2010 - OPERATION GOLDEN FREEDOM

Operation Golden Freedom—or, On the Road Again!

We did the math, and it wasn’t pretty. No adoptive homes on the horizon for foster dogs who needed to move; no new foster homes available for those dogs or anybody else; and an ever-lengthening list of Goldens who had to come in NOW: Colt, a teenage shelter boy; Beaux, whose owner was terminally ill and unable to care for her 3-year-old pet; and a quartet of out-of-town seniors, two of whom—Cody Bear and  Sandie—were especially high-risk. Following their owners’ divorce, the pair had been left almost on their own throughout the scorching summer—a fact the horrified ex-wife learned only late in the game, when she began feeding and watering the dogs and making concerted efforts to get them into rescue. The other oldie duo, Ginger and Clifford, were well-cared-for, but the owner was working very long hours to make ends meet, and “They aren’t doing well spending so much time alone.”

Where on earth to put them all?

Meanwhile, two Colorado GR rescue groups were doing their own math, and their sum total was equally—if differently!—dismal: plenty of approved & ready adoptive & foster homes, but no dogs to deliver to all those waiting families.

WhenTexas and Colorado intake directors Jacki, Mary, and Nicole put their heads together, the solution to all the groups’ problems was clear:

Too Many Texas Goldens + One Road  Trip =  Happy New Goldens for Happy Colorado Families +  Breathing Room for GRR!

Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies had slots for Beaux and Lexi (they’ve already moved into their adoptive homes!) as well as  Sandie and Cody, who are in rough shape and need lots of TLC (not to mention heartworm treatment).   Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue accepted Mazy Daisy, Colt, Della, and seniors Ginger and Clifford.

So, after an incredible effort by Jacki—all the paperwork, all the phone calls, all the last-minute changes in the dog list—the Goldens were chosen and the destination was set.  The next step was to figure out how we’d actually GET there. We’d used a convoy of SUVs for the Arizona trip in May, but getting together another group 6 months down the road was proving pretty difficult. Vicky to the rescue! Vicky and her husband Dave are longtime GRR foster and adoptive parents, now enjoying their retirement by travelling the country in a luxury motorhome. So guess where most of those dogs got to hang out on the way to the meet-up point in Amarillo? Right you are – they motored along in high style in the Hastings Motor Home, expertly piloted by Vicky for the entire trip. Making up the rest of the team were Jacki; matchmaker Donna; and transporter supreme Pat (driving solo in her SUV, scouting out suitable routes/restaurants/hotels, and yes, carrying a dog or two), who has now recorded 6,000 miles of travel all over Texas, meeting Goldens and shuttling them to points north, south, east and west.

Pat takes up the story:
It’s Hallowe’en weekend… What are you gonna do if you aren’t Ghost Busting?  You’re gonna be driving nine (count ‘em—nine) Golden Retrievers toward Colorado. We’d set it up to move the dogs from Austin/Waco/San Antonio to Amarillo (did you know that amarillo is Spanish for “yellow”? What better place to drop off a crew of Golden dogs?)—nearly 550 miles from our starting point at Tanglewood vet clinic in South Austin. Our good friend Dawn, with the Humane Society of Tom Green County, drove Cody and Sandie up from San Angelo; I brought Ginger and Clifford in from Waco; other volunteers transported Mazy Daisy, Della, and Colt;  and  Donna rolled in from SAT with Beaux and Lexi in tow.

On Saturday morning at 0400 hours (that’s like 4 AM in the MORNING—when the bats are still flying, the dairy workers are milking and most smart folks are well, still, sleeping!), we got the RV loaded up & headed for  Tanglewood. The kindly staff opened the doors at 6 AM just for us, and the “Parade of Dogs” began. (By the way, we all decided that we would “dress” as Golden Retrievers for the Hallowe’en holiday; getting covered with fur was easy, since we didn’t have a lint roller among us.)

On the road…

Actually, despite the excitement of having nine affectionate Goldens with us and a few unexpected challenges along the way (the Hastings’s wall-mounted TV  decided to detach from its moorings as we were speeding down the highway, but Jacki managed to break its fall and keep it from hitting Vicky – great job of averting a potential disaster!), it was an uneventful trip up to Amarillo. Vicky drove and drove and drove; Jacki called and sent e-mails to the Colorado folks; and Donna got to be the “Momma” of the dogs in the RV. Meanwhile, I and my doggie crew listened to J. A. Jance books on CD and the occasional NPR (via Sirius) program – like “Car Talk” and “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!”  The Goldens seemed to approve! 

Counter surfing made easy…
One of the many cool things about travelling in an  RV is that you actually have a built-in kitchen, complete with table and chairs. We broke for lunch at a rest stop and dined in (thank you, Vicky and Dave, for that fully stocked fridge!). But be warned,  the counter tops in an RV are at an inviting height for questing canines. Ginger scored an entire sandwich, much to her delight!

Nose smears and dogs on the dashboard…
Another thing about an RV is that dogs can actually walk across the dashboard and decorate the windows liberally with their wet noses. When we left Amarillo, Vicky was heard to ask Jacki and Donna, “While I drive tomorrow, can you two clean windows?”  You bet they did.  The next morning,  there was Donna, using a big scrub brush to clean the glass!

The Amarillo Dog Park, and saying goodbye…
Our mini-convoy arrived at an Amarillo dog park about 5 PM on Saturday. There to meet us were the Colorado folks, with a big panel van to accommodate all nine Goldens.  We walked and watered the dogs… and the Colorado team, who had another 8 hours of drive-time ahead of them, departed. And yes, there were tears among us Texans. Jacki said, “When we did the first out-of-state transfer to Arizona in May, it was VERY hard to let go...   I was hoping that this time it would be easier. Not so!!! It’s funny how in 10 hours you can bond so much with nine Goldens and feel like you are giving your children away. But  I know they will have great lives, and that’s why we do what we do!!!” We’re already getting the pictures and updates on the nine travellers—and everyone is doing dandy. Not to mention looking forward to those cold, snowy Colorado winters. Just think how gorgeous their coats are going to be!

On the way back…
For anyone who may be heading to Amarillo – let us warn you that I-40 is the equivalent of an “E” ticket ride at a major theme park. In fact, a Public Service Announcement on local TV offered a reminder that the exit and entrance ramps are VERY short, and urged locals to travel in the middle or left lanes to let folks on/off the expressway. Nonetheless, my van nearly got creamed.  You really want to wear a seatbelt in Amarillo – well, you want to  wear one anywhere, but especially in Amarillo. After  a harrowing stint of driving, we really deserved those drinks at Ruby Tequila’s (highly recommended)! A good night’s sleep, and we were back in the Austin area by Sunday afternoon. A big ATTA GIRL to everyone who helped at every stage of this trip! I’m proud to be part of such a dedicated, dynamic and caring group.

And one final note…

Vaya con dios, Mazy Daisy, Della, Lexi, Beaux, Colt,  Sandie, Cody, Clifford and Ginger—we hope you will occasionally remember your Texas roots and a whole team that loved and cared for you all… every day and every mile in your journey to a forever home.