Too Much Fun!

The photo is Rusty Muffin, she has taken over the fireplace. Luckily for her white coat, the fireplace had been cleaned well before she moved in. It is cool in the fireplace, and other dogs don't disturb her. The perfect place for a lady that likes her cool peace and quiet. If she can move her bed in there, she will be in heaven.

We thought our three cousins were coming to visit tomorrow. Instead there was something about airline reservations on full planes and overbooking, whatever that means. So the humans were driving to St. Louis instead of flying and they had to leave early.

Emma, Piper and Molly came running in the front door just after dinner time. It was still light so we were able to work off our excitement in the yard before the sun went down and the rain arrived. It is going to rain all night, so we had to get our exercise out of the way. The humans have already had to stop Molly and Piper from jumping in the swimming pool. The humans say it takes too long for wet dogs to dry in the evening before bed, they don't like wet dogs in the bed. I had a long swim during the heat of the day and I dried off quickly. Humans, they just complain all the time.

Seven Golden's with three days to play. Too Much Fun!


I hope you have as much fun as I am going to have for the next three days.

Mogley G. Retriever

Referral

Today's post is a referral to someone else. The Bumpass Hounds recently added "Radar" to their menagerie. They took in a blind, sick Golden puppy to nurse and ended up as a "Foster Failure", when the time came to give up "Radar", they kept him instead. They are awfully good at rescue, not too hot when it comes to the "surrender" part. Ten happy dogs and three tolerant cats prove them excellent in the rescue part of the equation.



His story is their post today and we want to share it with our readers. Go to http://bumpasshounds.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-want-to-give-thanks.html
to read his story.



All of the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies volunteers are marching in the Golden parade today. We did not go because Clyde and Rusty are not good at marching and we did not know how long the parade route would be. We hope all of our friends had fun in the parade.



Thank you,



Mogley G. Retriever

A trip to the vet today.

This morning we all took a ride across town to visit the Golden Retriever Vet. Bella had to have her booster shot for her Lepsis. But Clyde and Rusty had a more serious visit. Clyde had been limping since we picked him up at Doggy Jail. His right rear leg was badly swollen at the knee. After another exam today, Clyde is going to have his knee worked on. They hope to restore most of his use of his knee so that he can chase balls for real. He loves to chase balls and play fetch. But right now they can't throw a ball more than about 10 feet for him, they don't want him to do more damage to his leg.

Rusty has several minor things they needed a look at. She had a "hot spot" just in front of her tail. She has a small growth on her eye lid that will need to be taken off soon. She has several fatty tumors that are no danger, but they do need to be watched. She also has weak hips and has trouble getting up and down. Once she is up, she goes like mad, but she hates to get up when she is down, and she hates to lie down once she is up. She still chases squirrels and checks out the hikers on the park trail outside the fence. She has been put on a small dose of Rimadyl, and we can watch it to see how much she needs to become more mobile. We keep telling her that when you are 10 years old, you have to slow up a little. Rusty says she can slow up this winter when it is snowy and cold outside, in the meantime just give her her pill and open the back door when the squirrel chirps.

It is the height of the squirrel season in our yard. The apple trees are bearing a huge crop of apples this year and squirrels are coming in from miles around to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. The grape vines have a good crop and soon the raccoons will be raiding the apples and the grapes. The squirrels have not discovered the blueberry and blackberry bushes yet, but they will soon. The giant sunflowers are setting on soon, the squirrels love them as well, if they can keep the birds away long enough to get to the seeds. It is a full time job just keeping raiders out of the crops, Bella is our head squirrel chaser but even she needs help when there are squirrels on three sides of the yard at once, so Rusty needs to be in good shape to help protect the crops.

Next week we will have another trip across town to get some of the work done. We hope that Clyde will come out of his operation with a leg that can keep up with the rest of us. Wish him well, he is a little bummed out about it all. He says that if we will just give him a bigger dose of Rimadyl he will be fine.

All of our rescues have some health needs. That is why your donation to the rescue is so important. The vet bills and medications for GRRR run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In fact, that is almost all there is in the annual budget, just a huge category called "medical". In the meantime, make a donation to your local rescue. Keep an eye on the blogg, we will keep you informed as to how Clyde and Rusty do.

Mogley G. Retriever

Lose ends.

The problem with blogging is that frequently there are so many lose ends. Stories that we start but then we move on before we finish them. Dogs that come by once, are adopted and move on, when we meet them later we don't bring you up to date.

The Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) vet has been on vacation. He sees so many Goldens in a year that he can almost diagnose them by driving by while they sit on the front porch. Clyde came to us with a bad limp and he had a hard time getting up once he was down. We have been waiting for the vet to come back to take a good look at his left rear leg, his leg has a small zip-zag around the knee and that leg is kept straight. So the vet is due back this week and we will get a picture taken of the leg and find out what is wrong. Meanwhile we got a short term script for Rimadyl to help him move around. It has sure losened him up, he is starting to run and play with us. He still can't bend his knee, but he can sure get around on a stiff leg.

Meanwhile Rusty was having a problem getting up, it was getting so bad that she would not lie down if she was up, she did not want to get up if she was down. We got permission to try one of Clyde's Rimadyl on Rusty, it has made a big difference in how she gets around as well. She chased squirrels again this morning. So she gets another trip to the vet's office when we take Clyde.

GRRR has had several very sad rescues recently. One long time volunteer passed away and now GRRR has to find special homes for his two life companions, ages 12 and 8. Another surrender came when an elderly woman passed away and her family took her 13 year old Golden into a vet to be put to sleep. The vet staff convinced the family that GRRR offered a better solution. She is already in her new home with new love to last her in her remaining years. These Goldens are special cases because the Golden's are losing their homes because of no one's fault. These are the rescues that hurt the most and feel the best when they are completed. .

Some time ago we mentioned five lab puppies that were orphans. At three weeks of age, they were sworn in as honorary Golden Retrievers and are currently in the GRRR system. GRRR is blessed to have hundreds of volunteers to help, our "Puppy Team" found surrogate mothers for these orphans. GRRR has adopted out 3 of them and expect the other two to be spoken for shortly. Who can resist a puppy?

While we have several transportation teams that will drive 1,000 miles or more to transpore needy dogs, we also need to mention "Pilots for Paws:. "Pilots for Paws" is a volunteer group that transports rescue dogs, they brought us several Golden's from Idaho, South Dakota and Wyoming. Boy what lucky dogs to get transported by private airplane. One boy in particular who was flown in was named Willie, but at the shelter in Idaho they called him OTD, "Older Than Dirt".

We are overrun with older Golden's. We are desperately seeking foster homes that are willing to take older Gold. Most of the older surrenders have health problems which is often why they are surrendered. Since it is so hard to find homes for older dogs, most foster homes understand that they may end up keeping them much longer than a younger dog.

These older Golden's are the true treasures. They ask for nothing more than a chance to get a head pat and some human company in their final years. They know the rules of a home, they don't run away or chew up furniture. They just give love and comfort in a way that few can understand if you have never had an older Golden as a friend.

Help us by being a foster home, give these wonderful older dogs a chance to live in dignity and enjoy the comfort and love of a final forever home. Call a rescue near you and volunteer to help an older dog enjoy the Golden years. Log onto your rescue's web site and donate to help with the many health problems we are seeing.

Somewhere, a dog needs you.

Mogley G. Retriever

Looking for a Forever Home!

Below, I help Clyde (center) and Rusty Muffin (right rear) keep the squirrel up the apple tree.

Rusty Muffin and Clyde are still in the search for their new Forever Homes. As the head dog in the household, I always am concerned when too much time passes without finding homes for the foster dogs that stay with us. "Foster Failure" is what happens when the humans refuse to give up a foster dog for adoption. I have seen it happen too often so I try to help the process along. Clyde had some people interested in him, but it turns out they wanted a jogging companion. Clyde would love to jog, but he has a sore right rear knee and he does not do long distances.

We have seen a pattern emerging in the older rescue dogs we get as fosters. The human thinks it is caused by poor quality food, when a family gets desperate they buy cheaper food which in turn causes their older pet to lose mobility, which in turn leads them to abandon them. The older dogs all are movement impaired when they arrive. After several weeks of a better quality food, exercise, diet and supplements, they become much more active. When we picked up Clyde he had to be carried into the car. Now he runs and jumps very well. Glucosamine and a small Rimadyl tablet has given him back his mobility. Rusty Muffin had a hard time getting up once she was lying down, after getting the supplements she is now running with Bella and I, chasing squirrels and having fun.

Clyde would like a home where he can be the head "Fetch Dog". Clyde can fetch anything, sticks, balls, Frisbees, you name it, if you can throw it, Clyde can fetch it. Clyde can even fetch two tennis balls at once. He is not up to long jogging or running, but a walk in the park is fine with him. He will need a lot of toys, he is hard on them. He plays rough. He loves tummy scratches and ear rubs. Clyde does not bark much, he will not make your neighbors angry by barking at everything, but he will warn of an intruder or arriving guests in case your door bell is too quiet.

Below: Rusty Muffin is chasing a squirrel that came too close to the ground.

Rusty is seeking a home with a squirrel nearby. With better food and her glucosamine supplements, she is running with the best of them. Still, at 10 years of age, she will not be joining you on your triathlon training, but she will join you for walks and short jogs. She would like a toy or two, here when she tries to play with a toy Clyde takes it away from her. Rusty says she is the best cuddler and lover in the world. If you need a warm, soft, lady to snuggle with, Rusty is the lady for the job. She does not bark unless it is something worthy of mention, she will not keep the neighbors awake at night. When she was surrendered her old owners said she had thunder fear. She has been through three loud storms here and has been fine. In the first storm she was a little frightened until she saw that the three of us were ignoring it, then she laid down and slept through it and the storms that followed.

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Below, Rusty Muffin knows that good camouflage helps when you are stalking the wily squirrel. Here she disguises herself as a pine tree.

Both Rusty and Clyde are cat safe, certified by the three resident felines. They are well housebroken and have good manners, your good carpet and silk pillows are safe with them. If you can help find homes for two needy friends, go to http://www.goldenrescue.com/ and fill out the adoption application. Mention Clyde or Rusty Muffin on the form and you will get to meet these two lovely Goldens.

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Mogley G. Retriever

The Toy Fairy

The dog toy fairy came to our house today. We hit the jackpot. They went shopping to someplace called "Ross Stores" which usually sells people clothing, but they had a shipment of very cheap and good dog toys. Everyone got a new toy, and there was even toys left over. Clyde has destroyed many of our toys, so we needed a new supply. The problem is that Clyde was there when they were handed out, so I have asked them to schedule another re-supply run for tomorrow. Below, Clyde has a brand new hoard of toys to chew.

Below, I have to play with a stupid fake tire with a blinking electric light in it.
Bella has a toy but she will get tired of it soon and steal everyone elses' toys.
Below, Clyde is gloating over the toy he stole from me.
Several days ago the tennis ball fairy stopped by and left us a big bag of tennis balls. The tennis ball fairy had heard that Clyde was staying with us. Clyde is delightful, but he is hard on toys and balls. Rusty Muffin is very camera shy, plus she does not like toys very much. She likes squirrels, she took a look at her new toy and went outside to hunt squirrels.

Mogley G. Retriever.

A Fun Weekend

Below, a dry Rusty Muffin is followed by a very wet Molly. Rusty did not want to get wet, she says it takes too long for her to get her hair looking good after a swim. She wants to look her best if a possible new Forever Home comes to see her.

Below, I am in the lead, followed by Piper, Molly with Bella on shore.

Saturday and Sunday were fun days. Early Saturday I was tired of waiting for the human to open the pool so I pushed the little fence into the water and took a swim. They took the hint and opened the pool. Then later Saturday our three cousins, Emma, Molly and Piper, came by to go swimming. We had a good time.

Above, Clyde proves he is faster than the young dogs, he beat them to the ball several times. On shore he can not keep up, in the water he can show the young dogs how it is done. We think Clyde should have been named Dudley DoRight. He is always making sure that everything is being done in the right way. Balls have to be gathered together. Toys moved from one area of the room to the other. Other dogs have to behave, or he tells them to calm down. Clyde is a talker. He tries to speak words, but his enunciation leaves something to be desired. He still tries to speak and he gets his wants across.

Rusty Muffin did not go into the water. Apparently the evening when she fell into the pool was enough for her. She is content to just watch us splash and play. She is relaxing enough to start playing now. She plays a mean tug-o-war. She is not much of a toy hound, but she is starting to take an interest in some of the toys.

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We have one person that wants to meet Clyde. He says he recently lost his Golden and needs a new best friend. He lives in the mountains with lots of room to roam with a stream nearby. Clyde says he is already having dreams about the mountains, we had to show him pictures so he would know what to expect.

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So far no one has asked about Rusty. She says that her demands are few. She just wants a home where she can show a family what Golden Love is all about. She does not play fetch, she does not retrieve ducks. Her specialty is snuggling and with her long soft coat, she is terrific. When she puts her head under someones hand, they can not help but pet her when they feel her lush coat.

Mogley G. Retriever

Good News!

I just opened my morning fan mail and found a note from Evie:

Hi Mogley,

Your friend Evie here with an update on Duke and Daisy for you. This really nice man came a few days ago to meet Duke and Daisy. He really liked both of them. Daisy snuggled right up to him and gave him her best love muffin snuggle. Duke was on his best behavior and he too made a good impression. The man said he would come back on Monday morning and he did. He brought his wife with him too. Duke sized up the situation right away and turned on his best love muffin routine and so did Daisy. They loved all over the man's wife. Duke even got it across that he likes tennis balls and found out that she plays tennis so there will be balls a plenty for him. Both Daisy and Duke looked really happy as they drove away. No one had to ask them twice to get up in the car. Daisy hopped up, will a little assistance, and immediately laid down on the soft cushion they had. Duke left with his favorite tennis ball and both were happy as clams. What Duke and Daisy don't know is that it is only going to get better. 2 of the grand daughters are visiting for several weeks and they will have kids to play with!! Daisy will be soooo happy!! She lights up around kids. Another happy ending thanks to GRRR and all the volunteers that help.

Your friend,
Evie

This is what makes rescue so rewarding. It is hard for me to share my house and my humans, but helping other lost Goldens find their way is a huge reward.

Mogley G. Retriever

Help Wanted!

I received the following e-mail from our swimming friend, Evie. She and her brother and sister come over and swim with me, their family also fosters and places homeless Goldens:


Dear Mogley,

Your friend Evie here. Mom is upstairs sewing and left the computer room door open so I get a chance to write to you. We need your help. We have 2 foster friends here with us. Daisy and Duke. You can see pictures of them at www.goldenrescue.com. Their family lost their home and had to move to an apartment. They felt it was best to let GRRR find them a new home with room to run and fetch the tennis ball. Daisy and Duke really want to stay together. That is where we need your help. A pair is always a little harder to place than a single dog so a bit of extra publicity might help. Below, Duke on the left, Daisy on the right.

Duke is sitting here with me, he is 7 and not a hint of gray on him. He has a dark red coat like me and mom says he has the perfect golden retriever head. He says that he would love a home with a soft bed, good food and of course lots of tennis balls and love. Duke isn't a needy dog but does like his ear scratches several times a day. He is perfectly house trained and is very well behaved. He loves to follow our dad everywhere.

Daisy on the other hand is 6 and a love muffin. She has the softest features and when she looks at you, your heart melts. She is a honey amber color and has lots and lots of curls. Daisy follows Duke everywhere. It took Daisy a little longer to come out of her shell. The first week here she was so sad, she really missed her family. Daisy also wants a soft bed and light food. She needs to trim down a bit and is working on it very hard here. She loves to roll in the grass with a tennis ball and find a cool shady spot to watch everyone else play fetch. She will chase the ball a couple of times but then she prefers the side lines to view the action. Daisy is also perfectly house trained and very obedient. She is still a little shy.

Daisy is perfect around the resident kitties and totally ignores them . Duke is a little more interested but does them no harm. He just has to be reminded occasionally that kitties do not play with dogs. One of our little friends, mom calls her practically a grand daughter, and her cousin came over for a couple of days last week. My goodness, Duke and Daisy were in 7th heaven. They love kids!! Both dogs broke out with big grins and velcroed themselves to the girls. They also were very gentle with the girls and played and played. Our little friend came over again yesterday for a few hours and both Daisy and Duke tried to crawl up in her lap. They are too big to be lap dogs so they settled for laying on the couch with their heads in her lap. They just lit up when she came in the door. I have included a picture for you. Duke is on the left and Daisy is on the right. Hopefully they can find a new forever home soon. They are ready and waiting. Mogley, thanks so much for your help. Sergeant and Sorsha send their regards and say we need to have another doggie swim party again soon.

Your Friend,
Evie

Rusty Muffin

Who would name their Golden Retriever "Rusty Muffin"?

Did they have a bad sense of humor? Could they not agree, one wanted to name her Rusty, the other wanted to name her Muffin? Or did they want her to run away from home?
Rusty was surrendered to Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR). We were told that Rusty ran away because of the loud fireworks over the 4th of July. They were losing their home and they were tired of bringing her back when she ran away. They gave their 10 year old Golden to strangers and walked away.

We picked up Rusty last night, she was tired, it had been a long day. She had been transported to the Rescue, then given a bath. When we picked her up, she was beautiful. On the way home she napped in the back of the SUV. She arrived late and barely had time to be introduced to the family and house before it was bed time. There was a lot of fireworks, one of the neighbors was celebrating the 4th a few days late. Rusty did not even notice the explosions across the back fence.

This morning when we woke up, we all went downstairs and out to the back yard for our morning potty time. The human watched Rusty get acquainted with the yard and the grounds for a while, then he went in for a cup of coffee. He came running out when he heard the loud splash. Rusty had jumped into the pool. We found out that she can swim, and we found out that her wonderful, soft, heavy blond coat takes a lot to dry out. Three towels and four hours of Colorado sunshine to be exact. She is still damp in the photos.

What do we know about Rusty? We were told she is 10 but she only looks 7 or 8, she has a beautiful coat, she walks like a runway model. She is dignified and she is truly a queen, ruling all she surveys. She used the dog door within minutes of arriving. She swims well, her early morning dip did not even phase her. She went nose to nose with the three cats, they flinched first but no one ran and no one was chased. The cats accepted her in minutes, she accepted them. She is well socialised. She eats slowly, queens do not rush their dinner.

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Some where there is a home that needs a wonderful, beautiful lady that they can walk in the park and impress the neighbors with their beautiful, full coated Golden Retriever. Somewhere there is a home that needs love from a beautiful lady. Imagine what it would be like to snuggle in front of a fireplace with this soft, warm lady.

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Now we are searching for two new forever homes. We hope you will help us in our quest. In the meantime, with four Golden's in one home, we will have some fun. So keep reading, we will keep you updated.

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Mogley G. Retriever

Clyde the Charmer

Clyde has a fan club. Everyone he meets joins the club. He is such a nice, mellow Golden that he charms everyone. He thinks that he will get his choice of Forever Homes, soon people will be calling and wanting to take him home. He just wants to make sure they understand that he needs a lot of tennis balls and toys. We promised him he can take five tennis balls with him, he says that is enough to last him a few days.

If you are looking for a well behaved Golden Retriever, go to http://www.goldenrescue.com/ and fill out the adoption form, ask to see Clyde. Clyde would appreciate having you select a new name, he is not too fond of Clyde. He says he needs something that tells people he is an exciting and loving Golden. Clyde tells people he is dull and drab. Nothing personal to the people named Clyde, but it does not fit a wonderful, mellow Golden. Pass the word, there is a homeless Golden living at a foster home who needs a forever home that can give him love and throw tennis balls for him. He does not like to have them thrown far, just a little throw will do. The joy is in fetching them back to you, not in running after them. The joy is in playing together, man and dog, one happy forever family.

Mogley G. Retriever

4th of July Tradition

We celebrated the 4th of July in a traditional manner. We had a Golden Retriever Swimming Party. Our three cousins came by and we all jumped into the pool. Thomas Jefferson would be pleased if he knew that we were carrying on the tradition. Apple pie, motherhood and wet retrievers. That is what makes the 4th so special.

We knew that our new resident foster friend, Clyde, was fascinated by the swimming pool. He would lay on the edge of the pool and stare into it, then he would drop his ball into the pool. We expected him to fall in, but he was just playing a game. Below, Clyde in the front, learns to swim.
Today when my three cousins arrived to help us celebrate the 4th, we were swimming, chasing tennis balls and having a splashing good time. Suddenly Clyde was in the middle of us. He obviously had not swum before, when a dog first learns to swim they raise their front paws out of the water and splash a lot. After a few minutes they use their front feet to pull. In minutes Clyde was keeping up with us, swimming without a splash. The human was worried about Clyde, he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up on the patio. Clyde shook once, then jumped back in the pool. The human let him swim this time. The human thought it was cute, but it takes three towels to dry Clyde, he has a very heavy coat.

Above, Piper, I and Clyde push off after a tennis ball.

When a new Foster Golden arrives, it is fun to watch them evolve from scared and timid to full fledged members of the home. The books on Golden's talk about their similarities, saying they are alike. What is fun is learning the vast differences in each Golden. Clyde did not look like he would be a swimmer. He was a little stiff in the hind legs, he did not run well, he was overweight and obviously he had not been exercised in his prior home. Yet he instantly became a strong swimmer who did not want to leave the water. He had made an amazing discover about himself, he was a Golden Retriever after all. Another twist that Clyde brought with him is the great toy box caper. We have a large, old copper wash tub filled with dog toys. Clyde enjoyed digging in the tub and selecting his toys. Soon he started pulling them all out. The humans put them back in to clean the house. Clyde would have them out again in a flash. He can empty the toy tub in about five minutes.

Clyde is Clyde. We have had over 30 foster Golden's in our home. Each one had a very unique personality, some character traits that set them apart. If you want to adopt Clyde, be prepared to have a lot of toys. If you don't have a swimming pool, a wading pool will do, or a few trips to the lake. Once the swimming gene is activated, there is no turning it off!

Clyde could be keeping you company and entertaining him with his antics, just go to the rescue web site, read about Clyde and ask to meet him.

Mogley G. Retriever

Clyde the Toy King

We think that Clyde may like toys, what do you think?

Our new foster friend, Clyde has been with us for 24 hours now and we are getting to know him. The photo above is the real Clyde. He says that he suffered from Toy Deprivation when he was in Doggy Jail, he is trying to make up for lost time.

We are writing his profile for the Dog Dating Web Site, he wants a nice Forever Home, one with lots and lots and lots of toys. Oh, and he wants his new Forever Home to have many toys. A nice bed will be a requirement. Beyond that, his demands are simple. He is currently wearing one of my old collars, with no ID tags. He says he will wait until he is adopted by a Forever Family, then he can get his own ID tags on his brand new forever collar, his new Forever Home address and phone number. A toy or two would be nice also.

If his right ear looks funny, it is because he has an infection in it and he gets drops of a greasy medicine in it. It is getting better and he will be all better very soon. He hopes people will look at his left profile because it is his better side right now.

Clyde asks: "Would you like to take me home and love me, Forever?"

Mogley G. Retriever