"Cat lessons, taught by an expert cat!

Hi, Mini Cat here.    One of the very best ways to get a foster dog adopted into a new home is to add to their resume the words "Cat Friendly".   Many people want assurance that a new dog will not harm or chase their cats or other animals in the house.    While Mogley and Bella get all of the credit for re-homing fosters, it is my work behind the scenes that assures success.    I, along with my friend Buddy Cat, the big Flame Point Persian, are in charge of teaching proper cat behaviour to new fosters and giving them their "Certificate of good Cat Companion".    We have taught over 50 Goldens how to respect a cat.  When a new foster arrives, Buddy and I just yawn, stretch and sharpen our claws.  We are fully armed which is a big help when we are teaching but the student does not get the point of our lessons, if you know what I mean.  In the photos, on the left front is Foster Rosie, our 9 year old lady, under the bench is 9 month old Foster Emma, she has already passed the cat tests, the one at the rear and side of the photos is 9 month old Foster Coraline who is newly arrived and still learning her manners around cats. 

Here are photos of a lesson in progress.  In the above two photos, the dogs are too attentive.   I have to swat a couple of times to make them learn the proper distance they must keep.   Then I have to test them by tempting them to see if the lesson held.   

If you look real close, Coraline has a small red spot on her nose from yesterdays lesson.    It appears that she learned well and the lesson took, she did not have to have a reminder today.   All three passed the test and all three will be receiving their  "Certificate of good cat companion", complete with a paw print signature. 

In the final photo, they have passed the test, they ignore me while I roll over and play, trying to tempt them to react.  They are now ready to move on to new homes, you can be sure they know the proper way to address a cat.   My favorite movie and play is "Cats".  We play the music frequently to make sure the dogs realise that no hit Broadway play has ever been named "Dogs". 

Thanks for checking in,  if you like this post, share it with a friend.   There are too many dogs on this blog, cats are the real heros when it comes to re-homing foster Goldens. 

Mini Cat

Coraline is her name!

Above and below, Coraline poses for her first official photo as a "Lady in Waiting". 

This morning we picked up our new foster, 9 month old Coraline at the vet's office.    Coraline was at the vet getting her spay operation and a good check up.  She was supposed to come home last night but she needed more recovery time so she spent the night under observation.  Now that she has recovered a little, she is running a little bit with the pack.    She is a voluntary surrender from a military couple who felt that keeping her in their base housing without a yard or room to run was not fair to her.    She is a small (50 pounds) active young lady.   She has not had much training, but she does have the basics down.   She will sit for treats, she would probably come when called if she ever left to begin with.   She has been the ultimate Velcro dog since she arrived.  She does not have a lot of familiarity of treats, she does not know what to do with them.   She is learning rapidly by watching the rest of us.   She is not very socialised, she does not play well with others yet.   It isn't that she does not want to play, she just does not know how to play yet.  It will take a day or two before she learns to play with the pack. 

Welcome Coraline to our happy home.    Our newest "Lady in Waiting", waiting for a new forever home!

We have a correction on Emma.   We said Emma was 18 months, she is now thought to be only 9 months, the same age as Coraline.    So far they are not playing together, but give them some time and they should become the best of friends.    Below, Emma is carrying her stuffed turtle. 

Our exciting news is that Emma has an appointment to meet the people from the Service Dog organization.   Emma looks like a good candidate to become a working lady.    She pays close attention to commands and she likes being worked with.  She likes playing with balls which means she can fixate on tasks.  She has a high level of energy, but she also has a calm demeanour.  So Emma is not up for adoption untill the Service Dog folks can spend some time with her.   In the meantime we will work with her and try to help her pass her tests. 

Mogley G. Retriever

World, meet Rosie and Emma

Below, Emma and Rosie get acquainted.   Emma just arrived at our home and Rosie was showing Emma around the back yard.   

Sometimes our blog feels like the proverbial ketchup  bottle.   Remember?    Shake and shake the ketchup bottle, first none'l come, then a lott'le.
 
Emma (left) and Rosie examine a tennis ball. The ball passed inspection although it was a little worn and faded, not up to their usual high standards.

The Aspen Colorado branch of the rescue sent word that they were coming to town and needed a foster to take back with them.    Since Aspen Colorado is the best possible duty station for a Golden, Rosie raised her paw and volunteered to sacrifice her soft bed at our home in exchange for a chance to be adopted in the high country.    Rosie even got on the Internet and started shopping for diamond studded collars.   This Friday, Rosie will go to the groomer to get a make over, then she will take a ride to Aspen where she can be adopted by "the beautiful people".   In the meantime, Rosie will put her profile up on the web site showing her availability to any Hollywood Star or Millionaire that is in need of some real and lasting love.    With her heavy coat and mellow disposition, she should be in big demand in Aspen Colorado. 

Then we ran across town to pick up Emma.   Emma is 18 months old, and just had her spay operation so she is still not feeling well.    Below, she shows her good looks and perfect body.  

Emma came to the rescue by a circular route.   Emma was listed for sale on the Internet.    When someone arrived to look at her they found that she was in an unusual situation.     Her family called her "it" because they did not really care for her.   They let her in the house for only short times, then back outside.   They said she was too much trouble.   Rescues do not normally buy dogs, first it is a bad precedent and second, it is a poor use of funds that are badly needed for medical care for the fosters in our system.    Someone decided that Emma needed to be taken out of there, right away.   They paid the ransom and brought her over to Golden Retriever Rescue.   We met her Sunday afternoon at Rescue Central, we played in the play yard for a time to make sure we all got along.   But she could not come home with us, she had to go to the vet's office to be spayed and to get a check up.   So we picked her up this afternoon.   She is still not feeling 100%, but from what we see, she is going to be with us only a short time.   She is energetic, but also calm in manner.   She pays attention to commands and she tries hard to please.    We think she is pretty special and she will get adopted quickly. 

Then we learned there is another young Golden lady that was sent to the vet today for her operation and check up, she needs a new home as well.   She was not feeling well enough to come with us today, but we will pick them up tomorrow so she can be added to the pack.  This lady does not have a name yet, but she will have a new name to start her new life with tomorrow. 

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of "As the Rescue Turns". 

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy Sunday, Welcome Rosie

We knew it was going to be a good day.   Biscuits for breakfast, they come in packages of 10, but the humans only eat 8.   Lets see, 10, take away 8, leaves 2 left over, unloved and uneaten.     Bella and I each were given a biscuit for breakfast.      That is how I can tell it is going to be a good day, the day starts off with a treat. 

We were loaded into the SUV this noon and we were told we were going to the Spa, then we were going to pick up our new fosters.     They lied.   They took us to the Groomer over at Rescue Central, then they left us to be groomed, washed and dried while they went off to have dinner.    We thought it was going to be a day of pampering instead of a day of being locked in a crate with a big blower turned on us.    We did come out clean and dry, plus we got lots of attention.  We did get to go for a ride, it is always fun to go to Rescue Central and meet lots of other Goldens.   

We met Emma, a young (about 1 year) lady who has to go for a visit to the Doctor tomorrow for a check up and for a spaying operation.   We played with her in the play yard for a while to get acquainted, then Monday afternoon we will make a trip to pick her up from the Vet.   

We also met Rosie.   Rosie is older (8-9), larger, and very quiet.    Rosie came to Golden Retriever Rescue by a very round about way.    Her happy home was taking the grandchildren back in.   Because Rosie is large, the grandchildren's mom was not happy having Rosie in a small space with the children.  Rosie takes up a lot of room in any house.   Arrangements were made for Rosie to come to GRRR but somebody did not get the message.   Rosie was dropped off by mistake at the Dumb Friends League.   It took a week for the error to be corrected and Rosie was finally turned over to GRRR.    By then Rosie had caught kennel cough and she had to be kept with several other Golden's with kennel cough till it ran its course.     Today Rosie was sent home with us to begin her search for her new Forever Home. 

We will write more about Rosie and Emma later when we have them settled in.    Emma will be a quick placement, she won't be staying with us long, she is cute and young.    Rosie will take her time finding her perfect home, she is older and she says she will wait and make sure she gets the perfect home.

In the meantime, foster homes are getting crowded, so if you have ever wanted to foster a Golden Retriever, now is a good time to step forward.    Not just in Denver, where we are, but all over the country.   Shelters and rescues are full and help is needed.  


Mogley G. Retriever

News Flash.... Extra, Extra, Read all about it !

Well, maybe we don't have that much news, but we do have news.   Last week end, our cousins, Emma, Molly, Piper and Foster Nala, came to stay with us.    They arrived on Friday and stayed through Sunday.   Three days of playing, romping, swimming, wrestling, digging, and driving the humans up the wall.    Bella, Hilary and I were in Dog Heaven.    The Pack of seven really had a fun three days.   Even the apple trees cooperated, a wind storm sent lots of green apples to the ground, we had all of the green apples we could eat, and all seven of us filled up on apples after every meal.  But then came Monday, what a let down.   No one to play with, nothing going on, no one to even dig with.

Then Tuesday morning they came back.   Their humans had a quick business trip so we were seven again.   But that did not last long,  later that afternoon there was an appointment at Rescue Central for Hilary and possibly Nala to meet a possible new family.    This was serious, Hilary was very excited.    The rest of the story is about her time before she arrived at our home.   She had been picked up, wandering with her best friend, Henry.   Due to conflicts, Hilary had to have an operation on a fatty tumor, Hilary and Henry were not kept together in foster homes.  When Hilary arrived here, she still missed her long time best friend, but we did not know about Henry yet.   A couple had read about Hilary and Henry on the web site, and they wanted to adopt two Golden Retrievers.    Tuesday afternoon Hilary and Nala went to rescue central to meet her old buddy, Henry, and a possible new home.    If the couple did not take Hilary and Henry, then the humans were going to bring them both back to stay with us.   Nala went along just in case they wanted her.

Only Nala returned.  Hilary sent her regards, she and Henry are together again in a new forever home.   She says her life is going to be wonderful, she is with her old friend again, and some very loving humans who understand how much it means to be with old friends. 

A special thanks to the couple that were willing to take two older Golden's into their home.   We think they did a wonderful thing when they reunited two lost friends by adopting them both.   Hilary and Henry looked so happy when they both jumped up into the back of a red van to go home together.   Now we will work on Nala's forever home.

Wednesday evening, the Magnificent Seven, which had become Six, became two.   Our cousins went home, taking Nala with them.   There is a hole in our home that needs a foster.   We have three beds that are not being used, we have food bowls that are empty at breakfast time.   There are still some things going on Friday, but over the weekend we will probably get a new foster.  So hurry with the new arrival, we need company again.

Mogley G. Retriever

Fun weekend

The Chauffeur took a trip and left us behind.   I suppose we could complain, but our cousins came to take care of us.   You know what that means don't you?     It means that instead of three of us, there were seven Golden's for three days.  Our house and back yard is larger and we have more activities which is why they came here instead of us going to their home.  Piper is our swim champion, there is no keeping her out of the pool.    Bella and I know that we are not supposed to jump in when the puny little fence is in place.     A little thing like a fence was not going to slow Piper and Molly up, they just went in anyway.   They finally gave up, moved the fence out of the way and opened the pool up for the week end.    We could get wet, and stay wet for the whole weekend.   Then we had guests in as well, so we had eight or more of us most of the time.    We did not get any pictures to show because we kept the humans too busy.   If they turned their heads we would come out of the pool and make a dash for the house.  As it was, there were wet and muddy tracks in the carpet for most of the week end. 

It was not all fun and games, we managed to do some real work also.    Several new excavations were opened up, and two of the existing holes were enlarged.   We are sorry about the flowers, but they were not growing that well anyway.   They needed the soil loosened up around them. 

Sunday afternoon, when it was time for our four cousins to go home, Piper was still in the pool.    It took some stealth to get her out and dried off.    We sure did sleep well Sunday night.   Even Hilary was worn out from running, playing and enjoying our visitors. 

So when can they take another trip?   We could live with the pool open all the time.   The humans worry about the carpet, but the carpet should dry out over the winter.   

Mogley G. Retriever

A week without news

We just realised that it has been a week without a single post.    Not much has happened that was exciting enough to post.    We were supposed to walk in a parade on Saturday with all of the other Golden's.   Then our chauffeur did not get any sleep the night before and ended up sleeping too late to go to the parade.   What a bummer, we could have been visiting all of our friends, but out chauffeur would not get up in time.     Demerits!

Then something called the washing machine broke and leaked all over.   That seemed to upset them, it made the carpet a lot cooler to rest on, it is hard to understand humans sometimes.  They spent several days drying things out and cleaning things up.  Then several more days shopping for a new one.    Bella and I don't understand why they need a new one, the old one had a glass window in front, but it was pretty boring to watch. 

Now they say they won't be picking up a new foster till after this week end.    They have a trip planned and our cousins will be taking care of all of us at one house.   They think seven Golden's in one house is enough.   It is only after the trip we will see a new foster.   But we will have several days of play with Emma, Molly, Piper, and Nala the foster lady. 

Hilary is doing so well that she is happy to stay here until the trip is over, then she can start looking for her forever home in earnest.    She is in danger of being renamed.    Without a tail she shakes her whole rump when she is happy.     We are thinking of calling her Rumba or Shaky.     It is easy to see when she is greeting you, she shakes like a bad 50's dancer.

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy, Sad!

Above, Hudson and Rocky get acquainted.    Rocky (left) will be Hudson's new brother, he will teach Hudson how to be a loving and well mannered Golden Retriever. 

There should be a word for "Happy, Sad".  One word that can tell you what we feel when we find a new Forever Home for one of our fosters, and also describes how we miss them when they are gone.

Hudson went to meet his new family today, we all four went over to Rescue Central together.  Bella and I went along to keep everyone company, Hudson and Hilary went because they were to meet prospective new families. 

Hudson met his family and was quite taken by them.    Their Golden, Rocky, and Hudson got acquainted and decided that they could be best friends, given some time.   Hudson, being the timid puppy farm escapee that he is, takes time to warm up to anyone.   But he and Rocky get along very well.   We are all very pleased with the home that Hudson will have.    He has to spend a few days in a condominium, they had a fire at their home and are staying a few blocks away till the repairs are done.  When he moves back into the new home, he will have a huge yard, lots of toys, a dog door to use, and all the loving a Golden can get from a wonderful family.    We are very happy for him, he can start his forever life now, but we are also sad because he was loved  here and we had some wonderful times playing together. 

Below, two photos of Golden Retriever "Rescue Central", or at least the front porch.   Our mascot is the one on the far left.  He does not play a lot, but he sure keeps a close eye on everything. 

Hilary went along because someone was going to try to make it over to meet her, but they could not make it in time.   So Hilary will have to wait till another day.   But she does have people looking for her, so it will only be a matter of time.

Meanwhile, I have a picture of me playing with a sprinkler in the late evening light.     It has been very hot in Denver, so I hit the sprinklers several times a day. 

We all wish Hudson a long and wonderful life in his new home.  He had such a rough start in life that he deserves to have a wonderful life from here on out. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Hudson and Hilary

It has been a slow week.   Hudson and Hilary have kept the energy level high in spite of the high temperatures.   It is too hot to romp outside in mid day, but early morning and late afternoon when it cools a little and we are full of energy are great play times.    Below, when you are as experienced as Hilary, you can play with those young dogs without having to expend much energy.   Just lay on the toy and let Hudson wear himself out. 

Below, I (Mogley) dare Hudson to take the toy from me.   He knows when he has met his match, he does not dare challenge me.

Below,  Hudson and Bella mix it up, Bella just pushes Hudson aside and she goes on about her business.     Hudson plays well with everyone. 

We have a meeting scheduled this Sunday to see if we can find Hudson a new Forever Home.   He is ready, he still has some curious habits left over from the puppy mill, but he is getting better every day.    Hilary is ready for her new home. 

Mogley G. Retriever

Happy Sunday

It has been a quiet weekend.   On Saturday the Chauffeur went down to a local street fair to pour beer with several other volunteers.   Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies was allowed to keep tips for the rescue.   He came home smelling good, but he would not let us lick him.  

There was some late fireworks Friday night, then some thunder this afternoon, we discovered that Hilary does not like fireworks or thunder very much.   She does not have a lot of fear, but she gets anxious, she paces a lot.  She ended up hiding in the crate till it was calm again.   

Some unknown intruder dug two large holes in the backyard.   Since they were dog sized holes, the paw of suspicion was pointed at us.   Hudson came in late in the evening with very dirty paws, he said he was just walking along and walked through some lose dirt that someone had left there.    It must have been an intruder that dug the holes, probably raccoons, squirrels or cats, cats are always digging holes, that is a fact.    The suspicion still exists, there was some finger pointing and loud words.     There are several places where dog holes are allowed, but these new holes were not in the right place.   They were filled in, compacted and watered.    That makes nice mud for us to wade in, so we got into trouble again.

Hudson has been making great progress.   All four of us (Bella, Hilary, Hudson and I), have been playing together a lot.    We have some house shaking four way wrestling matches that are great fun.  We have had several visitors and Hudson is letting them pet him, a big step forward for a timid puppy mill refugee.   Hudson is beginning to come when called and he is even learning to sit.   We will rewrite Hudson's resume on the dating site, he is ready to start seeking a new home in earnest.   He would like to be here another week or two to learn more, but he is ready now if the right home comes along.     He would like a home with a dog door and a play mate with a lot of energy.  The dog door is important so he can go outside and run when he has energy that needs to be released.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hillary unpacks her travel bags

Wednesday was a very busy day at the Golden Mad House.  First we had a busy day playing with Hudson, our puppy mill rescue alumni.   He has a lot of energy and he wants to play constantly.   When I tire out, he starts bothering Bella until she plays with him.    Once she is tired, he comes back and starts doing the play dance in front of me.    If neither one of us will play with him, he goes outside and runs in big circles around the yard, he raids the toy bin or he tries to get the cats to play.    He is going to end up with a sore nose if he does not stop pushing the cats with his nose, trying to get them to play. 

Then a call came in that two boys were being surrendered and they needed to be picked up later in the afternoon.   The chauffeur picked up Daniel and Jack, then drove them over to Rescue Central.  They will spend the night, then go to the vet for their physical exam.   They are two great Golden's.   Daniel is a large, white male, with a beautiful long white coat.   Jack is a medium sized red male, with beautiful coloring.  Jack and Daniel are about 2 1/2 years old, well house broken and well behaved.   They will be looking for new Forever Homes soon.   Maybe there is room for a pair of males in New Mexico, next door to Honey and Butter.    Keep an eye out for a new home for these two wonderful Golden's. 

At Rescue Central there was a small emergency.   Hillary was a refugee from a shelter where she had been after being picked up on the street with her friend, Henry.  Hillary had been spayed, had a tumor removed and had teeth pulled.   She needed a place to stay that could watch her and help her heal.   Hillary arrived to bring the population of the rescue house to four Golden's.   She is such a nice, calm and loving lady that we will really enjoy having her here.   She is 8 years old, has just been groomed so she is fluffy and beautiful now, but her coat shows signs of neglect, places where she was clipped to remove burrs or mats.   The first thing you notice about Hillary is that she has no tail.   When she wags, her rear end has to move a lot because the little pom-pom tail can't express her happiness.   She is such a happy soul, she looks like she is doing the rumba when she greets you.  He looks a little like a tan sheep because of her fluffy coat and bobbed tail.    She explained that she will not be staying long, she has a possible adoption pending but her prospective new family is temporarily out of town.   She will stay with us until she either is claimed by her new family or until she finds another forever home.     As nice as she is, she won't be available for long.    We think she is pretty special and a loving, mellow Golden Lady.

Her welcome "wagging" is pretty short, but very active.    Help us welcome Hillary to the Golden Mad House.

Mogley G. Retriever

Message from Honey and Butter

Dear Mogley:

We wanted to let you know about our adventures in our new home in New Mexico. We had a good trip back [above], and made sure our dad stayed awake by barking at every dog, bicyclist, and person we saw along the way.  Our new parents took us hiking in the wilderness today[below].

The path went on for as far as we could see, with a big mountain to climb [below].

Fortunately, there was plenty of shade along the way,

and our mom and dad brought water just for us.

When we got home mom and dad filled the wading pool. I [Butter] loved splashing in the pool;

I [Honey] thought it was nice of them to provide such a big water dish outside; resting in the shade was more to my taste.

We had a nice nap on the tile,

got a good petting from our dad,

and then settled down with our toys.   All in all, it’s been a good beginning.

Honey & Butter

What a wonderful update to get from Honey and Butter.   They sent such a great letter about their new Forever Home, boy are they lucky!   The photos are wonderful and they did a good job of putting it all together so we could enjoy their life with them.     Thanks so much for the description of your new life.   

Google is having trouble with dropped comments on blogging sites.  Be patient, we will get your comments posted when they get the problem figured out.

Mogley G. Retriever

Hudson, a Golden Retriever in the making.

It is wonderful to watch a timid young golden evolve into a loving and obedient Golden Retriever.   Hudson has come a long way from the puppy mill.   His foster family made a lot of progress with him, he understands sit, he comes when called, occasionally.  But they were not with him during the day and they felt that he needed more intense contact and more work to finish his evolution to becoming a Golden Companion.  He has a lot of energy that needs a way out. 

Bella and I took him under our tail and are teaching him what he needs to know.   We played tag outside, we played tug-o-war, we even chased squirrels together.   Bella is a great tutor, now that Abby is gone, Bella is glad to have help in keeping the squirrels on their toes. 

 The human is working with him to make him more sociable.  Last evening we spent several hours on the floor playing tummy scratch, ear and chin rub.   Hudson watched Bella and I get all the attention for a while, then he joined the pile on the floor for his share.     Since then Hudson has been a pet-a-holic.   He has been looking for attention where ever he can find it.  They had four friends stop by today.   Hudson was afraid and ran away at first.   Within 30 minutes he was accepting head pats from strangers.   Now that is progress.     The humans did learn one thing,  Hudson does not like to be stared at, if you look around him, he will come when called, come for petting, come for dinner, he loves attention.   Look straight at him and he runs away. 

Hudson spends his nap hours under the computer desk, hoping for a pet between sentences.   He still has a lot to learn, he does not know the basic commands very well.   The humans brought out their secrete weapon, peanut butter.    They use peanut butter on a finger as a regular reward, Hudson has developed quite a taste for it, he will come running from far away when he is called now.  

We hope you enjoy these photos of Hudson.   We hope to have him socialized well enough to put him on the web site by next week.    We are so happy about his change in the time he has been here.   We expect fosters to settle in, but Hudson is settling in very fast and very well.   Oh, he still runs when anything new happens, he still is timid and scared, but he will learn fast. 

What was once a Puppy Mill Rescue will soon be a full fledged Golden Retriever and someone's wonderful companion.   It is in his genes, it is his heritage, it just needs help getting out.    Help us find that special Forever Home that will have the patience to help Hudson on the rest of his journey.  

Mogley G. Retriever

Our new foster, Hudson

Help us welcome our new foster, Hudson.    It is rare that we have a chance to foster siblings, especially when they are so much alike.  Hudson is a litter mate of Ruby that was our foster earlier in the year.    New readers may want to go back to our blog for May 4, 2010 where we describe the conditions and situation that these dogs were living in when they were rescued.   That is why yesterdays blog was title "De jue vue all over again".    We see so many of the same behaviours and responses in Hudson that we saw in Ruby.   

Hudson is a little over 1 year old, 30-35 pounds, and very timid.  He is one of the puppy mill dogs that Golden Retriever Puppy Mill Rescue Team (GRPMRT) bought at an auction on May 1, 2010. Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies stepped in to provide transportation and new homes for many of the Goldens.     The conditions these dogs were in at their breeder is almost indescribable according to a local newspaper that described the conditions.    They were kept in cages and pens full of feces, full of fleas and ticks, and totally un-socialised.    All of the dogs from this auction have required extra work to get ready to become full fledged members of homes and of the Golden Community.

Since Bella and I helped bring Ruby out of her shell, we thought we would try and help Hudson as well.   We have not been able to get a photo of Hudson, he has been too busy hiding behind things in this strange new world.   When you are a timid young puppy mill refuge, any change is scary.  Anything new is frightening.  Anyone new is intimidating.  

Hudson spent a quiet night beside the bed, there is a crate in the bedroom and he went into it for security.   Outside he is not sure what to make of the many new things.  He is dragging a leash as there are so many places to hide in the big back yard and so many places for a young and scared dog to vanish into.    Ruby had a large hole dug under the roots of one apple tree, she was able to hide there for a long time, driving the humans to panic, thinking that somehow she had escaped.   For Hudson, at least the end of the leash should be visible to tell them where he is hiding.    So far, when he is in the back yard all he wants is back in the house, and if the bedroom door is open, back into his crate.  He is not comfortable with the great outdoors yet. 

We will post photos of him when we can, but you can look back at the May 4th blog and see Ruby, they look identical.   The differences are in behaviour.    Hudson likes human contact, likes being petted much more than Ruby did, the product of several months in a loving foster home.    Hudson walks well on a leash, until he panics, then he tries to slip out and run away.  He even sits when we get treats.   He is already dog door trained which will help him find freedom and maybe bring him out a little as well, once he learns his way around.   We will give him time and see if more activity and more challenges will bring him out of his shell.   He is still quick to panic, he does not like change and he does not like the big world he has been thrust into.     In a few days, we will see a different Hudson emerge, we will see the real dog and know how to work with him to get him ready for a loving and very patient Forever Home. 

Mogley G. Retriever

De ja vue, all over again

This is a big news day.   A huge swim party and a new foster, all in the same day.   This time, we have a very special foster. 

Above, the jump, below, the landing.

We sent out an e-mail to some of the Golden Retriever Rescue volunteers on the South East side of Denver, inviting them to stop by and moisturise their Goldens.    We understood that many goldens were suffering from extreme dryness.   We had 14 dogs that responded to the invitation.   Twelve goldens, one lab and one poodle.    What a fun time we had.    It was not long into the fun before I was forced to wear the yellow life vest of shame.   They were trying to find a way to slow me up so that I would not over-stress my heart.   I kept explaining that I just needed more exercises to make it stronger.   They still put a leash on me and made me calm down from time to time.     But I still managed to run, swim and play all day long.

Kris and John brought over Sarge, Sorcha and Evelyn.   Our cousins came to swim, Emma, Molly, Piper and foster Nala.   Then Riley, River, Sonny and Olivia.   Then Guinness, the brown lab dropped by.   And Zebo, the Standard Poodle.   We all had such a good time, we all wore out.

We hope you can enjoy it with us through a few photos.  It might help if you watched the pictures while standing in a shower, then you would get more of the effect.

Mogley G. Retriever

p.s.  Oh, yes, our new foster.   That is a story that will have to wait till tomorrow.   It is too special to share the good news with our pool party.    Our new foster deserves a special blog posting for a very special dog!.

Honey and Butter's new forever home

Honey and Butter met with their prospective new home last evening.  They went for a long walk to see if there was any spark between them.   They quizzed about the availability of treats and toys.   They even asked about sleeping arrangements.  All the answers were good and after a short discussion, Honey and Butter decided to accept the offer of a new Forever Home.    They said that they will miss the swimming pool and the romps in the back yard with Bella and I, but they thought the adventures they could have in New Mexico would make up for it.    Hiking trails in the mountains, trips to the park and walks on neighborhood trails would make up for it.   Also the hand to dog ratio would be better.   Then there is a long car ride to Albuquerque, Road Trip!   How can any Golden resist?

They both had appointments for grooming this morning so they would be looking their best when they arrive in their new home.   New collars and new leashes as well.   What more can a pair of beautiful Golden Retrievers ask for?  We wish them well and hope they will send us an update from time to time. 

Meanwhile, things are boring around here.   We have no fosters in our home for the first time this year.   The chauffeur declined to bring someone home last night, the carpet cleaning company is coming in tomorrow to destroy the good dog smells we have spent years making.    But on Saturday we may get one or two new fosters so we can start the cycle again. 

Meanwhile, Nala is staying with our cousins.  Nala has a kidney infection and is getting medications for it.  She is in need of a home where someone can work with her all day.   Our cousin's house does not have anyone home for most of the day.  Nala has to have frequent trips outside because of her infection.   She needs another trip to the Vet so she can get better faster. 

So until Saturday when we can announce a new foster arrival, I guess I will just have to be bored.

Mogley G. Retriever