Home Wanted for two wonderful Goldens

Above, Duke is practicing his "cute and lonely, take me home" look so that he can impress people in his search for his new forever home.

Above, all four resident Goldens line up for Treat Time.

Duke and Daisy have been here as foster visitors for three days now and we are getting a better understanding about their individual personalities. We are putting their profile on the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) web site so that they can be matched with a human who is in need of Golden companionship.

They are both such sweet, sweet dogs that we don't even know where to start. If the resident humans had relatives or friends that wanted a pet, we would recommend these two in a minute, and we would still be able to attend family events without fear of being yelled at. We should keep a list of special dogs, these two would be on it. Daisy and Duke are both embarrassed about their close shave, they don't have enough hair left to even keep warm on a cool summer day. Also, the close shave makes them itch, they will be happy when it grows back out so they can look like real Golden's again.

Duke is super camera shy, pull out a camera and he runs away and hides. he says the flash hurts his eyes and the laser range finder is scary. He likes cats, children and other dogs. He is willing to share his home with anyone or anything, just as long as there is some attention available. A head scratch, ear rubs, tummy tickles and head pats are all welcome. He has become the social director of the house, he keeps things moving and is always looking for a new way to liven things up. He also plays the role of Velcro Dog, he sticks to any available human. He looks cute with his perky ears, but his close shave makes it hard to tell what he really looks like. He is tall, lanky and very active. Below he is waiting for the next treat to fall. Daisy is a love sponge. She just wants love. She would gladly be a lap dog if you would let her, she is small enough that it is possible. In this house, dogs are not allowed in laps or on furniture, so Daisy just sits beside any occupied chair and looks forlorn. She gets along with the cats just fine, and would be willing to share her new home with other dogs or cats. She knows most of her basic commands and try's very hard to please. Below, Daisy is checking out the garden.

Both Duke and Daisy are very well mannered, they don't jump on visitors, they don't chew on anything that is not theirs. They eat their own dinner slowly, without trying to steal other peoples food. They are housebroken and they respect the furniture and carpets. The carpet shampoo machine has been sitting at the ready but it has not been needed. We had a big thunderstorm today and no one got upset. Neither one is much of a toy hound, they don't care for balls and stuffed animals, although Daisy does like the rubber duck that squeaks. Neither one are barkers, they will bark when the door bell rings, but that is part of the job description.

It looks like they are perfect and wonderful dogs, they just need a perfect and wonderful home.

Mogley G. Retriever

Duke and Daisy

Caution: This blog contains photos of nude dogs, viewer discretion advised.

Below: Daisy shows how she has been shaved, she is terribly embarrassed by being forced to run around nude. Yes, that is a Golden Retriever.

Below: In spite of being shaved, she is still in good spirits.

Friday the Chauffeur left, said he had a Doctor's appointment. He came back with Duke and Daisy. They had been in transit for several days, then spent a day at the Vet's office. They were surrenders from Wyoming that could not find a home up there, so they came to Denver seeking a Forever Home. He said he received a call that the two wanderers were ready for pickup and since he was out he went to pick them up by himself. Bella and I did not even get a car ride out of the deal.

We do not know much about Duke and Daisy. Their paperwork has not caught up with them yet. They had been shaved very close before being surrendered, probably because they had not been cared for and their coats were badly matted. When we tried to take their pictures they both tried to hide, they said they should not be seen in public the nude. Duke appears to be about 2, Daisy about 5 years old. They are both smaller Golden's, Daisy is about 45-50 pounds and a little over weight. Duke is about 50 pounds but still a skinny young Golden.

They were not just clipped, they were shaved close, now they have all over itches. Duke is much more closely shaved than is Daisy, Duke has skin showing in many places. They both consider it very un-dignified and very un-golden retriever to have so little hair. Duke runs from the camera, Daisy will take any attention she can get, even a camera. Despite this, they are both in great spirits and they are both happy to be in a home with green grass to run in and carpet to sleep on, instead of being in a chain link run with concrete to lay on.

Below, Duke is embarrassed by his current condition.

When we went to bed last night, Duke freaked out. There is a crate in the bedroom, it is not used but it is there in case we have a foster visitor that is not "house safe". When Duke saw it, he got terribly upset. He said it brought back some very bad memories. Daisy did not care, she was very happy to be allowed to sleep on a bedroom floor after her days of being without a family.

They both flinch when someone reaches to pet them, then they wiggle all over and love the attention. They don't want to talk about it, but they act like someone has hit them which is why they flinch first, enjoy second. Still they are both "Velcro" dogs, sticking to any human they can find.

So far they are both good house guests, they are house trained, they don't chew on anything, they did not chase the cats when they met them, they are very affectionate and they love getting attention. Perfect Golden Retrievers, looking for a new Forever Home.

Below, Daisy demonstrates her fireside manner.

If you need a little gold in your life, consider helping Duke or Daisy find their forever home.

We will foster them for a few days, evaluate them so that a potential new home can learn about them, then we will do a write up for the web page, then we will help these two wonderful friends find a new Forever Home. That is all for now, we will update you as we learn more about them.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hoagie's Home

Hoagie has a new home. Friday evening we received an e-mail telling about a possible new home and describing the conditions. The people in the home work different shifts, so there is always someone home to take care of a dog. Saturday we drove Hoagie over to the Rescue offices in Golden. Hoagie went for a walk with them and discovered that they were nice. They promised to take him for several walks per day in a local park. The told him that they had large trees in their backyard and that there were over five squirrels in the Yard. That is all it took for Hoagie to fall in love. Well that and a few ear scratches and tummy rubs.

Hoagie found his ideal home, lots of attention, lots of excercise, and squirrels. It just proves that good things can come to he who waits. Goodbye and good luck Hoagie, we hope to see you at the reunion picnics and party's.

Now we are waiting for a new foster, there are two new dogs coming in to rescue from Wyoming and North Dakota. We will make arrangements to drive up to meet them and make them feel at home.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hogie's report

Above, Hoagie relaxing under a tree, waiting for a squirrel to come down to play with him.

We have been very busy since the last post. All six of us went to the Golden Retriever Rescue Volunteer Picnic last Sunday. Boy was it a lot of fun. There were about 100 other dogs there to run and play with. They even had several wash tubs and kiddie wading pools for us to play in. Once again at the request of the canine attendees, they used very flimsy paper plates for the picnic, lots of food fell to the ground. In case of an accidental drop of food, the 1 second rule was in effect, that was how long it took one of us to grab it. The human threatened to just take any six Golden's home, he said he could not tell us apart anyway so what difference did it make? We fooled him, we warned the others so he had to take us home after all. He forgot his camera so we don't have pictures of the five hours of madness and fun. Our favorite vet came and he got to see how hard I can run and play, in spite of what the heart examination says.

Below, Hoagie at full speed enjoying the back yard.

The rest of the week has been quiet. Hoagie has turned into a squirrel-aholic. He spends his time outside stalking squirrels.

Below, Hoagie and Bella are chasing and wrestling in the yard. Hoagie has made himself at home.

Hoagie still has not gotten a forever home, but he says that is because he has set high standards. He wants a home with lots of trees and lots of squirrels. He says that a couple of squirrels in a yard would go a long ways towards helping him lose weight. It is cheaper than special diet food or a gym membership.

Mogley G. Retriever

Play Date

Above, six Goldens for a play date. From the left, Hogie, Molly, Emma, Piper, then Bella and Me, Mogley.

The last several days have been exciting. Not only are we busy looking for a new home for Hogie, our current foster friend, but we also have house guests. Our three cousins are spending a few days with us while their chauffeurs take a trip to San Francisco. They would not take us, they explained that we could not stick our heads out of the window on the trip so it would be boring. I think it would be fun to chase all of those sea gulls.

When our three cousins first arrived, Hogie was a little uncertain about all the madness going on around him, then he joined in the fun. This morning we all had to line up for our photo. Tomorrow we have a Golden Retriever party to attend. I hope all of us get to go, but the chauffeur says it will be a lot of work to take all of us at once. We will see what happens. Picnics are so much fun, lots of food on flimsy paper plates, lots of old friends we have not seen for a long time, and lots of people to give us attention. He says on long car rides, I get grumpy in the back and I started a fight on the last ride. I could not help it, someone stepped on me. Now they are being more careful about how many Golden sardines they put in an SUV.

No one has stepped forward to adopt Hogie yet, but we know that good things take time. he is doing fine and wants his fans to know that he is ready for a special Forever Home.

Mogley G. Retriever

Welcome Hogie

Over the week end Hogie arrived to be our new foster friend. Hogie is a shelter rescue, although why someone would turn him in to a shelter is beyond any one's comprehension. What were they thinking?

Marti with Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) transported Hogie to Denver where he went through a session with the GRRR Veterinarian. Hogie was not walking well at first, he had an infection between his toes on his front feet. He is on an antibiotic and he gets his front paws wiped down twice a day with medicated pads. Now he is running with the best of them. He was held off the rescue list until he was ready to go to a new home. Other than his paws, he was given a clean bill of health.

He is a delight to have in our home, he is such a gentle giant, a very mellow Golden Retriever. His first night was spent by the front door whenever he was left alone. Most new arrivals simply want to go back to their former lives. They miss their old friends and their home, even if their owner did dump them at the dog pound. Once he settle in he found a cool place away from the heat vents to sleep, his coat gets warm at night.

Hogie has a very distinct personality. He should have been named "Gentle Ben" or at least "Yogi Bear". He is a very mellow and laid back. He is not a ball fanatic or a toy-aholic. He just wants he ears scratched and his tummy rubbed. If he has a choice between running in the back yard or laying beside the rocking chair with people, he heads inside for the cushion beside the chair. He made friends with the cats instead of chasing them first to prove who is boss, consequently the cats have already issued him a "Good Cat Companion" certificate.

Hogie is 6 years old, a very big boy with a beautiful red coat. He is house trained and he can use a dog door if it is available. His biggest distinction is that he has a "propeller tail". When he is excited or very happy, his tail wags in a full circle, round and round.

We think he is special and we are looking for a very special home for Hogie.

Mogley G. Retriever

A purpose for cats?

After I wrote my last blog about how much trouble it is to share a house with a cat my humans had a talk with me. I don't think it makes sense, but they did try to explain to me why they have cats in the house. It seems that many people who want to adopt Golden Retrievers want a dog that is certified as cat friendly. With the three resident cats, once everyone settles down and gets along, our foster visitors move on to their new homes rapidly because we can certify them as being cat friendly. It often gets exciting for the first day or two until the vistor finds out how sharp the cats claws are. Chasing cats is fun, but when the cat groes tired of the game, the chasing had better stop.

This raises the question as to why anyone would want a cat in their home to begin with? It would be easier to get rid of the cat, it would leave more room and they could adopt a second homeless Golden Retriever. I remember hearing about an advertisement for chewing gum. "Double your pleasure, double your fun, adopt two Golden Retrievers instead of just one."

Mogley G. Retriever

An Update for you

The photo above is Mini Cat hogging the dog bed. Cats make very bad housemates, they hog beds, they eat your food and they drag dead birds into the house. Humans seem to want to protect their precious cats. Why would they ever want to share their homes with cats is beyond me.

I overheard a telephone conversation yesterday between the rescue and our resident chauffeur. They are ready for another foster friend. A new playmate will be arriving soon. I wonder who it will be?

I wanted to share a picture of Bella and I playing our war games. We make a great wrestling team.

Here I am waiting for a tennis ball to be thrown. Why do humans always make you wait for a ball? They should just throw it right way so you can bring it back and do it again. Instead they always tease you a little. I sure will be glad when dogs take over. Humans are not doing a very good job of running the place.

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy May 1st

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I have been busy around the house. With the good weather our chauffeur has been busy cleaning the back patio. He left a hose running on the patio and went into the house to answer the phone thing. I picked up the end of the hose and just wanted to take it inside to remind him that he had left it running. He sure did get excited when I headed for the family room with the end of the hose. If water is fun to play with outside, why can't we play with it indoors?

My big story for the week was my visit to the specialty vet. I had a heart picture taken. I behaved real well, I laid down on the table and they put these probe things on my body. Then they let me see my own heart on a TV screen. I have never been a big fan of watching TV, even if I am the star. They did not get pictures of my good side, it all looked pretty fuzzy. It was more interesting for the humans, they seemed to enjoy it a lot but it takes so little to entertain humans. They kept the treats coming to keep me happy.

They explained to me that I have a heart condition and that I was showing good signs of keeping it under control. The chauffeur said I was going to be around for a long time. Just as long as they keep giving me my pills with yummy treats twice a day I am happy.

Mogley G. Retriever