What is in a name?

Above, from left, Sandy, Bella, Mogley and Abby.

Below, we are waiting patiently for dinner. Why does the human make us wait so long? If we ate both meals, one right after the other, we could get it behind us and not have to wait all day for the humans to get around to dishing out the food. That would leave more time for treats all day long.

The resident chauffeur has it all mixed up. He calls Sandy, Abby, and he calls Abby, Sandy. To make it less confusing, he now just calls "Here Goldens" when he wants us to come. Sandy and Abby have been together so long that they think their names are "Sandy-Abby". They don't care what they are called, they just come running.

Sandy-Abby are well settled in. This was not supposed to happen, they came to us from the rescue as foster friends, we were to provide them with a transition home, evaluate them, then send them on to their new forever home. The problem is that they have not yet found a Forever home. At first they kept their bags packed, ready to go at any moment. Now, after three weeks, they have unpacked their bags and settled in. According to statistics, dog rescues are up, dog adoptions are down. Luckily, Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) has many foster homes so that our Golden friends don't have to live behind chain link. The latest issue of our newsletter said we rescued 396 Goldens, and others, last year.

Sandy and Abby are wonderful friends. They are very calm and polite. They don't chew on inappropriate items, they don't bark, and they don't snore at night beside the bed. Sandy is 11 and Abby is 6, this makes it harder to adopt as few people want to take two dogs at a time, and with one older dog there is even more hesitation. They have been together so long and are so attached that it would be a shame to separate them. They are becoming our friends as well. Bella and I start romping and soon Abby, then Sandy will join in the fun. Sandy is older, but she is the more adventurous of the two, she is the first to run to the door when the door bell rings, followed by Abby once Sandy has blazed the way. Abby leaps into the back of the big SUV when it is time for a ride, Sandy has to take it slower and climb in as she does not jump well. They are "Hand Hogs", they crowd in when it is time for attention. When we have fosters staying with us the resident chauffeur makes certain that we get adequate attention. With Sandy and Abby it is tough because they push in and are not shy about claiming their right to be petted or to get ears scratched or a tummy rub.

We will continue to work hard to find these two wonderful friends a new home, in the meantime they are doing fine with us. The humans say that the two visitors are so well behaved that it is like not even having another dog, except that the odds of tripping over a dog has increased greatly. Go to www.goldenrescue.com to read more about us and other homeless dogs. You too can be a foster parent and help an abandoned dog find a new home.

Mogley G. Retriever