2010 - OUR YEAR SO FAR

It’s well past time to update the news about our year so far! When we last posted,  it was the middle of July. Over three months later on,  things haven’t let up much. In fact, we had so many dogs on our wait list, and so few foster homes available, that we’ve just completed another “spread the wealth” trip out West—we sent dogs to Arizona in May, and on Hallowe’en weekend, our intrepid transport team shuttled another nine dogs in a motor home to Golden Freedom rescue in Colorado.  (Read more below.). Our totals now stand at 160 Goldens rescued in 2010 to date. Imagine that many furry faces and wagging tails in one place… that’s a lotta dogs!

If you’ve already read about January through June, please skip to July and read all about the latest up until now. If you’re visiting our site for the first time, please take a few minutes to read about our entire year so far…. and  we hope you’ll be inspired to bring a GRR Golden into your home!

January
Came in: 18 dogs (6 owner surrenders, 12 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 22 dogs

It probably wasn’t a very Merry Christmas for Ziggy the shelter stray, but he did get that Happy New Year. Just 10 months old, GRR’s very first dog of 2010 arrived on January 4—so timid that he crawled up to new people on his tummy. Since then, he has moved into his new home and gained confidence—along with some much-needed weight, longer and more beautiful fur, house manners, and many new friends. “Ziggy has adjusted well to his new family with a 10-year-old, two cats, and a Shihtzu.  He and Teddy, the Shihtzu, are best buds and love to play. Ziggy is a sweetie and well behaved now that he isn’t starving any longer…we took him to training and he was so easy to train, the trainer would shake his head at how good he was!  Ziggy's favorite activity, besides walks, is to chase the end of the Polaris around the pool, hoping to catch it when it pops out of the pool and sprays water.  And Ziggy always has to have a toy in his mouth.  He once got 5 toys in at the same time!”

Five-year-old Goliath was one more of January’s flood of shelter dogs.“This guy is super nice, but not in very good condition.  He’s 114 lbs!   Ears look completely plugged and likely infected.  Eyes are infected & gummed shut.  Back legs and stomach are chewed up & skin is real dark.  Tail and stomach are matted.  He is very easy going, takes treats gently.  He probably does not feel well, so it’s hard to tell how much more energy he’d have if he were healthy and 25 lbs. lighter.” We got Goliath out of the pound and set to work. Eyedrops, ear drops. Antibiotics, antifungals, medicated shampoos, and the Nzymes program to address “one of the worst systemic yeast infections I have ever seen,” as the vet said—so bad, in fact, that a few weeks into care Goliath suffered a scary collapse due to septic shock from bacterial/fungal overload (luckily, the thoughtful dog just happened to have his crisis while at the clinic, where he at once received emergency treatment). Heartworm injections. As he felt better, Goliath – known to his foster family as “Handsome Herman” – began taking tours of the neighborhood. And he met his forever family right next door! Now Herman is healthy, gorgeous as all get out, and having the time of his life. “Seeing Herman on his daily walks....how could we not fall in love? He has turned out to be better with kids then we could have hoped for.  Our 4-year-old enjoys brushing him all the time and we catch her snuggled up with him on the floor at least a few times a week.  He has weekly playdates with his friends and is so lucky to live in the same neighborhood as his former foster family. Herman will be graduating from his obedience class next week from The Palms. We are so proud of him!”

Dark red in color, solid in temperament – “Brick” was the perfect name for this nice 2-year old. When we found out about him, his time was already up: “Euthanasia date is tonight so we need to grab him today,” was the report on January 25. It was clear the handsome guy hadn’t had much care in his short life: he had heartworms, whipworms, and severe infections in both ears. Six months down the road, though, he is a new dog with a new life and the family of his dreams: “Since the day we got Brick, he has been on a new journey—to recovery and living life as a carefree dog. The true Golden in him has yet to be fully unleashed, though, as he is very timid about the pool.  He is taking it one step at a time—literally! Now he’ll stand on the first step and paw at the water from there. Since summer is far from over, I am sure he’ll be a water baby before too long. Brick is also an interpretive artist of sorts (which I am hoping will lead to big money some day).  He’ll get every one of his toys out and set them in very specific places around the house.  He doesn’t play with them, just uses them for his masterpieces.  Lately, he’s begun to incorporate our personal belongs (clothes and shoes mostly) into his art.  I am very flattered! Brick is quite a dog, but the best thing about him is he is a member of our family. It’s hard to describe his impact on us, but I’ll try. We got Brick a few months after I lost a 13-year-old Lab I’d had from his birth. I was worried that the pain of losing him would keep me from wanting another dog. Brick, you have not only helped me move on but have a place in my heart forever. Thank you.”

February
Came in: 16 dogs (7 owner surrenders, 9 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 8 dogs

If only he could talk! Six-year-old Caine lived through Hurricane Katrina. Stranded on a rooftop, he was rescued and brought to Texas, where he changed hands at least twice. This year, family troubles meant he needed another new home, but “it has to be inside,” his owner insisted. “He is such a cool dog. He will make someone really happy.” And when we inquired about any bad habits, well, the owner was shocked we would even ask! “No bad habits at all. You can even hold a sandwich in front of his nose and he won’t take a bite until you say go ahead.” It didn’t take long for this paragon to find a new home. “We nicknamed him Chief Mo (because of his mohawk).  He fits in great with the family and we can’t imagine our lives without him.  He’s a sweet cuddler and very loyal.  He’s learning some new tricks (shake, etc.) and keeping busy going on walks and playing with all his new toys.  Life is good for Caine!” 

Clifford the big red dog had some big problems, too. Rescued from the streets by a loving family, he turned out to have seizure disorder, ultimately too much for the family to handle; the vet suspected a possible head injury in his past. The seizures came about a month apart, followed by several days of disoriented behavior, and Clifford often bumped and bruised himself. But in between times, he was 100% wonderful. “I am sorry that this e-mail rambles,” said his owner as she asked for help.  “I am crying while trying to write. I  love Golden Retrievers and know what wonderful animals they are.  I want Clifford to go to a good home where he can be taken care of.” GRR has always been fortunate in having incredible vets as partners,  and Clifford’s special angels were Drs Brown and Noaker, who have such a soft spot for Goldens that they agreed to donate a complete work-up for the handsome 3-year-old, including an all-expense-paid trip to Houston for an MRI! The tests revealed no tumors, no masses, no “smoking gun” – the diagnosis was idiopathic epilepsy, and the plan of action was simply to adjust the anti-seizure meds Clifford was already taking and to keep him on a regular routine. In late February, he headed to a foster home—and it was a tearful goodbye at the clinic. “They are really going to miss him. They have pictures of him up all around the office. Everyone is smitten with this guy.” But when Clifford’s story went up on the web, two more angels appeared—a couple who were looking for that one dog “who needs us the most.” And Clifford went home to stay. “Clifford is an absolute joy to be around. There is something so incredibly soothing about his presence and you can just watch him doing nothing for hours.  He fits well into our family and we love him dearly. Clifford, however, comes with his own set of challenges. His seizures are a difficult thing to witness, but we are convinced that he has a great quality of life save for the complications that seem to arise every 4 to 6 weeks.  We are working with our vet to mitigate these episodes, but we know they will likely not ever completely subside.  Clifford has reminded us that life knocks us down every so often, but more importantly he shows that the difficulties can be shaken off and that the point is to get up and get back on your feet as soon as you can. Cliffy does just that.  A few days after falling ill he is back outside with his signature hop in his step. Those hops will be etched in our memories for all years to come.”

Some of our Goldens come from pretty far outside the Austin/SAT area, and so it was with young  Rio. Way down south, a rescue volunteer spotted  an adolescent male at the pound. “He is all covered in mud as it has been pretty rainy down here.  If he is not claimed he will be up for adoption in a few days. He is friendly, excited, high energy! If you guys have room for him let me know, although I’m sure you already have more than your fair share and I don’t want to burden you… it’s just that I love Goldens.” Was there room? You bet. In fact, Rio found his forever home in no time at all. “Rio is a beautiful blonde and enjoys being brushed, but sometimes he tries to eat the brush! He was unfamiliar with our pool, but curious. Finally we carried him in—and  now whenever he goes outside he has to take a few laps. I think we've created a monster! His main loves are his tennis balls. We’ve never seen a dog who likes to retrieve so much!  He also makes us laugh at his love for sleeping in the bathtub. Every night he’ll start out in our room and then after about 10 minutes, he quietly goes into the bathroom, crawls into the tub and is happy there the rest of the night until he realizes it’s time for breakfast. He’s a fun, beautiful, lovable, goof-ball of a dog and we are so very happy that Rio has become a member of our family.There’s never a dull moment with Rio around!”

So many rescue stories are “happily ever afters”—but one of the hardest parts of rescue is facing the fact that  not every story will have a happy ending. The early part of the year brought that home to us, but also reinforced our commitment to taking in even those dogs who may not have much time. Even if all we can do is provide comfort care for those last few days or weeks, we can still do some good. These dogs never make it to our website, but they are just as important to us  as every other GRR Golden, and we honor them here.

Beautiful Pebbles, just 3 months old, came to us from far South Texas near the very end of 2009. We could tell almost from the start that things weren’t right—she was so loving, but too, too droopy. As her cough and fever worsened, the vet gave us the grim news: Pebbles had distemper, likely contracted through weeks spent outdoors in a multidog pen at the pound where she had been living. Just 7 days into care, the illness had progressed to the neurological stage. There was nothing to be done. She spent her last night in her foster dad’s arms—and early the next morning, we said goodbye. Pebbles was beautiful & sweet, and she melted our hearts from the first moment we saw her. As we look for the good in this sad story, we can say that at least she didn’t have to die in that lonely outdoor kennel run at the shelter. Scott and Sheila changed her world for the better, and made the last week as good as it possibly could be.  She lived out her short life giving and receiving love.

“This is the small amount I know about Linus.  He was surrendered to animal control after he and his beagle buddy were picked up by the dog catcher.  Owner refused to pay the bailout fee. Linus is very skinny and had large ticks and fleas.  His ears are pretty terrible.  His nails are like bear claws.  He is at least 8+ years old and seems very mellow and good natured.  Good looking old toot w/ big head, big feet, just a skinny body with his ribs and backbone easily felt.” Sweet Linus also had a very big belly – one look, and the vet worried about a tumor. But it turned out that Linus had such a heavy infestation of heartworms that his heart was enlarged and beginning to fail—hence the accumulation of fluid in his abdomen. Given the severity of the problem, heartworm injections were clearly out of the question. We made plans to get him to a cardiologist – but on Valentine’s Day, just 12  days after he came to us, Linus took a turn for the worse. His foster mom said, “My fuzzy Valentine had a big heart -- but it was too big. Linus’s condition worsened rapidly Sunday afternoon. He told us that it was time. Despite hours of fever and panting, his final breath was a slow deep inhale and exhale. It was my honor to have him for his last days and hold him for his last moments. I am sure that he knew he was loved. He is now free of his broken body and at peace.”

Frail Jersey was the runt of the litter, not even breathing at birth. The breeder revived her with artificial respiration, but the tiny girl had suffered brain damage already—or perhaps her brain had never fully developed in the first place. A tender-hearted young lady purchased her anyway, but Jersey failed to thrive. She was apparently nearly blind, didn’t eat as she should, acted lethargic, and “circled” when she walked. The owner, unable to care for her but hoping  that there was some chance for Jersey, turned to GRR. When the 7-week-old, 7-pound pup arrived at the clinic, she was stressed by the surroundings, trembling nonstop: “Take her home and let’s see if she feels more comfortable with a lot of human interaction. Then we’ll evaluate,” said the vet. But it wasn’t to be. “She has completely shut down.  Non-responsive to me when I hold her.  Still has not taken any water or food.   Still tremors every now and then. At this point I don't want her to suffer any more.”  Jersey departed this life on February 27, 2010. Health and joy the next time around, little Jersey.

March
Came in: 18 dogs (8 owner surrenders, 9 shelter dogs, 1  stray)
Adopted: 15 dogs

Nobody will ever forget Gigi. She was spotted by a police officer in a rough part of town. He watched with growing concern for a week or so, as she grew ever thinner and scruffier—and when he saw a fresh, deep cut on her nose, that was it: time to take her into custody.  GRR volunteers Tracy and Donna drove out to meet her, and Officer Robert and an entire police escort came along to assist in the “arrest” and block off the streets in case Gigi decided to evade capture. All that for one little stray! No problem, though; Gigi was so happy to see a friendly face that bringing her in was a piece of cake (or more accurately, a hot dog, which she was very happy to eat). Getting her healthy was a longer-term project, though. Starved, scraped up, missing huge patches of fur—she was a pathetic sight. But as far as Donna was concerned, Gigi was also heaven-sent to comfort her after the loss of her young Golden Gillian. As is so often the case, rescued dog and rescuer helped each other heal. Just look at Gigi (new name, Dusty) now!

A Hotline call came in at the very beginning of March: “Two dogs just showed up on my porch. No collars, but they had leashes looped around their necks as if they had been tied out. I can’t keep them in the house b/c my dogs don’t like other dogs. I have run ads, posted them on Craigslist and Petfinder, called vets, scanned them for chips—nothing. They are both beautiful! Nails are trimmed, teeth are clean. I am worried about them just being loose out here.”  Even after stray time at a local shelter, no owner stepped forward—so Labrador “Meryl” went to a San Antonio rescue group, and Oscar became GRR’s Most Eligible Golden as soon as he hit the website. It was that irresistible combination of the perfect age (about four), the perfect cheery temperament, and those stunning show-dog looks. And when long-time GRR parents the Millers spotted Oscar holding court at our annual picnic, it was love at first sight!

“Oscar, now Odie, is the newest addition to the Miller family, which brings our household to five Goldens, all from GRR. In the portrait, left to right: Tina (#04-046 Athena), Mojo (#09-206 Master), #03-081 Nelli, Odie,  & Itty (#05-115 Cypress). Can you ever have too many Goldens? Odie was renamed in memory of Robb’s father, whom everyone called O.D. (Ole Dad). Odie is one of those ‘poster’ Goldens. If you see a young Golden on a dogfood bag, greeting card, etc.—that’s Odie. He is the cutest little man. His tail never stops wagging. The minute you look at him,  there it goes and he is forever smiling. He’s a very visual dog--he is mesmerized by birds, butterflies, squirrels and TV--yes he enjoys watching TV (especially shows with animals).We think he is very contented with his new pack.” 

April
Came in: 18 dogs (12 owner surrenders, 5 shelter dogs, 1 stray)
Adopted: 11 dogs

It’s a familiar story: a puppy is purchased for the kids, but then the parents realize that nobody has the time and hand the young dog off to a relative or friend who doesn’t really have the time for him either. Before long he’s an afterthought in someone’s backyard. So it was with Bowie, but his luck changed when a friend of the owner got to know him—and, “I can’t stand it. Every time I visit he’s just out in the yard – whether it’s freezing cold, broiling hot, pouring rain, whatever. That’s no life for a dog.” She adopted him herself, and then arranged for him to come to GRR. A volunteer met him and, “Friendly nice guy.  Within 30 seconds, I could tell he was a peach. Met me at the door & said, Come on in, we're glad to see you! This is a great dog.” Luckily for Bowie, there was a family just waiting for a dog exactly like him. He cruised right into his forever home. “Bowie has fit right in. His doggie sister Braxton Bragg was not so fond of him at first, having been the Lone Dog for almost a year, but after a few ‘talks’  they have reached an agreement on where they stand. Bowie loves our 5-year-old twins and even tolerates the wrestling and occasional wayward toy landing on his head! However, turnabout is fair play and we often find him ‘escorting’ one of the twins’ toys around the house in his mouth. Maybe adding a little ‘texture’ or ‘reconstruction’ along the way! Our family feels so blessed that Bowie has been brought into our lives, and we look forward to many rewarding and memorable years to come.”

Two-year-old Coop was given to a disabled owner to keep her company—and in hopes he might even serve as an assistance dog. He was sweet, loving, friendly, a lapdog, but just too much for her to handle. And a few months later, a move to a no-pets apartment meant Coop had to leave TODAY. Which he did… “devastatingly good looking and healthy!” said his foster dad. “He acts as sweet as he looks and doesn't have any bad habits.” In short, a real catch. It didn’t take long for this big boy to find his new home: “Cooper became part of our family the day we brought him home – April 16th – my birthday.   He is smiley, calm, sweet, beautiful, and funny.   He loves walks, swimming, company, car rides, rolling in the grass, and loves to collect shoes and line all of them up on the windowsill, except for one, which he snuggles with until we get home.   Cooper is our second Golden Retriever.  We lost our first, Bradley, to cancer in Dec 2009.   We will miss Bradley forever, but Cooper fits into our family like he’s been with us forever.   I think he was made for us and we are very lucky to have him!”

May
Came in: 10 dogs (5 owner surrenders, 5 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 10 dogs

May Day! May Day! As April drew to a close, we had a dozen dogs lined up waiting for foster space with nowhere to go. It was time to think outside the box, and our amazing Intake Director, Jacki, rose to the challenge by reaching out to other Golden rescues. Reaching out-of-state, that is, because incredible as it seems to those of us in Texas, there’s actually a shortage of rescue Goldens elsewhere in the country. (What?!?)  The wonderful folks at Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue came to OUR rescue, too. It took a double-overtime week  of  planning—poring over dog lists, consulting for hours on the telephone, recruiting a driving team, collecting crates, mapping out an itinerary—but in record time, Operation Gold Dust was ready to roll. Early on May Day (appropriately), a convoy of four SUVs oufitted with walkie-talkies & loaded with a total of nine Goldens left South Austin. Twelve hours later, the wagon train reached Las Cruces, New Mexico, where the Arizona team was ready and waiting. By the next day, all nine Goldens had been delivered to Phoenix and into the arms of their anxiously waiting families. All are  doing well—and little Daisy (seen being welcomed by her new dad in the photo) has even convinced her folks to add another rescue Golden to the home.  Now that’s what we call a success story!

… Of course,  rescue Goldens came to GRR in May, too. Drake and Betsy were spotted alongside a busy highway, running loose the morning after a strong thunderstorm. Who knows how far they had run, or how long they had been on their own? The two youngsters were skinny, tired, filthy, covered with fleas and ticks—and oh, so sweet. How happy they were to jump into the Good Samaritan’s car and drive to safety! Today, both have new homes. Drake, now Opie, gets this report: “I feel confident in saying that Opie is the finest dog in the world!  He is 57.5 pounds of pure happy happy joy joy love and affection.  I really do feel like he is very happy here indeed, and that we are much happier for his companionship.   He gets a good walk morning and evening and looks forward to meeting the regulars in our neighborhood.  He has found several routes in our back yard that allow him a true all out run, and he often enjoys simply hauling butt round a circuit of his own making.  Afterwards he can turn relaxing into an art form.  He has a stash of toys and enjoys making a pile of them for admiration.  He also finds any item not nailed down and proudly prances with it to his collection. I’ve attached a few photos from home.  I wish I had a shot of him flying around the yard, but he comes to us as soon as he sees anyone standing there with a camera.”

Jesse and James were another May pair. The two boys—both crowded in the close quarters of a single crate—had been adopted at a Pet Adoption Day the preceding November by a caring lady who had just lost her elderly Lab. She’d forgotten how big and strong young Goldens can be, and 6 months down the road, she called for help: “They’re wonderful, they’re beautiful, they’re healthy… they are too much for me.” Sweet James is still waiting for his forever family; read his story online. But luckyJesse, now Rusty, is in his new home now: “I still cannot believe how incredibly sweet he is! He's loving our long walks, and he's learning to swim and gaining confidence in the water, enjoying lazy days by the pool with us on  weekends, trips to the lake and going to friends' houses with the family. He is  a huge hit when we have other families and kids over, which is often! He is doing so well with our older, somewhat anxious, dog and our two cats, it seems he's been here months, not weeks. He's a real pleasure in beginner obedience classes (he and I are both enjoying it very much), and I am already considering taking him all the way through to Canine Good Citizen. Thank you GRR, from all of our family.”

June
Came in: 18 dogs (7 owner surrenders, 10 shelter dogs, 1 stray)
Adopted: 20 dogs

A few of our June dogs have already found their new homes—and so quickly they didn’t even go up on the web. Eight-year-old Truman, a genial shelter stray, fit into his foster home so well that his family decided he really ought to stay. “I'm just amazed at how well he gets along with everyone, even other animals that may be shy or territorial. Best home for him is mine! He is such a joy and an incredible dog.” Another direct-to-forever-homer was Flossie. This  pretty 4-year-old got so little attention (she was kept in the backyard or the garage) that her owner could hardly tell us a thing about her. In foster care, Flossie began to gain confidence, and soon, “She has stolen my heart. She is a sweet soul and I think we can be a great team. Just show me where to sign,” said her foster mom.  Other wonderful June arrivals, all adoptable now or soon to be so, are Moose, Boomer, Peachie, Prince, Bonny, Clyde, and Sam the Man – read all about them on our website.

July
Came in: 16 dogs (8 owner surrenders, 8 shelter dogs)
Adopted:  13 dogs
In four words: The sky is falling!! In one word: HELP! It was another deluge—about one dog every other day. Among them: Petite Bubbles, at age 10+,  was a shelter stray with a terrible haircut (her coat had been chopped with scissors), an uncomfortable growth on her eyelid, itchy skin, and loads of charm. But look at her now! “Phoebe,” as her foster family calls her, is thriving. “Happy, calm, loving. Fantastic traveller; managed a road trip to Dallas like a champ. Relaxed with other dogs of all sizes. Loves grooming and lies down to enjoy the experience. Hearing is a little impaired—but we can trigger a very happy ‘woof, woof, woof!’ with a clap of our hands.” Five-year-old Jakester was missing most of the fur on his lower back and tail and had scratched himself raw. We worried about mange—but it turned out to be allergies and awful fleabite dermatitis. Steroids and antihistamines helped, and within a month Jake was looking so much better. Our matchmakers paired him up three times; homes #1 and #2  weren’t quite right, but the third time was the charm. On October, 22, Jake went to his new family. They’ve put him on special food, they’re working with his allergies, and Dad says: “Jake is a great dog.  Has his own personality. He is a great kid who loves to run, play, get up next to us and be the center of attention.  As with our other Golden boys, he has gravitated to Pam. We were both out yesterday; when I came in, he greeted me with enthusiasm, but when Pam came home for lunch 30 minutes later, you’d have thought it was the Fourth of July!  He ran to her, then back to me & was so excited until I got to the kitchen so he could show me Pam was home!   We told our vet that Jake’s energy should help keep ours up—you can’t be lethargic when he is awake and ready for action! He is a great addition to our family, has stolen our hearts and is here forever.”

Zippy Belle Vie, age 2, came to us from South Texas. His rescuer named him in hopes of the beautiful life she hoped he’d have. And he will: with his loving foster family, who say “he gets along so well with our dog—it’s a match made in heaven. We want to adopt him.”

Maggie May, just 18 months old, had to move from her home due to the owner’s severe allergies. The lucky girl moved right in with her new family as a “foster pending adopt” Golden: “After years of only raising children, my husband and I finally decided we should keep our word to our son and start looking for a four-legged family member.  We contacted GRR—and, after waiting a little while, we got the call about Maggie. Could we foster her? It was a tight situation—all the other foster homes were full.  Of course, that was the one week all summer that we were going on vacation, but after seeing pictures... how do you say no?  We said YES, and worked out the details.  I was a little nervous as I drove to pick Maggie up from the vet, but she came to me immediately and licked my face.  And then she raced to the car and jumped right in as if she had known me for years!  I took her to work with me that day so that we could get to know each other.  She behaved really well and I kept thinking… how could someone give up this dog?  I’m grateful they did, though, because now we can’t imagine our lives without her.  Here are some pics from Maggie’s new life.  Thanks so much GRR!” (See more pictures of Maggie at http://grr-tx.com/adoption/success_stories/october2010.htm).

Young Honey is a dog with challenges: namely, torn cartilages in BOTH knees. Read all about her on our website – she’s our latest Extraordinary Golden Fund girl. As of November 1, she’s long since sailed through her first knee surgery and is thriving in her foster home. Sandy Bee had already changed families four times in her short life—this home was too busy, that one’s kids were too small, another one found themselves too stretched to juggle a new baby, jobs, school, AND an active teenage Golden. The auburn girl polished up her social skills in foster care—and was quickly adopted. Lucas wound up at the pound when his owner despaired of dealing with the 8-year-old Golden’s storm phobia. The Thundershirt helped a LOT with the storm fears, and Lucas found his new home on October 30. Savannah’s surrender was a heart-rending one: her ailing owner made the difficult decision to turn the dog who had been his constant companion and best friend for 9 years over to Gold Ribbon Rescue. We promised him we’d find her another wonderful home. She’s still waiting—could her new home be yours?

Our last July dog was Toby, a 4 1/2-month-old full of puppy charm. His was a typical case of wrong family, wrong time, wrong age—his owners thought they wanted a puppy, but quickly realized that a young, zippy, demanding scatterbrain (well, that’s what puppies are) just didn’t fit with tight schedules, long workdays, and after-school activities every single evening. We never posted this cutie on our website, because he moved right in with his forever family! Now a gangly adolescent with a new name (Axel – AKA “the Ax-man”), he’s livening up his home and turning into a wonderful Golden. “Axel is an absolute JOY. The best is when you walk near him and he begins his full-body wag. It’s not just a tail wag, it is a whole body experience! I think Axel was meant to be with us. We had just lost our 11-year-oldGolden (a GRR dog as well), and Axel has been a great source of healing for us. He is so playful and learning more each day about good puppy manners. He is also learning to live with our cat, and secretly I think the cat is glad to have someone to antagonize! Axel is a beautiful dog, certain to grow up into a handsome, big Golden. He has to enjoy the many admiring comments he gets on every walk!  Axel just fits in our family perfectly, and we feel so lucky to have him!”

August
Came in: 14 dogs (9 owner surrenders, 5 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 12 dogs
Arriving in GRR care on August 2, petite Zoee was surrendered by a loving family who could not afford her medical care. Suffering from a urinary tract infection and uncontrolled diabetes, she found just the right foster home, with a mom who knows all about diabetes and is perfectly comfortable giving Zoee her insulin injections. And what a difference a couple of months have made! Zoee has shed 14 pounds, her diabetes is coming under control, and she is ready for just the right family.

Breezy had apparently been the “house dog” for a group of college kids—but when they moved away at the end of the first summer term, they left her behind. For almost a month the 3-year-old stuck it out at an empy house, drinking rainwater and eating garbage to survive. Finally, the property owner called Animal Control. “This one will really need our help,” said the shelter rep. “She’s starved down and tick infested. Sweet as can be. I’ll definitely hold her for you.” With lots of nutritious food and lots of love, Breezy bounced back in a big way. Renamed Roxy by her new family, she is having a blast: “The lovely Roxy is the most amazing dog... every day we are baffled that anyone could have abandoned her! She loves taking her daily walks and going to soccer games. She gets SUPER excited when she hears the 6 AM alarm go off on weekdays, but on the weekends, she is a fabulous sleep-in girl! Her fur is starting to look good. She looks more like a Golden every day and is truly Golden in every way—such a lover, totally devoted and so sweet! The boys love the fact that she likes to run around the backyard like a maniac doing figure eights, making low growling sounds when she dips her shoulders to make the turns. If we had dressed Roxy up for Halloween, she surely would have been an angel! Our most sincere thanks to everyone at GRR (especially her foster family--she still loves the Harry Potter blanket!) for taking care of Roxy before we made her part of our family!!!”

“Gorgeous guy. Looks to be in good shape and cared for.  Already neutered.  I’m sure someone will be looking for him.  If not, my name is on him for safety.” That was the brief note from the shelter rep—she never expected that 2-year-old Timber wouldn’t be reclaimed. But he wasn’t… and so he moved on to make another family very happy: “This sweet boy is almost too good to be true! We just can’t imagine how he ended up stray.  He and our 10-pound Maltipoo now play together. He loves to snuggle in any position, and like most Goldens, he thinks he is a lap dog. But he is so polite when visitors arrive! He greets them with a big wag, but doesn’t jump up on them. He has the perfect energy level for our family. He is active and playful when we are, but is perfectly content to lie around in the living room in the evening and just relax. He walks very well on the leash, even stays right by Daddy’s side while they clean the pool and work outside. Our teenage son is so glad to have a ‘brother’ again. Our daughter is sad that she will be going back to college so soon after we have found our ‘forever friend.’ He has brought so much happiness to us in such a short time... now we remember why we love this breed so much!”

Just call him Mr Personality! A call from a vet brought 4-year-old Bogie to our doors: owners who couldn’t care for him had surrendered him to the clinic. When we first met him, he was extremely overweight and shaved right down to the skin to deal with some very bad mats…and so enthusiastic he’d jump around & squash you and anyone else by accident. A few months and a very dedicated foster family have worked wonders: he’s getting a waistline and growing fur—you can tell he’ll have a lovely curly coat in another 6 months or so. And that irrepressible personality? Just the same, but maybe a little more “repressible” now—and that’s a good thing! Bogie loves to go walking, go car riding, and snuggle up with his family. He’s a prize!

Five-year-old Della and 2 1/2-year-old Dawson came to Gold Ribbon Rescue when a house fire forced their family to move to an apartment. Dawson’s foster mom summed up her sweet foster boy in just a few words: “Big head, big feet, even bigger heart.” And then added: “He’s a wonderful dog. He enjoys being outside and chasing a tennis ball, and he likes the dog park.  But what he likes most of all is being with his people.” He quickly got his new home. As for Della, she’s in her new home, now, too – along with eight other Goldens, she joined October’s Golden Freedom convoy to beautiful Colorado.

Puppy mill Goldens are an extra-special kind of rescue dog. They need extra patience, extra  TLC, extra time to get used to a world that has so much more to offer than a metal crate, gray cinderblock walls,  endless litters, and very little in the way of love and companionship. Sold at auction when their “productivity” declined, 6-year-old  Madison and her 4-year-old friend Mikayla were simply purchased by another breeder—who then changed his mind about breeding them and decided to give them away instead. Through the efforts of a wonderful lady who’s always on the lookout for such “discards,” the two Goldens came to GRR. When we picked them up on August 24, they were terrified, huddling together in the back of their kennel, trying to flee once leashed up—there were some very big sighs of relief from the transport team once the girls were safely stowed at the vet’s. Since then, Madison, though still shy, has made an amazing adjustment—we wonder if she wasn’t someone’s pet for a while before bad luck landed her in a puppy mill? She’s living the life of any dog’s dreams with five other Goldens and  amazing foster parents! She is available for adoption to the right home (read all about her exploits on her webpage). Mikayla was much more withdrawn than her pal, but in just over two months she has made real progress. She is slowly coming out of her shell – seeking out the people more, socializing with other dogs a bit more. She enjoys snuggling into a corner of the sofa—often in the company of her kitty mentor, who is determined that Mikayla will never feel alone again!

At the other end of the spectrum (and how!!) from Maddie and Mikayla is 11-month-old Millie, known to her adoring (and sometimes exasperated) family as Mollie-the-Pest. Brimming with self-confidence, energy, hijinks, and mischief, she at first bedeviled the family’s long-suffering Westies to such an extent that she nearly jinxed her own adoption. (Can you guess why her first two owners surrendered her?? “Way too active.”) Said her soon-to-be forever mom, “We have a rescue greyhound across the street who has become her playdate-friend.  They’ve been walking/playing together daily & this has made a huge improvement in her behavior (read:  she’s only hassling the Westies for a while each day versus full time, 24/7).  My kids are also wild eyed & in love with this goofy beast & she’s become my dog = she’s stuck with us! This week’s challenge:  she’s decided that digging in the kids’ playscape, kicking rocks all over the lawn & then eating the weed mat & subsequently hurling everything in the middle of my bed is ever so much fun. Once we get back from camping, this fluffy terrorist is going to obedience class! Talk about a diamond in the rough!  like, the really, really rough!!” Here you see the Devil Dog (what other costume could there be?) and her vampire coven on their Hallowe’en rounds!

September
Came in: 18 dogs (10 owner surrenders, 8 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 9 dogs

Our first September dog was leggy blond Becker, just 2 years old. He camped out for a week or so with foster mom Kathy B, who was full of compliments but also commented, “Make sure to do dog intros slowly… you need to make sure this guy gets off on the right paw with other dogs.” He did fine with another foster family, but his first adoption didn’t work out—you guessed it, problems getting along with the resident Golden. In one of those “meant to be” scenarios, he wound up back with Kathy – to stay! “He gets along so well with our three girls—but yes, he’s an adolescent, a walking description of what to expect from a goofy male Golden from the ages of 6 months to 3 years old. He has that unrelenting personality that could tick off a little Debbie Snack cake!   In fact, I’ve pulled out my extra-large airline crate so I can send Becker to his ‘room’ when he is too ramped up and annoys everyone in the household, including me. But there’s nothing wrong with this guy that won’t be resolved in a year or so. He’s a fantastic dog and we love him.”

When Dukester’s elderly owner had to move in with her two daughters, the whole family sprang into action to place Mom’s pets. We learned that 6-year-old Duke was bred down in Port Aransas to be a bird dog—but when he flunked out of “birding school,” he was sold to be a plain old pet instead. “He is just one of the sweetest dogs ever,” said the owner, adding, “He loves to be scratched under his chin more than anything.”  It just so happened that GRR had an adoptive family ready and waiting for a Golden just like Duke—not too young, not too old, mellow with other dogs, fond of small children. The match suited everyone to a tee, and Duke was officially adopted on October 10. “Duke  has fit into our family beautifully.  He is loved by his human brother and sister, Emery and Eli, his canine sisters Ruby and Zoe, and his two moms, Stacey and Sarah.  He goes to ‘school’ every day and has become the Emerson Academy ‘greeter.’  He loves chasing the ducks and goats at our miniature farm and is the envy of all of the parents, who say, ‘I wish my dog would behave that way.’  We are proud and lucky to have him in our lives!”

Almost all Goldens are sweet, but 5-year-old Sydne just has to be one of the sweetest.  Ultra-petite (her ideal weight is about 38 pounds!), with dainty feet and a tiny frame, she started life as a puppy-mill breed dog in Kansas—but when she failed to have pups, she escaped from that life and was sold to a family who loved her dearly. Health issues meant that they had to part with her this  year. “Fluffy, friendly. The more you touch her, the happier she is; interactive with everyone.  Nice, clean teeth.  Smallest front teeth are worn to the gum... the puppy mill said this was from her chewing at her crate.  (She detests crates.)  Nice energy level; still zippy but not wild.  She is a real little lady. Well-edudated—she has graduated from two obedience classes! Cute as a bug’s ear.” Unfortunately, Sydne has heartworms—but our matchers found a family who’s happy to take her through the treatment, and then sign promptly on the dotted line. “She is such a joy. She has a gentle spirit and will ‘sing’ for her supper. We are going to wait until after Hallowe’en to have her second HW treatment done so as not to upset her with all of the neighborhood noise and trick-or-treaters. I also have two dachshunds who have come to love her like us humans do!! As soon as she gets the all-clear, Sydne (her new name is Dixie) will become ours forever!” Here you see her resting happily in her new home—“she has a nice big bed of her own, but prefers squeezing into the doxies’ bed instead!”

A stray from South Austin, 8-year-old Duncan impressed everyone with his gentility and good manners—in fact, his foster dad decided that he had all the qualities of a true Knight of the Round Table (courageous, venerable, charitable, gracious, dutiful, and dedicated) and wrote up a fanciful webstory on that theme. Normally it takes our seniors a long time to find the perfect home, but this paragon was matched up in no time. “We adore him! We call him by many names (Handsome, Dude, Buddy, Sweet Tea, Shadow, Velcro, etc.), but he more than lives up to his new name, Duke. He is incredibly polite, well-behaved, and good to his people. He is excellent at supervising us in whatever we do.   He loves going on walks to Walnut Creek. He loves lying at our feet and getting pets while we watch TV.  He is getting more playful and will play catch with a soft chew toy thrown in the air, provided that it is tossed directly to him. Thanks for all your help!”

Who could resist that cover-dog face?!? Beautiful Andy-Cody came to us from owners who could no longer keep him safe. He lived on a big property – but not big enough for him! He kept on escaping.  In foster care, he’s learning to enjoy the indoor life —and all the new things that come with it.

Just 18 months old, hunky blond Cody and curly red-headed Collette  became GRR dogs when their mom’s allergy issues meant that the duo could no longer live inside where Goldens belong.  Cody was supposed to be going to a “foster” family—but literally the day after he arrived, they called our matchers and said, “We’re in love! Where do we sign?” Well, that was easy… and it didn’t take much longer for charming Collette to find a home. Now known as Gracie, “she is a perfect angel.  We adore her! We’re so impressed that she knows her manners and knows how to play ball.  She loves to take walks down to the nearby creek with my boys.  One afternoon I lost my glasses (I have no idea how) and when I offered a reward to my kids to whomever could find my glasses, Gracie went outside and came in carefully holding them in her mouth and handed them over without a scratch.  Wow!  Thanks to everyone at GRR for bringing us together with her.  She is a sweetheart!” 

Arriving just days apart from each other, but with very different stories, were 2-year-old Barkley and 6-year-old Kaelani. Little Barkley was found stray, wearing a rabies tag from a clinic all the way across town.When the vet staff  attempted to track down the owner, they learned the contact phone was disconnected; one of the techs even drove by the house & discovered that it was empty. Who knows how the skinny Golden teenager wound up where he did? He was very bony and limping from a leg injury, so may have been on his own for a while. But not any more! Nearly recuperated from his injury (which turned out to be a micro-fine crack in his hipbone), Barkey was adopted on November 1. As for Kaelani – well-loved, well-cared-for, with full vet records—the plump redhead is that wonderful “known quantity” rescue Golden who fits in anywhere. She found her new home within a month of arriving in care. “Kaelani is great and has started showing her true personality.  I couldn’t ask for a better dog!  Wonderful, wonderful girl.”
    
October
Came in: 14 dogs (7 owner surrenders, 7 shelter dogs)
Adopted: 12 dogs

The big news for October came at the very end of the month, when our always-amazing intake director Jacki masterminded another road trip.

GRR had more Goldens than we had room for, and two Colorado rescues had more approved families than they had dogs: a hand-off was the perfect way for everyone to come out a winner. In the end, nine  lucky Goldens made the trip to Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies and Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue.

Getting them there turned out to be easier than we expected, because GRR foster & adoptive momVicky generously offered the use of her motor home—and that meant a real “luxury liner” ride for everyone to the hand-off point in Amarillo! Making the trip were Vicky; Jacki; matchmaker Donna; intake evaluator/foster list master/transporter extraordinaire Pat—and all those dogs! Five were already in foster care with GRR—Mazy Daisy, Della, Lexi,  Colt, and Beaux. The other four were seniors from our wait list: Cody Bear and Sandie, who’d been badly neglected after the breakup of a marriage and left almost to fend for themselves throughout the brutally hot summer; and Ginny and Clifford, a delightful pair of oldies who needed to find new homes when their owner’s work situation changed. The trip went off without a hitch—the only “hiccup”came when it was time to say goodbye and watch our Texas Goldens drive away. Jacki said, “When we did the first out-of-state transfer to the AZ group in May of this year, it was VERY hard to let go...  I cried... I was hoping that this time it would be easier....not so!!!    I had tears in my eyes saying goodbye.  It’s funny how in 10 hours you can bond so much with nine Goldens and feel like you are giving your children away.   I know they will have great lives and that’s why we do what we do!!!  I know they will represent GRR/Texas and make us proud.” Here you see a few postcards from the road – and snaps of a very happy Mazy Daisy, Della, and Colt in their Colorado foster homes. Read more about Operation Golden Freedom here...

Of course, things kept on hopping on the home front throughout the month. Arriving on October 3, distinguished gentleman Gentry shed at least 5 years upon release from the pound—stress can be so ageing, you know!  This delightful 9-year-old is housebroken, hospitable to all, and even knows a few tricks. Once he’s free from heartworms, he’ll be ready for a new home.  Young Hammie was literally starving, but that couldn’t keep the perky 1 1/2-year-old down: he’s Golden through and through, as friendly and optimistic as they come. He’ll be done with heartworm treatment just in time for Christmas. Senior gal Indya  had the worst mats Pat had ever seen—“I must have cut off 2 pounds of them”—and then there were the bad ears, the crusty eyes, the dragon-lady toenails, the all-over filthiness.  Her owners just couldn’t care for her, and hadn’t been able to for some time. Once out of the shelter and cleaned up, the 10-year-old looked a thousand percent better: she proved to be a petite redhead with an adorable “cotton puff” face, a trim figure, and a busy, social nature. An apparent stroke a few days into care shook us all up—but amazingly, within a week, she’d bounced right back. “Bustling up for meals, smiling, socializing with everyone, happy & interested, eager for her car rides—incredible!”

If it weren’t for those blasted heartworms, 18-month-old Ridley would doubtless already have found his forever home. We knew very little about this shelter fella at intake—most of the questions on his surrender form are answered simply, “Unknown. Dog is a stray.” The final comment on the form, though, is “Great dog—not sure why no one was looking for him.” To see just how true the “great dog” part is, take a look at the report from Ridley’s foster dad on our webpage!

Our October boys also include  delightful  Buster Joe, an ultra-big 3-year-old (on his way to a slimmer self, however). He was relegated to the yard and garage when his family developed bad allergies. Now, he’s a happy house dog once more! He’ll  be available for adoption soon.

It always takes a whole team to rescue even one dog -- witness Miss Holly.

* The finders: On a walk around their neighborhood, a young couple met a clearly neglected Golden girl: matted, dirty, flea-infested, passing bloody urine… but oh, so affectionate and friendly. Rather than turn away, “We have to do something,” they decided—and went knocking on doors to find the little dog’s family.

*  The owners: So often in these cases, any attempt to help is met with, “Mind your own business!” But this time: “We know we aren’t able to care for her,” said her elderly owners. “If you are able to find her a new home, please take her.”

* GRR Presideent Maura: Holly’s picture soon appeared on a Facebook page—and when Maura saw it, she contacted the posters & suggested giving GRR a call.

*  The GRR Hotline & Intake Crew: Once the surrender form was complete, it was straight to the intake evaluation—which produced a rave review, in all caps no less! “THIS IS AN OUTSTANDINGLY NICE LITTLE GAL. EVERYONE WILL WANT HER,” said Margo. Concerns over Holly’s health meant we brought her in right away, and sure enough, an initial vet visit revealed a raging urinary tract infection. But the antibiotics didn’t seem to help, and by the next afternoon an emergency trip to the vet was in order.

* Dr Stried and Tanglewood tech Angela:  A quick ultrasound & X-rays revealed that Holly’s bladder was literally loaded with stones.“Three of them are as large as golf balls, and there are hundreds of little ones. Dr Stried says it is ‘amazing’ & ‘the case of the year’! I can’t imagine how painful this must be.” At 7 AM the next day—October 23—Holly had successful surgery (tech Angela actually donated her time). By afternoon, she was recuperating—and a couple of days after that, she was frisking around, doing play bows, and feeling better than she had in ages. The further good news is that the problem can be controlled just by keeping a sharp eye out for ANY signs of a UTI, then treating at once—the stones form as a result of an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the bladder. Holly also has heartworms, but once those are cleared, she’ll be ready for the next link in her chain of rescuers: her forever family.

And that’s where we are – for the moment, because the November wait list is already growing, with the always-busy holiday season bearing down fast. We’ll continue to help as many Goldens in need as we can… and once again, we want to thank our lucky stars for Dr Ronald Stried of Tanglewood Animal Hospital. For years, Dr Stried has been amazingly generous with his time, expertise, and space, always taking Goldens for us at a moment’s notice—it’s not uncommon to find three or four GRR Goldens residing at Tanglewood while we hunt for foster homes. Just a few weeks ago, he gave up his Saturday morning to do emergency surgery on #10-148 Holly (see her story just above).  In honor of  all the support he has shown us, we presented him with a lifetime GRR membership last summer—but that hardly expresses our gratitude adequately. Thank you again, Dr Stried, for your compassion, generosity, and devotion to Goldens in need.

Many of you have doubtless read the rescuer’s poem, describing a  little dog who is all alone and struggling until a rescuer takes her in:     

She said: We are a circle, a line that never ends—
And in the middle there is you, surrounded by new friends.

Rescue is hard work. It can be stressful, exhausting, heartbreaking, frustrating, and just plain overwhelming. But—being part of that circle is also heartwarming, funny, rewarding, almost always addictive.There is nothing like the feeling of giving that one chance to dogs who so desperately need it all—help, hope, love, safety, a home to call their very own. And whenever we feel like we’re at the end of our tether, we have one of those “why we do what we do” moments: proof that the love of a caring heart really can make a world of difference. We hear how a former neglected yard dog is the toast of his new neighborhood and his family’s constant companion. We read about one of our shelter strays visiting schools and hospitals as a therapy dog. We see a shut-down puppy-mill Golden, once too scared to lift her eyes or leave the corner of the room, transformed into a social-butterfly glamor girl, lunching with her mom at Central Market and greeting passersby with a smile and wag. We see an adopted Golden easing the pain of recent loss: “She gives me a reason to smile again.” Maybe we look at a beautiful dog snoozing right at our feet, think about all the ways he makes us laugh every day, and remember how he was so very close to being put down at the shelter. 

Over one hundred dogs so far, and a hundred more likely to arrive by the end of the year… it takes a big, big circle of new friends to surround that many Goldens. If you are already a part of our circle, thank you so much for all you do. And if you aren’t a part of GRR yet, please join us. Please help each rescue dog find the life of his dreams. Thank you from all of us at GRR.