Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic

Look closely at the photo above.    It is a photo of several hundred Rescued Golden Retrievers playing in the sun and water.    Several hundred abandoned dogs, having more fun that you can even imagine.  If you have ever donated to a rescue, driven a car to transport a homeless dog, or made telephone calls to arrange a rescue, this is what you made possible.  This is the annual Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic.    A reunion of the rescued dogs, their new owners, and the people that made it all possible.  For all of you that work in rescue, this is what you have done.   Most rescued dogs and cats disappear into a new home quietly, you don't get to see the joy and celebrate the new lives that you made possible.  We here at GRRR are blessed that once a year we can see the fruits of our labor.    We get to enjoy a day in the sun and water with our success stories.  We get to see that the lives were worth saving.   This is what a second chance for an abandoned dog looks like. 

We don't have time to tell you the whole story about the day in one blog, it will take several blogs.   We met old friends, fosters that have gone to forever homes, but come back to the Rescue Reunion to celebrate with us.   Fosters that we may have seen as scared and abused dogs, now are shining examples of the resiliency of our canine friends.   They are running free, playing as hard as they can, their new owners sharing the joy with their new best friends.   This is what rescue is all about.   Rescued dogs, showing the joy they have from a second chance at life.    If you have ever helped rescue a dog, then you had a part in making this picnic possible.    What were once lives at risk are now lives at play.  Enjoy!

After several hours of playing, all the dogs had to stand on shore (photo above, waiting for the last straggler to come to shore) and wait till the tennis balls, some marked with prizes were thrown, then we were released to fetch for prizes.    I brought in two balls with prizes, so I earned my kibbles for the day.   Below, the release.

The photo below, shows a beautiful, calm morning when we arrived at the lake, if you look closely you can see the snow on the Rocky Mountain peaks behind the lake.   How quickly several hundred Goldens can destroy the calm. 



It was a day to celebrate, and it was a wonderful celebration.

Thank you to all the volunteers that have made this day possible by helping a dog or cat move down the road to a new home. This is the proof that donating and volunteering in rescue was worth while. 

Mogley G. Retriever