Adopted
Diana/Abbie
Here’s another update that Abbie wanted to send
to everyone who’s responsible for helping her find a new home.
Hi everyone,
This is Abbie and I wanted to give you another update about how I’m doing in my
forever home. I’ve been out of the puppy mill for over a year and a half now and
I’m still learning new things every day. I have learned the true meaning of life
for all Goldens everywhere; the belly. Filling it and getting is scratched. I
just loooove treats. I know the sound of my bowl being picked up and I can hear
my people chewing from one floor and 3 rooms away. All a dog needs for a
fulfilling life is a full belly and some great belly scratching. And a daily run
at the park. It’s all so simple!
I love the park and car rides. My favorite words are dinner, park, treat, walk,
banana, out, hungry, car, cheese… I think you get the idea. And I love looking
out the front window to watch the world go by. Every afternoon about 4:30 I come
downstairs and watch out the front window until my papa comes home from work.
Then I run up and down the stairs a few times and jump and spin in the air when
he comes in. I even come downstairs to meet new friends when they come to visit;
especially if they bring carrots or treats. That’s just another one of those
“Golden belly” opportunities.
I love to play tug with my people and my sister and I’ve you should see me swim!
I don’t understand why my people sometimes throw a tennis ball to me, though. It
just bumps me on the nose and falls to the ground. Huh. Tennis balls are for
ripping the fuzz off of, not catching. Dogs catch carrots, bananas, treats, and
such; not tennis balls. One day, hopefully, my people will catch on. They’re a
little slow sometimes, but I do love them.
I’ll tell you a secret, but don’t tell my people. I’ve trained my people to take
me to the park to run! I just get way overly excited, run up and down the
stairs, sprint around the living room and do a couple 360 degree spins in the
air and soon enough my people say “Crimony Abbie” and I get to go to the park!
It works really well! All you beasties out there should try it sometime. People
are so easy to train.
I’ve started taking agility classes. I’m not sure what the point is, but I’ve
learned the dog walk, jumps, tires, hoops and ladders. I love that 4” dog walk.
It makes a dog so tall!! I just stop in the middle, put my head high in the air
and peruse my surroundings.
Thank you all so much for helping me to find a forever home. People tell me that
my eyes are bright and cheery now instead of scared and cautious. And I never
knew the world was filled with so many wonderful people and smells (and FOOD!!).
Well, I gotta go ballistic now so my people will take me to the park. I’ll write
again soon.
Love, Abbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Beth
Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 8:31 AM
Subject: Diana's success story
Hi,
We adopted “Diana” on August 1st. Here’s a bit of her story of transition into
her new home and how far she’s come so far. We’ve changed her name to “Abbie.”
She’s come a long way. Here’s what she wanted to tell you:
Hi, I’m Abbie (Diana) and I was rescued from a puppy mill last spring. It was
really scary, but really good too. I got good vet care and had some infections
cleared up so I’m feeling much better. My foster home was great. I wasn’t too
sure about moving again and getting a new older sister, but it’s turned out to
be pretty fun. I’ve learned lots of things since I’ve moved here: wagging your
tail is okay; being outside is fun; bones and rawhide are great! (and fun to
bury in the yard); I don’t need to hide in my safe corners anymore, but it’s
nice that they’re still there; it’s fun to jump and pounce when I’m excited.
I’ve come out of my shell so much that my momma and papa are sure I’m really
only 6 months old and not 3 years old. I’m also getting used to going on walks
at the park. Oh, and there’s nothing like ripping the stuffing out of toys!
Though my sister doesn’t much like it when I do that.
My sister has taught me lots of things, too. Dogs snort when they’re not happy,
treats are good, people are safe, it’s fun to put your head out the window in
the car, you can be curious when someone comes to the door and not hide, being
outside is fun (though I’m still not sure what’s so enticing about picking up
toads: YUCK!!), and snuggling is nice. We sometimes compete for attention, but
I’ve learned to pick up my back leg and paw my sister in the face to keep her
back.
Oh, and I’ve developed an internal clock. My mom’s an early bird and if she
oversleeps I’m sure to jump up on the bed and give her a swipe on the head. (I’m
also learning not to swipe with my paws, but sometimes I just get tooooo
excited.) I’m also getting used to strangers and men. Last time I went to the
vet I even took a treat from his hand!!
Thank you GRR for giving me a new home and a chance to have a good life.
Abbie
View Pictures Here
Her adoption story
There can be no justification for causing suffering to animals simply to
serve man's pleasure or simply to enhance man's lifestyle.
The Dean of York
Imagine this as your life:
A narrow kennel. Surrounded by many other similar narrow kennels. Each housing a
Golden. A Golden whose sole purpose in life—whose entire life—is to produce
Golden puppies for sale.
Never let out.
Never taken for a walk.
Never hearing a softly spoken word of kindness.
Never feeling the tender touch of a loving hand.
Just bred for another litter of puppies once the last set has been weaned.
Think long and hard on this.
How could you not go mad?
That puppy mill Goldens do not go crazy, that they still have it in them to
learn that life is more than a metal crate and that humans can be their friends,
is a testimony to the breed itself. Their loyalty. Their trust.
Diana—identified on her official “Breeder’s Registry” as Golden Huntress—was
rescued from an Oklahoma puppy mill in April, part of a group of nine Goldens.
The owners were “closing up shop” and auctioning off their breeding stock to
anyone who might want to start up a new puppy mill. Among the buyers, however,
was a Good Samaritan with a very different goal in mind. She outbid the
competition, purchased all nine dogs, and placed them with rescue groups
throughout Texas and Oklahoma.
And so Diana came to Gold Ribbon Rescue.
Diana is a lovely three-year-old girl. She’s been spayed, treated for bladder
and ear infections, and updated on all her shots. Her hips aren’t sound enough
to make her a good jogging partner, but she has plenty of stamina for regular
walks and normal activity. (And surprisingly, she really enjoys her walks and
does well on leash.)
She is timid, not always sure if the hand coming towards her will be a friendly
one or not. Once she decides that she is in safe company, though, a bit of that
Golden trusting nature comes out … and seeing her smiling face is something
wondrous!
Diana needs someone who will help her work through her shyness. She needs a
loving, relatively quiet home—everything is new to her and there are just too
many new things that can overwhelm. Someone who could be home during the day
would probably help in her progress. She gets along with other dogs—but
remember, she doesn’t know how to play, having never done that before. She would
probably benefit from having a playmate to teach her the ropes of what life as a
loved dog is like.
She will require patience.
She will require love.
And she may always be a more reserved Golden.
But she’s so deserving of a chance.
Can you help Diana? She is desperately looking for someone to help rebuild her
confidence and her trust in the goodness of humans.
Our task must be to free ourselves—by widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein