R.I.P. Emma and Fires!

Yesterday we took Emma, our 11 year old senior, to the vet when she appeared to be in distress.   After a day of X-rays and tests, it was determined that her lungs were full of fluid and fibers, she was straining to breath, combine this with her failing kidneys and she could no longer fight the battle for life.   We had taken her in for tests two weeks prior, but we had expected to have several more months with our golden lady.   The comparison of X-rays from just a short time before were dramatic.  We were using two tests to gauge her progress, we watched her closely to see when she could no longer come to bed on the second floor, and when she lost her appetite.   The night before, she was still climbing the stairs, determined to sleep with the pack, but when morning came, she could not come down on her own.

 Emma was our cousin, her mom and dad are our families daughter and son-in-law.  Since their move back from Tampa, Emma, Molly and Piper, and their parents have been staying with us, waiting for the renters to move out of their home.  Emma is the reason I live here, she was the original "rescue" in the family, she was the reason everyone else became involved in rescue.   Molly and Piper will carry on in her absence, in her memory.   We will remember Emma as the happy lady that loved playing in the ocean waves when she lived in Jacksonville and Tampa.  

Meanwhile, the fires in Colorado are creating a crisis.  The fire on the edge of Colorado Springs kept the family up all night even though Colorado Springs is 90 miles away.   Our cousin had to go help move people out of care facilities that were being threatened by the fire, into their facilities on the South edge of the Springs.   Today they will be moving more people into the Denver area medical facilities.   Any empty beds are rapidly being filled.   We were on the phone last night looking for a place for a Colorado Springs family to stay and even with help from a phone bank, the closest hotel room was in Dillon, Colorado, 160 miles from Colorado Springs.  With 35,000 people are already evacuated in Colorado Springs, 6,000 in Boulder and 2,500 in Fort Collins, there are no rooms left in the front range of Colorado.  Today is not going to get better, high winds threaten to expand the fire greatly and they are already evacuating The Air Force Academy and its housing.  We are working with a matching service for people that will open their homes to fire victims. 

Wish us well, pray for rain and keep Emma in your thoughts.

Mogley G. Retriever

Ten, yes, Ten wet dogs in a pool party!

Above photo, Polly, wet and happy.   We now know that Polly is a water dog.  Several days ago we picked up Polly at her old home when she was surrendered to the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies.  We kept her to evaluate, then turned her over to our friends Riley, River and Sarah to foster until Polly finds her perfect Forever Home.   Today we invited them all over, including Polly and her grandmother's golden, Callie.  With our five and their five, that makes ten dogs.    We do admit that only 8 dogs were wet, Emma and Bella stayed dry, although Bella waded in to the second step. 

Above, River makes a grand entrance after a ball, at the upper left, he is caught in mid-air.   With ten dogs to run and romp, we had so much fun that we never slowed down.  

Above, Sarah demonstrates her Cannon Ball style of entry.  Yes, there is a dog under that splash of water.

Come on, someone throw a ball already.   We are tired of waiting.

Polly, the rescue girl, learns to chase a ball and swim with the pack.

By the end of the day we were too tired to even jump in to chase tennis balls, Bella and I just waited for them to drift by.

What a day.   Everyone is tired, we played till we dropped, honestly.

Mogley G. Retriever

Polly is looking for a forever home.

Say hello to Polly, the latest arrival at The Dog House.   Polly was a surrender to Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, and we were lucky enough to be allowed to welcome her into the rescue family.  Her family surrendered her because she was too much for them to handle.   2 1/2 years old, she had a lot of energy and wanted to run and play.   Her family had suffered a stroke and other health problems that prevented them from taking her on walks or runs, she shared her home with an older Aussie that did not want to play, in spite of her continued attempts to romp with him.   All he got was grumpy with her constant attempts to liven up the house.  

She arrived at The Dog House and was immediately mobbed by the gang of five we all wanted to get acquainted at once.   Getting mobbed by 5 dogs who wanted to play was a little much for poor Polly, she was frightened at first, then intimidated.   It took a while for the mob to turn their attention to something else and let her explore and get acquainted on her own terms.    In less than an hour after she arrived she was doing the play dance and running with Molly, Piper and I.

Since part of our task was to conduct a "Cat Scan" on Polly, Polly was introduced to Sarah, the grouchiest cat in the house.   Sarah hates dogs, a lot.   Sarah came down from her perch and met Polly nose to nose.  Polly backed off, she passed her cat scan.  Later they met again, Polly passed her second cat scan also.  Then Mini cat entered the room, Polly still did not attempt to chase.  Knowing that Polly was cat safe, many more doors open for her future.   Now she can be a foster at Colleen's home, and she can be adopted into homes that already have cats. 

We sent an e-mail to Colleen and to the rescue.   Polly was a grand lady.   She rode in the car, staying in the back where she was supposed to.   She walks well on a leash, she knows her "sit" and "down".  She went in and out the dog door with us as we ran, she will find her own way in her new home. She obeys her commands.  She is proving to be a perfect Golden.  She is going to be a great companion for someone, now the question is, who will be the lucky one that will provide Polly with her forever home?

We were hesitant about sending Polly over to Colleen's house to be fostered.   Colleen has a reputation as a "Serial Foster Failure".   She takes dogs in to foster them, but she won't return them.   She defended herself from our accusations.   She pointed out that she has fostered 17 Goldens and she has only adopted 3, so it is not as bad as we make it out to be.  According to our math, that is only a 17% failure rate, on par with most government projects.

We spent the day socializing with Polly, playing a little in the back yard, and getting to know this wonderful lady.  At 6:30 her new foster mom arrived to take Polly to a new home, and to begin a new life.   Polly will be in good hands, or rather paws, until some lucky person adopts her and takes her to a new forever home.   She left here with her tail up, a bounce in her step, ready to start her now life.   Good luck Polly, and we know that you will find the perfect forever home, you are a perfect lady.

Mogley G. Retriever

National Take Your Dog to Work Day!

We have important news today.   Friday, June 22 is National Take Your Dog To Work Day.   Our parents are retired and work at home, so it is no big deal for Bella and I.   But Emma, Molly and Piper's mom and dad work outside the home so we want to see how they handle the day.    Their daddy is a pilot, their mommy is traveling, by plane, to different medical facilities around the country.   So we are watching closely to see how they participate in this important holiday.  Maybe Molly could put on an assistance dog harness, her daddy can wear dark glasses and carry a white cane, and pretend she is helping a blind pilot down the isle.    It would give passengers something to talk about.  

Meanwhile, we are back on board the rescue wagon.    We had a call last night that a little Golden lady, Polly, is in need of a home extraction and a cat scan.    Mini Cat, Tiger Cat and Sarah Cat are all three qualified to perform cat scans after living with 5 to 7 goldens for a year.  Polly is coming by here to determine if she is cat friendly.    If she passes her cat scan, she can go to a home right away.   If she flunks her cat scan, then she will have to be transported to a foster home across town.

We will let you know how everything works out.   Be sure to let your people know about National Take Your Dog to Work Day, so you don't miss out on the fun.

Mogley G. Retriever