RJ gets comfy

RJ has transitioned into home life like a champ! Simply put; RJ is a sweetheart of a dog and someone is going to be extremely lucky to have him in their home. RJ is completely housebroken and has no issues with anything. He walks well on the leash - and is excited to go for walks when the time comes to do so - does stairs, is cat-safe, is friendly, happy, sociable, and loves people. As noted in the last post, RJ is a leaner. If you're standing there and RJ happens by and you reach out to give him an ear skritch or a quick petting, well, be prepared for him to close the gap and snuggle up to you. Visitors are just as likely to receive this attention as family members are - RJ doesn't care who you are, he just wants some lovin'!
RJ is finally putting on some much-needed weight and his fur is starting to fill in nicely, though his rear-end and back legs are still mostly bare. RJ will be done with his medications in a few days and will be soon going in for his dental, and boy does he ever need one. He has the stinkiest breath - and the worst tartar/plaque build-up - of any hound we've ever had here in the house, so the teeth cleaning will provide benefits for both RJ and his future adopters! For those who like to trim their dog's nails at home, we clipped RJ's nails this week and he didn't put up a fuss at all, so no worries about that aspect of hound upkeep.
And yes, RJ still likes the chair and the sofa, but is also sleeping more and more on the floor or dog beds. Anyhow, to say we're happy with RJ's progress would be a severe understatement :-)

RJ's 2nd chance

The adorable hound all curled up on our chair is RJ. Through no fault of his own, 9 year-old RJ had a long and rough patch of bad luck that saw him relegated to a basement for a period of several years. That's right, RJ was stuck in a basement for an excruciatingly long period of time. He committed no crime, yet he was held like a prisoner. RJ was malnourished and had flea dermatitis so bad that he lost a significant portion of his otherwise beautiful brindle coat. Why? Because sometimes people just suck. All this bad news is now in the past, however, and we won't be dwelling on it any longer. Suffice to say, RJ now has a 2nd chance at retirement and finding his forever home.
RJ is a very, very nice older dog - he's an absolute sweetheart, in fact - and is remarkably quiet, pleasant, happy, and social considering his past confinement. RJ is currently 15 or so pounds underweight and is in the process of regaining his coat. He's currently on medications to alleviate the conditions forced upon him by his previous situation. RJ is eating well, sleeping well and looks to be well on the road to a full recovery. RJ is definitely a couch potato and will crawl up on any piece of soft furniture available if you let him. RJ walks well on the leash, is housebroken, is cat-safe, gets along with his foster brother Coastal, and is very smart. RJ has not shown an inclination for toys as of yet, though he has taken a blue washcloth out of the laundry basket several times to bring to his bed like a favorite "woobie", also, he's a leaner!
RJ is going to be with us for a while before he's able to go to his forever home, but if you think RJ would make a good addition to your home, don't hesitate to contact Denise. He needs to put on some weight, finish his current run of medicines, and get a dental. While all that's going on, we're going to be giving him some much-deserved TLC and constantly evaluating his progress. We really, really like this old boy, and considering what he's been through, we'll be looking for a special forever home for this distinguished older gentleman to spend his twilight years in.