Roxanne, the day after

This morning we received an e-mail with these three photos, letting us know that Roxanne had spent a peaceful night sleeping beside the bed, she had a new toy to play with.    During the evening she napped at and on her new friend's feet.   She met some of the neighbors and had a good first evening  at her new home.   She did check out the top of a kitchen counter, so she got told "no" for that one.   She was testing her limits, and she will need to learn where the lines are drawn. 

We think she has found a wonderful home and we hope we can keep in touch with her.  We may even be able to arrange play dates.    Have fun Roxanne, you are a very nice lady and you will make your new family very happy.

Mogley G. Retriever

The countdown has begun!

Roxanne went to visit a nice couple at their home earlier in the week.   We made special arrangements, most of the time a foster does not get to spend time in a prospective new home before she has to make up her mind.   In this case, since they lived nearby and we had a nice sunny day, we arranged to drop her by and after some serious questions, we left her to play for a while.   She liked the family, she liked the home, she liked the back yard, and she liked the way they threw the ball.   They liked her quiet manners, they liked her polite behaviour, they like her beautiful coat and her loving ways.    It was a very good afternoon.  They went for a walk to meet some of the neighborhood dogs, it was a good outing.     She particularly liked the hand to dog ratio, it is 6 to one.    She liked the extra attention.

But they had to travel out of town for a couple of days.   They asked if we would hold Roxanne for them until they got back.   Then they called from out of town to adopt her, they were afraid someone else might claim her while they were gone.   We told Roxanne the news, she was very happy.     They have had several goldens in the past and were just waiting to adopt in order to honour the memory of their last golden.   

This evening, they will come home and we will meet them again to leave Roxanne to settle into her new Forever Home.   They plan a trip to the pet store to buy the correct food, treats and a new bowl.   Roxanne gets to start with her own items, not used ones.   We will send her with a bag of tennis balls, Roxanne is a tennis ball fan. 

Say goodby to Roxanne, she is a foster, orphan, no more.   She is a lady with a home, a family and a future.   

Roxanne, we will miss you a lot, and we wish you a wonderful rest of your life. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Rescue Central on Saturday

Roxanne has been living with us as a foster since last weekend.  The first few days she was very timid and nervous.   She had been through a lot since she was surrendered by her family of 6 years to become a homeless dog.   A growing family, active children and an energetic Golden Retriever lady was more than the poor family could cope with.   Then Roxanne made her escape to the wild, and the next 11 days, loose in the big park,  dragging her leash, were days of fear, hunger and cold.  She was happy to come back in from the cold, but she was dirty, tired and hungry.   She made her trip to the vets office, there she got her check up, and she was spayed, a few years late in her life, she is 6 years old.   Then after a couple of days of recovery she came to live with us until she could be placed in a new home.   Part of the task for us is to evaluate a new foster and find out her personality so that she can be placed in a home that fits her and where she can find her new life with a new forever family. 


Friday we had sent in a bio on Roxanne, it was posted on the web, outlining what we had learned about her during the week.   What we learned was that she was nearly the perfect family addition.   She was old enough to be calm, experienced enough to fit into a home without problems.   She was very well housebroken, she was good with the two resident cats, she was polite, she got along with the other three canine residents and she was a good house guest.  She did not chew on things, she did not bark at strange sounds.  She knew her basic commands and obeyed them immediately.  Her bio on the web was great, so she was going to have a lot of good offers of new homes.     Roxanne was settling in well, and she was prepared to stay as long as needed, until the perfect home came along.   Often we have a list of demands for a new home.   Roxanne had few requests.   She wanted a chance to chase tennis balls, and lots and lots of attention.  She was a Velcro dog, she wanted to stay at the humans ankle all day long.  Just a place to nap near the family rocking chair was all she needed.  She was a very easy going lady, she would fit in about anywhere.   Someone was going to get a very wonderful addition to their home. 

Saturday afternoon we had an appointment at Rescue Central to introduce Roxanne to several possible new families.   Because it was a nice day, everyone was allowed to pile into the SUV and go for a ride.  At first the chauffeur was going to leave Nala behind, but when we charged out the front door to jump into the car, Nala was front and center in the pack.   She could not jump up on her own, but with just a little boost she managed to climb in.   It has been a long time since we all were allowed to go together to visit our friends at the rescue.   Part of the fun of being there is meeting other new rescues and meeting all the people.   There is always lots of people, lots of coming and going, lots of new friends to meet.  People bring their own dogs to meet and play with the fosters.  They want to make sure a new golden will fit in with their current dogs.   Seniority in a family has its advantage.   First they may take a walk to see how their new family will work on a leash.  Then they will go to the play yard to see how the dogs interact on their own.   While Roxanne was off with other families, we were allowed out of the car to visit and sniff the official rescue mail box post. 

When we arrived, the two families we had come to meet were busy meeting other fosters.  A family that had come to meet several other fosters saw Roxanne and wanted to meet her.   After a walk and some play time, Roxanne was on the list as a possible for them as well.  But two other people had requested to meet Roxanne, so she went on walks with them and then spent some play time in the play pen with possible new brothers and sisters.    Roxanne flunked the first play date, she and the resident golden both went after the same tennis ball and ended up having an argument over it.   Her second play date ended in Roxanne ignoring her possible new brother.   In the meantime, the first family had fallen in love with Skittles and were already filling out the papers.   Then her other family took Hank for a walk, and fell in love with the big, red male.   Hank was a good looking boy, he was just getting over his kennel cough and was just now coming up on the available list.   They were runners and Roxanne was not a long distance lady, she was panting after a short run.   Hank was a long distance champion, lots of energy and long legs.   Two families came by and apologised to Roxanne, they felt badly that they could not take her home, but she came in second on running, and second on getting along with a tennis ball obsessed golden. 

On the way home Nala fell asleep, she was tired and the long day had worn her out.   Nala did enjoy the attention she gets when ever she appears at a rescue event, she is the senior and one of the favorites because of her wonderful personality.  Roxanne was feeling a little let down, she thought she was going to find her new forever home immediately.   After talking it over, we decided that taking it slow so that she gets the best forever home is a better goal for her.  Wish her well, she will be meeting new families this coming weekend.    But this time she will know what to do better.     Sunday morning was the first day that she felt comfortable enough to play with Bella and I.  We ran and played in the snow together, we even played chase in the snow.   It usually takes a week to settle in enough to begin playing, so Roxanne is right on schedule.   We will enjoy her a few more days, then she can go looking again. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Roxanne and me

Don't you just hate it when you get those ice balls between your toes?   I can't even put down my foot.  That is how I tell when it is time to go inside and lay in the sun in the front porch. 

We worked with Roxanne to get some good photos to put up on the Golden Retriever Rescue web site, along with her bio.   Roxanne does not like to pose very well, she just wants to relax after being lost in the park for 11 days, alone.    She has become Velcro Dog, she refuses to leave the side of any available human.   It is hard to take a photo of your own shadow.   We will keep trying, but we will share some of today's photos with you.    Roxanne has a habit of eating snow, constantly.  She probably learned to eat snow to stay alive when she was lost, that is why she always seems to have snow on her nose.    Below, Roxanne investigates the hole in the ice on the Koi pond where the pump keeps the water moving so it won't freeze over. 

Enjoy,

Mogley G. Retriever

Introducing Roxanne

Above photo, Roxanne checks out the new snow.  As you already know from yesterdays post, we had an opening at the foster motel after Stella left for her new forever home.  We thought we were going to foster Willow, but instead we ended up welcoming Roxanne to the foster motel.  Here are some photos of Roxanne to help you meet her.   We will do more on her after she has settled in.   She has had a rough last several weeks, so we are going to let her relax and unwind.   More than anything at the moment she needs quiet and stability.   She is still pretty timid and frightened of things outside of the house.  

Below is our first photo of the four of us sitting for Roxanne's first treats at her new foster home. 

I also want to remind the readers that my 4th birthday was on February 1st.   This was an important birthday for me.  If you will recall when I was send home with my humans they were told that I might not make it past three.   Now with my heart medications and my exercise, I am four years old and still going strong.    We had a birthday party before my cousins went home, but later that evening we had an even better party.   They brought home a bag of pizza bones for the four of us to share.    We had pizza bones galore!    Now I am planning my 5th birthday party, it is going to be even more exciting.    Below is a photo of me sitting in my chair in the sun, enjoying life.

Below is an update from Nala, she wanted a new photo to show that she is doing well.   She may be deaf, mostly blind, lacking teeth, and suffering stiff joints, but she is still  enjoying life to the upmost.   She still helps keep the squirrels up the trees, and she still keeps track of what is going on in the house. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Stella's forever home, plus more excitement...

Stella had a wonderful day Friday.   The above photo shows Stella playing with her Kong Wubba.  Earlier in the week the potential new family had stopped by to meet Stella and spend some quality time with her.   Their ball throwing ability was tested, their ability to hand out treats was examined.   They even had to show their tummy rub skill.   They passed all the tests.   On Friday they came to pick her up, along with Stella's medications and a bag full of tennis balls.    We are sad to see Stella go, but happy that she can start the rest of her life.    We will keep in touch with her and see how she settles in.

Above, Stella is the front, left, biting Molly on the ear.  Meanwhile, Bella and I are moping about this Saturday morning, we miss our playmate and wrestling buddy.   She was here for a long time and she made a big impression on all of us.   We made sure that her new family knew that if she did not work out, we would always be there to take her back in.   We don't think there is any reason to worry, the family will take good care of her.   She will enjoy being an only dog, she will get total attention from her family.    We expect her to be spoiled rotten, she deserves it.

Then comes the next round of excitement.    Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies called.  During the night pipes had frozen and broken in the kennels where we shelter many of our rescues who are in transit.   With one 1/2 of the kennels being torn up in order to get to the pipes, there was truly no room at the rescue.   We were asked if we could take in Willow.   We jumped into the SUV and headed to rescue.    

Some of our regular readers will remember Willow.   Willow was a rescue that we picked up nearby, she was surrendered when a divorce forced the downsizing of a home.  We had transported her, along with her friend, a boxer, to the vet for their examination.   We were full at the time so Willow went to another foster home.   We met Willow again at the annual Reunion Picnic.   A nice lady from Breckenridge was interested in meeting Willow and Stella in order to adopt one of them.    After learning about Stella's potential time in the Vets office, and the long drive it would take her from Breckenridge, she decided to adopt Willow.     Willow proved to be to energetic and more than a handful for their home.   Willow had come back to rescue to be placed again.  

We arrived at the rescue just as Willow was returning from a walk with one of the volunteers that take all of the dogs out every day for a romp.   We took Willow and while we were talking, a couple came by with Rox Ann.  Rox Ann is a 6 year old lady and was being considered for adoption.  They asked if they could take Willow for a walk as well.     When they returned from a short run, Rox Ann was panting and worn out, Willow was asking for more.   Since they wanted someone that could run with them, they decided to adopt Willow instead.  

Instead of Willow coming to stay with us as our new foster, Rox Ann arrived.  We will write more about Rox Ann later, but some of our rescue workers will remember Rox Ann.   She is the Golden that slipped free when she arrived at Rescue, ran into the park dragging her leash, and disappeared for 11 days.  She is a sweet lady, she was just terribly frightened by losing her home, being transported to a strange place, and then on a cold, snowy night, she saw her chance and she bolted to freedom.   After 11 days on the lam, she was brought in by one of the volunteer searchers, 9 pounds lighter and very tired and dirty.  

That is all we have time for now, but we will give more information later.

Mogley G. Retriever

Playing inside to stay warm.

Two photos of all seven of us lined up for our morning treats.   Above, Nala is front right, and Emma is front Left.  They think they get first treats because of their seniority.   Bella is the alpha in the group, but she lets Nala and Emma go first.   With our three cousins here for two days, we had to play inside to stay warm.   It takes a lot of playing to work off this much energy.   And a lot of treats to keep us energised.

It was -16 degrees this morning, and in the mountains it got as low at -44 degrees.   One of the news shows had a person throwing a cup of water into the air so that the water would scatter, and the water came down as snow flakes and tiny ice cubes.   

This is what happens when we have to play inside.   Below, Molly gets pounced on by Stella (L), Piper and Emma.

We have been complaining about the cold, but our cousins have an exchange student from Finland this school year.  She wanted to know why we were whining about the cold.   She said that she enjoyed the cold and snow and it was helping her feel at home.   So we have promised to stop circulating the petition to stop importing the cold Canadian air into the US so she can enjoy the cold a little longer.

We took the video below to give you a feel for the level of chaos we had for two cold days.   I hope this video works, it is the first time we have tried a video, and it may be too large to play well.   The camera we used shoots in 1080 resolution, which makes very big files.  We have not learned how to edit them and reduce them yet.   Molly is the one on the bottom of the fight, Piper is chewing on her hind leg, Bella is mouth wrestling her and in charge of bitey face.    I am walking in front of the camera with my Kong Womba, trying to get a tug-o-war going.  

Mogley G. Retriever

Weather or not?

Stella and I have a tug-o-war to keep inside and stay warm.

Here at the base of the Rocky Mountains we have different warnings for bad weather than they have out in the flat lands or on the coast.   Here instead of high wind warnings or small craft warnings, we have "Small Dog Warnings", if you have a small dog in the yard, tie them to something heavy.  When you hear that the weather service has issued a "small dog warning", brace yourself for a wind.

We don't have cold warnings, we have Brass Monkey warnings.   When the weatherman tells you "If you have any male brass monkeys that you were planning on using for breeding purposes, move them inside", then you know it is going to get cold.   The "Male Brass Monkey" warning flag is flying outside today!

A while back I pointed out that we keep importing this cold Canadian weather when we have an abundance of nice warm weather, made in the USA, in Hawaii, going to waste.  With the new congress in session, I hope they will pass a law making it illegal to bring in Canadian Cold fronts without a permit.   Lets use our own "made in the USA' weather from Hawaii first.   Then we could be basking in the sun.   Nothing against our Canadian friends, but do they have to send us so much cold?

Today is going to be a hectic day.   In a hour or so our three cousins are arriving to spend a few days.   Their family is out in the weather, one flying up and down the East coast, so we don't expect to see him back for a while.  The other had to go to Craig Colorado to visit a hospital, Craig is one of the traditionally coldest spots in the country.   So we will have our cousins for a play date for a couple of days which will be fun with it being so cold today.   It is too cold to do anything but run outside and come back in immediately.   Even the squirrels are hiding today, Stella has made several inspection trips but found nothing to chase.  That means all the energy will be channeled into the living room and there will be a wild time in the family room and the hall ways.  Wish us well!

Mogley G. Retriever