Santa's Reindogs!

Santa's Reindogs!

The true story of Christmas is that Reindogs pull Santa's sleigh, not Reindeer! With your help, we can correct a longstanding lie. For a hundred years, Reindeer have gotten all the credit for pulling Santa's sleigh, but Reindogs do all the work. We are asking for your help to spread the word and expose this cover up of the truth. As proof that Santa uses Reindogs, we have listed below the facts and truths that prove Reindogs are the real heros of Christmas. Just because the Reindeer could claim endangered status and could afford better lobbyists and public relations firms does not make it right that they should continue getting the credit for all that work delivering toys all over the world, and getting all of the good parts in the movies while dogs do all of the work.

Dogs have been an integral part of Christmas from the very first one. Beginning at the manger, 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, when the very first Christmas presents were delivered, a dog guided the Wise Men to the stable. A dog stood watch over the gifts and guarded the Christ child on that first glorious Christmas night. History suggests that the bright star that guided the Wise Men was Sirius, the Dog Star (check Wikipedia to verify this). Hence the origins of Christmas and Reindogs! If you still don't believe in Reindogs, go to your Bible and find the verse on Reindeer!

We put a lot of the blame for the error on the National Geographic Magazine. Years ago a photographer was at the North Pole taking photos of Santa just before Christmas. All the reindeer were out in front of Santa's house, trying to beg carrots and lettuce from the visitors. The hard working Reindogs were out back, doing their exercises, running their daily 10K, getting ready to pull Santa's sleigh all around the world on Christmas eve. That is how photos of Reindeer ended up in the national press at Christmas time and the big lie began. It should have been obvious to everyone that when the Reindeer put on the harness to pose for photos, that the harness did not fit them, Reindeer were too large. They had to find the smallest members of the herd to put in front of the sleigh for photos. That is because the harness was designed for dogs, not deer. Those photos of the “eight tiny reindeer” began the great lie.

In the poem “’Twas the night before Christmas” the author referred to Santa and his eight tiny reindeer, but he knew better. Reindeer was an easier word for the writer to rhyme words with than Reindogs. He knew that the eight members of Santa’s team were Reindogs, he just used poetic license. Talk about an inconvenient truth!

Who is it that pulls sleds and sleighs at Santa's home at the North Pole? It’s dogs, not deer. Go look at the annual Iditarod race results and see how many teams of reindeer finished last year. There were over 50 teams with over 1,000 dogs and not a reindeer among them. If those reindeer are so good at pulling sleighs, why don't they win the Iditarod race? How many Eskimos use reindeer to hunt walrus and seals? Just open your National Geographic magazine and see for yourself. They don't show pictures of Eskimos hunting polar bears with reindeer. They use dogs!

Still not convinced? Santa’s last name is “Claus”, not Hoofs or Horns. They just misspelled claws. It’s that poetic license thing again. So who has claws? Not reindeer, but Reindogs do! Reindeer with their sharp, hard hooves could never keep their footing on the steep and slippery roofs that they have to land the sleigh on, but a dog’s paws with claws and pads grip the ice and snow to keep their footing on the roof. At the end of the poem, “He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,” proves that the author was part of the great conspiracy, he knew that you don't whistle at deer, you whistle at dogs!

Seriously, do you think that reindeer can fly through the trees and around all the power lines with those big antlers? They would get tangled up at every turn. We all know that dogs can fly, watch the frisbee throwing competition or the dock diving contests. Dogs have to keep their secret flying ability under control to keep from giving our secret powers away.

One skeptic pointed out that Santa's rounds might go faster if his Reindogs did not have to stop and smell each fire hydrant on their rounds. Someone saw us smelling sign posts and did not realize it was foggy out and we had to pull the sleigh up close so Santa could read the street sign. We have to stop with Santa on every street anyway. Those sniffs are how we update the long "Naughty and Nice List" that has to be kept up to date, even on Christmas Eve. Long before E-mail was invented, Reindogs used P-mail by sniffing posts and trees along the way to find little boys’ and girls’ homes. Let’s see a reindeer do that!

It is well known that “Dogs are man’s best friend”, but somehow you believe that reindeer bring your presents? That is the kind of logic that made Mr. Spock glad he was not human. Dogs are recognized as man’s best friend because we are responsible for bringing everyone their Christmas gifts, for protecting them and for bringing joy to children across the land.

If you were Santa and it was your job to ‘Fetch” toys to children all over the world in one night, who would you turn to, reindeer or Reindogs? Reindogs "fetch" toys to millions of boys and girls in one night. Go to any dog park and see for yourself how many reindeer are playing fetch and bringing tennis balls to little boys and girls. Dogs make children’s faces light up by fetching them toys and balls, doing every day what they do for millions of children on Christmas Eve. Just try throwing a ball for a reindeer and see how good they are at "fetching". This is proof that Reindogs are really the heros of Christmas.

Dogs can be trained, they obey commands. Dogs can come, sit, lie down, fly and even go to little Billy's house on Santa's Command. Try telling your neighborhood Reindeer to "go to little Billy's house", and see what happens. Nothing!

How do you think Santa keeps his "Naughty and Nice List" up to date? There are millions of hard working dogs keeping track of the children on their block. All that barking at night is not just noise, it is Reindog assistants relaying the updates for the Naughty and Nice list back to Santa. More proof that reindeer are just a myth. Santa does not rely on reindeer to keep his list up to date, it all falls to the hard working dogs.

According to long standing tradition, you are asked to leave milk and cookies out for Santa and his team. Who do you suppose drinks all of that milk and eats all those cookies? Reindogs, that's who. Reindeer eat hay, if you don't believe me go search Wikipedia. This year we are trying to start a new tradition, instead of milk and cookies, could you leave a good chew treat as well? When you see the chew treats gone on Christmas morning, that will more proof of Reindogs existence.

The true story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindog has long been our family tradition. I was told this story as a tiny puppy, just before Christmas when daddy had to go to the North Pole to get ready for his night’s work. According to our family history, which has been handed down from mouth to ear for many generations, Rudolph is a direct ancestor of mine. It all started with my great, great, great, great, great grandpaw. He had an extraordinary nose and had long used his special talent to track lost explorers and packages at the North Pole. He had a red nose from following scent trails in deep snow, his nose used to get cold and red from the exposure to snow and cold. One foggy Christmas Eve Santa needed help in finding the route to take for his scheduled Christmas Eve run. Rudolph G. Retriever stepped forward and offered to guide the team by scent, tracking good little boys and girls with his nose, thus saving Christmas that year. His nose grew cold and turned red from flying at the head of the team in the cold. That established a wonderful family tradition, that is until the reindeer lobby stepped in to take credit for it all.

 Most of the crowded dog shelters and homeless dogs are directly related to this travesty. Millions of unemployed Reindogs have been thrown out of work by the upstart reindeer. Because of the great reindeer lie, the dogs that pull the sleigh to deliver the toys end up in shelters and pounds during the off season because of the reindeer conspiracy. The reindeer take all the good parts in the Christmas plays, manger scenes and movies, leaving Reindogs truly out in the cold. It is a travesty I tell you!

The dogs of the world expect an apology from the press. We will expect the artists and movie producers to book dogs for the publicity shots and movie roles so that at long last Reindogs will get the credit due to them. We need you to help us spread the word and reverse this great lie. Help us keep this great dream alive and tell others about the great heritage that has been stolen from us. Help our unemployed doggy friends to find work on stage and screen, playing the true roles of Santa's Rendogs.

Fear not, children, Santa and his team of Reindogs will be there for you on Christmas Eve!

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."


From Mogley G. Retriever and all the Reindogs!

My name is Pippa and I am an Alcoholic!

 

I know, Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies is there for all dogs, no matter what their problem. GRRR helps them all, it does what it can to help them find homes and new lives. When we foster, we try to correct bad habits and help prepare them for life when they move on to a forever home.

But when Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies gave us Pippa to foster, they should have warned us that she had a drinking problem. Something like that is disturbing to find when we discover her flat on the floor in the middle of the night with a wine bottle in her mouth.   If they had warned us, we would have hidden all of the alcohol and we would not have had this problem to begin with.  

 

Now we will have to take her to all those meetings and listen while she says "Hi, my name is Pippa and I am an alcoholic".

 Everyone, in unison now, "Hello Pippa"!

Mogley G. Retriever

Welcome Foster Pippa, our new family member

Above, Pippa waits to get dried off after chasing koi in the koi pond. 

 We should be writing about the fantastic party we had with the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies Reunion Picnic.   Over 100 dogs and their owners played on the shore of Boulder Reservoir.    But that story will have to wait.   The big news is that the Paw Challenged Ones picked up a new Foster puppy, Pippa.

Below, Hazel, Pippa and I sit for our treats. 

We heard about Pippin at the picnic, she has the same Pulmonic Stenosis heart condition that I suffer from.   She even takes the same medications.   So we know what she needs to grow into a happy healthy Golden Retriever.  She is about 17 weeks old.

Below, Pippa meets Sarah the cat.   So far, so good.

The house is full again.   After Bella passed away, I moped for a long time.  Then Hazel came to live with us, she got me interested in playing a little again.   Today both Hazel and I ran in a couple of big circles with Pippa.  I think we will get along pretty good.   

Pippa was here less than an hour and she had already been in the koi pond twice.   Then it started raining, so after dinner when we went out, we came in wet again.  The carpet is almost as wet as it is when the swimming pool is open.

Watch for more news on the picnic and on Pippa.

Mogley G. Retriever 

I'm Back! Introducing Hazel.

I am introducing Hazel today.   Hazel was living with a couple nearby, they were preparing to travel in pursuit of their "Bucket List".   Since they had heard about out loss of Bella, they offered to bring Hazel by to see if she could be my play mate.   Hazel is a Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies alumni. 

Hazel has settled in well.  She is getting along with the 3 cats, however she did chase Mini cat when Mini came running in one night.   Mini does not chase well, she if fully armed and she brings the "chase game" to a quick close.  

Hazel is a toy hound.  She is digging her way to the bottom of the toy box, distributing the toys randomly around the house.  We hope that when she gets to the bottom of the toy bin she will allow us to put her rejected toys back in the box.   So far she keeps bringing all of them back out. 

Sarah Cat has taken over the main floor, she takes over purses when company comes calling, she has taken over Bella's favorite bed.   She and Hazel will have a argument some day if Sarah thinks all of the dog beds are hers.

I will try and keep you informed. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Rest in Peace Bella! We will miss you a lot.

I am writing this with heavy paws.   Today we had to send Bella to the Rainbow Bridge.   Her cancer had grown and she was no longer comfortable, even with heavy doses of pain medications.  It progressed suddenly in only two days to the point that she could not find a position that she could rest in that did not hurt, then the pain medications would kick in and she would go to sleep from the medications, which is not a way to rest.

We enjoyed Bella while we had her, and we have many happy times to remember.   She went with dignity and she went while her golden days were still golden.   When she was diagnosed, she was given about 90 days.   She held on for 110 days before her pain became unmanageable. 

We are very sad to be without her, but we are happy that she is resting and free of pain.  She will be chasing squirrels before sundown today, and sleeping peacefully tonight.

I am restless, it is hard to be without my friend.   The Paw Challenged ones have sent word to the rescue that we could take in a foster again.   Maybe we can fill the house with goden love again.

Mogley G. Retriever

Bella's health problems

I have not blogged for a long time, we have been busy and I have been lazy.   But I have some bad news to give our readers and friends.

We have had regular visits from our two cousins, Molly and Piper.   Their family travels on business and they get to stay with us when their family is out of town.   Last week, Rusty and Johnny came to stay for a week and a half.    Rusty is a former foster of ours that we helped place, he had a very bad elbow that they thought was going to have to be operated on, but he has been getting good therapy and lots of good glucosamine, he now walks and runs without any limp.   Johnny is a 18 year old greyhound/aussie mix who is deaf as can be, but still going strong.   He is always fun to have visit, he is well behaved and he is very friendly.   

Bella was limping a week ago, but we did not think much of it, with all the visitors she had been running hard and playing in the back orchard where there are lots of broken limbs to poke a leg or cut a paw.  Last Friday it was not getting better, so we took her to the vet.   Her limping was caused by a large tumor on her front leg, up into the shoulder.   The vet took a biopsy and we got back the news.   Bella has osteosaracoma and it is already pretty well advanced in her left front leg and shoulder.  

Bella is now on pain medications and something called Piroxicam while we try and find out how to best treat the tumor.  Whatever treatment program we follow, we have to hurry.   It starts in the leg bone, and grows out, so it was pretty well advanced before she started limping.   Bella does not like the vet's office anyway, and spending time in the vets office is not something she looks forward to.   Most of the treatements mean overnight stays in a strange place, sleeping on a hard floor, and not on her big soft bed.   She is not in favor of not having her own comfy bed and family at night.  

In the photos, Bella is wearing a T shirt, she is embarrased by the big bare spot they shaved on her left leg and shoulder.  She says that the shirt makes a good pair of "jammys for her now that she is sleeping more and running less.

The paw challenged ones are very upset.   They were worried about me, I am the one that was given 18 months to 36 months to live about 4 years ago.   They worry about me and they thought Bella was going to be the healthy one of our family.   Now we have to worry about Bella as well.

Cross your paws for Bella, we all want her to stay well for a long time. 

Mogley G. Retriever

A Christmas Letter....

Photo of Mogley the Paper Dog, making his morning delivery.  It has been a long time since I have blogged.    The Paw Challenged One (TPCO)  blamed me for the fleas in his computer, he called them Bugs and Viruses, but he looked straight at me when it stopped working.   He says that Golden Hair on the keyboard does not help any either.    For a while I was not allowed on the keyboard, even to nap.   I think it was the flea powder he sprinkled on the keyboard that caused all of the trouble.   But finally, things are back to normal.

We lost Emma, our cousin in October, that was a blow to us all.   She was the Senior Golden Retriever In Charge, or SGRIC.   When Jenny came back from college, she got her own place and one of the first things she wanted for her new home was a Golden Retriever.   She found Golden Retriever of the Rockies, and then took my family to one of their meetings.  That was the beginning of the Golden Days at our home.   The adoption of Emma led to Bella, then Molly and Piper and I being adopted.   And of course the over 100 fosters that have been through the house.  

We still get to see Molly and Piper, Emma's "sisters" on almost a weekly basis.    Their parents travel a lot and Molly and Piper stay overnight frequently.    That helps to keep the spirits up and the excitement going. 

I still have important work to perform every morning.    I have to fetch the morning paper from the front driveway.    My work load has doubled, they now take a second daily paper, but I have not seen an increase in treats.    My work load has doubled, but no additional compensation?  Maybe some of you can help shame them into increasing my allowance?

Since my heart problem worries everyone, except me, TPCO covers me up when I nap so I can keep warm.   I like that, it is sure comfy.    The problem is that during the night when I get up to make my rounds of the backyard to be sure no intruders are in the park, I lose my blanket.    When I come back in from the cold, no one is there to cover me up.    Maybe I just need to come back inside a little louder?

The basement is full of fish.    Apparently there is a law that once you have over 50 aquariums, you have to go in for mandatory counseling.    When someone asks how many aquariums are in the basement all they get is a mumble in reply.     He is still raising many "extinct" fish in the basement and is starting to ship them all over the world.   He has almost 1,000 angel fish ready to go to local pet shops in time for Christmas.   He says angel fish and bristlenosed plecos are his "cash crop", the rare fish take longer to grow.   He has a new line of transparent guppys, you can see through them, he thinks he can sell them to schools.  I thought that all fish swim in schools, so what is the big deal?   Apparently they are a scientific curiosity.  Anyway, it takes a lot of time and keeps him busy.  

Bella and I want to be sure that Santa knows we have been good dogs, we hung up our stockings on the fireplace mantel, hoping that we get goodies again this year.   Maybe I will get something extra for having to bring in two newspapers every day.

Below is a photo of Sarah cat.    She came as a visitor when our cousins moved to Florida for a few months.   Sarah hated Molly and Piper at her home, they were young and tried to play with her (chase in cat terms).   Here, she thinks she is just one of the dogs.    So she is staying here permanently. 

Have a Merry Christmas.

Mogley, Bella, Sarah, Mini and KeKe cat.

Hazel, seeking a forever home

Hazel has settled in and is ready to begin her search for a new home.  She wanted to share some of her history with you so that you would know her better.   She has not learned how to type, so she asked me to help her to tell her story.

Hazel said that in her old life, she was supposed to have lots of puppies for her owner.   She said he called himself a backyard breeder.  She spent most of her time in the chain link run in the back yard.   She says that she did not have time for socializing, she always had puppies to look after.  Sometimes it was very boring and she often chewed on the chain link fence or rocks in the run. 

Then one day they told her she was too old and she was going to be replaced by a younger golden.   She was taken for a long car ride and let off in a city.     They called it a street, and for several days she wandered.   Then the doggie police came by and took her to a place full of cages.    The accommodations were not great, but at least they gave her regular meals.   The doggie jail did not have room for her, so they turned over to a kind person that spoke softly to her and gave her lots of attention, and something they called "treats".  She was loaded into a car and she was on her way to Denver and the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies. 

When she arrived at Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, she was taken to a nice veterinary for a physical checkup.   They performed an operation on her to keep her from having more puppies, and they even gave her a tummy tuck.   For several days she did not feel her best, but then she recovered and began learning about what her future might have in store for her.    She was going to have her picture taken, then a story would be put on something called the Internet.   Then she would find her perfect forever home.

In the meantime, she would go to a foster home where she would learn to live in a normal home again, and learn to play with other dogs.   Hazel said she has been socialized with dozens of puppies, but apparently that is not the same thing as being socialised with other dogs.  She would be evaluated to see what commands she knew, and how well behaved she was.  So last Saturday, The Paw Challenged One went across town and brought Hazel to our house to stay until she can find her perfect forever home.   And that is how Hazel came to stay with Bella and I.

She has been through a lot, but she has a wonderful attitude. She is proving to us what a wonderful lady she is.   She is starting to play with Bella and I.   Hazel likes squirrel chasing, she dashes out to the apple trees in a flash when a squirrel is threatening the apples in the trees.    She gets along with all three cats, she even helped Mini Cat chase a mouse today.   Mini brought a mouse in from the field and Hazel kept it from getting away.  It was funny to see Mini Cat and Hazel both chasing the mouse and then being on opposite sides of a chair waiting for the mouse to come out.  She is certified as Cat Friendly.  Even Sarah, who hates dog, gives Hazel an A+.

Hazel has very good dinner manners, she eats her meals slowly and she does not come bother our dishes.   She sleeps beside the bed.  The first two nights here she had some bad dreams and woke everyone up, but now she is settled in and she sleeps the night through.  She explained that she was having nightmares about crates, kennels, and lonely streets. 

Hazel loves toys, squeaky toys, stuffie toys, bouncy toys, even an empty plastic bottle is a toy when you have not had any toys for a long time.  Hazel is living with Bella and I, and three cats.   She is getting along great with everyone.   She loves attention and she is a Velcro dog, she sticks to anyone that will give her a pet or a soft word.   She walks well on a leash, she even knows her basic commands and she obeys them.   She has a great "sit", a good "down", and she has a fair stay, providing nothing exciting happens to interrupt her.   She does know "no", and stops dead in her tracks when she hears it. 

Sunday when the rest of us were swimming and playing, Hazel stayed dry.   She got in the water up to her knees, that was enough for her.   The Paw Challenged Ones decide she needed a bath so they got out the shampoo and gave her a bath while we swam.   It took her the rest of the day to dry her off.  

We will work with Hazel to do a write up to put on the web site.   The photos above should help her find her forever home quickly.   Lets all try real hard to find this lovely lady a wonderful new forever home.

Mogley G. Retriever

The great swim party!

The Paw Challenged One has been working on his movie skills.   He is not going to be a world famous director anytime soon, but he did get several clips of the water games we had this weekend.  He managed to edit them for length, he cut out the shots of his feet and the sky, but it was shot in high definition and he has not figured out how to reduce it yet.   It may take some time to load, be prepared.

River and Riley are the "Diving" dogs.   They don't like to waste time getting into the water.

 

There are three videos, but Blogger will only allow one video to be inserted in a blog.    When the second video is inserted, it replaces the prior one.   We may try a second blog to show another video of the diving dogs.

Enjoy The video, and see how we play pool.

Mogley G. Retriever

Not another foster?

Not another foster?   That was what all three cats said when Hazel arrived this afternoon.    The Paw Challenged Ones had driven over to Golden Retriever Rescue of Colorado to look at the new puppies and to see if there were any new dogs that needed a foster home.   There were goldens in need of temporary homes, and Ted was at the head of the list.   But Ted is totally blind and we were worried that he would walk off the edge of the swimming pool into the water without knowing it, the fence only goes around the pool stairs as our signal that it is not OK to swim, the rest of the pool is unprotected.   So Hazel came to stay with us till she can find a forever home that is up to her standards.    

If Hazel looks a little damp in the photos, it is only because she was inspecting the pretty green stepping stones that go across the Koi pond.   She tested them only to discover they would not hold her weight.  No one told her about water lilly pads, she went into the koi pond.   Hazel has a lot to learn, she was a breeder female and spent her life in a small pen having puppies, then watching them be taken away.   But she is learning fast.  

She is enjoying her new life of freedom and people.    She is an attention hound of the first order.  She loves attention, she is trying to make up for lost time by getting as much petting and as many treats as she can.   She knows a few of her basic commands, she will come, sit, and lie down, for about 10 seconds, then she is up looking for a hand to get a pet.    After dinner tonight we all had out finger of peanut butter along with our pills, she was really intrigued by the stuff on the finger, she was pretty impressed with the new level of attention and the new kind of treats.   Hazel is also a toy-a-holic.   She loves toys, all kinds of toys.   Stuffies, squeakys, bouncys and anything she can get in her mouth.    The cats forgive us for bringing her home, she is a perfect lady with cats. She has met all three cats and they all approve of her.   She has not discovered the Self Serve Apple Treat Tree yet, but she will soon, and then we will have to put her on a diet.

Wish Hazel well, and we will keep you up to date on her progress.  

Tomorrow is our rehearsal day, we are having a swim party with lots of our friends coming in to help us enjoy the pool now that it is almost back to clear again.     But it is just a rehearsal for next Saturday.    Next Saturday is the Annual Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion Picnic, tennis ball fetch, picnic and swim meet.     About 200 golden retrievers will gather at the park where we will fetch tennis balls in the lake, romp with our friends and meet many of our former fosters as they return to the reunion to tell us about their new homes.

Mogley G. Retriever

Blue vs. Green, Then vs. Now

This is what the pool looked like one week ago.    One week ago our cousins, Piper and Molly,moved back into their own house, leaving Bella and I to play by ourselves.   In the excitement and attention paid to moving, our Paw Challenged One forgot to add chemicals to the pool for a week.   Today Piper and Molly came back for a visit, and instead of a blue pool, we had a green pool.    We don't understand why they did not want us to swim, the water is still the same.   

Today instead of chasing tennis balls to fetch in the pool, they threw green apples into the water and we could fetch and munch at the same time, if we could find them in the green pool.    The apples are still falling in the back yard and we all enjoy an unlimited amount of snacks, all day and all night long.

Soon the pool will be back to blue again, but then it is getting close to when they will cover it for the year.   So we will enjoy it while we can. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Rocky, the Wonder Dog!

Meet Rocky, the three legged wonder.....

We had a wild party Saturday, it was a great time, a wet time, and a wild time.   There were 10 dogs to enjoy the water, lots of kids and best of all, we got to meet Rocky.

Rocky is a new foster with Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies, who is living with Colleen, Sarah, River and Riley while he is interviewing humans to decide who he wants to adopt and where he wants to go for his forever home.    Rocky has one front leg that was damaged at birth, and is permanently doubled back.   It slows him up a little, but not much.   We wondered how he would do in the water, no problem, he took to the water immediately and he swam like a rabbit.   Like a rabbit because he swams in jerks since he could only stroke with one front foot.   Still he swam with good speed, and he swam with joy.   He is a real water dog.   No, we don't have any photos of Rocky dry.   He came in, saw the pool, and was in it in moments.   

Below, Piper and Rocky bring a toy back.   Rocky plays well with others and he was sure fun to have at our party.  

 Rocky also knows he can get away with more than the other dogs can get away with. He knows he can lay on the furniture, take toys, steal treats, and because he is so cute, no one tells him "no".

Riley is practicing to be a Dock diving dog.   Maybe we can get a new category at the annual Golden Retriever Rescue Reunion Picnic for dock diving dogs?   Below we see Riley getting some big air!

Boy did we have fun.   And you missed it!

Mogley G. Retriever

Wet carpets? Blame the fish!

Some of you may be wondering how we manage to have daily golden retriever swim parties and not get into trouble when we "accidentally" run into the house while we are wet.    Remember, there are almost 50 aquariums of extinct, rare and exotic tropical fish in the basement, so we believe in spreading the blame.   Here is how we do it. 

It works like a charm, there is always a fish to blame.

Tundra is one of our favorite comics, if it is not in your local newspaper, you can go to www.tundracomics.com and see the real thing.  Browse the archives if you want to have a chuckle.  If you don't have Tundra in your local paper, complain.

Mogley G. Retriever

Important Notice!

The word is going out.   Saturday we are having a "Golden Retriever Swim Party".    If you are in the Aurora area, be there or be dry.   We have a special occasion to celebrate.   Our cousins, Molly and Piper will be going back to their own home this coming weekend, so this will be the last time we are all together for a while.     The renters are moving out and our paw challenged ones daughter will be back in their own home.  

That does not mean that we won't get to swim, I will still be here to swim, and Piper has her own little pond at her house so she can still swim, it just won't be as much fun without the whole crew.  Also, since Piper and Molly's parents travel a lot now, they will be staying with us a lot during the week.  But it is not the same without the whole crew. 

So if you are in driving range, come on down and bring your dry retriever.
Come on in, the water is great!!!

Mogley G. Retriever

Ten Goldens and a Wanna-be Golden

Can you count the 11 dogs in the photo? There was me, Mogley and Piper, in the water along with Bella and Molly as host dogs. Then Colleen came with River, Riley, Sarah, her foster Polly, and Riggins who is visiting them. Then a new Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies foster mom with her two goldens, Rossi, Ripple and Rocky the dachshund. By our count that is 10 goldens and a golden wanna-be. We wondered if Rocky could "run with the big dogs"? It turned out that Rocky could run with us, around us, under us and even swim with us. What a wild party we had to celebrate the birth of our nation.

 We did not know that Rocky the dachshund was a golden at heart!

  Below, I show the kids how to put floaties to good use.  

If you think it looks like we had fun, you should have been there.   

Mogley G. Retriever

Who knew July 1st was a holiday?

In the above photo,  The Paw Challenged One gives the resident swim team some last minute speed tips before we begin the races.

According to The Paw Challenged One (TPCO), July 1st is a national holiday in many parts of the country, primarily areas that have lots of trailer homes.    July 1st is the day that you no longer have to apologise for not taking your Christmas lights down yet, and you can start bragging about early you are getting decorated for Christmas.   So we celebrated it by taking a swim.    In fact, the golden side of the household celebrates everything by taking a swim.  

This year we have not heard a firecracker in the neighborhood, strict burning and fire bans are in effect for most of Colorado.   People seem to be taking it very seriously, not a pop or a bang can be heard.  TPCO is planning on making some noise by putting whoopee cushions on all the patio chairs.   It may be the best we can do to celebrate July 4th.

Today is the 4th of July and we have invited extra Goldens over to celebrate.  We plan on swimming till the sun goes down.

Today we should make some money, new people and dogs are coming to the party.    Piper and I are very fast swimmers.   If you are going to beat us, you better bring someone that has won medals.    TPCO says he is going to bet on us and win enough money to pay for the picnic.

Mogley G. Retriever

How to turn 10 dry dogs into 9 wet dogs!

10 dogs?  There are four of us, Colleen still has foster Polly and she is baby sitting Riggins (formerly Lion when we fostered him, before he was adopted by her friends), with her dogs, Sarah, Riley and River, that makes 9.  Then Rusty came with his three kids in tow (he was sage when we fostered him).  With the temperatures in the high 90's and into the 100's, keeping cool has been on top of our list of things to do.   Luckily the swimming pool is just a jump away.   We have been swimming every day.   Saturday we invited friends in and had a real party.   With 10 dogs and 10 people, the dogs still rule!  Only Bella stayed dry. 
Below, I stand up in the pool to be prepared to catch the toy before any other dog can get it.

 Below, Piper, Molly and I fetch toys together like good cousins.   That is right, you don't see Bella in the pool, the queen does not swim with the common dogs. 

 Below, the kids hog all of the toys, but we still manage to find tennis balls and we steal floaties from them.

 Below, Piper manages to fetch three balls at once.   What skill, what talent!

Above, Colleen activates the "Patented, fully automatic, tennis ball activated dog drying machine".   If you wonder how we get dry after we swim, this is how it is done.   Tennis balls, temperature of 101 and humidity of 8% makes drying off easy. 

Below, the party aftermath, sleeping dogs.  

Mogley G. Retriever

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