Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion

Scenes from the Golden Retriever of the Rockies Reunion picnic. If you had a Golden Retriever, you could have been here to play with us! What fun we had.

Let me go back to the beginning:

Today was a really busy day. Early in the morning I noticed a Golden Retriever on TV. The local Channel 7 morning news broadcast was showing a Golden Retriever and one of the volunteers was talking about how Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies rescues Goldens, and how they place them with new forever homes. It was the first time I had ever watched the news with interest.

Bella and I were loaded in the car to go to the reunion picnic. I was a little worried, my human told me it was a combination reunion and dog swap meet, and he was going to swap Bella and I off for a new dog. I don't think GRRR would let him do that, still he has been acting strange lately.

We arrived at the Agility Center where the picnic was being held, along with over 100 other Golden Retrievers. Boy was it fun to see everyone in one place and to get to play together. You can see from the pictures how many dogs were playing. We even had a wading pool so we could play in the water. Tennis balls were flying and dogs were running after the balls and after each other. What a good time we all had! Luckily the human took a few pictures to show you what it was like. I got grumpy after a while and they made me wear my leash. Still it was a fun day.

It was fun watching people who were at their first picnic. Those of us that come regularly wear a colored scarf so we stand out. Several humans were wandering around trying to read name tags on collars, trying to find their own Golden in a sea of Golden Retrievers. We suspect that some people never did identify their own dogs in the middle of the mass of running and playing dogs, they had to wait until everyone left, then they took the Goldens that were left over home with them.

Allie was there, her new owner has a wonderful place for a Golden Retriever. She shares her new home with horses and she gets to ride in the little trotting cart behind the horses when they exercise. She has her own pond and stream to swim in. She was the envy of all the other dogs. It is so heart warming to hear about the success of the Golden Retriever Rescue placement program. Good homes for good dogs!

We still don't have another foster, but one will be coming soon. Keep tuned for more excitement.

Mogley G. Retriever

Democracy is not that great, for dogs!

I am not sure I like this Democracy thing. Bella and I told the human that the vote was two to one for him to take us to the big park so we can run. He told us that if we wanted rule by Democracy, we could have it. He said that it was the rule that votes were taken by a show of hands. Since we don't have hands we don't get to vote. That was very unfair of him, we pushed for a vote by a show of paws. Following that standard, Bella and I rolled over and showed him the vote was eight to nothing to go for a run in the park. He agreed but warned us that voting by a show of paws was going to get us in trouble. After we came back from the run we asked when our new foster buddy was coming to visit?

The picture shows me voting my four paws for another foster to come visit.

He said "that has to be put to a vote." We called for a vote by a show of paws as to whether or not to allow another foster dog to come live with us. He called the three cats in and they voted as a block, the vote was twelve to eight against having another dog come stay. We were devastated. Then he suggested that if we agreed to stop eating all the catnip toys, maybe the cats would relent and allow a new dog to visit. We each made a solemn pledge not to eat all of the catnip toys, if the cats would vote with us to allow a new dog in the house. So we were given a small victory. We can have more foster dogs, but they have to agree not to chase the cats and none of us can eat cat toys.

Below is a picture of Bella trying to influence one of the cats (Mini) to vote with the dogs.

This Sunday, April 27th is the GRRR reunion party for all of us rescue dogs. We are really excited about being able to see all of our friends again. We can run and play together while the humans do whatever humans do at these kind of things. Mostly they eat, drink and yell at us when we are running or playing too hard. Humans must put a quota on fun and once we exceed our quota for the day they make us come and lie at their feet. I will probably exceed my quota in the first half hour. I may be lying on the hard concrete for a long time.

See you all there!

Mogley G. Retriever

Spring is here!

I am still very sad that Daisy is not here to play with me. We really had fun playing. I forgot to tell Daisy's new family that Daisy likes to eat ice cubes. She was trying to learn how to work the ice cube vending machine on the front of the refrigerator. Piper and Emma went home leaving Bella and me alone.

My joy is that the lawn sprinklers were turned on today. To test the sprinklers they run them in the daytime when I can play. Later in the year they will come on at some weird hour of the night and I don't always want to wake up and play in the dark. It is fun to play in the sprinklers, then come in and wake up the sleeping human while I am still dripping wet.

In just a few days they will be taking the cover off of the swimming pool. Last year I was still a little hesitant about deep water. This year I have learned how to swim real well. Just wait till it is open. I hope they like the smell of "wet dog" in the morning. Daisy would love to play with me in the pool and the sprinklers, she was a real water dog!

We are only a few days from our first Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion party for the year, I hope that Daisy, Stella and Alie come, it would be fun to see them all again. Remember, it is April 27th, at the Reunion of the Fosters ! My human says that I need to catch up on my rest because there will be someone new coming to visit soon. There will be a new foster dog to play with, another foster dog to help along the way too a new Forever Home. Keep reading, a new adventure is just around the corner.

Mogley G. Retriever

Missing Miss Daisy

Several people have asked me about Miss Daisy Duke. I had not written about Daisy because I am very sad that she left, and my computer caught a bad case of fleas in the keyboard. Or maybe there was fleas in the power supply?

Daisy has a new home, a family with a nice place with lots of green grass to run in. Two teenage children to spoil her, and several friends in the neighborhood already. I miss her terribly, she was lots of fun to play with. My human keeps reminding me that being a foster dog friend means we have to take in dogs that need help, find them homes, then turn them over so there is room for another foster dog in our home. We think there will be another dog (or two?)coming Monday or Tuesday, so I won't be lonely long. Still, it is very hard to give up a friend that you enjoy so much. Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, GRRR, has over 30 Goldens in the system at any given time. Over 30 dogs a month come in and are placed in new homes. All by volunteers who give their time, their homes and their love to dogs in need.

Piper and Emma are staying with me to help me get over missing Miss Daisy. They will be here for another day and then their parents come back from a wedding at Georgetown and they can go back home. Piper and I play well, so I still have someone to play with after Bella tires out.

The last word we had from Daisy's home was that they were taking Daisy down to the pet store so she could pick out some new toys. Daisy's new parents sent Bella and me each a can of new tennis balls and a large box of treats to help us get over our loneliness. I have never played with a brand new tennis ball before, I have always had second hand tennis balls. We each got a sample of the new treats, they were yummy. Thank you, we now have something to remember Daisy by.

Each foster dog that has come through our lives has made an impact and left behind wonderful memories. We wish we could keep them all, but giving up friends to wonderful families is a reward as well. Daisy's new family was so thrilled with her, and so happy to have a Golden in their lives again. They understand how special Daisy was. My human says that being a foster parent is wonderfully rewarding and terribly heart breaking.

We all wish Daisy a great life.
Mogley G. Retriever

Squirrels in trees amd Fleas in Keyboards

If you are wondering what is so interesting in the tree, scroll down the page and see. This is how we spend our days. Chasing squirrels and fetching Frisbees.

The resident human told me that the computer keyboard has fleas again. That is the excuse he uses whenever the computer does not work right. Then he blames me for the fleas. I did not think it was fleas at all, I think it was because Bella and I had a tug-o-war with that thingy with the wires that comes out of the back of the computer.

He took the computer to the shop and the service man pointed to teeth marks in something called the power supply, apparently it was that warm square thing with the wires. Now they are going to blame me for tearing up the power supply. It is not fair, they just don't make computers like they used to when I was a pup.

Please forgive my typing. The computer that is normally on the fireplace hearth where I can reach it is dead, he is out shopping for a new one. Meanwhile I have to use the big desk top machine and the keyboard is too high in the air for me to use very well. It is hard to type and read the screen at the same time when I have to stand on my hind legs to get to it. I will be back as soon as the new computer arrives. He is threatening to keep the new one our of my reach. He would not do that, would he?

Mogley G. Retriever

Perfect Dog?

I knew I would win. My human thought the visiting foster dog, Daisy Duke, was the perfect dog. I used to be the perfect dog, then she came. I knew she was on her best behaviour for the first few days, then the real Daisy would appear. He wrote a flowery letter to tell perspective forever home's how wonderful she was. The truth is now out. She is not the perfect dog.

Daisy mastered the dog door today, she spent most of her time just going in and out. She liked the freedom that the door gave her to do as she wished. Daisy has made friends with the cats, including Buddy, "Buddah" Cat. The picture below is why we call him Buddah Cat.

Daisy is a fetch-a-holic. She does a good job of catching balls in the air, she would probably make a good Frisbee dog. She brings balls to him all day long. At first it is fun, but after a few hours the human was tired. If he ignores one ball, she brings another, then another. Soon his chair is full and she is shoving the balls towards him, insisting he play. Us perfect dogs know when enough is enough!

I ran outside to have a drink from the Koi pond, Daisy followed me and was a little too curious. I tried to tell her it was too cold to go swimming, but Daisy had to test the water. The human looked out the window just in time to see Daisy walk down the steam and swim across the pool, climbing out dripping wet on the other side. With snow on the ground the human was worried about Daisy freezing. He grabbed a bunch of towels and started drying her off. All he did is make a wet dog that smells like fish into a damp dog that smells like fish. So now we have to sleep with fish smells all night. At least it is better than sleeping with the sissy smell of the new shampoo.

Earlier we went down to the big dog park. At first Daisy was on a leash while the human tested if she would come back when called. After a few tests, Daisy was allowed to run free. We did not run very far, it was still very cold out, snow was still covering the ground and the wind was blowing. It was fun for us all to run and sniff. Daisy needs some more work on the leash, she likes to pull a little.

We do have some people that are intersted in giving Daisy a Forever Home. The GRRR people are checking them out to make sure they are good people. Then we will take Daisy to meet them to see if she approves. Wish us luck on our quest and click on a link to the left to visit the GRRR web site to see how you can help.

Barks and wiggles to all,

Mogley G. Retriever

Adopting Miss Daisy:

A Letter from Daisy’s foster family to her future Forever Family: Photos below.

Daisy Duke is too good to be true. She is absolutely beautiful in appearance and behavior. Seldom do you have a young dog (16 months) that is so well behaved that you think she is much older. She does not have the puppy tendencies to mouth everything, to jump on people to welcome them or to tear things up, although her own toys are fair game. She has passed her level one obedience; she remembers it and even has her diploma. Tell her to sit or lie down and she does. She has the official "House Cat Seal of Approval" issued by all three resident cats. She is housebroken and asks at the door to be let out, she has mastered dog doors and really likes her freedom of movement. She is a lover and would gladly be a lap dog, but only if you first extend an invitation. She is a beautiful lady with impeccable manners, her coat is very nice, and her face is very expressive. She can ask questions with her eyes and ears.

When the door bell rings she will bark twice at the door, once she has performed her official guard dog duties she will run and hide. When she meets you and sniffs you, she will be your buddy. She is cautious about new things, so take it slow with her in a new environment. Let her get acquainted at her own pace.

She is a very big dog, she is 75 pounds now and she has not filled out fully. She lived with two small children and she would knock them over from exuberance. She has a huge amount of energy and keeping the cork in the bottle will require a family that is very active, but you needed exercise anyway didn’t you? She will need a good assortment of toys, she is a play girl. Fetch is one of her best games, so have a strong throwing arm. She keeps bringing balls to my chair to throw, if you ignore her she will fill up your chair. Remember she has a very high energy level and she will not allow you to ignore her.

Miss Daisy does not do crates, cages, runs or chain tie-outs. She needs to be a full fledged member of the family. If that is not what you want, go to the local dog pound for your adoption, that is not the way to treat a Golden Lady.

She needs regular spa treatments, she likes to look her best. Tummy rubs and ear scratches help her relax after a hard day. We will miss her a lot when she goes to her forever home. We hope her new family appreciates the gem that they will have. Take care of her and give her extra love, she is a very special Golden Retriever!

Thank you,
Foster Parents

We have posted a few pictures of Daisy below for all to enjoy:

Snow Dogs

This morning we woke up to snow on the ground and more falling. With Daisy visiting us as a foster dog, I had hoped for a nice warm day to run and play. Instead we get new white snow to romp in. The top picture shows Daisy attacking Bella. We ran and played in the fresh snow until we got too cold and wet, then we went in the house and dried ourselves on the humans’ trouser legs. I have posted a few pictures of the three of us rough housing in the snow and in the house. The two pictures of Daisy Duke alone are for her scrapbook.

In the photo above, Daisy is showing me her Kujo imitation. She is on top of me, Bella is in the rear and I am on the floor. Daisy is doing well, she continues to show her nice manners, at dinner time she eats slowly and daintily, no food aggression. We all eat out of our own bowls, no grabbing or pushing for food. Daisy is very shy, when strangers come to the door she barks once and then runs to hide. It takes her a while to accept new people.

Mini black cat likes to run in front of us and get a chase going when she is bored. Daisy is more than willing to play that game. We enjoy having Daisy; I am going to ask my human to stall putting Daisy on the adoption web site so we can have more time together. We want to find her the perfect forever home, but not right away, we are having too much fun! Whoever adopts Daisy Duke needs to have a super lot of energy because she is a bundle of play. He says if he stalls then he may not give her up, she is so sweet, so he does not want to stall. If you know someone that needs the perfect dog, go to the GRRR web site and visit us.

Happy tails to you,

Mogley G. Retriever

Four dogs, two dogs, then three dogs

It was getting lonely around here. Piper and Emma went home on Tuesday. That leaves just Bella and me, alone. The picture below shows Piper and me with the best tug-o-war toy there is, a piece of large rope with knots tied in it. It has lasted for a long time and it gives room enough for all four of us to tug at once.
While Bella and I run and play together, it was so much more fun when there were four of us. I complained to my human, he told me that he would arrange for some company. Wednesday we took a ride in the car to meet Daisy Duke. Daisy was a surrender dog that we are going to foster to learn about her and help match her to her perfect new home. Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) had made arrangements. The family surrendering Daisy was very sad to see her go, but Daisy had proven to be more dog than they could handle. “More dog” means she is 75 pounds now and still not filled out. With two small children in the home, an active 75 pound, 16 month old dog was more than they could handle. No one was home most of the day and the Daisy had too much energy built up by the time they got home. The picture below is our first portrait together. I (Mogley) am on the left with Daisy in the center and Bella laying down.
Daisy was very shy at first, even scared of the two of us. We wrestle and fight constantly, at first she just watched us from the distance. Then she tentatively joined in. In less than an hour she was in the middle of a three way wrestle match. Bella is on the left, I am in the center, Daisy is on the right, with her new pink collar.
I am a little jealous, my human described Daisy as “The perfect dog.” I thought I was the perfect dog! He told the rescue people that Daisy was very healthy, very beautiful, and very active; she has had her basic obedience training and has the certificate to prove it. She does not jump up on people, she is very well mannered. Well mannered, but very energetic! Daisy gets along with children and she is cat friendly, the three resident cats have already approved her.

I will let you know what happens. Tune in for more exciting stories from the home of Daisy, the foster dog. If it is anything like the last foster visitors, Daisy will not be here long. Allie was here less than two days and she was adopted, Stella was here four days and she was adopted. I will probably just get to play well with Daisy and she will go to her forever home also. Go to the GRRR web site, there is a link on the left of the web site, help Daisy find her forever home!

Licks, wags and wiggles.

Mogley G. Retriever

Muddy again!

We all got into trouble on Saturday. He took us down to the big park to get some exercise. He carefully took us to the opposite end of the park from the stream and the water. He said he did not have time to give all four of us baths. Some readers may not know that Emma can really run when she wants to, here she is trying to catch up with us after we headed for the far end of the park and she was afraid she was being left behind.

As soon as we could get away we headed as fast as we could run for a swampy wet place that he did not even know about. There was an old drainage ditch that did not have any water in it, but there was still a thick layer of gooey, smelly, thick, black mud. Mud that got between our toes, mud that worked into our fur, mud that took two shampoo washes to get out. Mud that we tracked into the SUV when we climbed in to go home. My paw prints are on the front seat. Boy mud is fun!
After our baths, we had to spend the day inside to dry, it was getting chilly outside. I don't understand, we run and play in the snow and freezing water, but after they wash us with warm water they don't think we can go outside until we are totally dry. Strange.

Licks, wags and wiggles.

Mogley G. Retriever

A Clean House?

My humans are always apologizing to guests for having a messy house. They point to the four Goldens (Bella and I, along with our visiting cousins, Emma and Piper) in the house and ask the guests “what do you expect with these four in the home”?

Let me set the record straight. A clean house is the sign of a house without enough Golden Retrievers in it! If the house is clean, then there is room for one or two more. So call your local rescues and give a dog a home! What would you rather have, a clean house or licks, wags and wiggles greeting you at the door? In the words of Bill Cosby, "Come On People," get your priorities straight. This is your Golden Opportunity to adopt another dog.
The picture above shows how Piper fights unfairly. She is half the size of Bella and me, so she climbs up on the furniture and jumps down on us, or just sits up there and bits us as we go by. Because she is a guest she gets special privileges. If I get on the furniture I get yelled at. Below is Piper looking pretty pleased with herself for being on the furniture and getting away with it.
The human visited Molly yesterday and brought back a report. Molly is doing well in her new home, she says “hi” to all of her friends. Molly has two teenage boys that play with her and take her for long walks. She has a teenage girl that spoils her beyond belief. She has a big back yard and she is only a city block away from a large lake and a big park. Her favorite trick is when humans ask her “Molly, what would you rather be, a dead dog or a Democrat?” She rolls over and plays dead. She says that trick is always good for a tummy rub or a treat bone. She is a happy dog, thank you very much!

I got into a pack of trouble on my last walk in the big no-leash park. All four of us were running down the path when we passed a baby stroller. My human was a long way back, so I reached into the stroller and stole a mouthful of toys and blankets. Boy did they yell at me. The lady pushing the stroller yelled, my human yelled; talk about a lot of noise. They went into that whole “bad dog!” thing again, you know the one, shaking fingers, grabbing my loot out of my mouth. What is it about baby strollers anyway? If you ask me, humans are too protective of their puppies. They don’t even teach them how to sniff each other properly, no wonder they grow up and only know how to shake hands when they meet.

Licks, Wags and Sniffs,
Mogley G. Retriever

Visit to the Vet

Having three friends to wrestle with is great. I can get a fight going any time of the day or night. This photo shows Piper biting my leg while Bella bites me on the elbow. Emma is just standing there, she is probably afraid she will mess up her hairdo.

With spring coming on we spend more time outside running and wrestling. The human even locks us outside sometimes so we will get more fresh air. Here is a picture of Bella trying to push me around. I fought back and gave her a big shove, then I opened my mouth and showed her what big teeth I have. I am doing my Kujo impersonation.

I am spending a huge amount of time visiting veterinarians. Tuesday morning Piper and I went to the Arvada West Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Carpenter takes special care of me, he is the first vet I saw after I was rescued from the veterinarian that was going to put me to sleep. He is also the one that gave Piper some little pills that make her feel better when he diagnosed her with Addison's disease. So we dogs all like going to see him.

My human tired to be funny, it was April Fools day, he tried to convince the nurse that we were two Golden St. Bernard's, here for our growth hormone shots. No one believed him, his lips were moving.

Piper had her medicine reduced, she gets smaller pills now, they are almost as small as mine. Piper still has to have a monthly shot, but that makes her feel better so it is worth it. Piper was given a new medicine to cure something called Demodex. It is a tiny mite that grows on her skin because the medications she takes for her Addisons suppresses her immune system. She had several bare spots on her skin and she was itching. Apparently it is not contagious, but it is able to grow when the immune system is not working well. They explain all of this so well that even my human could understand.

My visit to the vet did not change anything for me. They still won't tell me why I have to go to so many different vets so often. They gave me a heart worm medicine so I won't catch any thing nasty this summer if a mosquito bites me. I can't complain, they give me good treats and head pats. Why do the veterinarian offices all have better tasting treats than I get at home? The nurses even took me out for a walk when I was getting fidgety and tired of waiting for my human chauffeur to show up in the car. This picture shows me, Piper and Bella with our heads out the window leaving the Vet's office, heading home.

Dogs should get their own cars, we spend too much time waiting for a human to take us to the dog park. They always want to leave before I am tired of running and playing. If dogs had cars, there would be more windows in them, and the windows would open wider. Convertibles would be ideal, then we could get some wind in our ears.

Licks, Wiggles and wags;

Mogley G. Retriever