A great day for a picnic, part two

Above, another early photo, before everyone had arrived.  

It was such a wonderful day at the GRRR Reunion Picnic, that we can't adequately describe it.   The Goldens and Honorary Goldens had fun, the humans had fun, it was a win-win day.   We all played together while the humans walked the shore trying to keep dry, an impossible task,    Our humans hid in the tent with their food, trying to keep us from tripping them and getting the sandwich when it hits the ground.   I was thrown out of the food tent several times, I was even pulled out of the trash cans where I was looking for recyclables.  

Then came the great ball toss.   We all had to get out of the water and wait on shore, well most of us did, some did not want to come to shore for any reason.   Then the balls were thrown and the retrievers were released.  There were dozens of balls in the water, I did not care which ones had marks on them, I only cared if they were worth swimming for.   If someone else was headed for it, then it was worth swimming for.   If no one wanted a ball, then we just went on by, swimming out to the next one.

By then I was getting pretty tired.  I brought a couple balls in, then I found the chauffeur and had him unlock the car, I had to rest.   Nala joined me, she was tiring out as well.  For several days before the picnic we went to the 5 mile dog park.  We wanted to see if Stella and Nala would stay with the pack.   Stella stayed very close so we knew she would be good at the picnic.  Nala kept wandering off.  Her ears and eyes don't work very well so she follows her nose.  We had to keep looking for Nala, she would be off in heavy brush sniffing away.   I ran and ran at the big dog park, then I suddenly was running too hard and I would have to lie down for a while, this worried everyone a lot.   My heart could not keep up with me.   The human had several conversations with medical types, should he let me go to the picnic?  It was finaly decided that I enjoyed the picnic enough to be worth the risk that I would hurt myself.   My subaeortic stenosis was not going to go away, I would just have to slow down a little.   So slow I did, I went to the car and rested a while and then rejoined the party.   

Below, the four of us are ready to go home.   We slept all the way home, we had dinner and we slept very well all night long.  

Our regret is that we will not have another picnic at the lake until next year.   We will still have our Halloween party and several more, but nothing as much fun as this party.    Next year, you should schedule your vacation so that you too can attend.

Mogley G. Retriever

A great day for a picnic, part one

Above photo, early in the morning, only Bella, Stella and I are in the water.   It is called "First Tracks" in skiing when you make fresh tracks in new powder snow.   Can we claim "First Ripples"?   Sunday was such a great day for a picnic.   The sky was a deep blue, the color of fall over the Rocky Mountains.  The sun was hot, setting a record high for the day.   Boy did the water feel good! 

Below, a few early arrivals compete for the few tennis balls available before they finish unpacking and setting up the party.   I am on the far right with the ball.    I proved that "the early dog gets the ball". 

Bella spent the day going from person to person, leaning on them and getting all the attention she could.   Several people thought she was a homeless dog, they offered to take her home, she just wanted attention, she had no intent of leaving her cushy home.   She enjoyed the party, attention is what she craves, attention is what she got, in large quantities.  Bella does not like to swim, but it was so hot that she waded out and laid down in the lake several times to cool off.  

Below, I am waiting out in the lake for someone to hurry up and throw a ball.   

Stella met with a prospective new forever home, they had driven all the way from Crested Butte, Colorado to meet a Golden at the lake, looking to adopt.   Stella was in competition with Willow and Willow won.  You may remember Willow, we picked her up and transported her to GRRR central.   She was the product of a divorce, they were forced to surrender her when they had to move out of their large home, into a small apartment.  When we picked Willow up, we promised we would find a wonderful home for her, we did!   Willow went to a wonderful new home, but the outcome was for the best in the competition between Willow and Stella.   The new home was a house that backed onto a ski run in the high Rockies.   With a  back yard like that to run in, we were worried about Stella's hips and the strain she would place on them, and her heart condition, trying to keep up with her housemate at a very high altitude.   Plus they would have to drive several hundred miles to bring Stella to a specialist when she needs her operations to re-build her hips, then make the trip again for the follow up visits after the operations.   Willow, you have a wonderful new home in a wonderful part of the world, you have a huge dog run, a little steep perhaps, but what a place for a young, energetic Golden to live.   Enjoy your new life Willow, you have hit the rescue jackpot.   Can we come visit?

There was a long line at the tent where they were collecting DNA samples via a cheek swab, to add to a data base on cancer research.  It is so nice to see an effort like that get such good support.  

The guards at the food tent door were more active this year.   In the past I have been able to slip in and snare a snack from time to time, not this time, I was busted several times trying to sneak in.   I had to resort to "dumpster diving" in some of the squatty trash cans.  I was busted twice with my head deep in a trash can.  

Butter brought her new family to the party.   She has lost 10 pounds and is very happy in her new home.   She can play fetch with the best of them, she swims like a Golden 1/2 her age.    We are happy for her and for her new family. 

Nala spent the day wandering.   She had to drag her leash so they could find her and bring her back.   She tends to follow her nose since she can't hear and her eye sight is fading.   With over a hundred dogs running all over, there were a lot of trails for her to follow.   She wandered through the party, stopping to get petted from time to time, then investigating the trees and bushes.   She made many new friends and found a lot of new scents to explore.   Everyone marveled about her transformation as she loses her old winter coat and grows in her new "Pampered Golden" coat. 

Below, Stella and I together.   Stella was taking lessons from me on how to fetch a tennis ball in open water.   Second photo below, Stella and I are racing to the ball.    I won!   But Stella proved to be quite a swimer.   She upheld the honor of our house, fetching many tennis balls and competing very well against other dogs. 

I will post more photos as more of the attendees arrive and the party heats up.    It was a wonderful day and we will need several blogs to share the whole picnic with you.

Mogley G. Retriever

Picnic Preview

Boy am I tired.   Today was the annual Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic at Boulder Reservoir in Boulder Colorado.    It was a beautiful day for early fall in the Rockies.  We arrived around 9:00 in the morning to help set up, I started running and swimming early.   By the time the mass of dogs had arrived I was already tired.   I had to continue swimming and fetching tennis balls just because my fan club wanted to see me play.   Shortly after the Great Ball toss, when we all had to line up on shore while prize balls were thrown out and fetched for prizes, I began to wear down.  Around 2:00 I found my chauffeur and had him open up the car so I could go take a nap.    The next thing I knew we were driving home. 

The photos today are just a preview, after I have recovered I will be doing a detailed post about the most wonderful event in the world.   We saw five different former fosters there, maybe more that we did not recognise.   It helps us a lot when we go to an event like this and see that the dogs we have fostered are so loved and so well cared for that their new owners will take them to a play day like this.   Rescue Goldens that we have helped move on are splashing and enjoying themselves.   It is a wonderful statement that all of our efforts in rescue are not in vain, these dogs have all gotten a second chance and they are much better for it.   Look at the 150 or so dogs in the water and running on the shore, share their happiness with us.    They are all rescue alumni, they are all in wonderful homes and living fantastic lives. 

Stella is a water dog, she swam and fetched tennis balls with the best of them.  Nala stayed on the sand, she was not interested in going in beyond her toes.   We were worried that we would have very low attendance after we had to postpone the event, but it was a decent turnout.   We did not have the 200 plus Goldens that we have had in past years, but still it was a large group of playful Goldens.    Yes, you do get a second chance!

More tomorrow.

Mogley G. Retriever

Super Sunday Coming

Photo above:   Nala is keeping a close watch on the clock, waiting for Sunday morning to come!  She is going on 13 years old and she intends to be the Queen of the Reunion.   She has shed most of her old "Outdoor Dog" coat, she still has a heavy mane and some heavy fur on her butt and tummy that has not yet fallen to the brush.   She is growing in her new "Pampered Golden" coat and she intends to celebrate her pampered life with her other rescue friends.    She will be celebrating a new life, she is no longer confined to a run in the back yard, she now lives indoors and sleeps beside the bed like a real Golden Retriever should.  Nala and hundreds more like her are the reason we celebrate once a year, they are the reason we work for the rescue. 

It is now Friday, only two more days to struggle through before we get to go to the annual Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic.   That's the annual GRRRRP, in case anyone was wondering. 

Because the event had to be rescheduled, some may not be able to attend, but we still expect to see 150 of the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Alumni.   It is our day to play, meet out old friends and celebrate our new lives.   Many of us, like Nala, came from very bad circumstances, so it is wonderful to be able to enjoy our freedom and our day in the lake.  It is our day to celebrate  new lives, new beginnings and old friends. 

Below, the start of the annual "Great Ball Toss", at 1:30 all of the participants are lined up on shore and balls with prize numbers on them are thrown, then we are all turned lose to claim our prize.    

Bring your retriever and join our party.   If you are not a member of Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, you can still come and join GRRR at the picnic.   If you are not a Golden Retriever but you still like to swim, you are welcome to come, join our group, and play with us, the money is for a good cause, rescue! There will be plenty of tennis balls for everyone,  even food for the humans.   Go to http://www.goldenrescue.com/ for directions and details.  Be there or be dry!

Mogley G. Retriever

The count down begins again

Above, Stella listens as Bella gives her some tips on how to climb a tree.

It is only four more days till Sunday.   Sunday!    Our annual Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion at the Boulder Reservoir takes place on Sunday.  If you will recall, we had to postpone our picnic because of the fire that broke out above Boulder.   The fire is out, the fire crews have gone home.   Too many homes were lost, too much land was burned.

This time, we are on schedule for the picnic on Sunday.   The weather forecast is for warm weather.  At 11:00 my canine friends will begin arriving to play fetch in the lake, run on the shore and play with all the people.   We get to go early to help set up, last year Bella and I were tired by the time everyone else arrived.    Our cousins don't get to go, they had another meeting scheduled.   We may have to take them for a swim day over to the lake later in the week.

We are excited.    Someone is coming to meet Stella, they want to adopt a Golden Angel.   We are anxious to see how Nala responds to the excitement of hundreds of dogs.   Nala tends to get irritable when young dogs bump into her or trip over her when she naps.   But she may meet someone that wants to take her home, forever. 

Meanwhile, as you can see above, Stella is earning her PhD in squirrel chasing.  She will climb that tree in a few more days.  She would rather chase the squirrels than come in to get her treat.   When Dinner is called, she continues chasing until the very last minute, then she runs in to eat, then back out to see where the squirrel went.  

Life is good for Nala, Stella, Bella and Mogley. 

Mogley G. Retriever

A real "who dunit?"

Above, Bella and I are caught in the act, eating black berries.

A theft occurred at our home in the recent days.   Last year the resident chauffeur planted some blueberry and black berry bushes along the side fence.   We were told to protect them from the squirrels so that the berries would not get stolen.

We take our guard dog duties very seriously.    We worked day and night to make sure the blueberries and blackberries were not stolen by any marauding squirrel.   Bella even called in reinforcements, Stella and Nala helped out by taking shifts watching the berry patch.

The berries were ripening very well, the blueberries were first, they had a good crop for the first full year of the bushes.   Then they all disappeared.   We are sure that a squirrel snuck in and nabbed the berries.  Probably waited till we were at the dog park, they are pretty sneaky, those squirrels.   Now the blackberries are ripe.   The chauffeur quietly went out this morning with a bowl, he was planning on picking some berries for breakfast.

This is what he saw.   He said that he was very disappointed in Bella and I when he discovered that we were eating the berries.  It is his fault, he should have slammed the door or made more noise when he left the house, then he would not have caught us in the act.

I pointed out that the grocery store was having a sale on berries, as a bonus, they are already picked.   We saved him a lot of work.   He can just open the box and eat them without even leaving his kitchen.   In fact, he has to open the package and eat without leaving his kitchen, Bella and I just finished the last ones in the garden. 

I seem to recall something similar happening when they last planted tomatoes in the garden, they all dissapeared.   I was caught sniffing them and they accused me of eating them.   Well, I did have a little catchup on my lips, but that was left over from breakfast.   Now they plant sunflowers, very tall sunflowers, I wonder what those big yellow blooms tast like?

Mogley G. Retriever  

Caution, today's post involves mathematics!

It is time some dog spoke up!  Too long have we allowed unspeakable acts to be committed upon us, with impunity!   It came to my attention today when I read the post by my friends at The Thundering Herd.  The Thundering Herd is six Siberians that live a with a very inconsiderate human.  Today's post was titled Turbo, Cheese and Bacon.   They pointed out that they frequently have to wait while their human finishes his breakfast before they can have theirs.   On the day in question, they had to wait an hour before they could have their meal.

There is a total lack of understanding by humans as to the difference in time between "dog time" and "human time".   Since one year of a dogs life is approximately seven years of a humans life, there is some math involved.   By making these six abused Siberians wait for a whole hour, it was the same as making a human wait seven hours.   By the time these poor dears received their breakfast, it was lunch time already.   But they did not get two meals to make up for it, they had to wait till evening.    

We get snacks once in the morning, peanut butter on a finger with our pills in it.   Then again another round of peanut butter and pills in the evening.  Most days we also get a real treat sometime in mid day.   But mid day to the hu'ms can be anywhere between 8:00 in the morning and 6:00 in the evening.    How would they like it if their noon meal was served some time between yesterday and tomorrow?  That is the same thing, using the 7 to 1 multiplier to convert from dog time to human time.

Bella, Stella, Nala and I have decided that we need to make hu'ms more aware of the great injustice that is done each time they delay our meals, walkies or treat time.   It may be only one hour to you, but it is seven hours to us.   While we are talking about treats, one treat a day in dog time means we are really only getting one treat a week in human time.   That is not very many treats.  No wonder we get so excited and sometimes we forget to sit, it has been a long time in dog time since our last treat.    We think that an hourly treat time would be about right.  So tell your humans to look at their clocks once in a while.   A treat delayed is a treat denied!

Before we leave this topic, that seven to one ratio has a wide impact.   When we are fed only two meals a day, that is the same as a human getting only two meals a week.    Few humans would like to live on that schedule.    We also note that only getting one head pat or tummy scratch a day is really only one tummy scratch a week in human terms.   So lets shape up and get a few more meals, treats, head pats,  ear scratches, butt rubs, car rides and tummy rubs on the schedule.  

We are lucky, we can treat ourselves.   The apples are raining down from the three big delicious apple trees in the back yard.   We can run outside and grab an apple any time we want, the ground is covered with them.   I have been eating six or eight a day.   Stella has a larger appetite, she eats a dozen a day.  Bella has several, and she usually brings one inside when she goes to bed, then wakes us up crunching it late at night.  Nala has not developed a taste for apples yet, but she will sooner or later.

Mogley G. Retriever

An update on happenings

Above, the new Nala, she is still losing her heavy winter coat.  Compare her coat above with the coat below.   The coat below is from when she was an "outdoor" dog, having spent the winter outdoors in the snow and cold in Colorado. 

We have been remiss in keeping our blog up to date.    So here goes a lot in a short time.

First, on Saturday we had a very tragic event.    The swimming pool was covered for the winter.   We did not even get a farewell swim.    When they went to Wyoming for a trip they forgot to tell our cousins, who house sat and dog sat, to put chemicals in the pool.   The pool turned a very pretty green color, more of an emerald green than a grass green.   They added so many chemicals to the water that they considered it dangerous for us to swim in.   They finally just covered it and decided to start out again in the spring.   It turns out one of the problems was that the pool filter was so clogged with dog hair that the filter did not work, water was bypassing the filter.    They took a huge trash can of dog hair out of the filter when they cleaned it out for the winter. 

Sunday we had a few friends over for fun and games.   Our cousins were having a picnic at their home, over 50 guests, and they did not want to share their food with their Golden friends.   Emma, Molly, Piper and Nala came to spend the day.    We did have fun, we dug several new holes in the back yard while everyone was off at the picnic.   If they have any old cars they want to hide, they are in luck now.   Otherwise they may have to bring in a back hoe to fill up the holes.

Then after the picnic our cousins went home, home to a yard filled with picnic droppings and snack remains.   One of our humans even dropped a cake in the back yard, there was lots of cake and frosting in the grass and rocks.    They sent a message back, "Too bad you were not here, we all had frosting on our whiskers when we cleaned up". 

Below, Nala, Bella, Myself (Mogley) and Stella, wait for our afternoon treat.

Nala stayed here with us.   She has someone that is considering taking her as a long term or perhaps as a permanent foster.   Nala is deaf, she is losing her sight, she is limping a little from her age, and she needs a home with few stairs.   She is such a wonderful lady, we want her in a home while she can still learn her way around.   She is funny, she woofs quietly when she wants to go outside, then it increases in volume until it becomes a bark.   She likes the dog door, but she finds it easier to ask humans to let her in and out, she uses the dog door when she wants to just run in the back yard.

Nala is busy shedding her "outdoor dog" coat and growing her new "Pampered Golden" coat.   After spending a year or more living in the outdoors, braving the snow and the cold, she has been shedding for months.   She still gets brushed twice a day and each time a bag of hair comes off.   In the "before" photos above, she looks like a rusty sheep with her bushy coat.   Now she is looking more and more like a pampered pooch.    We are sure glad she is with us now and not banished as an outdoor dog any more.  We sure like her, we hope she gets a forever home soon.

Mogley G. Retriever

Update on fire and picnic

The fire above Boulder is still burning, it has reached over 6,000 acres, over 140 structures burned.  It is still uncontained.  Our annual Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion Picnic was scheduled for this Sunday.  It has been postponed to the September 26th.   This gives you more time to get ready to come swim with the Goldens.

There is some good news, there was some rain today but it was only a little and not enough to put the fire out, it may have been enough to slow it down a little until the firefighters can get control of it.  More slurry bombers came in today, there are 9 aircraft working the fire now.  over 400 firemen.  But the winds seldom die down entirely in Boulder.   It is known as one of the windiest places in the US.   Those winds are keeping the fire from being controlled. 

Since we can not go run with our friends, we did get to go to the five mile park to run.   Stella had a good time, it was probably her first time out in the big outdoors running leash free.  She ran and had a good time sniffing in the brush and chasing birds in the tall grass.   She will certainly sleep well tonight.

Thank you for reading.

Mogley G. Retriever

Tuesday Update, dogs and a big fire.

We have lots of news to report.   First, our foster, Roxie, went across town to meet with her new Forever Home.   This cute little lady will have a wonderful life on a farm outside of Denver.  She will be in charge of keeping the livestock in control.   We think she will do a wonderful job of livening up the place.   She livened up this home while she was here, and she will be missed. 

We stopped on the way and picked up Rosie (Boxer) and Willow.   They needed help finding new homes.  Their home is undergoing change and four children plus the two dogs was too much for their family to cope with.   We were given notice last night that we needed to pick them up, but then Rosie cut her foot and had to be rushed to the vet.   They have a foster home in Golden where they can be together, it will help them settle down.

Then we have some very bad news.  There is a huge wildfire in the mountains immediately west of Boulder, it is burning homes in the mountain foot hills and closing roads in the area.   This is a tragedy for hundreds of homeowners who's homes are already lost or in danger of burning.  Our picnic is scheduled for Sunday at Boulder Reservoir.  But the reservoir is now being used as a fire staging area, for fire fighters and equipment from all over the West, so it is closed to public access.   Helicopters are dropping buckets into the reservoir for water to drop on the fire.  We have to wait and see if the fire is controlled in time to hold the picnic.  With the fire still growing and zero percent controlled, it is not likely that we will be able to hold the picnic as planned.    We hope the fire gets controlled quickly, but the weather report does not give much hope, winds are forecast, humidity is under 15% and there is very low chance of rain.   The fire is not going to be put out easily, and once it is controlled it will be days before all of the hot spots can be extinguished. 

The Boulder Human society is taking in dozens of dogs and cats from the fire area, the county fairgrounds had over 50 horses that have been evacuated.  The fire has grown to over 7,000 acres and growing.  So far over 3,000 families are evacuated and their homes are in danger.   Our prayers and thoughts are with them.

Mogley G. Retriever

News Bulletin!

The countdown has begun.    Only one week left for you to make reservations to attend our annual Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic.    The humans explained that all you have to do is join Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR), bring a dish for the picnic, and your water dogs.   We supply the tennis balls and lots of people to throw them!    Have you ever seen 200 wet Retrievers in one place at one time?  This may be your only chance.   Check your "Bucket List", it should be on it somewhere! 

Here are a few photos from prior annual picnics.   You too can be part of the madness, just bring your towel, wear clothes you like when they are wet and dirty.  NO, no one leaves dry, humans included!

Come join GRRR and join us in the most fun you and your dogs can ever have.  Once a year you can run with the dogs, its better than Pamploma Spain, by far, and you won't get gored.

Mogley G. Retriever

Eight Goldens for a wild play day!

Above, Roxie is too cute!

It has been a wild day at the dog house.    If someone says that "You are in the dog house", that is a good thing, take our word for it.     We have been playing, running, playing bit face, wrestling, playing tug-o-war and having more fun than you can have without a squirrel up a tree and we even had one of those.  The only photos were when we stopped for treat time and all eight of us had to sit for our treats.

The family portrait includes Me, Bella, Emma, Molly, Piper and our three fosters, Nala, Stella and Roxie. 

Below, Stella (left), Roxie (center), and Molly take a pause in running to pose for a photo.

Below, when treats are handed out, Nala is at the head of the line.    What good is it to be the senior foster if you can't use your position to go to the head of the line?    Nala is still shedding the heavy coat she had after spending the winder outdoors,  we are going to knit a new golden from the bags and bags of hair she has given us.    We don't understand why she has not been adopted.   She is so sweet and she is so beautiful and loving. 

Mogley G. Retriever

The wild bunch! Roxie comes to visit

Above, Welcome Roxie.

Tonight Verna had to go to the groomer which is near the vet's office.   Verna will get a bath, then spend the night with the Golden group, then she will go to the vet for her check up in the morning.   She has several cysts, maybe a bad tooth, dirty ears, and stiff hips.   So she will spend the day and come out clean, and ready to go.    Several people have offered to foster her, so she will go to a new foster home from there.    She was a wonderful lady and we will miss her, she was such a nice, mellow Golden.  

 Below, Roxie checks out Mini Cat.

When the Chauffeur returned he had Roxie.    Roxie is a tiny, 9 month old lady that had been adopted out in Sheridan Wyoming, she did not get spayed in time and she had a litter of puppies already.   She ended up back in rescue again.  The local rescue managed to adopt out her puppies, but they sent her down for us to place.   That took place almost immediately, she has a forever home on a farm outside of Denver, but she can't go there till Tuesday.    She needed a place to stay until she can go to her new forever home.   

She is wild.   Most fosters take a day or two to settle in and begin playing.     Roxie started wrestling, chasing, running and playing with us within an hour.    She had so much energy and excitement that she needed to burn off, that she turned the house and the yard into a circus.   In the photos she is the dark red one.   Where ever she goes, she will sure liven up the home.    She is so cute and so excited, see the photos and enjoy our romp with her. 

As a bonus, our four cousins are coming tomorrow to spend the day, we are told the swimming pool will be open and we can have a huge party.   Look out, we are truly going to have a wild two days.

Mogley G. Retriever

Welcome Verna

This is a first look at Verna.   We picked her up at the doggy jail in Castle Rock, Colorado this morning.   She is estimated to be 10 years old.   She had been in jail since the 21st of August, waiting for someone to come forward to claim her.   She had been picked up, wandering the streets, no collar or tags.   That is usually the sign of an "on purpose stray".  She has a chip, but the chip leads to a unknown address and invalid phone number.  We will only have her for a few days, then she will have to go to the vet for a check up, and since she is a wonderful lady, she will likely be gone soon.    We do have to wonder why such a lovely, loving lady could be on the streets without her family looking for her.   Somewhere there is a home that is missing a lot of Golden Love.

Welcome Verna!  Being picked up by Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies is the first day of the rest of your life.   We hope we can give you a very happy ending to this story.

Mogley G. Retriever