Weekend Recap

It was an exciting weekend.    Daisy has a new forever home and she is happy to be able to settle down with a loving family.    On Saturday a couple stopped by to meet both Daisy and Abby.   Daisy ended up out-loving Abby.   Abby wants to play and run after balls.   On a leash, Abby lets her enthusiasm show and she is hard to direct, Daisy shows her loving self and just stays close by when walking.  Daisy just wants to snuggle.   Daisy should become a commission sales person at a used car lot, she did a wonderful job of selling herself.   With five goldens in the house, Daisy would not let anyone else near her new family once they came through the door.  She claimed them for her own.  Abby was not sure she wanted to leave the madness of the house full of goldens, so she played hard to get.   Daisy spent Saturday night with us while arrangements were made with Rescue Central to take her home with them.

Sunday morning we had a meeting arranged with another possible home all the way across town at Rescue Central.   Both Daisy and Abby went to the meeting, although Daisy was spoken for.   Abby met the family, they were nice, they had one golden and two Huskies.  Abby went into her "Hyper-Abby" mode, and spent the whole time barking and playing hard to get.   Abby says that she has no intent of being adopted, she is quite happy with the family she has today.   We try to explain to her that this is a foster home and she has to move on to her forever home.   Her reply is "Make Me".  Abby came home, un-adopted.   We decided that she has bad memories about the rescue, that is where she was surrendered and where she lost her family, so in her mind it is a bad place.    She goes crazy when she gets near it, she begins barking more than a mile down the road.   Abby is going to have to meet her prospective new families at our home where she is quiet and happy. 

While we were waiting for Abby to meet her possible family, everyone was making over Daisy, much to her delight.  While petting her, one of the humans noticed that Daisy had a tick on her head.   It was not in deep and was removed without damage, but not being embedded means it was acquired somewhere close and recent.   It does serve as a warning that tick season has arrived.   Now we have to check the yard to make sure no other ticks are lurking in the orchard or are hidden in the dog hair.   
Shortly after arriving back home we had the big surprise of the day.   Our Cousins arrived!    They will be here a week.   Now there are eight goldens to run and play.    Emma, Molly and Piper came to stay while their family takes spring break.   How much trouble can eight Goldens get into?   Stay tuned and find out. 

But eight goldens only lasted a few hours, shortly after they arrived, Daisy's new family came to claim her and take her home, forever.   She was very determined to go with them, she protected her new family from all comers, she would not allow other dogs near her new family.   She made her choice, it is a good thing the humans went along with it, otherwise there would have been trouble in the golden home. 

All in all, it was a good weekend.   We have more guests and we are now "Chaos Central", Daisy has a new home, and Abby has established the rules under which she will go to a new home.   Abby will meet her prospects at a location other than Rescue Central in the future.   

Mogley G. Retriever

Yoga Lessons from Daisy

Hi, Daisy here.   There has been a lot of gossip around here about my sleeping positions.   I wanted to set the record straight on exactly what is happening.    I am a Yoga Master.  I have been trying to demonstrate my Yoga positions to the rest of the family in order to help bring peace and harmony to the house.   I have not been able to instruct Mogley and Bella, they can assume the positions, but then they fall asleep.   Abby and Aspen are able to grasp the nuances of proper relaxation and have helped me resume my efforts to teach Yoga to the masses.  Above is a photo of "Golden Rest" which is a very good position for beginning Yoga fans to use to get into the correct frame of mind and to relax before attempting some of the more difficult positions.  Below, the classic "Passive Tennis Ball Point".   This position is used to help the mind learn to reject outside distractions, such as tennis balls. 

I will try and give you more "Golden Yoga" instructions in the future.   In the meantime, practice these positions and see if you do not find more peace, harmony and relaxation.    If you have some favorite Yoga positions I hope you will share them on your blog. 

Daisy Mae

Friday update

Several things are taking place at the home of the Gold.   Aspen is staying with us a few days.   Her family suffered a death of a sister and had to leave for a funeral.   Aspen does not like attending funerals, so she is staying with us while her family attends to their duties.   She is doing so well at her forever home that she is looking better than ever, more active and more alert.  She is getting daily  vitamin supplements and good food.  They did not drop off her bed this time, but we have plenty of beds in the house.   Aspen is one of the first to go to sleep at night, so she gets her pick.

Meanwhile we have an appointment to introduce Daisy to two possible forever homes.   She will meet one family later today (weather permitting).  Then on Sunday, Abby and Daisy both will meet another family, if Daisy is still with us.  Abby and Daisy are such a wonderful house guests that we are not looking forward to them leaving.    We bet that by Sunday evening both Daisy and Abby will be with their forever homes.    Starting Sunday evening we have a week of madness.    No, it is not the "Final Four" in our back yard, it is our three cousins (Emma, Piper and Molly) coming in to spend a week with us.   Their family has a trip to New York City planned, it is spring break and our (exchange student) sister deserves a visit to New York before she goes home to Denmark at the end of the school year. 

While our blogs have been sparse, we have been busy with all of the good stuff, like finding Forever Homes for Daisy and Abby.   We have been holding them back, waiting for some very special homes.  They are such special ladies that we want special homes for them.  

The house keeper is coming in today on a mercy mission.   "Mercy Me", look at all the dog hair.  With four of us beginning to shed already, it is hard to tell what color the carpet is supposed to be.

Mogley G. Retriever

Over worked !

Above, I am bringing in the Sunday Morning Paper.   It is a big mouth full.    Isn't there a union or something that would negotiate an extra treat or two?   All I get is lots of attention and a few pets, sometimes a tummy rub, for all that work.    The bi-ped thinks that the term "working dogs" is a commandment instead of a catagory.  The bi-ped thinks he is the only one that works around here.    I keep the ducks out of the swimming pool, I protect the property from those dangerous squirrels.  I chase raccoons, foxes and coyotes.  I protect the koi in the pond from the Huron's that come fishing.   He can't hear the door bell over the TV, so I let him know when someone is at the door.   I tell him when the postman comes, when the garbage man picks up.   I let him know if anyone is walking their dog in the park.  On cold nights I warm their feet.  If the alarm does not go off in time (which seems to happen at least two days a week) I wake everyone up so they can enjoy the whole day.  I provide decorative golden hair to accent the couch and the carpet.  I even clean up all their spills on the kitchen floor.   I had to lick some sticky stuff off his beard.  I perform a very thorough "pre-wash" treatment on plates and bowls if left in reach.   I teach the foster dogs that come here where the dog door is, how to ignore the cat, how to wait patiently for treats and most importantly, which dog dish is mine.  I comfort the newcomers and make them feel welcome.   I even show them where the beds are, and which one is mine.  I even remind the tall one when it's exercise time and  when it's dinner time.  I chase after those tennis balls that he keeps throwing in the back lawn, if it was not for me, he would have to chase them himself.

I saw his "to do" list the other day, it only had three items on it, one of which contained the word "nap".  Compare that list to my long list above.  Who does the work around here?  How do we get more recognition for our hard work and heroic efforts?   Working dogs of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your leashes! 

Mogley G. Retriever

A Snow Romp!

Above, Daisy is running in the snow at full speed, I am watching to see if there is anything worth running for. 

We wanted to share with you some of the photos of all four of us (Bella, Mogley, Daisy & Abby) enjoying a romp in the new snow on Saturday morning.     It snowed in Denver all Friday and only stopped early on Saturday morning.   We made "first tracks" in the new snow about 4:00 in the morning, thanks to the dog door, but the bi-ped did not get up with his camera until 8:00, so these photos are of "second tracks".    Below, Bella and I are wrestling and Daisy decided to get in the middle. 

Below, Abby is searching for a tennis ball, she knows there are 8 in the yard somewhere but she has only found 7, she will not stop searching until all are accounted for.   Her philosophy is that "Too many tennis balls are not enough". 

Below, Daisy is making more snow angels.   She is getting very good at making snow angels. 

Below, Abby is at "Full Romp Ahead".   Even a short coat looks bushy when it is flying in the wind. 

Mogley G. Retriever

What a difference a day makes.

Above, a photo of the big thermometer, with Mini Cat checking out the warm spring temerature Thursday morning.    Below, Friday morning, same thermometer, but a snow storm blew in this morning and is expected to dump 10" in the area. 

In Denver they say that if you don't like the weather, wait an hour.   We will be exporting this storm towards the East, so don't put your coats away just yet.

Daisy is enjoying the snow, she is making snow angels in the fresh snow. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Our New Foster "Daisy"!

Below, Abby (left), Daisy (front) Bella and Mogley as we wait for our morning treats.

We are welcoming Daisy to the rescue pack.   Last night we had a call from Rescue Central.  One of the foster moms had broken an arm and she needed to move Daisy out until she could function again.   The bi-peds sprang into action, if springing into action can be defined as strolling out to the car, and they picked up Daisy.   Daisy is a Daisy.   She is well named.

We will take some more photos today, then help her with her resume for the adoption web site.  So far we know that she is 6 years old, beautiful, energetic, well behaved, cat friendly (Black cat says that Daisy passed the nose-to-nose test) and an all around great Golden.   She was in and out of the dog door within an hour of arriving.  She has a history of having seizures, she gets a little medication each morning in her food.   She has not had a seizure since she arrived at GRRR. 

Daisy will be an active member of the Wild Bunch.    She proved that early this morning when she decided that the water on the top of the swimming pool cover was better than no water at all.   She jumped in, then panicked a little when she discovered the bottom was soft, she could not stand up on it, but the water was not deep enough to swim in.   She was fished out and dried off, but she smells like a wet dog now, when she arrived she smelled like a clean dog.    With her adventurous ways and her high activity level, she is constantly on the go, we are appointing her our Official Activity Director.  Daisy, welcome to the Wild Bunch.  

Meanwhile, Abby watched Daisy have "fun" in the water, she wanted part of the action as well.   The bi-peds had to lock the dog door to keep Abby inside and dry, every time she got out she wanted to jump in and test the water herself. 

The bi-ped keeps lists and diaries of things that he deems important.   He announced that Daisy is Foster number 45, if we count Baby, our accidental foster this last week end.  We should plan something special when our foster number 50 arrives.   He says he may celebrate by buying an industrial strength vacuum cleaner.    But do we celebrate when number 50 arrives or do we celebrate when number 50 is placed in their new Forever Homes? 

So goes another boreing day at the home of the Wild Bunch!

Mogley G. Retriever

The birds are coming

Early this morning we looked out the back door and there were two ducks on the frozen water on top of our swimming pool cover.   Every spring we have a few stray ducks that think they can get away with invading the home of three alert golden retrievers.  Boy do we set them straight in a hurry.   We ran out the dog door before the biped could take a second picture and we made those ducks "duck". 

That reminded the bi-ped that with spring coming on, the fishing birds migrating north will try to catch the koi and goldfish in the pond. Most springs the bi-ped has relied on Bella and I to be outside at sunup when the fishing birds arrive, we have fun chasing them off. They are slow to take off and we have come close to catching several. This year with Bella and I sleeping later, the bi-ped bought a fake bird. Apparently fishing birds will not treaspass on one anothers territory, and they must be dumb if they think that fake bird is real. If I can't chase off the fake bird, I can pull it out and tear it up on the lawn.    Just wait till after dark when the bi-ped can't see me.  

Mogley G. Retriever

Rescue Update

Above, Abby with one of her favorite tennis balls, one of some 35 favorite tennis balls to be exact!

Our last post was about Baby, our accidental rescue.   Usually when we are involved in a rescue we are just a step on the stairs, the heavy lifting is done by the Golden Retriever Rescue folks who do the work, we just enjoy having a foster as a guest in our home.    So we owe you an update on what else has been taking place.

On Saturday we had an appointment for Abby and Saidy to meet with a possible new family.   Saidy was the foster that was staying with our cousins, Emma, Molly and Piper.   Saturday afternoon Saidy and Abby went head to head for the one opening for a new forever home.  Abby played the boisterous game, barking, chasing her tennis ball and showing that she may be old, but she is not slow.  Saidy played her game of being a quiet and very easy going 3 year old.    Saidy won.   Saturday afternoon Abby returned home, defeated.    Abby said she does not regret losing, she thinks that home would have been too calm and peaceful for her.   Besides being younger, Saidy had the advantage of being a long haired, cream colored golden who look so warm and fluffy.  Abby is still looking for her perfect home, she will keep her standards high and she will not settle for just a warm home and a bone, she wants lots of love, lots of attention and lots of excitement. 


Then we received the following update on Angel, our Golden/Doodle foster.    We are so happy she has a great home. 

Hi – just wanted to give you an update on Angel (we changed her name to Chloè). She and Clyde are doing great together and we are really enjoying her sweet personality. She is a perfect fit into our family and another GRRR dog has found their forever home! YAY!!


Thank you both so much,

Darla, Bob, Clyde and Chloè

Thats all for now.

Mogley G. Retriever

Wonderful News about Baby!!!

Sunday morning Bella, Abby and I were out at the back fence barking, trying to tell the bi-ped that  there was a stranger outside the back fence.   It was a cold day, with mixed rain and snow falling.  Huddled in the corner of the fence was a small black dog with white markings, cold, wet, shivering and scared.    A neighbor was out trying to comfort the stranger, but she was scared and a little nippy towards strangers.    Our bi-ped sat with her a few minutes to calm her, put a leash on her and brought her inside where it was warm.   On her collar was a rabies tag with a number on it.    The clinic was closed for Sunday and no one answered when we called.   The stranger spent a warm night in our house, still timid but warm and well fed.     Some signs were printed out on the computer and posted on posts in the neighborhood and a listing was posted on Craig's List. 

Monday morning the clinic in Fort Lupton was called.   Fort Lupton is a long way away from where we live, perhaps 30-40 miles.  The clinic was very helpful, her name was Baby, she was 3 years old and was an Australian Shepherd.   She had just been in for her annual physical and she was up to date on her shots.   Yes, there was a phone number.  

Calling the phone number was exciting, the owners were thrilled to hear that their friend had been found.  They had been in Aurora, Colorado, on Saturday visiting family when Baby had jumped out of the car at a gas station and took off after a rabbit.   They had looked and looked for her but she had disappeared.   They promised they would be right up to claim her and take her home after her wonderful adventure.  

We are very happy that she survived the heavy traffic on the streets and the coyotes in the park.   She is a very nice guest and she is happy to be going home to her family.    She did pick up a slight limp on the way, perhaps she has a thorn in her paw, but other than a day and night of being wet and cold, she is in good condition.   One more rescue, one more memory to add to our diary.

Mogley G. Retriever 

Five friends get a play date

Today we had a wonderful surprise.   Our cousins, Emma and Piper were at a nearby groomer, the same one I had my bath at last week, and they were ready to pickup early.   Our chauffeur came back with them and we all had a good romp.    Of course it is only polite to offer guests refreshments, so we all shared treats.   Above and below, we are gathered for the official treat handout.    Abby is on the far left, she was a little shy in meeting the "Wild Bunch" as we call ourselves. 

Below, another photo of Abby.   She should be posted on the adoption web site tonight.   She already has her first appointment to meet a possible new family on Saturday.  

Wish us luck in finding the perfect home for Abby.   She is such a sweetheart that we are really looking for something special for her.    We may try to place her in a home that does not have air conditioning, her tail goes so fast all the time that she could replace most ceiling fans. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Hello World, Welcome Abby to the pack!

Last night at Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) we picked up our new foster, Abby.   Abby has already proven herself to be a character.    She is a tennis-ball-aholic, a play-aholic, a mud-aholic, and a general goof ball.   She is so nice, sweet, well mannered, well trained and she is in overdrive all day long. 

She is seven or eight years old, but she can outrun and outplay most 3 year olds, like Bella and I.   We played tennis ball fetch, but I could not beat her to the ball.   We had to play fetch with four balls at once so Bella and I could get our turns.  She may be small, but she is very fast!

She came to GRRR from New Mexico where she had been in a shelter, so not much is known about her.   They did say she was good with cats, birds, other dogs and kids.   They also warned that if she did not have a doggy buddy, she would stage a break out and go look for a play mate.   So we are happy that she accepts us as being her friends. 

We will work on her resume for the adoption web site so that she can find a new home.  The resident bi-ped is threatening to delay posting her adoption profile as she may have to go to someone special.   If she does not get adopted soon it is going to get very crowded here in another 10 days.    Our three cousins, and their current foster, Saidy, will be coming to stay for a week so their family can go to New York.   Stay tuned, we will keep you posted on our progress.

Mogley G. Retriever

Forever home for Angel, welcome foster Abby

Tonight was a very special night for Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR).   This afternoon the biped had to drive across town so he took Angel along to meet a nice family.    The family had adopted Clyde a year before and were looking for a companion to help Clyde lose weight.   Clyde had already come a long ways from his "heavy" days, and he was ready to ramp up his activity level.     We thought that Angel was the dog for the job.    After a walk and some time playing together in the yard, Angel was invited to join their pack.    We think she has a pretty special home.    Thanks to GRRR for another successful rescue and placement in a good home.

But wait, that is not all.   Call now and you can get two for the price of one!    Well, maybe not exactly, but while we were at the rescue, Lenny found a new home as well.  Lenny was promised a home with lots of walks and running to work his energy off.   He has a neat new family.  Then Gunner found a new home as well.   

Three new forever homes in one night!   Not even a weekend night, or a warm night.   The celebration will require extra dog treats for sure.

Then we loaded up Abby to come home.    Abby?   We don't have time to post much about her except that she is real lively and a tennis-ball-aholic.   Abby will be staying with us for a while, we don't know how long, she is new and already has a great foster home but travel plans forced Abby to find a place to stay for a time.  Abby is a wonderful young lady, we hope she feels at home with us.

Mogley G. Retriever

Weather forecasting dog

It was raining today and I have great news for you.    I did not have to go out in the rain and then come back inside so that the biped could check to see how wet I was so he could decide if he wanted to wear his rain coat.   You see, until now, I have been the Official Weather Dog at our house, but now I am replaced by a bunch of whirling things on top of a pole.

The biped used to send me outside several times a day, then call me back in so that he would know what the weather was.     If I came back in wet, he would conclude it was raining.   If I came in warm, he would decide the sun must be shining.  If I came in with icicles on my fur, he would guess that it was cold out.   If I came in covered in white, he knew that it was snowing out, or else I had found some flour to roll in.  If my hair was standing on end, he knew it was blowing out and he should not wear his cowboy hat outside.   He even sent me out when there were "small dog warnings" on TV.   A small dog warning is when you need to tie your small dog to a large chain if he is outside, or watch him blow away. 

Then he spent several weeks mounting a lot of crazy looking equipment on the top of a 40' pole in the back yard.   The pole used to be a 50' flag pole, then one day when it was blowing hard, there was a large flag on top of the pole and the pole became a 40' pole.    Along with the top 10 feet of the pole went the roller thingy that was used to raise the flag.    When the weather station came along, the pole was the logical place to mount a weather station.

Now on bad days, I can stay inside, snug, warm and dry, while the biped reads his gauges and tries to decide if it is snowing, raining or sunny out.     I notice that he takes the umbrella with him a lot more, "just in case".  Maybe I will go out in the rain, come back in wet and give him a clue.  

Mogley G. Retriever

Fostering for Rescue?

Aspen went home last night, her family came back from Guatemala, having been on a medical mission for several weeks.  Aspen said to tell all of you goodbye, she will miss everyone.   She also said that she still likes a home with a 4-1 hand to dog ratio instead of our home where the ratio was 4-4. 

If you will recall her family had some concern when they were first thinking about adopting Aspen because they were scheduled to go to Guatemala for three weeks to work with a medical mission. The resident bi-peds offered to take Aspen back and care for her while they were gone so that they could adopt her right then and still make their trip without worrying about leaving an elderly Golden with a kennel, sleeping in a concrete and chain link run somewhere.

When Aspen was picked up, her family wanted to pay something for her care.  It was suggested that they would make a donation to Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR).   Which brings up a question.   Could everyone, everywhere, "foster for dollars" for their local rescue?   When families take vacations they often worry about the care of their Golden friends they leave behind.   Foster families always find room for one more dog, and having a vacation with some of your peers where you can run and play for a week or two makes a vacation fun for everyone.    Is anyone else interested in offering to "foster for dollars" for their rescue?  Could you have a "suggested donation" for pet sitting?  It might make a good way to raise money for your local rescue.  Also, you won't be tempted to adopt your foster, and you will get a well trained, known pet to sit for.   What do you think?

Mogley G. Retriever

Help Wanted!

I have taken the liberty of copying a post from The BumpassHounds blog today. If we could all go click and vote for a memorial for a State Trooper with a working Golden Retriever, it would be nice.  Go directly to their post via this link for working links and photos:
http://bumpasshounds.blogspot.com/2010/03/help-our-sissy-please.html


The BumpassHounds post is below:


It's me, your ole buddy Jubal; Big Jubes with today's post. Our sissy Sarah, and her Husband, Da Beel, are both polices.. Sissy is a canine handler. You may have seen our posts of her bomb sniffing dog, Aldo, playing with our own blind guy, Radar. They is both Golden Retrievers but of the red variety. Well, sissy had a very close friend who was a Virginia State Trooper. Virginia State Trooper Jessica J Cheney was killed when hit by a car on Rte 1 in Stafford County, VA. Jessica was doing her job. Her "End Of Watch" (EOW) was 1/17/1998. So here's the deal, the Toyota Racing Group (please disregard any "recall" thoughts) that supports the National Association for Stock Car Automotive Racing (NASCAR) is having a contest where one of their cars will be painted in a special design scheme for a race. Well there is a design that is a memoriam for Trooper Jessica. We'd like y'all to go to the Toyota Racing site at http://www.sponsafier.com/#/gallery/view/120029 and vote for Trooper Jessica's memorial design. If you select the 3D view you'll be able to see Jessica's name and EOW date on the hood of the car. It doesn't cost anything and it's a one time vote; but please vote from as many different computers as you have access to. We would certainly appreciate it very, very much. Sissy misses Jessica, who was robbed of her life in the line of duty at such a young age.

- Jubal and The Bumpass Hounds and Kitties

An Update on Lady

We received an update from Lady.   Our readers will remember that Lady was adopted by a very nice family on a rural area outside of Denver.  She has 7 acres to run in, deer, bunnies and all kinds of things to chase and bark at.  She has two golden friends and one long-haired dachshund for friends and romping companions.  She is even allowed to climb on the couch and snuggle in laps.   She is happy, but she wanted some input from the readers on what happened immediately before and after the adoption process. 

While Lady was visiting the home to evaluate it as a possible new home, she was getting over 10 Treats per Hour (T/H).   She was also getting 20 Head Rubs per Hour (HR/H).    She also was given about 6 Tummy Rubs per Hour (TR/H).   After she and they made the commitment to adopt her, and she was left with them, she noticed that the  T/H, HR/H, and TR/H all fell off noticeably.   Understand, she is not complaining, she still gets to snuggle on the couch, bark at the deer, romp with her friends and she is greatly enjoying her new home.   But does the decline in T/H, HR/H, and TR/H constitute a "bait and switch"?   Should she stand up and bark her demands for a higher rate of T/H, HR/H, and TR/H?  Or should she just be happy with a new forever home that most of us would kill (figuratively speaking) to have?


What do our readers think?

Mogley G. Retriever

Monday Mumbling

For the Siberians and other snow loving dogs, I wanted to show you photos of me playing in the fresh snow.  Cross your paws and hope that you too will have some more snow before spring arrives.   We sent this storm East so you should get it in a day or two.

Over the weekend I developed a swollen right upper lip that sags a lot.  I made a trip to the emergency vet since our regular vet was closed.  The emergency vet has good snacks, but not great snacks.  Oh, and they told me that I probably got bitten by a spider when I was napping in the sunny glass front porch with all the plants.   I ended up getting some pills which is helping to bring the swelling down.  If the treats had been better I would have bothered the spider again.  As it is, I guess they will close off the sun room and spray it, so we will have to nap some place else for a while. 

Angel is still here, she is quite a fetcher.  She can fetch tennis balls with the best of them.  She will add this to her resume. 

Aspen has only a few days left and her family will be back to get her.  She has stopped napping on the main floor with the rest of us, she goes up to the bedroom to nap on the big beds.  She does like her comfort, she takes napping seriously. 

Mogley G. Retriever