Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Training my Human.

I found some books on the coffee table on non-verbal communication. I decided to work on training my master. It took some time but I finally trained my Foster to scratch my tummy when I roll over on my back. That was just a start; I decided to work on other non-vocal communications. I began by bringing my leash to him, actually I bring in Bella’s leash, mine is very small and no fun to carry. This is my signal to go for a walk. If he is in the wrong shoes, I bring him a new pair. It took quite a few tries but I think he has finally grasped the concept. They finally understood that when I bring a ball to them they are supposed to throw it. I am working on bringing him my food dish when it is meal time; he seems to be challenged by the concept of time. Training humans is difficult; they seem to be slow to grasp concepts.

I tried to help in the kitchen today. They were holding down a very dirty plate while they arranged things in the dishwasher. I turned on my “pre-wash” attachment and began to scrub the plate. You would have thought I had done something bad, they yanked the plate away and told me to stay away from the dishwasher. I am confused now. They put the dishes in there to make the dirt go away. I can make the dirt go away without any waste of water or soap, and do it with no effort from them. If they want to be environmentally correct, a Golden Retriever uses much less energy than a dishwasher. Humans are sure hard to understand!

Tonight I will dream of humans fetching my tennis ball!
Mogley

Dachshunds, They will not trade me, will they?

Dachshunds! My Foster parents are threatening to take me to the Dachshund rescue kennels and trade me for a Dachshund. They fell over me twice because they tried to step over me just as I was standing up. Wait till they lose a tennis ball in the pool and they want their Dachshund to fetch it! Wait till they throw a Frisbee, and they send their Dachshund to retrieve it. Wait till a visitor needs to be greeted at the door with licks, wags, wiggles and snuggles. Then they will realize how valuable their Golden Retriever is! They would not really trade me in, would they? Maybe I won’t lay down in the kitchen or the hallway, just in case.

The cat is staying! After three weeks they gave up. No one is going to call and claim a lost cat. I tried to tell them that. They should have taken the cat to the Dumb Friends League when they first found it. Now they say it is so cute and it plays so well with Bella and I. They took the cat to the vet for a health check up and get its shots. I hope they got it inspected for cooties, I am sure cats have cooties. I knew the battle was lost when they took down the signs advertising “Found, Black Kitten”. If I have to share the house with a kitten, I am going to chase him and make him miserable. He comes running by me while I am relaxing, he bounces just in front of me before he takes off running again, just begging me to chase him. I jump up and chase him but he is already hiding behind the couch. He lays down on my bed and dares me to chase it. Cats are pests!

Tonight I will dream of chasing cats.Mogley

Road Trip!

I knew something different was happening when my Foster took my bed out and put it in the back of the SUV. Jenny (my humans daughter) came by with her car and since her car was small and she had three Golden’s, we offered to let Pepsi ride with us. The back of the SUV is high enough that we can see out the windows very easy when the seats are down. Bella, Pepsi and I watched the scenery go by for a while till we got bored, then we all arranged ourselves to take a nap. Bella climbed in the front seat and rode like the queen she thinks she is. Pepsi and I curled up in the back, I slept on my dog bed but Pepsi had to nap on the hard floor. We stopped at a rest stop in some place called “Chugwater, WY” and we went to run for a few minutes. Bella told me that when they tell you to go “potty”, stall! It makes our run in the park last longer. So I took my time until they headed back to the car with me, then I finally gave in. We had another long nap until we came to a place called “Casper”. We stopped there and had a short walk, and they left us for lunch. On the road again, they had to pull over in just a few miles. The human looked back and discovered that Pepsi had pushed the lid off of the dog food and was gobbling it up.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We arrived at the cabin high in the Big Horn Mountains. Boy did the air smell good when we got out. All kinds of strange smells were in the air. We did not know what they were but they were sure fun. After a walk in the woods, we went inside. After dinner we went for another walk, Bella and I stalled going potty again so we could sniff and enjoy the night air before we had to go to bed. The picture shows three of us in Jenny's lap, relaxing after a long drive.

The next morning we found that the cabin windows were very low and the window screens allowed us to smell and watch outside just fine. Just outside were some things called deer. We barked and barked until they ran away. A little while later several things they called wild turkeys went by. We barked and made them run too. When we went out for a walk we discovered that there were some great big things called cows on the hill. We barked at them and they went “moo” at us. This time we ran back a ways. Later that day a man came by on something called a horse. We barked at it also, but the cowboy just waved at us. Cows and horses do not have any fear of dogs, barking did not impress them at all. They are big and scary.

When the wind changed and we were down wind from the cows, we discovered why our Foster parents compared the methane production of a cow to a Golden Retriever. It was an insulting comparison. I may demand an apology, it was a gross exaggeration, Golden’s do not smell that bad!

Dinner that evening was exciting; Just before Jenny set the bowls down, Molly started fighting with Pepsi. It was scary; Bella and I never fight, so a real fight scares me. Bella and I had become Pepsi’s friend, the three of us played together and had a good time, but Molly was a grumpy dog. They grabbed Molly’s collar and quieted her down. It is hard to be grumpy when there are so many things to do and new smells to sniff.

The next two days were fun; we saw more deer, more cows, turkeys, and several neighbor dogs. Lucy, a black Lab from up the road came down and gave me one of her toys when she asked me to play. There were so many new things to bark at and all kinds of new smells. Later I ran off to visit the dog from Gillette; he was in a camper across the road. When I got loose again I went back to see him, everyone got upset just because I go for a little run down the road. When the lawn sprinklers came on I got to play in them, it was fun, wet and cool. There was a river and a pond, but my fosters would not let us play in it, they were trying to keep us clean and dry to ride in the car. Over the three days we were in the forest, we smelled things we had never smelled before, we saw a lot of new animals, and we ran till we panted. When it was time to jump in the car and head home, we were glad to lay down and have a long nap.

After a long time on the road again, we arrived back home. It was fun seeing new scenery, seeing lots of new animals, and meeting some new dog friends. We were tired of being cooped up in the car so we ran around the yard a lot before dinner. After dinner we slept all night long.

I have dreams of deer and turkeys running in the woods.

Getting ready for a long trip.

Road Trip! My Foster parents told Bella and I to pack our leashes, bones, toys and bed, we are going to Northern Wyoming.

My cousins told me about the ranch in Wyoming, Pepsi, Molley and Emma went up there last week with their humans. It is a long drive but there are several rest stops along the way. Rest stops along the highway are fun, we get to meet a lot of different dogs. When we get to the mountians, they said there are deer in the yard every day, bears in the hills, wild turkeys in the trees, raccoons, foxes, ducks, coyotes and lots of birds. There are some big things called cows and in the corrals there are some horses. They told me that we have to be very careful not to go very far from the yard. They don’t let us run loose very much as it is dangerous if we run away following a deer. There is a stream in the yard so we can play in the water every day.

For the next five days I won’t be able to blog, but when I get back, I should have some great stories.

Tonight I will dream about deer, whatever they are.
Mogley

What is Methane?

“Cows are being unfairly blamed for global warming,” according to my foster dad. He thinks that as a source of methane in the air, Golden Retrievers should be examined more closely. “As a group, Golden Retrievers would beat cows hands (or tails) down, in both quantity and quality of methane produced” he said last night as he opened the doors and windows. I am not sure exactly what he means, but it sounds like another thing that we Golden Retrievers excel at. Are we good or what?

I am still torn as to what to call our Golden Retriever Squeaky Toy Band. Maybe I should seek suggestion from my blog readers. We also have to decide which songs we record. I know there are some doggone good songs for us. Hound Dog, an old Elvis hit is a natural. Old Dog Trey is a little dated for an up beat group like us. I will explore more of these in my next blog. It is unfair, there is an entire stage play about “Cats”. I have looked and looked, but there is no stage play or movie named “Dogs”. Where is the justice?

Just in case anyone has forgotten, there is still a kitten in my house. How do you deport an illegal alien?

Tonight I will dream of Squeaky Toy Concerts.
Mogley

Cats and Kittens are a plague!

Cats and Kittens are the reason there is war, pestilence, famine and plague in the world. Democrats and Republicans each blame it on the other party. No, the cause is Cats and Kittens. The kitten arrived eight days ago and it is still here. We advertised on the web, we posted 14 signs on stop signs for a mile in every direction. We put up notices in the grocery stores and even several vet clinics. We still have not found anyone that will admit they lost a kitten. I could have predicted that no one would claim it, who in the world would want a kitten back if they lost one? They probably celebrated when they discovered that the kitten had left. If someone did show up to claim it I was prepared to give them two cats as a bonus.

Still, the kitten is fun at times. He loves to run and he will come up to me and then take off running. I will give chase and he will go behind a couch or jump up on a chair and stop, daring me to go any further. Then he will take off again. I tried giving it some of my toys but it is too dumb to grab them and have a tug of war. I caught the kitten laying on my dog bed this morning, he didn’t even move when I climbed on the bed beside him He came over and took a bite out of my breakfast bowl while I was eating. He is not respectful of dogs. He has no intention of leaving, I can tell. There must be a place that a self respecting dog can file a complaint about having too many cats in a house?

Tonight I will dream of kittens running away from home.
Mogley

Beautiful Balloons!

5:00 in the morning the alarm clock went off. Usually the alarm is set for 6:00, but I wake everyone up at 5:30, this morning they beat me! They hurry Bella and I downstairs and feed us, then send us out for a few minutes. When we come back we all load up in the SUV and we head for Chatfield for something called a Balloon Festival. Chatfield is where we had the great Golden Retriever Rescue Picnic, so it must be a fine place.

When we arrive we go walking in a big field, it is still dark, the sun is just coming up. Suddenly there is a loud “whoosh” and flames come out of a basket sitting on the ground. Scary! A little further on there are more of them. Bella and I are trying to hide when several people come up to us and start petting us. More scary noises, but the people are sure friendly. Soon big colored things are floating in the sky all around us. We meet more dogs along the path, they are friendly too. We find a place to watch on a lttle hill, we sit beside a nice couple that want to talk about us and pet us while we sit. You remember the "Golden Retriever Rule" don't you? A Golden Retriever can not get enough attention!





More of the things they call Balloons are floating up in the air. The air is still and when the balloons go up, they just hang above us. We walk around and watch the balloons being prepared, then the noisy things fill them up with air, but once they float away they do it in silence. People are relaxed, they watch the Balloons and they pet Golden Retrievers. There is a giant pink bunny, it takes a long time to fill up with air and start to rise off the ground. They even had a big pink balloon with a nose and snout that was titled “When Pigs Fly”. This is an OK place.

It is not a Golden Retriever Rescue Picnic, but it is all right. We get to go by the water but they won’t let us get wet. Darn! We are home by 10:00, but after walking all around we are beat so it’s nap time. The rest of the day is quiet. Too Quiet. The foster parents went out shopping and brought us back a whole bunch of new toys.

I can de-stuff that toy in three minutes! I challenge Bella to a race to see who can tear the new toys apart in the least time. I win. They brought us some new squeaky toys, I test them out to see what sounds they make, I want just the right combination of sounds for our squeaky toy band. I am still testing when they take the noisy toys away and hide them, its bed time already.

Happy balloon dreams to you.

A band of Golden Retrievers

It takes a lot of practice and rehearsal to turn a few good dogs into a polished band. We are getting so good on our squeaky balls that we need to form a band and go professional. In the picture I am showing my ugly foster step-sister how to properly hold a squeaky ball in order to get the maximum tone from it. She is usually laying down on the job, she does not practice as much as I do. She is not musical as I am; she has to work hard to carry a tune, she hardly ever barks, even when she has a squirrel up a tree. She needs voice lessons if she is ever going to perform in public.

I am working on what to name our band. We need a name that conveys our excitement and our dedication to music. We will test market a couple of names. How about “The Golden Band?” Or maybe “The Retriever Chorus?” How do I form a “focus group?”

In this picture I am helping Bella to get a correct grip on a squeaky toy in order to make the harmony work in with the rest of the band.

Tonight I will dream of the wonderful music we will make as a band.
Mobley

Found a Kitten

Cats! Why me? Sunday night my Foster dad heard a noise out front in a big bush. He came back in the house with a tiny black kitten that had been hiding in the bushes. Only 4 months old, it looked harmless enough. “Found Kitten” signs were posted on sign posts and animal shelters called to find the owner. It has been four days now and no sign of it leaving. It gets along with us but that is not the point. Having two cats in a dog’s home is bad enough, but three is stretching my limits. It gets to sleep on the bed, jump on furniture, and climb onto window sills. When I try to follow it I get yelled at. There must be a way we can file a complaint with the Golden Retriever Rescue to let them know of this miss-treatment. Can we call Orkin and tell them we need them to remove an infestation of cats? One bright spot came out of this; my Foster dad says I am certified as “Kitten Proof” now, any family that wants to have a dog and a cat living together can adopt me.

I helped feed the fish again today. The fish food smells a lot better than my food. I think I am being cheated. I leaned in and tried to grab some of the food but I could not reach it. I have fallen in twice already, and it is scary to suddenly be in the water.

I went back in the house and found a squeaky toy. I remember an old story about a Golden Retriever that asked a Poodle “How can I get to Carnegie Hall?” The Poodle told him “Practice, practice!” That is what I am going to do. I will practice until I am a squeaky ball virtuoso.

Tonight I will dream of a nice black kitten finding a new home, someplace else.
Mogley

How many squeaky toys make a band?

I have not written since my picnic blog. I have been busy though as you will soon see. On Monday, Pepsi, Emma and Molly came by for a play date. Five Golden’s romping in the back yard made a fun afternoon. Pepsi is still a little shy, she will need some time to get used to her new sisters, aunts and uncles. She is good at “dog door” and came and went often enough that the Fosters soon closed it, they were tired of hearing it go “flap, flap”.

The last two concerts in the park we attended were fine, but from a dog’s perspective they lacked squeaky toys. Guitars and drums are fine for humans, but they lack the depth and feeling that a squeaky toy can convey. We spent part of the day practicing on the squeaky toys. I plan on having a squeaky toy concert soon and I wanted everyone to become skilled in harmony. The squeaky toys in the balls sound much better, they responded faster and were much more intense. The squeaky things in the stuffed toys were rather muted and only good for background accompaniment. The practice session did not go as well as I had hoped, there were several tugging matches as various musicians attempted to take away the best squeaky toys from the other participants. The growling and barking accompaniment may lend another dimension to the concert. A few more practice sessions and we will be ready to headline our own concert on the green. Everyone promised to practice often when they went home. I need to do some research, there are some unanswered questions. Do five Golden Retrievers playing squeaky toys constitute a band or an orchestra? I will need to do some market research as well, some friends have recording equipment and we may want to release a CD. I remember hearing a terrible recording of dogs barking “Jingle Bells”; they were off key and not in harmony. We can beat that with our rendition of “Silent Night.” I worked into the evening on my solo part, that is until 10:30 when my foster dad took the squeaky toys away and hid them. He has no appreciation for fine music. He will be sorry when I am a big recording star, people everywhere will be listening to my recording of “Night Music”. My paw print will be on the sidewalk in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, they will be sorry they scrubbed my paw print off of the couch; it would be worth money some day. I think I look good with a squeaky ball in my mouth, don’t you? That is my large sized “bass” squeaky ball that I use for my solos.

Tonight I will dream of a squeaky toy concert.
Mogley

The Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion Picnic

I did not get my blog written Saturday night, I was cold, wet, dirty and tired when I got back from the day at the Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion Picnic at Chatfield and my Foster dad won’t let me have the computer if I am wet and dirty.

Buckley spent Friday night with us so he could come along with Bella and I to the picnic, the more Golden’s, the merrier! We arrived early to help set up, that gave us even more time to play in the water before very many dogs and people arrived. My foster parents set up their chairs, then gave each of us a snack so we would remember where they were before they turned us loose. Then we were off and running.

We began splashing, chasing balls and meeting new friends while my foster’s helped set up the picnic. More dogs were arriving, more friends to meet. Molly and Emma arrived; Brian and Jenny came down to the shore and began throwing balls in the water for us. Five dripping Golden’s ran back to check on our parents from time to time and see if it was “treat time” yet. Soon the ground was wet and slippery where they had set their chairs. People were soon slipping on the mud. When we spotted a hot human, we would run out of the water, greet them, then shake hard and cool them down. Several Greyhounds came by, they would not run into the water with us, but we had fun running up and down the beach with them, they sure can run and turn fast.


At 12 Noon all of the Golden’s were lined up on the shore, the great ball toss was about to begin. It took a long time; several of the dogs did not understand the rules and ran into the water early. The balls were thrown and the dogs were released. Everyone charged into the water, if we brought back one of the special balls with numbers on it we would get a prize. Buckley, Bella, Emma, Molly and I ran into the water until it was up to our shoulders. Then we waited while the energetic dogs swam way out and brought the balls closer to shore. Our plan was working; we ended up with lots of prizes, pretty green tennis balls.

After the ball toss I was tired, I went up to my foster’s camp spot but the ground was too wet and muddy to lie down. I took over one of the camp chairs, it gave me a clean, dry spot to rest while I watched the rest of the dogs run and splash My foster left a piece of watermelon unguarded, I found out that I like watermelon.

Several dogs moved in on my territory during the day, looking for attention and treats. One young girl, Pepsi, was the same age I am, very sweet and quite shy. She began leaning on Jenny, resting her head on Jenny’s lap and making herself totally adorable. Pepsi was a rescue dog that was looking for a new home; she has something called special needs. I guess that means she gets pills coated in peanut butter like I do. After several hours of getting acquainted, Brian and Jenny decided to take Pepsi home and foster her. She played well with Emma and Molly, and I think she is cute. We will make a play date as soon as she gets settled in her new foster home.

Two more hours of running, swimming, getting muddy, meeting new friends and playing with balls and sticks in the lake wore us completely out. I returned to my chair and rested for a while. When they called for volunteers to help load up and clean up, my fosters went to help while the three of us took a nap in the back of the SUV. We slept all the way home. At home, the three of us got baths before we were allowed in the house. Clean and tired, we did not even play once we got in the house. Mike took Buckley home, then we had dinner and slept through the night.

I hope we can do that again soon. My tail was sore from wagging so hard, I did not know I could get tired from having too much fun. I met many new friends and I learned to swim much better. I ran and played without a leash for five hours. Somebody said we had 300 people and 200 dogs at the picnic. With all those people and dogs I did not hear a single disagreement or an angry Growl.

Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) has been busy, it has placed 187 dogs in the first six months of the year, but there are still 31 dogs looking for homes and a way out of the kennel. If you would take a Golden home, you could be a part of all the fun and you too could share in our wonderful times. The price of admission to all this fun is only a Golden Retriever away. Don’t miss our next picnic!

On the way home my foster dad looked back at the three of us wet, muddy, tired dogs, curled up, laying with our heads on each other and asked us, “Since all dogs go to heaven, would you three mind putting in a good word for us when you get there?”

That night I had dreams of running in and out of the water with all of my new doggie friends, playing with balls and sticks.
Mogley

A Concert in the park

It was concert in the park night again. We walked down the park path to the concert area, there were a lot of people there this time. We met two other Golden Retrievers there. Tom brought Theo and Reba. With four Golden’s in one group a lot of people stopped by to pet us and talk about their dogs. Many people told us about their dogs but they left their dogs at home. All that green grass with room for dogs to romp was wasted. We tried to make as many friends as we could. The concert was “Hot Tomatoes” which is a good group, it set our tails to thumping, Bella and I sat up and listened to the music. We enjoyed the walk down to the park and the walk home again after the concert was over.

It is getting close to Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion picnic day; boy is it going to be fun to play with all of our friends. I hope they have enough tennis balls to go around. My foster says I woke him up at 3:00 this morning; I was thumping my tail on the floor again. I was having happy dreams.

I was dreaming about 200 wet dog friends running after tennis balls.
Mogley

Trip to the Pet Food store

I finally convinced my foster parents that I did not like the Lamb and Rice formula puppy food I was getting. I kept stealing Bella’s Chicken and Rice adult food. When Bella and I had a spat about the food my foster parents finally realized what we were telling them. The best part of this is we all went to the dog food store. I tried to pick out some toys but my fosters said I had enough toys. I will show them, when I get home I will tear the old ones apart, then we can get new ones. I picked out some new food. I taught the person at the cash register that when Bella and I sit down, they are supposed to give us treats. The clerk learned very fast, I sat, I got treats from that register, then I tried the next register and they pulled me out of the store. Maybe this will help the next dog that comes to the store, The store manager gave me lots of petting and talked with my foster parents. Back home my foster’s cheated a little, they mixed some of the old yucky lamb and rice in with the good chicken. I ate a very large dinner anyway.

I am getting excited about the Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion this Saturday. I volunteered to clean up any food than gets dropped on the floor. I want to help all I can. I wonder if I should take some copies of my blog with me, I could autograph them with a paw print and sell them for the rescue.

I will dream of people dropping food for me to clean up.
Mogley

Fun in the pool


The picture to the right shows Bella and I as we try to get a ball in the pool.

Today was a fun day, five of the neighbor kids came to go swimming. They ran and jumped in the pool, I ran with them and chased the tennis balls they threw for me. They tried hard to lure me into the pool, but they could not get me in. I did get in to the second step twice. I finally leaned over too far and fell all the way in. I turned and swam very fast to the steps where I climbed out. . Chasing the balls is fun and the kids are fun to play with, they wore Bella and I out, we took a nap as soon as they left.

After dinner some people came by and my foster dad set up to do some recording. When they would start the recording I would run to the front door and bark. They would start over and I would wait for them, then I would run and bark. They finally closed the doors and locked me in where I could not see anything to bark at. I think a record with a dog as a background accompaniment would be a big seller.

They still have not done anything about those pesky cats. The cats still think they own the house; they strut around and act like they are the kings. I wonder if Golden Retriever Rescue has room for a couple of cats? I would be glad to donate two of them to help entertain my friends in the kennels.

That night I dreamed about all of my dog friends playing together.Mogley

Homes needed for Dogs!

This morning I received an e-mail from Mary at Golden Retriever Rescue telling me about all of the dogs that are still in the kennel because they do not have homes of their own. She told me that 243 Golden Retrievers had come to the rescue so far this year. There are still over 35 of us looking for forever homes.

I remember last night at the concert in the park, how many people did not have dogs to pet so they came over to pet me. Several people told me about their dog, but they left their dog at home when there was all this grass to run on and people to play with. They brought their lawn chairs, their picnic baskets and their wine, but they did not bring their dog. It’s very sad. My foster tells people that I am available for adoption and tells people to visit the web site, but I know he does not want to get rid of me, he is just trying to help. I know if I get a forever-home that another dog in a kennel will get my place in the foster home so that makes me feel better. I did not like being locked up in the chain link run at the kennels. It was no fun to just run back and forth and bark at the dogs on each side of me. Anything I can do to help get one more dog out of the pen is a good deed for me. Do you know anyone that needs unconditional love? That is what Golden Retrievers can give you.

Today I thought my foster dad was going mad. He kept pointing at Bella and I and counting “one, two… one, two…” then he looked in all the closets, under the tables, and behind the couch. He said he was trying to find the other 18 dogs that he was sure were in the house, there were enough dog toys on the floor for at least 20 dogs. When someone rings the door bell there may be 30 or 40 dogs barking at the front door. “Where do they all hide when I get to the door” he asked?

My foster does not understand why I am named “Mogley”, he thinks I should have been named “Wags” or “Thumper”. He says he can tell where I am in the house just by listening to the sound of my tail hitting the wall or the floor, my tail keeps going. Sometimes at night I wake them up when I have dreams and my tail starts wagging. I call it my “happy tail”.

After dinner we went to a new park, Mayor Ed Tauer was having a reception at the new Medical Center where something called Fitzsimmons used to be. . We all went to the party. I got lots of petting, everyone was there so I got to show off. There was lots of green grass and a nice large pond. It was a good way to end a long day.

I think I will dream of all the dogs in the kennels getting new homes at once.
Mogley

A Concert in the park, with dogs

I knew something special was going on. It was only 5:30 and my foster parents were giving us our dinner already. My foster dad had put on his walking shoes, that means we get to go for a walk. This time he had stuff in a bag he was carrying, even putting in some doggie toys and treats. We turned down the path towards the recreational center which is where they had the concert last week. Sure enough, there were lots of people coming down the path, cars parking along the street and a band tuning up on the bandstand.

Oh, boy! Children everywhere and they stopped to pet me. Most of them are polite and careful, they ask if they can pet me. By then it is usually too late, I have already pulled to them to get in the first lick. This time we had several other dogs in the area, we got to sniff and exchange scents to get acquainted. I showed off again, people love to watch Bella and I drink out of the water bottle. My foster holds it up and we lick the end while he squeezes it gently. Everyone points and says how cute it is.

We walked around and talked to people. A city councilman had his dog with him and we got acquainted. One lady with a nice little boy listened intently while my foster explained how I was a foster dog and that I was up for adoption but that I had some kind of condition. Later the lady came up and talked with us. She is a veterinarian assistant at the Alameda Clinic. She was very interested in my condition, whatever that is. She says she is going to read my blog and then talk to Mary about keeping me. Her dog is currently going through Chemo, sounds bad to me. She was happy that I was cat friendly, she has a cat. She jogs past my back yard every day on the park path; she is probably one of the people I bark at in the morning. She seems like a very nice person. She is going to come visit me soon.

I think I will dream of playing with the children on the grass in the park.
Mogley

Fun in the Park and the Pet Food Store

Today was fun, we went down to Cherry Creek park and Bella and I ran in the water. I had fun running in and out of the shallow water. This is a lot more fun that a pool. Bella wanted to chase the ducks but they were way out in the lake. Wading out in the sand is much easier than jumping down the steep steps in the pool. There were boats in the lake and people fishing. We went as far out in the lake as our leashes would allow. We got very wet and very muddy. After we came home we got our feet washed before we were allowed into the house.

Today I taught my foster parents a new trick. I taught them to scratch my tummy when I roll over on my back. They are kind of slow to learn, I had to roll over several times before they caught on. I will have to repeat it tomorrow to reinforce it.

I learned that the Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion picnic is coming up soon. I am excited to get to see my old friends again. They will be astonished at how much I have grown. It is going to be at Chatfield lake so I will get to run in the water again.

Later we went to the dog food store, I got treats from all the workers at the store. I got to pick out a couple of toys and some new food. I like the chicken flavor a lot better than the Lamb flavor. Lots of people got to pet me, so I think I did my good deed for the day. The people at the store would have had to go to bed without petting a Golden Retriever.

Then we went to the Vet’s. We had to get Bella her annual shots. The Vet sells squeaky balls. I wore one out before we left the office, then we bought four more balls to take home. I stepped up on the scales, I now weigh 56 pounds. Bella weighs 76 pounds, no wonder she is so good at tug of war.

I think I will dream of splashing in the lake.
Mogley

Learning to Swim

Friday and Saturday were such boring days that I did not even write a blog for the day. Sunday was a great day, Buckley came by to play. Then my foster parents decided to teach me to swim. Buckley is a brave dog, he goes in the pool at every opportunity. He wades in, lays down on the steps and just sits there with the water almost covering him. I tried going down a step or two and it was all right, but the deep water in the pool is still strange stuff. Bella agrees with me, she wades in on the first or second step but that is all. Our human gave us lessons on how to swim and we watched closely. Next time we will get in all the way.

When we were done in the pool, we all got a bath to rinse the chlorine off. Then we were dried and combed. As soon as we were done we found some dirt in the garden to roll in, we had to restore that dog cache.

Everything was going well until it was time for Buckley to go home. Just before Mike came to pick him up, Buckley was running along the edge of the pool and fell in, at least he says he fell in, I think he jumped in on purpose. When he came out, he was wet again. My fosters hurried to dry him off, but he was still dripping when he got into Mike’s car.

That night I had dreams of chasing ducks in the pond.
Mogley

Training Humans to throw balls

My foster dad said that if a Retriever can’t fetch then you have a defective Retriever. He went out in the back yard and threw a ball which Bella (my ugly step-sister/golden) promptly brought back. Then he gave Bella a treat, but he did not give me one. He threw the ball again; Bella went running after it and came back for a treat. By the third throw I began to understand the game, I went running after it, but Bella beat me, she got a treat again and I got nothing. This time I was ready, he threw it and I beat Bella to the ball. When I brought it back to him he gave me the treat. Then he threw two balls at once and we each got a treat. I wonder how Bella taught him that trick? It sure is a fun game; I think we should do it again.

Later we went to the dog treat bank. They have this window that you can drive up to, send a piece of paper in to the person, then the person inside sends a treat out for Bella and I. They sent some kind of green paper out to my foster dad, he seemed to think they were a treat as well. The treat dispensing bank is great fun.

Back home my foster mom decided it was time I had my teeth brushed. Since this is the first time, I spent lots of time chewing on the tooth brush. After a while I let her put more of that good tasting stuff in my mouth. I guess I will let her do it again if she wants to.

After an early dinner, we went for a walk. This time when we got to the park there were many other people there. My foster dad said it was something called a "concert in the park." That is another way to say that lots of people will be there to pet puppys. We had chairs for the humans and lots of green grass for the dogs. On our daily walks I have trained my foster dad to hold a water bottle so the water drips out as I lap at it, when I got thirsty at the park I would drink from the bottle. People thought that was very cute and there was lots of oohing and ahhhing from the onlookers. There were several other dogs there, but none that got as much attention as I did. I got to play with lots of children and everyone that walked by stopped to pet me. They played music and people would dance by and pet me as they went by. I want to do that again.

I am back home, it has been a long day. I think I will take a nap.
I think I will have dreams of chasing balls for treats.
Mogley

Training humans

The morning started out normal, Bella and I had breakfast and then we played Tug-o-war for a while. Then I had to chew on several old toys to test them for strength. Some of Bella’s toys were not very strong and they came apart too easily to be a real challenge. The toy fox came apart after only a few minutes of trying. I had to find something that offered more of a challenge.

Then it came to me. My mission in life is clear. Mary did not send me to live with my foster parents so that they could take care of me, Mary sent me so I could help Bella train them. Bella had let the humans in the house get soft and careless, they left shoes around, socks untended, papers on low tables. My task is to teach the humans how to live with dogs. Today I will begin reorganizing the house and the humans to be more “dog friendly”. The cats act like they own the place, I will take care of that as well. Dog training is what they need. Besides, my nose is almost healed after my last time playing with the cats.

My humans were trimming trees this morning. I helped a lot, as soon as they cut off a branch, I would drag it out to the center of the lawn and broke off little pieces. That makes it easier for them to take it to the trash.

When a human came back from the store, I helped them with the groceries. They left a bright red ball on the counter and went back to get more things. They sure got upset when I took the ball and played with it, they called it a “no-no” but it looked and tasted like a tomato to me. I ate the whole thing!

Late in the afternoon they came out to feed the fish in the pond. That food sure smelled good. When they threw a handful of it out in the water, I went after it. Boy, that water is deeper than I thought but I learned how to swim real quickly. I did not get any food, but I sure did teach those koi a lesson. After my swim my human decided to give me a quick bath, he said I smelled like fish. It was 90 degrees so I dried off very fast.

That’s all for today,
Have puppy dreams.Mogley

Another fun day in a dogs life

The morning started off real well. Bella and I had a good tug-o-war game with a stuffed squirrel toy. She won, she got the biggest part, I only got the tail. My foster is trying to figure out how to sew the tail back on. It was a good squirrel, but not strong enough for us. We then played with a tug toy, it held up a lot better and we worked it pretty hard. Buckley came by after breakfast, Mike was going to Colorado Springs and did not want to leave Buckley in a hot car. We had a good time running and romping in the yard. Buckley is fun to watch when he goes through the dog door, it is too small for him so he has to squeeze through it. First he puts his head through, then he reaches in with his paws and grabs the carpet to pull himself through, then he lays down on the carpet and pulls his back legs through. It does not slow him down much, he still comes and goes constantly. Buckley bragged that he got to lay on the “Great Seal” on the carpet in the capital. Big deal, I got to tear up a throw rug!


Our foster mom put some dog treats inside of a ball and let us roll it around until the treats fell out. I got the last one after the two big dogs gave up on it. After some three-way wrestling, we all took a nap.

Tommy dropped off a toy floating Golden Retriever with a stick in its mouth. He dropped it into the pool and then asked my foster if he was short a dog, then pointed into the pool. My foster dad looked around to count dogs just to be sure. It looks just like a swimming Golden. Funny. They named it Pool, the Golden Retriever.

I hope your dreams are running in tall grass that tickles your tummy.
Mogley

English has strange names

Last night I learned that what Mary used to call a bed has many different names. At 10:00 when I jumped up on it, my foster called it a “no”. Later around midnight when I jumped up again he called it a “NO”. A couple hours later when I tried to follow the white cat up on the bed they called it a “GET OFF”. The cat gets special privileges, no one yells at him when he gets on the bed. His purring keeps everyone awake; I was just getting to sleep when he woke me up. I am going to file a complaint with Golden Retriever Rescue.

Today was a great day. I started off by tearing up a plant in the front glass porch. It was fun; I only did it because one of my parents went to exercise class without taking me along. I sat and looked as pitiful as I could, they still drove off without me. The other foster ignored me and spent the morning on the phone. Bella just watched me from her spot on the couch; she did not help at all. The cats eat the air-plant leaves, I was getting even with the cats for that mark on my nose. My parents walked in, saw the plant and called it an “Oh, no!”

I found a rubber chicken in the toy box. Bella and I played tug-o-war for almost two hours before the chicken broke. They don’t make rubber chickens like they used to, at least that’s what my foster parents said. Now we have two tug-o-war toys. The picture shows ½ of the chicken. As they used to say in the kennels, “Tough Chicken”!


Tommy Tigert came by, he brought three dogs to visit, an older Golden named Theo, a young Golden puppy (6 months) named Reba and a pesky little Pomeranian. Reba is a very dark red color and her full name is Reba McinTigert. We had a good time running, chasing and rolling in the yard. I can hold more toys in my mouth than anyone else; Theo gets grumpy when I steal one of her toys. The squirrels were busy in the trees; we all chased them from tree to tree and down the fence. We got to bark at dogs who were walking in the park. Theo says that her person, Tommy, travels a lot so she spends a lot of time at my foster home. Theo came in the front door, grabbed a toy out of the box on her way to the back yard, and climbed right into the pool. She splashed around in the shallow end and had a good time. I wanted to go in the water with her, but it looks so deep. Reba is a pesky pup, she kept jumping up on people, and she has no manners. Reba would run in circles around me while I was running circles around Theo. Everyone kept comparing me to Reba, but I don’t think there is any comparison. The Pomeranian is named Barkley. I don’t think he ever quite barking. First it was us, then the squirrels, then the joggers in the park, then a bird flew by and he barked at that. He is a pest. He sure can run fast, and he turns so quickly that I can’t catch him. Maybe he is not so bad after all.

Later, after dinner, I was jumping around and wrestling with Bella. My foster took us for a long walk. I got to see the park and our back yard from the other side of the fence. Bella and I gave my foster two longer arms. He wanted to keep us under control, but there were too many other dogs and joggers on the path. He carried a pocket full of treats, and we got one even when we did not deserve it. I knew my cute would pay off. There are ducks and rabbits in the park, more fun if I ever get loose to chase them.

Back home I found a toy that was too full of stuffing. I fixed that, the toy was deflated in a few minutes. Then I sat and squeaked the squeaky thing that came out of it. I must have eaten some of the stuffing because I threw it up later. My appetite has improved, I was so excited the first few days that I did not eat much and my fosters were worried. I ate a big dinner and now its bed time, so I will close for tonight.

I hope you have squirrels in your dreams.
Mogley

Five friends to play

On Sunday morning the human's daughter brought over two older Goldens to play, Emma and Molly. I guess that makes them my aunts. Molly is an alumnus of the Golden Rescue, she is a little jealous of other dogs but she welcomed me warmly, she is the best squirrel chaser of them all. She can almost climb a tree. She spends her time at my place chasing the squirrels from tree to tree. I hope she does not wear the squirrels out; I want them in good condition so I can chase them too. Buckley came by to play. Buckley, Bella and I had a great time with three way mouth wrestling. With five Goldens to play with, it was just like Mary’s place. One of us (I won’t say who) got some of the cat toys down from a high shelf and we tore them all up. What fun we all had!

My foster parents say that I have more energy than three dogs. They said if I was sick, there was certainly no sign of it. They especially like my propeller tail. Most of the time my tail wags from side to side, but when I really get excited my tail goes all the way around, like a propeller. Today I had squirrels to chase, four friends to help chase them, cats to worry, koi to terrorize, a big yard to run in, my tail was going constantly.

Late in the afternoon Mike came by to pick up Buckley, Mike likes to roll on the floor with us and we get to lick him till he laughs. With three dogs licking him all at once we kept him laughing for a long time. I may like this house after all.

That’s all the blog for today. I think I will take a nap and dream of playing with my friends.
Mogley