A very good Thanksgiving dinner

This morning I want to share with you a guest blog. Our fellow foster and rescue friends and swimming buddies, Evie, wrote me about her special Thanksgiving. Evie knows how to celebrate!

Dear Mogley,

Your friend Evie here. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. We started out the day by getting put in the dog house! Our mom spent the evening yesterday making these round things she called pies. There were two of them. Boy did they smell good. The word was that they were not for dogs and they had to go to the big dinner today. We weren't invited to the big dinner. Well, mom had these two pies in a box on the dining room table all ready to go. She was drying her hair and dad was off in the shower. Well, do you remember the scene from Christmas story where the Bumpass Hounds got in the house while the turkey was on the table? Shades of the movie all over again. One of the three of us, and we aren't telling who, got the box off the table and Sarg, Sorsha and I all had pie! Everyone is right they are very good. There was a slight problem. We ate all the pie except for parts of the triple berry and pumpkin pies that were all over mom's coat, hand embroidered table cloth, and cream colored carpet. We thought it was very colorful but mom didn't agree. I can't tell you in print what mom said when she saw the mess, but we were put outside and the dog doors were locked. We had to stay outside all day. Mom and Dad said something about us being sick or worse getting the dreaded trots. We wouldn't have an accident in the house as we are too well trained for that but things happen when you eat an entire triple berry pie and a pumpkin pie. Mom said she had cleaned enough carpet for one day. We tried to blame the cats, but mom said the raspberry red spots on our paws was a dead give away. Fortunately all the raspberry, blue berry, and black berry stains came out of everything. For those of you who don't live around here don't worry, it was a beautiful warm sunny day, our water bowl was full and we had our beds outside with us so we weren't being mistreated. We didn't get any turkey, but we sure did have dessert!

Your Friend Evie

PS, we are going to need to swim lots of laps in the pool when warm weather gets here again to work off all the extra calories.


Evie, it is wonderful that you got to eat the pies and you received no punishment. It was 70 degrees in Denver on Thanksgiving day, so being locked outside was a real treat as well. Good planning gang.

Mogley G. Receiver

Happy Thanksgiving

This morning I had to go fetch the newspaper from the front driveway. It was so heavy I kept dropping it, the chauffeur said it had a lot of adds in it, something about black Friday. It was black Thursday as far as I was concerned, it was still dark when I had to go fetch the paper in.

Later Bella and I had a special breakfast. Boy did we luck out, we had bits of raw chicken and turkey mixed in with out food. Before we were allowed to eat, we had to sit and give thanks.

Thanks for the hundreds of volunteers that work in the rescue of dogs and cats all across the country. Thanks for the drivers that transport the homeless, thanks for the foster family's that give them shelter. Thanks for the medical staff that treat them and make them well. Thanks for the volunteers that walk them and work with them while they are waiting for placement. Thanks to the donors that give money to fund these efforts. Thanks also for the soldiers and sailors that protect us and who are far away from home today.

Thanks to all of you who read us and give us encouragement. Have a happy Thanksgiving!


Mogley G. and Bella G. Retriever

Our Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanks to Brewster Rockit: Space Guy, we have a new turkey for Thanksgiving. The drumsticks are great, but it was a free range turkey and it sure was hard to catch.

Bella and I each get a drumstick and we will have drumsticks left over for all of our friends.


Mogley G. Retriever

A Miss-Diagnosis

I don't agree with my most recent diagnosis. No, not the diagnosis about my heart, that one I take pills twice a day for and exercise regularly, that one has been confirmed by several specialists. I have even seen the heart pictures when they did an echo cardiogram and ultrasound.

No, I disagree with my chauffeur's recent diagnosis. They did not even call the vet to check their diagnosis professionally. Instead they diagnosed my ailment themselves. Talk about "do-it-yourself". Isn't there some kind of law against people practicing medicine without a license?

Most dogs dream about chasing squirrels or rabbits and they start running in their sleep, some even bark in their sleep. But not me, I like to be different. It all started when I kept waking everyone up in the middle of the night with my tail wagging and thumping on the floor. To make it worse, they wake me up in the middle of the night to tell me not to wag my tail which only makes my tail go faster. They did some research on the Internet and came back with a diagnosis of "Restless Tail Syndrome". They said that they might have to treat it by tying a weight on my tail at night so that they could sleep.

Two can play that game. I did some research on the Internet myself and found that their diagnosis was incorrect. I found that my symptoms all matched a problem that is suffered by all Golden Retrievers and many other dogs as well. I suffer from "Chronic Happy Tail".

The prescribed treatment for "Chronic Happy Tail" or CHT is lots of petting, lots of treats, lots of ball tossing and chew toys. Bella suggested that a much larger and softer bed would keep my tail from thumping on the floor in the night. Bella said that it might be contagious and that she should receive the full treatment also, just in case. Bella thinks that CHT is not a problem and if it were a problem it would likely be transmitted by squirrels and therefor her squirrel chasing obsession is really just her attempt to protect us from the syndrome. Still, treating it with soft beds and treats seems to be the best approach.

What do you think? Is CHT a problem at your home? How do you deal with it in your home? Is there a professional reading this blog that can correct the mistaken diagnosis so that I don't end up getting treated for "Restless Tail Syndrome" instead of my real problem, CHT?

Mogley G. Retriever

Grass and Snow

One of my readers asked how, in the last post we can have green grass and snow to play in at the same time? We decided to post this picture to show more of the yard. To the left, beyond the photo, is an area that is bordered by large pine trees on the South. With the sun low in the winter, that side of the yard is in the shadows all winter and snow piles up. On the right side of the yard, the lawn is open and the sun hits it as soon as it comes up, melting the snow and keeping the grass green and growing most of the winter. In Denver, it can snow one day and be 50-70 degrees the next, melting the snow where the sun hits. Along the fence, the fence holds in the heat from the sun and the sun is quite warm, even on the coldest winter day. The squirrel likes this side of the yard as the garden is also clear and there were sunflowers all along the fence in the garden in the summer, the seeds drop and the squirrel spends the winter harvesting them. So we can have the best of both worlds, the green grass and the snow to play in.

Mogley G. Retriever

Play Date!

My three cousins, Emma, Molly and Piper were dropped off this morning, real early. Their family has long meetings today and won't be home for a long time today. In order to give them some access to exercise and fresh air, they left them to play. Did we have fun, starting almost before sun up and going all day long. Emma is missing from our play pictures because she checked out the snow left on the grass, then went back in the house where she curled up on the couch. Below, Molly tries to take my toy away.
We had to take several rest breaks, then we took off again.

We took a few minutes off from playing to chase a squirrel that was up this tree.

It has been a fun day and we hope that our three cousins drop by again soon.

Mogley G. Retriever

Snowy Sunday

Another big storm moved in after a week of warm weather, leaving a yard covered in 6" of new snow. To keep us entertained we were given several new toys that play songs and squeak. The score so far, Golden Retrievers, 3, Toys, 0. The toy that played music was a hit with Bella, she would carry it around and talk to it when it played songs. It no longer plays music, but it is still intact. The stretchy toy made it less than 10 minutes (that is over three hours in dog years) before it was reduced to bits and pieces on the floor.

Our weather here is nothing compared to the heavy rain that our friends on the East Coast have been living through. We hope they dry out soon.


The picture below recently appeared on our front door. We are insulted, we see it as an implication that we are not providing the expected level of security.

We are proving that we do offer a very high level of home security. We woke everyone up twice last night, barking at the front door. Bella is now sleeping on the couch in the front glass porch where she can see everything that goes on in the neighborhood. We will continue providing a higher level of security and awareness, similar to the "Threat Level Red" that Homeland Security posts so often. The resident Chauffeur says that if Homeland Security had a "Threat Level Golden", it would mean that everyone should sit in their recliner in front of the fireplace, feet up, and enjoy the football games on TV. The resident Chauffeur says it proves that our bark is worse than our bite. I should put the bite on him and show him the difference between a bite and a bark. Bella and I will make sure he pays a price for insulting us, about two hours of sleep per night should be a reasonable price.

Mogley G. Retriever

Welcome Home!

We don't normally include links and third party content. Suz sent us these two links of Golden Retrievers welcoming Dad home from overseas. It was late for Veteran's day, but enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKAVyXi0J4&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sZvmdSECPs&feature=player_embedded

It just proves how loyal we are, and yes, we do have long memories.

For you humans who are not as web savvy as Golden's are, you may just copy and paste the links, one at a time, into your browser.

Our human said he wore his dog tags yesterday so that he could be one of "us" for the day. I did notice that his rabies tag was not up to date, I guess it is all right as long as he does not bite me. We were not fooled by why he was wearing his old dog tags, we think he wore his dog tags because it was Veteran's day and his dog tags are the only part of his old uniform that still fits.

Mogley G. Retriever

Update on Lucy and Buddy

In our last blog I reported that we had made arrangements to pick up Lucy and Buddy this afternoon. We were prepared to provide them with a foster home while rescue looked for a new forever home for them.

We are happy to report that we won't be picking them up. Another member of their family has stepped forward and will be taking them in. Lucy and Buddy will stay with people they know and with people that love them. This is a case where a non-rescue is the most successful rescue. Thanks to all who kept them in their thoughts and prayers, you helped more than you may ever know.

Mogley G. Retriever

Another Chapter in the book of rescues

There are so many different reasons that homeless dogs come into the rescue system. Each dog has it's own story and each family has its own reasons. None of the reasons are good, but some are harder to cope with than others.

The chauffeur here spends a lot of time on week ends on a motorcycle, riding the mountain roads of the Colorado Rockies. Our home has been involved in many motorcycle clubs over the years, I even get to go to some of the meetings when the weather is bad and the 4 wheel cages are used to get to the meetings. There has been talk about getting a side car so I can ride along in nice weather, my ears flopping in the breeze, an idea I am pushing strongly.

We received a call this evening asking if we had room for two orphans. A fatal motorcycle accident North of Denver left two wonderful Golden's homeless. The rider's sister lives in an apartment and can not keep them. Arrangements have been made to pick them up tomorrow afternoon and bring them back to our home to foster. Lucy is 6 and Buddy is 13 years old. Right now we just know that they need a home, some care and some love. Lucy likes toys, so a good supply will be available for them. That is all we know, that and their owner was a fellow rider.

We will let you know more about them after we pick them up and have a chance to get acquainted. Cross your paws for them and remember them in your prayers tonight.

Mogley G. Retriever

Murray

One reason we have not been blogging regularly is that we were all busy taking care of Murray. Murray was our large, long haired, black feline friend that was in charge of teaching the foster Golden's proper respect for a cat. He weighed over 14 pounds when in his fighting trim.

Murray had been in and out of the vets office for a month while fighting off lymphoma. He left us today, but over 40 foster Golden Retriever friends will remember him for teaching them how to show proper respect to a cat. Murray would walk in front of a new foster dog, just to make sure they realized who really ran the house. Bella may think she is the Alpha female, but she still walked around Murray. Murray did not mind teaching our homeless foster dogs, Murray had been a rescue himself and he never forgot where he came from.

Before he left, he passed the baton to Mini Cat. Mini has accepted the challenge and will continue to educate dogs on how to relate to a cat. By being cat friendly a homeless dog will greatly increase their chances of finding a good forever home. The notation on their web posting that they were "cat friendly" always brought more responses and offers of better homes. Buddy, the large white Persian will help, but he was de-clawed when we found him at the pound, and he does not command the attention and respect that Murray and Mini command due to their better weapons. Still, Buddy does take up his position at the head of the stairs where he will dare dogs to challenge him for possession of the top step.

Thank you Murry, you have been a good friend and companion for over 13 years, you will be missed by everyone in the pack.


Mogley G. Retriever

It happened so quickly

Above, Sadie has her toy. The orange rubber football is hers and no one else can touch it, even Junior had better give it back. She sleeps with it, she even tries to eat without putting it down.

Here today, gone tomorrow is not just an expression. This morning (Sunday) we had a call that someone wanted to meet Sadie and Junior. Sadie and Junior jumped up in the SUV and went to see if there was any chemistry between them and the humans. Sadie was worried, Junior had learned to use the dog door quickly, she had not mastered it. When she first tried to come in the dog door, she stuck her nose in just as the vacuum cleaner went by and that scared her. She hoped they would not hold that against her.

The visits went better than hoped for. Stay at home humans, so there will be lots of attention all day long. Sadie and Junior demonstrated their walking skills on a leash and they demonstrated how the game fetch is supposed to be played. Sadie went directly home to a wonderful new home, taking her favorite orange foot ball toy with her, Junior will be going with a bag of tennis balls after his dental appointment. Mission accomplished!

On the way back home Junior put in an appearance at the annual "Pet, Craft and Gift" show at Tagawa Nursery. Tagawa has a huge greenhouse complex with everything from orchards, koi fish, to exotic trees and plants. They also have several resident cats that host an annual fund raiser for rescue groups. Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies had a craft sales booth and a bake sale booth. Junior was allowed to sample some of the special dog treats that were being given out. He enjoyed the attention, especially since he was no longer a homeless dog.

Thanks to all of you for helping Golden Retriever Rescue find homes for its clients.

Mogley G. Retriever

From Seven to Four

Seven Golden friends gather at the front door to say good by to our three cousins. The photo above is Juniors favorite, it shows him looking at the camera and Sadie looking away. The photo below is the one that Sadie wanted me to post, it shows her looking this way, but I and Junior are looking away.
The reason they have been here so long is that the floors in their home were being refinished and the snow kept the workers from working for a couple of days. Then it had to have a week to dry before it could be walked on. Finally on Saturday morning they were allowed to go home again. We had a rousing send off for them, we ran and ran in the back yard, then we all gathered at the front door for a group photo before they left. After they left, there was just the four Golden's at home.



Don't tell our cousins that after they left Saturday morning, we had one of the best days of our lives. It was "Clean out the Refrigerator Day". Boy did we get some treats. While the floor was wet and they could not walk on it, the refrigerator was out of bounds at their house. Everyone ate out a lot and they brought home those white boxes of goodies and put them in our refrigerator, then forgot them. We got to lick the platters clean. I liked the box from the steak house best. The Chinese take-out was OK, but it had too many vegetables mixed in. Still it sure beats that dry stuff we normally have. It was special because we are never allowed table scraps. I think we should have a new calendar with at least one "Clean out the Refrigerator Day" per week.

Next week Junior has an appointment to get his teeth fixed. Sadie has already warned him that although seeing the doggy dentist was not good, he will get canned food for a while when he comes home. Once the vet visits are over for Sadie and Junior they can begin looking for a new home in earnest. Several people are waiting to see them.

Mogley G. Retriever