A week without news

We just realised that it has been a week without a single post.    Not much has happened that was exciting enough to post.    We were supposed to walk in a parade on Saturday with all of the other Golden's.   Then our chauffeur did not get any sleep the night before and ended up sleeping too late to go to the parade.   What a bummer, we could have been visiting all of our friends, but out chauffeur would not get up in time.     Demerits!

Then something called the washing machine broke and leaked all over.   That seemed to upset them, it made the carpet a lot cooler to rest on, it is hard to understand humans sometimes.  They spent several days drying things out and cleaning things up.  Then several more days shopping for a new one.    Bella and I don't understand why they need a new one, the old one had a glass window in front, but it was pretty boring to watch. 

Now they say they won't be picking up a new foster till after this week end.    They have a trip planned and our cousins will be taking care of all of us at one house.   They think seven Golden's in one house is enough.   It is only after the trip we will see a new foster.   But we will have several days of play with Emma, Molly, Piper, and Nala the foster lady. 

Hilary is doing so well that she is happy to stay here until the trip is over, then she can start looking for her forever home in earnest.    She is in danger of being renamed.    Without a tail she shakes her whole rump when she is happy.     We are thinking of calling her Rumba or Shaky.     It is easy to see when she is greeting you, she shakes like a bad 50's dancer.

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy, Sad!

Above, Hudson and Rocky get acquainted.    Rocky (left) will be Hudson's new brother, he will teach Hudson how to be a loving and well mannered Golden Retriever. 

There should be a word for "Happy, Sad".  One word that can tell you what we feel when we find a new Forever Home for one of our fosters, and also describes how we miss them when they are gone.

Hudson went to meet his new family today, we all four went over to Rescue Central together.  Bella and I went along to keep everyone company, Hudson and Hilary went because they were to meet prospective new families. 

Hudson met his family and was quite taken by them.    Their Golden, Rocky, and Hudson got acquainted and decided that they could be best friends, given some time.   Hudson, being the timid puppy farm escapee that he is, takes time to warm up to anyone.   But he and Rocky get along very well.   We are all very pleased with the home that Hudson will have.    He has to spend a few days in a condominium, they had a fire at their home and are staying a few blocks away till the repairs are done.  When he moves back into the new home, he will have a huge yard, lots of toys, a dog door to use, and all the loving a Golden can get from a wonderful family.    We are very happy for him, he can start his forever life now, but we are also sad because he was loved  here and we had some wonderful times playing together. 

Below, two photos of Golden Retriever "Rescue Central", or at least the front porch.   Our mascot is the one on the far left.  He does not play a lot, but he sure keeps a close eye on everything. 

Hilary went along because someone was going to try to make it over to meet her, but they could not make it in time.   So Hilary will have to wait till another day.   But she does have people looking for her, so it will only be a matter of time.

Meanwhile, I have a picture of me playing with a sprinkler in the late evening light.     It has been very hot in Denver, so I hit the sprinklers several times a day. 

We all wish Hudson a long and wonderful life in his new home.  He had such a rough start in life that he deserves to have a wonderful life from here on out. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Hudson and Hilary

It has been a slow week.   Hudson and Hilary have kept the energy level high in spite of the high temperatures.   It is too hot to romp outside in mid day, but early morning and late afternoon when it cools a little and we are full of energy are great play times.    Below, when you are as experienced as Hilary, you can play with those young dogs without having to expend much energy.   Just lay on the toy and let Hudson wear himself out. 

Below, I (Mogley) dare Hudson to take the toy from me.   He knows when he has met his match, he does not dare challenge me.

Below,  Hudson and Bella mix it up, Bella just pushes Hudson aside and she goes on about her business.     Hudson plays well with everyone. 

We have a meeting scheduled this Sunday to see if we can find Hudson a new Forever Home.   He is ready, he still has some curious habits left over from the puppy mill, but he is getting better every day.    Hilary is ready for her new home. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy Sunday

It has been a quiet weekend.   On Saturday the Chauffeur went down to a local street fair to pour beer with several other volunteers.   Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies was allowed to keep tips for the rescue.   He came home smelling good, but he would not let us lick him.  

There was some late fireworks Friday night, then some thunder this afternoon, we discovered that Hilary does not like fireworks or thunder very much.   She does not have a lot of fear, but she gets anxious, she paces a lot.  She ended up hiding in the crate till it was calm again.   

Some unknown intruder dug two large holes in the backyard.   Since they were dog sized holes, the paw of suspicion was pointed at us.   Hudson came in late in the evening with very dirty paws, he said he was just walking along and walked through some lose dirt that someone had left there.    It must have been an intruder that dug the holes, probably raccoons, squirrels or cats, cats are always digging holes, that is a fact.    The suspicion still exists, there was some finger pointing and loud words.     There are several places where dog holes are allowed, but these new holes were not in the right place.   They were filled in, compacted and watered.    That makes nice mud for us to wade in, so we got into trouble again.

Hudson has been making great progress.   All four of us (Bella, Hilary, Hudson and I), have been playing together a lot.    We have some house shaking four way wrestling matches that are great fun.  We have had several visitors and Hudson is letting them pet him, a big step forward for a timid puppy mill refugee.   Hudson is beginning to come when called and he is even learning to sit.   We will rewrite Hudson's resume on the dating site, he is ready to start seeking a new home in earnest.   He would like to be here another week or two to learn more, but he is ready now if the right home comes along.     He would like a home with a dog door and a play mate with a lot of energy.  The dog door is important so he can go outside and run when he has energy that needs to be released.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hillary unpacks her travel bags

Wednesday was a very busy day at the Golden Mad House.  First we had a busy day playing with Hudson, our puppy mill rescue alumni.   He has a lot of energy and he wants to play constantly.   When I tire out, he starts bothering Bella until she plays with him.    Once she is tired, he comes back and starts doing the play dance in front of me.    If neither one of us will play with him, he goes outside and runs in big circles around the yard, he raids the toy bin or he tries to get the cats to play.    He is going to end up with a sore nose if he does not stop pushing the cats with his nose, trying to get them to play. 

Then a call came in that two boys were being surrendered and they needed to be picked up later in the afternoon.   The chauffeur picked up Daniel and Jack, then drove them over to Rescue Central.  They will spend the night, then go to the vet for their physical exam.   They are two great Golden's.   Daniel is a large, white male, with a beautiful long white coat.   Jack is a medium sized red male, with beautiful coloring.  Jack and Daniel are about 2 1/2 years old, well house broken and well behaved.   They will be looking for new Forever Homes soon.   Maybe there is room for a pair of males in New Mexico, next door to Honey and Butter.    Keep an eye out for a new home for these two wonderful Golden's. 

At Rescue Central there was a small emergency.   Hillary was a refugee from a shelter where she had been after being picked up on the street with her friend, Henry.  Hillary had been spayed, had a tumor removed and had teeth pulled.   She needed a place to stay that could watch her and help her heal.   Hillary arrived to bring the population of the rescue house to four Golden's.   She is such a nice, calm and loving lady that we will really enjoy having her here.   She is 8 years old, has just been groomed so she is fluffy and beautiful now, but her coat shows signs of neglect, places where she was clipped to remove burrs or mats.   The first thing you notice about Hillary is that she has no tail.   When she wags, her rear end has to move a lot because the little pom-pom tail can't express her happiness.   She is such a happy soul, she looks like she is doing the rumba when she greets you.  He looks a little like a tan sheep because of her fluffy coat and bobbed tail.    She explained that she will not be staying long, she has a possible adoption pending but her prospective new family is temporarily out of town.   She will stay with us until she either is claimed by her new family or until she finds another forever home.     As nice as she is, she won't be available for long.    We think she is pretty special and a loving, mellow Golden Lady.

Her welcome "wagging" is pretty short, but very active.    Help us welcome Hillary to the Golden Mad House.

Mogley G. Retriever

Message from Honey and Butter

Dear Mogley:

We wanted to let you know about our adventures in our new home in New Mexico. We had a good trip back [above], and made sure our dad stayed awake by barking at every dog, bicyclist, and person we saw along the way.  Our new parents took us hiking in the wilderness today[below].

The path went on for as far as we could see, with a big mountain to climb [below].

Fortunately, there was plenty of shade along the way,

and our mom and dad brought water just for us.

When we got home mom and dad filled the wading pool. I [Butter] loved splashing in the pool;

I [Honey] thought it was nice of them to provide such a big water dish outside; resting in the shade was more to my taste.

We had a nice nap on the tile,

got a good petting from our dad,

and then settled down with our toys.   All in all, it’s been a good beginning.

Honey & Butter

What a wonderful update to get from Honey and Butter.   They sent such a great letter about their new Forever Home, boy are they lucky!   The photos are wonderful and they did a good job of putting it all together so we could enjoy their life with them.     Thanks so much for the description of your new life.   

Google is having trouble with dropped comments on blogging sites.  Be patient, we will get your comments posted when they get the problem figured out.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hudson, a Golden Retriever in the making.

It is wonderful to watch a timid young golden evolve into a loving and obedient Golden Retriever.   Hudson has come a long way from the puppy mill.   His foster family made a lot of progress with him, he understands sit, he comes when called, occasionally.  But they were not with him during the day and they felt that he needed more intense contact and more work to finish his evolution to becoming a Golden Companion.  He has a lot of energy that needs a way out. 

Bella and I took him under our tail and are teaching him what he needs to know.   We played tag outside, we played tug-o-war, we even chased squirrels together.   Bella is a great tutor, now that Abby is gone, Bella is glad to have help in keeping the squirrels on their toes. 

 The human is working with him to make him more sociable.  Last evening we spent several hours on the floor playing tummy scratch, ear and chin rub.   Hudson watched Bella and I get all the attention for a while, then he joined the pile on the floor for his share.     Since then Hudson has been a pet-a-holic.   He has been looking for attention where ever he can find it.  They had four friends stop by today.   Hudson was afraid and ran away at first.   Within 30 minutes he was accepting head pats from strangers.   Now that is progress.     The humans did learn one thing,  Hudson does not like to be stared at, if you look around him, he will come when called, come for petting, come for dinner, he loves attention.   Look straight at him and he runs away. 

Hudson spends his nap hours under the computer desk, hoping for a pet between sentences.   He still has a lot to learn, he does not know the basic commands very well.   The humans brought out their secrete weapon, peanut butter.    They use peanut butter on a finger as a regular reward, Hudson has developed quite a taste for it, he will come running from far away when he is called now.  

We hope you enjoy these photos of Hudson.   We hope to have him socialized well enough to put him on the web site by next week.    We are so happy about his change in the time he has been here.   We expect fosters to settle in, but Hudson is settling in very fast and very well.   Oh, he still runs when anything new happens, he still is timid and scared, but he will learn fast. 

What was once a Puppy Mill Rescue will soon be a full fledged Golden Retriever and someone's wonderful companion.   It is in his genes, it is his heritage, it just needs help getting out.    Help us find that special Forever Home that will have the patience to help Hudson on the rest of his journey.  

Mogley G. Retriever

Our new foster, Hudson

Help us welcome our new foster, Hudson.    It is rare that we have a chance to foster siblings, especially when they are so much alike.  Hudson is a litter mate of Ruby that was our foster earlier in the year.    New readers may want to go back to our blog for May 4, 2010 where we describe the conditions and situation that these dogs were living in when they were rescued.   That is why yesterdays blog was title "De jue vue all over again".    We see so many of the same behaviours and responses in Hudson that we saw in Ruby.   

Hudson is a little over 1 year old, 30-35 pounds, and very timid.  He is one of the puppy mill dogs that Golden Retriever Puppy Mill Rescue Team (GRPMRT) bought at an auction on May 1, 2010. Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies stepped in to provide transportation and new homes for many of the Goldens.     The conditions these dogs were in at their breeder is almost indescribable according to a local newspaper that described the conditions.    They were kept in cages and pens full of feces, full of fleas and ticks, and totally un-socialised.    All of the dogs from this auction have required extra work to get ready to become full fledged members of homes and of the Golden Community.

Since Bella and I helped bring Ruby out of her shell, we thought we would try and help Hudson as well.   We have not been able to get a photo of Hudson, he has been too busy hiding behind things in this strange new world.   When you are a timid young puppy mill refuge, any change is scary.  Anything new is frightening.  Anyone new is intimidating.  

Hudson spent a quiet night beside the bed, there is a crate in the bedroom and he went into it for security.   Outside he is not sure what to make of the many new things.  He is dragging a leash as there are so many places to hide in the big back yard and so many places for a young and scared dog to vanish into.    Ruby had a large hole dug under the roots of one apple tree, she was able to hide there for a long time, driving the humans to panic, thinking that somehow she had escaped.   For Hudson, at least the end of the leash should be visible to tell them where he is hiding.    So far, when he is in the back yard all he wants is back in the house, and if the bedroom door is open, back into his crate.  He is not comfortable with the great outdoors yet. 

We will post photos of him when we can, but you can look back at the May 4th blog and see Ruby, they look identical.   The differences are in behaviour.    Hudson likes human contact, likes being petted much more than Ruby did, the product of several months in a loving foster home.    Hudson walks well on a leash, until he panics, then he tries to slip out and run away.  He even sits when we get treats.   He is already dog door trained which will help him find freedom and maybe bring him out a little as well, once he learns his way around.   We will give him time and see if more activity and more challenges will bring him out of his shell.   He is still quick to panic, he does not like change and he does not like the big world he has been thrust into.     In a few days, we will see a different Hudson emerge, we will see the real dog and know how to work with him to get him ready for a loving and very patient Forever Home. 

Mogley G. Retriever

De ja vue, all over again

This is a big news day.   A huge swim party and a new foster, all in the same day.   This time, we have a very special foster. 

Above, the jump, below, the landing.

We sent out an e-mail to some of the Golden Retriever Rescue volunteers on the South East side of Denver, inviting them to stop by and moisturise their Goldens.    We understood that many goldens were suffering from extreme dryness.   We had 14 dogs that responded to the invitation.   Twelve goldens, one lab and one poodle.    What a fun time we had.    It was not long into the fun before I was forced to wear the yellow life vest of shame.   They were trying to find a way to slow me up so that I would not over-stress my heart.   I kept explaining that I just needed more exercises to make it stronger.   They still put a leash on me and made me calm down from time to time.     But I still managed to run, swim and play all day long.

Kris and John brought over Sarge, Sorcha and Evelyn.   Our cousins came to swim, Emma, Molly, Piper and foster Nala.   Then Riley, River, Sonny and Olivia.   Then Guinness, the brown lab dropped by.   And Zebo, the Standard Poodle.   We all had such a good time, we all wore out.

We hope you can enjoy it with us through a few photos.  It might help if you watched the pictures while standing in a shower, then you would get more of the effect.

Mogley G. Retriever

p.s.  Oh, yes, our new foster.   That is a story that will have to wait till tomorrow.   It is too special to share the good news with our pool party.    Our new foster deserves a special blog posting for a very special dog!.

Honey and Butter's new forever home

Honey and Butter met with their prospective new home last evening.  They went for a long walk to see if there was any spark between them.   They quizzed about the availability of treats and toys.   They even asked about sleeping arrangements.  All the answers were good and after a short discussion, Honey and Butter decided to accept the offer of a new Forever Home.    They said that they will miss the swimming pool and the romps in the back yard with Bella and I, but they thought the adventures they could have in New Mexico would make up for it.    Hiking trails in the mountains, trips to the park and walks on neighborhood trails would make up for it.   Also the hand to dog ratio would be better.   Then there is a long car ride to Albuquerque, Road Trip!   How can any Golden resist?

They both had appointments for grooming this morning so they would be looking their best when they arrive in their new home.   New collars and new leashes as well.   What more can a pair of beautiful Golden Retrievers ask for?  We wish them well and hope they will send us an update from time to time. 

Meanwhile, things are boring around here.   We have no fosters in our home for the first time this year.   The chauffeur declined to bring someone home last night, the carpet cleaning company is coming in tomorrow to destroy the good dog smells we have spent years making.    But on Saturday we may get one or two new fosters so we can start the cycle again. 

Meanwhile, Nala is staying with our cousins.  Nala has a kidney infection and is getting medications for it.  She is in need of a home where someone can work with her all day.   Our cousin's house does not have anyone home for most of the day.  Nala has to have frequent trips outside because of her infection.   She needs another trip to the Vet so she can get better faster. 

So until Saturday when we can announce a new foster arrival, I guess I will just have to be bored.

Mogley G. Retriever