Seems that Betty and Logan did not get along well as he attempted to find Logan's family after the hurricane. He posted ads, called all the animal rescue groups to see if anyone had reported a Golden "missing". After three weeks of searching and no luck finding Logan's family, Bob brought Logan to live with us. Our German Shephard had passed away about a year prior to this time and we were ready to share our home with a new dog. Logan was our first Golden Retriever and we feel so blessed to be his "parents" now and his forever family.

First thing we did was take him to our vet. She told us that he was probably 3 at the time of his rescue. Found his eye teeth were very ground down most likely from eating driftwood while he was missing on the beach, she told us. A portion of his left ear was chewed off, most likely from another lost and hungry animal after the hurricane. Logan was very underweight and frightened. We had him neutered; micro-chipped; got his shots and a license, had his teeth cleaned; received some special medication for some skin problems. He began to blossom.

We visited the Holistic Pet Store to find a healthy and safe diet for our new pooch. We tried many samples of better blends of dog foods and settled on a Logan's healthy favorite! He crunches and munches happily!

We quickly learned, as new Golden parents, that a ready supply of tennis balls was a necessity! We also learned of his fear of other animals (big AND small), probably from the time he was lost and chased. Then, there was the issue of his fear of loud noises, rain, lightening and thunder, camera flashes, (that he thought WERE lightening), and a long list of other idiosyncracies! Of COURSE, we also learned how VERY special and loving they are as well!

Because of his history of being lost and orphaned, he had some special "needs". The first week he came to be with us, he was out in the garage during one violent summer thunderstorm and climbed up on a workbench, clawed through the indoor/outdoor carpeting on the floor, chewed a hole in the door to the outside and generally wrecked havoc in the garage. We got a first hand look at the scope of his fear. We hired a pet psychologist to help us calm his fears and deal with his fright of storms and other issues. After many weekly sessions, we perfected some techniques to help Logan through the Florida thumderstorm season. He now finds our shower stall his "safe" place and heads there when a storm threatens, day or night. He no longer is destructive. Walks around the house and finds his tennis balls, pet toys, chewies and bones, and carries them all one-by-one into the shower stall and hunkers down there to ride out the storm. He still shakes and is very frightened but this seems to calm him. Following a storm, before we can shower, we get a basket and remove the tennis balls, toys and various Logan "comfort" items from the shower! It is a joy to be his parents. Never a dull moment! One of the calming factors for him is a product called "Mellow Mut". They are chicken breast strips with calming herbs that we can purchase for him locally at the holistic pet shop. Mellow Mut is made from cage free, all natural chicken. They contain chamomile and lavender that helps maintain a peaceful lifestyle. They have NO hormones, NO antibiotics, NO fillers and NO byproducts. Logan LOVES them and if you give them to him before the storm "hits", he is definitely much calmer!

He is a VERY strange "eater". He will NOT eat unless his Mom and Dad are here in the room with him, sitting at our table, while he has his two dishes of food at HIS table. This is a raised platform (as he is so tall) and there are two holes in the platform for his food dishes. He likes to stack up tennis balls both on top of the platform behind his dishes and underneath his eating "table". He will only eat after he plays with his tennis balls for about 10 minutes, nuzzling them around with his nose, in and out of his dishes of food and around under the table with his paws and nose both. This is SO hilarous to watch! Will try and post a video of the "action". He will not eat one bite of food, whether it be filet mignon or hamburger or his own dogfood, until BOTH his mom and dad are in the room with him and sitting at the table. If one of us gets up during the course of the meal, he is DONE! Have never had a dog who had eating habits like this one! He loves raw carrots and Pistacio nuts! They are quite good for him and his after dinner treats he eagerly looks forward to! When we first brought him to live with us and he had to be on medication and would not "take" the pills, we buried them in whipped cream from an aerosol can, offered to him on our finger. Of course, now, whenever he hears the aerosol whipped cream on our jello, he is front and center!

Now, while we are talking about his eating habits.... we'll talk about his drinking quirks..... He will ONLY drink from Corelle! NO kidding! We have tried stainless bowls, plastic bowls, Tupperware bowls, Rubbermaid bowls.... NO luck! He ONLY will drink out of either an 8-1/2" or 10" Corelle by Corning serving bowl. Good thing his Mom and Dad are ebay sellers who actually sell Corelle! Fortunately our sons and family members all HAVE Corelle so when we go to visit, there is always a Corelle bowl in his drinking future at the visiting location!

The first month he came to live with us, he was still not sure he was going to GET a meal each day and when chocolate chip cookies were being turned out for Christmas holiday giving.... left them cooling in the kitchen. We turned our backs, to look for tins to put them in and Logan managed to munch down about a dozen of them in a minute or less! Fortunately they did not make him sick and he's not had another one since!

This year at Christmas, we tried to find him a healthier activity. We dressed him in elf hat and "ears" and took him outside to play with the snowman while he was waiting for Santa..... to arrive at our Florida home and let us snap his picture with his "cool" new playmates

Logan was diagnosed with malignant melanoma a few weeks ago. When we spotted a growth turning brown and getting larger and larger, very close to his eye, we were alarmed. A visit to the vet confirmed our fears and Logan was quickly taken to surgery to remove the melanoma which was diagnosed as malignant. Consulted an oncology vet specialist who reassured us that it appeared the entire melanoma had been removed, suggesting that we follow up every 3 months with studies. For now, that is the game plan. Shortly after surgery, Logan developed arthritis in his right shoulder and now takes a medication similar to Enbryl for humans. When he was in for his surgery, he was also diagnosed with cataracts. For now, they are in check and have not seemed to progress in the past several months, so also watching them. Dogs can have cataract surgery but the results are less dramatic than in humans for when fitted with lens post operatively, they cannot "tell" the eye doctor what letters are most clear on the chart as humans can, and thus, the strength of the implanted lens can only be guessed at. Logan is a trooper and loves getting his sore, arthritic shoulder massaged and has his good days and bad days with that affliction, depending on the weather "trends".

We had a community yard sale today, 2/10/08, and a neighbor left a garden cart with some items in it and covered it with their jacket. When we took Logan out for his twilight walk he began barking at the cart as if he had to protect his territory. All we can think is that he could not quite see it was a cart and thought it was a strange animal! He was funny when we actually walked up TO the cart, he sniffed and and turned around to look at me, as if to day, "Coast is clear, Dad". Guess those cataracts really are affecting his vision!

Well, today is Valentine's Day and Logan received a certificate from our next-door neighbor for a grooming and spa treatment, including nails and bath with TLC at a local pet spa! From his Mom and Dad, he had a received a ribeye steak for his supper and an extra cuddling/leaning session! He had a GREAT Hearts Day! He was a happy dog at end of this day!

Today, Sunday, Logan had quite an exciting day. He saw the BIGGEST dogs he had ever seen and there were girls riding them! (They were horses, of course) Came trotting by Logan while he was out on a walk and he was absolutely fascinated with them! He just watched in awe! "BIG" was the expression in his huge brown eyes as he watched them!

Logan's latest adventure was when he met our son's new bearded dragon lizard last week. He did not pay much attention to the glass aquarium that Mate lived in until Mate woke up and began hunting for his dinner. Logan's eyes got huge and he stood at the outside of the tank NOT believing that it was BIG and MOVING! We took Mate out and Logan kept watching in disbelief! Could not understand why it was crawling up and down our son's arm and shoulder. Luckily, Mate was placed back into his "home" without harm and Logan kept his eyes on him!

It is spring here in Florida. The grass is green, the azaleas are blooming and Logan's favorite outdoor activity is rolling in the grass! He rolls and squirms and "smiles" ALL the time he is rolling and frolicking. Sometimes he just lays upsides down and watches the birds and squirels in the trees above him. He is in Golden Retriever doggie Nirvana when he rolls!

As with all playful, happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, inquisitive and spirited, Golden Retrievers, there is always another story just around the corner......