# Calling All Famous Rescue Goldens



## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Kim, wasnt there like 30 dogs on there?


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

LOL....Yup...I think 26 to be exact. Some I know, but I should get their stories, too. It feels like Hootie and your crew are family, but my kids won't know that.

I have 21 listed. I didn't include Tucker or Brinks or your crew.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

I know you know there story , but if you want me to post it I will.....


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Maggies mom said:


> I know you know there story , but if you want me to post it I will.....


I think you should post your stories....because I'm sure there are many who don't know them....


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I only came onto this board in March and ChatGoldens in January. I would love to hear your stories.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Here you go Kimm,

Robbie - adopted July 2005
Robbie's story isn't so unusual. He was a stray picked up by the city shelter. A beautiful golden retriever in a long line of pens at the shelter. We had lost our 14 yr old beagle in Jan 05, and our other dog was obviously lonely and unhappy alone. So I thought, maybe we should get another dog. My son and I visited the shelter, he actually wanted a kitten! We walked through the kennels just to see what was there. Robbie didn't bark or come to the gate of his run like the other dogs, he just lay there with his head on the floor, he looked so sad. But when I knelt down outside his gate he lifted his head and looked at me with those caramel teddy eyes, well I was hooked. None of the other dogs had grabbed my attention like Robbie, so we took him out for a walk and all he wanted was OUR attention. He had huge raw sores on both hips, hot spots, and I'm sure he was passed over by other people because of his condition. From the moment he lifted his head though, I knew he was going home with us. The shelter staff was visibly relieved when I asked to take him, I'm sure his time was running out. We brought our other dog up to meet him; just to be sure they'd get along, which they did. We brought him home and took him to our vet, two weeks of antibiotics and his sores healed. He is a joy, he has taught our 10 yr old Heinz 57 dog how to play for the first time in her life, and loves our son. He's a big lap dog and I just love hugging on him. I think it's true that rescue/shelter dogs come to us in a special way, there were so many other pretty dogs trying to get our attention that day, but something about Robbie just snagged my attention - it was meant to be.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

*Liam's story*

I was looking into getting a second Golden for my house, and a companion for Lyndi. I thought about getting another pup and was going that route but I had remember all the work and time that I had to put in with Lyndi as a pup and I was not quite willing to start with all that again. So I decided to look at rescues and see what was involved there. I applied to 3 rescues that serviced my area. I also kept an almost daily eye out on _Petfinders.com _for Goldens as well.

I had been into this whole process for about 2 months when I saw a posting on _Petfinders.com _in the Philadelphia SPCA. At that time they had him named "Jackie". His picture was so cute that I decided to take time off work that afternoon and drive the hour into the city to look at him. Well the first time he had an ear infection and I was not able to really see him, or able to adopt him. So for the next couple of days I kept calling about him until about 3 days later they finally said he is fine now and up for adoption. However it was a first come first serve basis. So once again I took off from work in the afternoon to rush in there and see him. He was a very excitable, very skinny, boy that right away wanted to play as well as be petted and even cuddled. He was found wondering the streets of Philadelphia for who knows how many weeks and/or months. That was why he was so very skinny!! The only real bad thing at that time was he would pee from so much excitement, even though he was completely housebroken. Well I decided that this little problem is one I can live with and probably solve. So I filled out the paper work for him and was granted adoption for him. However, he could not go home with me then. The SPCA policy was that he first had to be fixed before release. So off I go home again while they kept him to be fixed. 

The next day I took off from work again and drove back in there when they had called to say he was done. He was a pitiful site being very underweight, he had that bad kennel smell, they had an E-Collar on him and he was still "groggy" from surgery.

Well to make a long story shorter, it has been since November 8, 2005 that I have had Liam. He is still a huge cuddler, he still plays ALOT, and is so very affectionate. 

All in all, I could not now image not having him around and he has turned out to be one of the better decisions I have made in life. I do not regret for one minute getting him.

For those that may not know, this is what he looked like when I first got him.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> I know you know there story , but if you want me to post it I will.....


I don't think I've ever heard your guys stories, other than Abbie who came to visit and never left, lucky girl.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

mylissyk said:


> I don't think I've ever heard your guys stories, other than Abbie who came to visit and never left, lucky girl.


OK..Im on my way out the door (Rescue duty calls) and will be back a little later and I will post them.....


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Post them all, please! 

Tucker's story. Not quite a rescue, but certainly a story worth telling.



We decided to get another dog when Shadow was still pretty young. I thought I would rescue an older dog, so we made a 6 hour round trip to the Hamptons to meet Daniel. The people there kept emailing me and saying, "Daniel is a bit older than we thought. He's about 8." Then he was 10. Then he was 13! We didn't care. 

Just before we were going to make the trip I received another email. They found out Daniel did not seem to like other dogs. He liked some, but not all. He seemed to have a few dog friends, but they weren't sure if this would work out with Shadow.

We drove 3 hours and finally met Daniel. The two dogs did great walking on lead through the dirt driveway, but when we got inside Daniel went after Shadow when he went to get a drink of water. We stayed for quite a while to see if they could smooth things out, but the trainer said it would take a lot of time and training for this to work, so........

I decided to look for a well-bred puppy. Well bred only for health reasons. I wanted a pup with all health clearances because of Shadow's issues. We were put on waiting lists and I received an email that one breeder had a litter and had a few pups being held out for evaluation. If I passed their requirements I might be bringing a pup home the following weekend.

While speaking with Rose she mentioned having a one year old Golden who was returned to her because he had some issues. He needed work. He was also very overweight. I told her at that time I didn't think my husband would want to take on the responsibility of a dog with issues.

I told my family about Tucker and we made an appointment to go see the litter. I met Sam, the Mom, and I believe we passed the test because we were brought in to see the puppies. My husband, me, and my oldest son went to the home. My youngest stayed home. 

My son and my husband knew I didn't care if we got a pup or an older dog. After holding the pups both my husband and my son said, "Can we see Tucker?" I think Rose and Kathy were very surprised. The pups were beautiful!!!

Well, we went downstairs and we heard Rose say, "Watch it ~ When I let him out of the kennel he's going to come flying in!? Not her exact words, but not too far off. The sliding doors opened and in came this huge, mouthy, overly excited Golden. Boy was he beautiful. 

After biting my hands and jumping all over us like a nut my husband and son said, "We want Tucker." The pups will find another home, but Tucker might take longer. I explained to them that he was going to be work. That it would be much easier to put a pup in the crate when you needed a time out than and 87 pound dog. They were up for it.

We left that day to return the following with Shadow. If Shadow and Tucker got along, Tucker was coming home. I think Rose was surprised when she saw the bag I was carrying with a seatbelt, leash, and collar. So, after a quick run around the yard, with some wrestling, the rest is history........

The wonderful thing about Rose and Kathy is ~ They ask all owners to bring the dogs back to them if something doesn't work out. Thankfully, the previous owner abided by the contract. If Tucker had been sent to a shelter, they would have never known.

__________________


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Casey and Abby

Well, we consider both of our girls rescues...and I think most of you have heard both of their stories already!









Casey we picked up last July...almost exactly one year ago now. We had just purchased our first house in VA and knew we wanted a GR puppy, but had planned to adopt a rescue or research breeders...hadn't quite decided yet. Two weeks after closing on our home, before we'd even totally moved in, we drove to AR to visit my mother. In my old "hometown" along the road, across from Walmart (naturally), there was a truck parked with a HUGE neon yellow sign "Golden Retriever Puppies-$100"...my mom stopped. I wasn't sure whether that was the right choice or not. 
The story goes that the family's son had two goldens that were his hunting dogs and he wanted to breed them...so he did. Had 13 puppies and couldn't get rid of all of them. As they were nearing 12 weeks and getting bigger, Dad said "go out, get rid of those dogs and you better not bring any back"...it was starting to rain and those three pups left were locked in a little 24" crate. A coworker of my mother's was there, too...they had one rescue golden and were looking for a puppy to add. They took the healthy male pup. That left one male and one female, both covered in nasty sores, the female slightly aggressive, snapping at her littermates...very strong personality.
I asked the "breeder" several questions and it came up that John and I worked at a veterinary college in Virginia. He knew the puppy would be well taken care of...I felt bad for the kid, he just didn't know any better. He basically begged me to take the female (she's the one we were interested in), $50, with papers. Standing there in the rain, holding that soggy puppy in my arms, I couldn't walk away without her. I held her up and made the comment "you're going to be my $50 dog that turns into a million dollar dog, aren't you? I figure you'll have allergies, hip dysplasia, and who knows what else..." She just licked my face. 1200 miles back to VA, puppy getting carsick all the way, we were wondering what on earth we'd just done...we were NOT planning to get a puppy on this trip, although something had told me before we left we'd be bringing one back and I had actually stuck a collar and leash in the car...crazy. A year later, we are still fighting those sores on Casey, but she has been nothing short of a blessing in our lives. Even covered in sores, she's welcome on our bed, something we had previously agreed to NEVER let happen, let alone a dog covered in scaly blisters...YUCK!







But...she is just the best dog a person could ever ask for. Definitely no regrets about bringing her back now. The only regret I have is not taking her brother, too. There were people who came after us who were probably going to take him home, but I worry about how well taken care of he is. I know her other brother went to a good home and they have never had any skin issues with him, either. They had originally been thinking of taking that female pup home with them instead and after hearing about her, they are glad they didn't, though they constantly say how much prettier she is than "Buddy"







. The first two pictures are Casey's first picture and a picture from more recently.


Abby...was an ad in the paper for a female golden who was looking for a loving home and needs room to run. It was the first time John had ever told me to call about an ad in the paper...weird. I called. The golden was 4 years old, almost 5, and the family was moving in two days and had decided they couldn't take her with them...she was a puppy from their last golden's litter (they were backyard breeders) and they'd bred this golden, too and she still wasn't fixed so "If I had a male, then you could like get them together and have puppies, too" Geez. She was kept outside in a pen or tied to a tree, though the lady said she'd just moved her to the basement a couple of days ago because of all the rain. Uh, okay, this was in January and forget the stupid rain and mud, it had been below freezing and icing and snowing for months before that! And she JUST moved her to the basement?? So, she tells me she's "a little dirty" from being outside. I asked her what food she was feeding her..."Oh whatever is on sale at the grocery store"...later found out she meant literally, not just dogfood, but WHATEVER was on sale...Abby had been living off dried beans. I wasn't ready to go get this dog, as we were still debating keeping Molly, our current lab/golden mix foster dog, but I happened to mention Abby to the lady who leads our rescue group. She said she'd pay the $100 they were asking, just go get that dog and foster her, we didn't want her to end up going to a puppy mill since she was an unspayed young golden with papers...after she said that I was kind of like well, duh, and drove out there late Sunday evening, when they were supposed to already have been out of their house, I drove up to the house and saw the most beautiful petite white golden tied to the tree out front on a four foot leash. Abby hated Casey, but loved humans...any attention she could get. She was covered in dogpoop and smelled like a dead fish. Nevertheless, I said if the two dogs would ride together in my car (I had helpers with me), then I'd take her back with me. Both dogs jumped in the car together and were fine after I said that...it was like Abby was saying "I CAN be a good dog, I promise, just get me outta here!" So I paid the lady her $100 and brought Abby home...what a mess. She was mean to the other dogs, she was losing hair all over the place, she wouldn't eat, she had the worst case of diarrhea I've ever seen, NO training, NO focus, hated the crate...and even after two baths with special deoderizing shampoo, she still reeked. Again with the "WHAT have we DONE!!!" comments... 
Five months later, Abby is finally cleared of all of her infections, no longer has rashes and chronic ear infections or smells like something dead, has been spayed, has graduated from obedience class, and is on thyroid meds, which have helped beyond belief with all of her problems. She was housebroken within a week, learned to ring the bell to go outside even...and she is still sooo loving, though she's starting to be a little less clingy now...she knows we are coming back to her. And she LOVES her crate, well, ANY crate...or any dogbed...she still wags her tail at every meal, so thankful to have real food on a regular basis...and finally, she is MUCH better with other dogs now. She and Casey are the best of friends! Her pictures are the last ones...the third picture is the first night we had her (AFTER the bath), and then Abby now.

Even though I paid the owners of the dogs directly to get both of my "rescues" I still consider them that because Casey would have gone back home and probably been drowned by the "breeder's" father. She was a reject for sure. Abby probably would have gone to the shelter and maybe she would have gone to a good home, but likely she would've been brought back time and again because she had no training and was aggressive toward other dogs. She also may have been deemed aggressive at the get go and put down immediately, too. And now, because of these two girls, we are hoping to open our home very soon to a golden retriever rescue group to hopefully help save other wonderful dogs who have just been placed in the wrong place at the wrong time...


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

A link for Rob...

Your Own Rescued Golden Stories.... - Page 3 - ChatEVO

Thank you Rob's GR's.


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## flamingo_sandy (Feb 26, 2007)

*Duke's Story*

Duke was born "Harley Davidson Mabie" on February 29, 2004, in Newton, Iowa. He was the first dog his original owners ever had. At 4 months of age, they gave him up because "they didn't know dogs were so much work". (Sigh) His life began with his second family, who renamed him "Duke". Life was good until Duke was about a year old, when a member of the family became very ill. Due to lack of insurance and mounting medical bills, the family was forced to sell their house and move into a very small apartment with other members of the family. There was no room for a big dog, so Duke was put in an outdoor kennel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After several months of outdoor living, even the costs associated with feeding him, let alone vaccinations and medical care, were more than the family could manage. They contacted P.A.L.S., an animal welfare group in Grinnell, Iowa. P.A.L.S. took Duke and tried to find him a home, but no one wanted poor Duke. P.A.L.S. does not have a physical building to use as a shelter, so all their dogs and cats are housed in foster homes. All of the homes were at their limit and before too long, the county found out. They gave P.A.L.S. until 8:00 the following Monday morning to find Duke a home, or they were going to take him away to be put down. 

I learned of Duke's situation on Petfinder.com. He was 18 months old and the ad said he would do best in a home with another dog. I emailed P.A.L.S. and asked them to contact me. Within the hour I got a call from Wendy, a volunteer at P.A.L.S. She directed me to the online adoption application and I filled it out and submitted it. I also sent her pictures of Dusty and told her Dusty really wanted a brother to play with. She called the other members of the board and then called me to tell me we had been approved. We made arrangements to drive to Iowa the next day. It was a five hour drive each way. Of course we brought Dusty, and i told Wendy that if the dogs didn't hit it off, I wouldn't be able to take Duke. She understood. Well, that certainly wasn't a problem, they acted as though they had been friends their whole lives! So we came home with 13 month old Dusty and 18 month old Duke, and we're all living happily ever after!

A few days after we brought Duke home, I got an email from Wendy. She said she saw Duke's previous family at church the next day and gave them the good news. Liz, the mom, sat on the church steps and cried. She was sure that Duke was going to be destroyed and so happy to hear he had a new home. Wendy said Liz asked for our address, because she wanted to write us a letter to thank us, was it ok to give it to them? I told her of course! And Liz and I still write back and forth, I send her pictures of Duke and she said the whole family enjoys them so much. I also had calendars made (by DogMomAbby, of course!) and I sent them a calendar with Dusty and Duke's pictures on each month. The letter I got back after that ...well, you'd think I had sent them a box of gold! Hmmm ... I guess I did, huh?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

flamingo_sandy said:


> Duke was born "Harley Davidson Mabie" on February 29, 2004, in Newton, Iowa. He was the first dog his original owners ever had. At 4 months of age, they gave him up because "they didn't know dogs were so much work". (Sigh) His life began with his second family, who renamed him "Duke". Life was good until Duke was about a year old, when a member of the family became very ill. Due to lack of insurance and mounting medical bills, the family was forced to sell their house and move into a very small apartment with other members of the family. There was no room for a big dog, so Duke was put in an outdoor kennel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After several months of outdoor living, even the costs associated with feeding him, let alone vaccinations and medical care, were more than the family could manage. They contacted P.A.L.S., an animal welfare group in Grinnell, Iowa. P.A.L.S. took Duke and tried to find him a home, but no one wanted poor Duke. P.A.L.S. does not have a physical building to use as a shelter, so all their dogs and cats are housed in foster homes. All of the homes were at their limit and before too long, the county found out. They gave P.A.L.S. until 8:00 the following Monday morning to find Duke a home, or they were going to take him away to be put down.
> 
> I learned of Duke's situation on Petfinder.com. He was 18 months old and the ad said he would do best in a home with another dog. I emailed P.A.L.S. and asked them to contact me. Within the hour I got a call from Wendy, a volunteer at P.A.L.S. She directed me to the online adoption application and I filled it out and submitted it. I also sent her pictures of Dusty and told her Dusty really wanted a brother to play with. She called the other members of the board and then called me to tell me we had been approved. We made arrangements to drive to Iowa the next day. It was a five hour drive each way. Of course we brought Dusty, and i told Wendy that if the dogs didn't hit it off, I wouldn't be able to take Duke. She understood. Well, that certainly wasn't a problem, they acted as though they had been friends their whole lives! So we came home with 13 month old Dusty and 18 month old Duke, and we're all living happily ever after!
> 
> A few days after we brought Duke home, I got an email from Wendy. She said she saw Duke's previous family at church the next day and gave them the good news. Liz, the mom, sat on the church steps and cried. She was sure that Duke was going to be destroyed and so happy to hear he had a new home. Wendy said Liz asked for our address, because she wanted to write us a letter to thank us, was it ok to give it to them? I told her of course! And Liz and I still write back and forth, I send her pictures of Duke and she said the whole family enjoys them so much. I also had calendars made (by DogMomAbby, of course!) and I sent them a calendar with Dusty and Duke's pictures on each month. The letter I got back after that ...well, you'd think I had sent them a box of gold! Hmmm ... I guess I did, huh?


That poor family, one of the few times I do understand they had to give him up, and it's so great that you stay in touch. I'm sure knowing he was safe and loved lifted a burden they didn't need to have in addition to the health and financial problems they were experiencing. That's a great story!


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

*Houdini* was purchased by a guy from a breeder as a puppy at 8 weeks. The guy lost his job and started a new one when Houdini was about 5 months old... during the day the guy tied Houdini to a tree all day while at work. The job required him to start traveling so, the guy dumped food out and just left him tied out. Finally the guy at 7 months gave Houdini back to the breeder, starved and so underweight. The breeder started to nurse Houdini back and her husband had a stroke and could take care of all the dogs.... so she found homes for most and gave Houdini to our rescue. With him being under weight, all the people who came into the rescue looking at dogs wouldn't even give Houdini a second look... They all thought he was *scary looking*???? He was there 6 weeks and I finally told Bob that I wanted to take him home and foster him and get some weight on this boy. Well as soon as Houdini and I came in the door he and Maggie hit it off right away. After all Houdini had been through and starved to the point that it stunted his growth, I couldnt take him back and Maggie would have been so sad.

*Abbie* was also purchased from a breeder by a middle age husband and wife, they had her for about a week and the husband got sick and found out he was allergic to dogs, so his wife called the breeder to return her ( not asking for her money back) and since the breeder was moving and going through a divorce she refused to take Abbie back. So the lady called the rescue and Bob went and picked Abbie up. ON his way over he called and said I have a puppy for you and wait till you see her. After fostering her for many months and having to deal with many many idiots, who think dogs can sit in crates all day and night,( she would have spent more time in the crate than out) My son asked if he could have Abbie as his birthday present. His wish was granted.


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## Wrigleysmom (Dec 30, 2006)

I love reading these stories!! Thanks for sharing them on the forum!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

OMG...I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking of Her Maj as we are coming up on our one yr anniv of having her! I remember when I had hoped she'd make it to see Christmas last year. I would love to share her story - if I get lax...Kim, yell at me and tell me to get on it! I have to run out soon...I have a secret rendezvous in a parking lot p.......


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> OMG...I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking of Her Maj as we are coming up on our one yr anniv of having her! I remember when I had hoped she'd make it to see Christmas last year. I would love to share her story - if I get lax...Kim, yell at me and tell me to get on it! I have to run out soon...I have a secret rendezvous in a parking lot p.......


Lisa, you are too funny! 

I am honored to have met Her Maj in person. What a personality she has.

I have started a word doc with all the stories to be printed out later. I may do something special with photos, too.


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

Oh sure I read the make Hooch cry thread!!!!!!!

Hooch


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

flamingo_sandy said:


> Duke was born "Harley Davidson Mabie" on February 29, 2004, in Newton, Iowa. He was the first dog his original owners ever had. At 4 months of age, they gave him up because "they didn't know dogs were so much work". (Sigh) His life began with his second family, who renamed him "Duke". Life was good until Duke was about a year old, when a member of the family became very ill. Due to lack of insurance and mounting medical bills, the family was forced to sell their house and move into a very small apartment with other members of the family. There was no room for a big dog, so Duke was put in an outdoor kennel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After several months of outdoor living, even the costs associated with feeding him, let alone vaccinations and medical care, were more than the family could manage. They contacted P.A.L.S., an animal welfare group in Grinnell, Iowa. P.A.L.S. took Duke and tried to find him a home, but no one wanted poor Duke. P.A.L.S. does not have a physical building to use as a shelter, so all their dogs and cats are housed in foster homes. All of the homes were at their limit and before too long, the county found out. They gave P.A.L.S. until 8:00 the following Monday morning to find Duke a home, or they were going to take him away to be put down.
> 
> I learned of Duke's situation on Petfinder.com. He was 18 months old and the ad said he would do best in a home with another dog. I emailed P.A.L.S. and asked them to contact me. Within the hour I got a call from Wendy, a volunteer at P.A.L.S. She directed me to the online adoption application and I filled it out and submitted it. I also sent her pictures of Dusty and told her Dusty really wanted a brother to play with. She called the other members of the board and then called me to tell me we had been approved. We made arrangements to drive to Iowa the next day. It was a five hour drive each way. Of course we brought Dusty, and i told Wendy that if the dogs didn't hit it off, I wouldn't be able to take Duke. She understood. Well, that certainly wasn't a problem, they acted as though they had been friends their whole lives! So we came home with 13 month old Dusty and 18 month old Duke, and we're all living happily ever after!
> 
> A few days after we brought Duke home, I got an email from Wendy. She said she saw Duke's previous family at church the next day and gave them the good news. Liz, the mom, sat on the church steps and cried. She was sure that Duke was going to be destroyed and so happy to hear he had a new home. Wendy said Liz asked for our address, because she wanted to write us a letter to thank us, was it ok to give it to them? I told her of course! And Liz and I still write back and forth, I send her pictures of Duke and she said the whole family enjoys them so much. I also had calendars made (by DogMomAbby, of course!) and I sent them a calendar with Dusty and Duke's pictures on each month. The letter I got back after that ...well, you'd think I had sent them a box of gold! Hmmm ... I guess I did, huh?


This story hit me hard. I feel for both the family and Duke. My greatest fear is that something awful will happen where I would not be able to have the finances to care for my pets.


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Kimm said:


> Lisa, you are too funny!
> 
> I am honored to have met Her Maj in person. What a personality she has.
> 
> I have started a word doc with all the stories to be printed out later. I may do something special with photos, too.


I wish you could see her now! She is so much healthier and so much more vibrant! Not ONE day goes by where I don't look at her and just wonder how the HELL did I get so lucky to have her??? She is everything I have ever dreamed of in a Golden and then some. 

And thank you soooo much for the THK! Her Maj will be in hog heaven!


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## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> OMG...I'm getting all teary-eyed just thinking of Her Maj as we are coming up on our one yr anniv of having her! I remember when I had hoped she'd make it to see Christmas last year. I would love to share her story - if I get lax...Kim, yell at me and tell me to get on it! I have to run out soon...I have a secret rendezvous in a parking lot p.......


And that is why I had them put HRM Ruthie on the quilt. LOL!!! She is such a love and I have yet to meet her. Any chance she will come to the golf tournament?? I understand if she cant; but it would be great to see her.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

These are all such beautiful stories.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

When I met Ruthie at the transport, her personality was something I will never forget. Her Maj is right! However, she does not demand the title, she commands it. She just bubbled over... 

The THK is from Donna. Cami sent it. THK was a great supporter of Ryley's Run this year! 

So many companies were. Donna's friend Tim from Nutro, blew me away!


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

*Buddy Bookbinder*

He is approximately 7 years old. His "Gotcha" day is the end of this month. I could have had him about a week earlier but we were going away and the Foster parents were nice enough to hold him an extra week. 
He was found walking on the street and taken in by a nice lady who had many other dogs. He was given up since a neighbor complained. The woman was so upset that she couldn't bring her dog to a rescue. A friend did it for her. Buddy was not allowed to go to another family's house for fear that he might accidentally hurt a young child. When I was told by the Foster Mom that he had "high energy", my response was that it was fine. If he didn't have have "high energy", there would be something wrong with him since he was young. The Foster Mom just looked at me and said nothing. I had brought Amber with me to make sure that they would get along. The two of them ran together in the woman's back yard for a short time and then Amber took a rest. She was 14 at the time. I certainly found out the true meaning of "high energy"! In spite of this energy, Buddy was so good with his older sister. Except for going out to relieve himself, he preferred to stay in and be with his sister. She couldn't climb the many steps on the deck anymore. He seemed so protective of her. I honestly think that one of the reasons that she survived another year was due to Buddy's attention. 
Now he lives with Callie the cat who recently turned four years old. She moved into our house when she was six months old. Chloe came to live with us after the cat.
Since coming into our lives as a "high energy" dog, he has passed Basic Obedience, Advanced Basic Obedience and Intermediate Obedience classes. He has won ribbons for various achievements at dog events, passed the Canine Good Citizenship test and is a "Therapy" dog for "Pets on Wheels". He has gone to an Adult Daycare Facility, a Special Ed school and a Nursing Home. What next? Oh, yes, he attends Goldstock every summer too which is a Golden Retriever camp for Goldens and their families held every Labor Day weekend. To be continued!


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## Judi (Feb 26, 2007)

*Chloe Amber*

Chloe Amber is 5 1/2 years old. She was born on Oct. 6th. She was given up because her Mommy was ill and couldn't take care of her anymore. Her sister Ruby was adopted first. They were real littermates.
A Golden Retriever Rescue took her in and we adopted her. I searched every day on the internet to find another female Golden Retriever who was healthy, young, without issues, etc. I was told by the President of one Rescue group that my desire was very common and would take time. I didn't want to wait. I wanted my dog yesterday! My search lasted about four months and I was close to giving up. I saw a picture on a bulletin board of a Golden and her babies at my Vet's office. They were all checked out and declared healthy. I came close to making that phone call in order to adopt one of them. But I went to Goldstock that Labor Day weekend and started talking to someone who was involved in a Rescue. She took my information and that following October, she sent me an e-mail saying that she thought she had the dog for me. One thing led to another and we drove about three hours one way with our Buddy to bring her home. I knew that she was overweight but didn't know she was 105 pounds. It took months for her to lose approximately 40 pounds with the help of Prescription Diet dog food purchased from the Vet. She could do a commercial for Canine Weight Watchers!
Since bringing her home, she has passed Basic Obedience, Advanced Basic Obedience, and Intermediate Obedience. Last year, she was enrolled in an Advanced Off-leash class. She has also passed the Canine Good Citizenship test, The Therapy Dog International test and the Pets on Wheels Evaluation. Chloe has also won various ribbons at dog events and goes to a Nursing Home as a Therapy dog for the last year and a half.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I remember now when you were fostering Houdini, you posted a picture of Maggie and Houdini snuggled up together, and put the caption on it something like, "will she be heartbroken if he leaves?" I'm so glad he stayed. 



Maggies mom said:


> *Houdini* was purchased by a guy from a breeder as a puppy at 8 weeks. The guy lost his job and started a new one when Houdini was about 5 months old... during the day the guy tied Houdini to a tree all day while at work. The job required him to start traveling so, the guy dumped food out and just left him tied out. Finally the guy at 7 months gave Houdini back to the breeder, starved and so underweight. The breeder started to nurse Houdini back and her husband had a stroke and could take care of all the dogs.... so she found homes for most and gave Houdini to our rescue. With him being under weight, all the people who came into the rescue looking at dogs wouldn't even give Houdini a second look... They all thought he was *scary looking*???? He was there 6 weeks and I finally told Bob that I wanted to take him home and foster him and get some weight on this boy. Well as soon as Houdini and I came in the door he and Maggie hit it off right away. After all Houdini had been through and starved to the point that it stunted his growth, I couldnt take him back and Maggie would have been so sad.
> 
> *Abbie* was also purchased from a breeder by a middle age husband and wife, they had her for about a week and the husband got sick and found out he was allergic to dogs, so his wife called the breeder to return her ( not asking for her money back) and since the breeder was moving and going through a divorce she refused to take Abbie back. So the lady called the rescue and Bob went and picked Abbie up. ON his way over he called and said I have a puppy for you and wait till you see her. After fostering her for many months and having to deal with many many idiots, who think dogs can sit in crates all day and night,( she would have spent more time in the crate than out) My son asked if he could have Abbie as his birthday present. His wish was granted.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

mylissyk said:


> I remember now when you were fostering Houdini, you posted a picture of Maggie and Houdini snuggled up together, and put the caption on it something like, "will she be heartbroken if he leaves?" I'm so glad he stayed.


So are we... hes is a great dog...... (as long as he doesnt get the remotes) and the girls love him.....


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