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Meet Thelma! A Black Golden Retriever?
We have a new foster dog and she is very, very special. Her name is Thelma; she is ½ of a pair that were named Thelma and Louise, for good reason. They were run-aways in New Mexico, picked up and placed in doggy jail, they were in mortal danger in a kill shelter so Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies spirited them away to the facility in Golden Colorado. They were sworn in as "Honorary Golden Retrievers". She really looks like a black golden. Sometimes we forget to mention that the Golden Retriever Rescue frequently has to swear in other breeds as "Honorary Goldens" so we can rescue and place them. They arrived with kennel cough, diarrhea and very tired. Louise was adopted almost immediately, but Thelma needed a couple of days to recover from her ordeal. What a story these two girls have to tell. Read more of their history at: http://www.goldenrescue.com/adopt.html then click on "Available Dogs", and on that page click on "Available Dogs". While you are there you could leave a donation for the wonderful group that rescues dogs all over the country.
When Mary told us we were going to get another foster, she described the foster to us with a lot of cautions. She said that she was a major chewer. Thelma had eaten one of Mary's shoes. She had even chewed up a Kong ball, instead of playing with it to get the treat out, she just tore it apart. Kong’s are considered indestructible, but not for this terror on four legs. She warned that this dog was a 7-9 month old whirling dervish, wild and uncontrolled. We were expecting her to hand us a dog on the end of a heavy steel chain.
Mary can be such a kidder at times, instead of sending us the dog she had described, she gave us Thelma. We picked her up early Tuesday morning. For most of Tuesday Thelma was so timid and scared that she tried to hide, shaking in fear in her new surroundings. She did chew a hole in a throw rug, but that was part of being afraid, she was using the rug as a pacifier. She had been through a lot in the last several weeks, she was even having trouble with her food. Wednesday morning my human had just sent in his e-mail report on her progress when he walked into the room and found a shredded Kleenex tissue box scattered all over the floor. He put us all outside while he cleaned up the floor. When he looked outside, he saw Thelma doing laps in the Koi pond. He quickly closed the dog door so we could not come inside until we had dried off.
By Wednesday evening Thelma was settled in and we were having fun. We ran and ran in the back yard, doing big circles. We had some serious tug-o-war games with the rope toys, life is good. I missed having a dog my own age to play with. Bella tires out to quickly, but Thelma can keep up. Here is a three way tug-o-war game. We all won!
I almost forgot to mention that Thelma is a Glab, a Golden/Labrador mix. She has the best features of both breeds. If you like Goldens and you like Labradors, you will love Thelma! Far from being a wild terror, Thelma is very well behaved. She did not jump on guests at the door, she has not chewed up any furniture, and she did not even chase the cats. Her coat is like petting a cashmere sweater, it is long, thick, curly, a rich black and so very soft. The cats like her already and normally they take several days to associate with a new foster in the house. As you can see, she wrestles very well, she has me pinned already.
We are already dreading the day that she leaves. We think she is pretty wonderful, fun to play with, polite but with lots of energy. She is very smart and is learning her commands very quickly. My human says it is easier to train her when Bella and I sit first, then she follows us. He thinks he will have her basic commands in place in just a couple of days. She mastered the dog doors in minutes and is in and out of the house constantly.
She walked well on the leash, but my human does not expect too much in leash manners, I taught him that. I like to pull, even though I know better. Walking three dogs at a time is interesting. With Bella and me, walking on a leash is more of a sporting event than a casual stroll.
I will be updating our life with Thelma soon, so keep watching.
Mogley G. Retriever
When Mary told us we were going to get another foster, she described the foster to us with a lot of cautions. She said that she was a major chewer. Thelma had eaten one of Mary's shoes. She had even chewed up a Kong ball, instead of playing with it to get the treat out, she just tore it apart. Kong’s are considered indestructible, but not for this terror on four legs. She warned that this dog was a 7-9 month old whirling dervish, wild and uncontrolled. We were expecting her to hand us a dog on the end of a heavy steel chain.Mary can be such a kidder at times, instead of sending us the dog she had described, she gave us Thelma. We picked her up early Tuesday morning. For most of Tuesday Thelma was so timid and scared that she tried to hide, shaking in fear in her new surroundings. She did chew a hole in a throw rug, but that was part of being afraid, she was using the rug as a pacifier. She had been through a lot in the last several weeks, she was even having trouble with her food. Wednesday morning my human had just sent in his e-mail report on her progress when he walked into the room and found a shredded Kleenex tissue box scattered all over the floor. He put us all outside while he cleaned up the floor. When he looked outside, he saw Thelma doing laps in the Koi pond. He quickly closed the dog door so we could not come inside until we had dried off.
By Wednesday evening Thelma was settled in and we were having fun. We ran and ran in the back yard, doing big circles. We had some serious tug-o-war games with the rope toys, life is good. I missed having a dog my own age to play with. Bella tires out to quickly, but Thelma can keep up. Here is a three way tug-o-war game. We all won!
I almost forgot to mention that Thelma is a Glab, a Golden/Labrador mix. She has the best features of both breeds. If you like Goldens and you like Labradors, you will love Thelma! Far from being a wild terror, Thelma is very well behaved. She did not jump on guests at the door, she has not chewed up any furniture, and she did not even chase the cats. Her coat is like petting a cashmere sweater, it is long, thick, curly, a rich black and so very soft. The cats like her already and normally they take several days to associate with a new foster in the house. As you can see, she wrestles very well, she has me pinned already. We are already dreading the day that she leaves. We think she is pretty wonderful, fun to play with, polite but with lots of energy. She is very smart and is learning her commands very quickly. My human says it is easier to train her when Bella and I sit first, then she follows us. He thinks he will have her basic commands in place in just a couple of days. She mastered the dog doors in minutes and is in and out of the house constantly.She walked well on the leash, but my human does not expect too much in leash manners, I taught him that. I like to pull, even though I know better. Walking three dogs at a time is interesting. With Bella and me, walking on a leash is more of a sporting event than a casual stroll.
I will be updating our life with Thelma soon, so keep watching.Mogley G. Retriever
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