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More Golden Beginnings
GOLDIE
We were totally devastated when we lost our 13 ½ year old Golden
Retriever named Jake, 9 months ago. He was everything to us. He
was our baby since our children were married and had lives of
their own. We grieved for many months and wondered if we could
ever love another dog. We decided that we didn’t want to go
through the puppy stage again and thought about a rescue golden.
That’s where Golden Retriever Rescue of Naples and Mary Ellen came
into our lives. We needed to have a dog that would be good with
children since we had five grandchildren.
We received the call we were waiting for. An older, sweet dog
that was great with children. We met Mary Ellen & Goldie and knew
right away that she was the one for us. Goldie was a little over
weight…in fact 20 pounds overweight…too many treats and not enough
exercise! She came home with us and immediately fell into our
active lifestyle. Her daily walks started out slowly at first and
gradually became longer. Healthy rice cakes and apple slices
became her treats. She now weighs 18 pounds less and is much more
energetic.
Six months later we can’t imagine our
life without Goldie. She is a total love. She’s always by our
side and is so polite and well mannered. She loves going on hikes
with us and gets all excited when we bring our packs out because
she knows she gets to go with us on a long walk. She made her
first trip on the Appalachian Trail in the fall and just loved
it. It was as though she had hiked all her life.
Goldie passed her basic obedience
class with flying colors. At 8 years old she was the grandma of
the group. She’s going on to advanced classes and hopefully will
be certified as a therapy dog. Goldie has become the “golden
thread” in our lives.
Once upon a
time,
there was a rabbit named Jack. Jack was purchased at six weeks
of age to be a companion to a senior golden retriever who was
fascinated by the wild rabbits in his back yard (hence his name,
“J.ust A. C.anine K.ompanion) Jack truly loved his golden
retriever, and would groom him daily. Jack had a large house
and back yard, which he would roam at will.
Nineteen
months later, Jack’s friend died very unexpectedly. Jack and
his parents were bereft. Jack would roam from room to room in
the house, looking for his friend. Jack stayed home late at
night hoping his friend would come home, but he never did.
Finally, Jack began to get on with his life, but his parents
hadn’t. They still missed their golden.
One day, the
parents began to check Golden Retriever Rescue sites, in the
hopes of finding a new golden to love. But the biggest
challenge would be to find a new golden that Jack could also
love. This new dog would need to be a little bit older, and
less rambunctious. This new golden would need to be gentle (but
what golden isn’t?), and familiar with other animals. At the
Golden Rescue In Naples, they saw an add for a middle aged dog
who was gentle with children and familiar with cats. They
applied.
After the
initial application process, they were allowed to meet “Buddy”,
the golden who had first captured their attention. There was
some concern about how to introduce Jack & Buddy; where, when,
how etc. The parents decided to meet Buddy first, to see if
there was any potential for Buddy to meet Jack, with the plan
for a follow-up visit with Jack.
It was
immediately clear that Buddy was dearly loved by his foster
family. Within 20 minutes, it was immediately clear why.
Buddy was very much like every golden retriever Jack’s parents
had ever loved; intelligent, gentle and loving. Buddy was
curious and alert, but restrained. The decision was immediate.
Jack’s parents knew that Buddy was a perfect fit. So they took
him home the same day.
Jack was not
quite as certain of his parent’s decision. For a couple of
weeks Jack had to live in his crate (which he truly hated!), or
loose in confined areas of the house (not much better); but
certainly this was preferable to being eaten. As a hunting
breed, Buddy was VERY curious about Jack, and thought initially
that Jack might be lunch. By association, Buddy came to learn
that Jack was a member of the family, just as Buddy was.
Gradually, the chasing lessened within the house, until Jack was
able to show Buddy just what a good friend he could be – after
all, who else will trim your toe feathers!
This saga of
Jack & Buddy is just beginning; it has only been a matter of
weeks. Buddy no longer chases Jack in the yard. They are both
relatively young, and have many years to explore their
relationship. Buddy’s new parents can not believe that Buddy
has not always been a part of their lives; he is such a total
compliment to everything they hoped he would be.
What more
could anyone ask for?
CHASE MARIE is a
true Florida girl...loves to play in the grass, bake in the
sun...well she had a total change of scenery for the
holidays...our Chase and her new family went to their home in
New York.........
The trip up to New
York went very smooth, Chase was a very good girl in the car on
the way up and back. We bought her new toys, a sweater and Greg
even had to buy a new bigger truck for her. She was all excited
to go for a ride in the truck and enjoyed every rest stop
tremendously.
When we arrived the
first day it started to snow. She wasn't sure what to make of
it but quickly decided that the snow was fun to eat and play
in. We had almost a foot of snow and it was very cold the
entire time we where up there.
She also liked
looking out the big windows and barking at the cars passing by
and anything that she though she saw out in the fields.
Chase also completed
her dog training course. As part of the training we took her to
an outdoor cafe with us for dinner and even took her to a
PetSupermart and the trainer even introduced her to one of his
German Shepard's Jack. Overall she did excellent. She loves
people and children and tolerates other dogs.
Pia and Greg........
YAGO
Yago is a sweet
beautiful 10 month old boy. He is tall for his age and quite
skinny. We are happy to report that he is adjusting very
well to his new home and has gained a couple of
pounds. He finds great amusement by jumping on his daddy
(when he is in his big comfortable chair) from behind putting
his paws up on his shoulders and attempting to eat his ears.
He is quite vocal when he plays and appears to be quite the
social gentleman with the yellow lab next door "Susie". They
have been introduced several times and have enjoyed playing
peek a boo through our fences. He barks when necessary and
seems to be a good watch dog, barking as people walk by across
the street. He is a love and has a wonderful capacity for
cuddling and kissing.
After losing our
16 year old golden retriever "Max" last year, we did not think
we would ever love another dog again. We are so pleased that
we took a chance and have found love again, with our new
addition "Yago". Thank you for making this possible!
Sincerely,
Keith and
Stephanie
TESSIE
Tessie Beth joined
our family on December 29 and has given us a great start to our
new year. She loves camping, hiking, riding in the truck, and
playing with her new toys. She has already made a lot of new
friends including Adobe, Amica, Milk Dud, Ella, and Destiny. As
much as she loves her new puppy dog friends, she loves people
most of all and especially enjoys snuggling. She is having a
blast attending obedience training classes and is quick to learn
new things. She is the perfect pet, and it’s hard to believe
that someone gave her up. She has added a whole new dimension
of love and fun to our lives. We feel lucky to have found her.
Karin and Todd
We had the
pleasure of adopting Sophie in November. Sophie came to us at
just at the right time. We had lost our beloved cat after
five short years and could not imagine our life with out a
pet. Our daughter was devastated at the loss of her cat and
decided she wanted a dog and a GOLDEN RETRIEVER was all she
wanted. We searched all of the shelters and then we were told
to search on line for a golden. Luckily we found GOLDEN
RESCUE of Naples. We pulled up the web site and there she
was, our SOPHIE. Our entire family knew she was the dog for
us. Mary Ellen was so wonderful and worked with us and within
two weeks we had a visit with Sophie and decided that day to
keep her and she has been a wonderful member of our family
ever since. Each and every day she makes us laugh. She is
playful, loving and has a wonderful temperament and is truly a
GOLDEN at heart.
Sincerely,
Mark, Kristi, Morgan and Sophie
Theo is one of special seniors...maybe 10 -12 years old.. left
at a shelter...to die. When our volunteer came to get him he
was in bad shape...he had open sores on his feet, his coat was
smelly and ragged, his eyes were sad and empty...We really
wondered how long Theo would be with us. Tremendous amounts of
love and attention given to Theo's needs by his foster
homes brought him back to a golden with the golden spirit.. His
eyes are bright, his coat is growing in, he plays frisbee and
walks everyday...he is our Gentle Giant. Usually seniors stay
with our organization for the rest of their lives because many
people do not realize the benefit of adopting a wonderful senior
hence they become permanent foster dogs. ...but one happy day a
special family wanted to actually ADOPT Theo! They have three
goldens of their own, from ages 2-9 years of age, and Theo was
to become their fourth. On Theo's day of adoption his new
family took him to their church to be blessed....a beautiful
way to start his new life. We, at Golden Rescue In Naples,
wish the best for Theo and his
family. We thank you for adopting this wonderful
golden...and may he be with you for many years to come.
 I adopted Roxy at the end of July and my life has been so much happier with her in it. When I spotted her on Petfinder.com I just knew that I had to bring her home. I understand that her past was not all that great, but Roxy is a very happy girl and has brought so much joy into my life. She is a great companion, loves to ride in the car, go swimming, go running with her four-legged friends in Paw Park and just loves to snuggle with me when I get home. She gets lost of love and gives lots of love in return. She is a wonderful companion and after being with her for only a couple of months, I can't imagine my life without her. I know that my friends tell me that she is one lucky girl to be living with me…but in all honesty, I know I'm the lucky one to have her.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to adopt Roxy. She is my red-headed angel.
Carol & Roxy
Another story...Meet Brandy.
They just could not pass her up! She has filled a void in her new family's lives following the loss of their precious Golden. Brandy now resides as a 100% indoor girl with a wonderful couple that provides her with unconditionl love, a quality diet and proper, complete veterinary care. She is now showing off her "new coat of gold" thanks to her new family. Her life is wonderful and with each and every update we receive, her life is getting better and better. Her new family just loves her and cannot imagine life without Brandy. Brandy and her "rescue tale" are a perfect example of what happens when you have " Hope, Faith, Joy and Love" on your side!
 As you can see from the photos, Sam and Harley are two happy Goldens who love life and love to be loved! They have brought so much to our home. We lost our Golden of 12 years to cancer in April 2004. We clearly were not looking for another pet right away, but our house was empty… no warm greeting at the door and no companion for those quiet nights…Our hearts were also empty. I contacted several Golden rescue organizations, but Golden Rescue In Naples, Inc. was the first to respond and pursue my interest in
earnest. We learned to trust the judgement and discretion of the organization; and because of the interest that was shown, and the care and concern of the placement personnel to make the placement perfect for all of us,.we first took Sam into our home, and then a month later took Harley into our home.
 They both needed loving homes. Sam needed a little structure in his life, and Harley is a special needs Golden with Addison's Disease whose owner was looking for an alternative home for him.. They both fit well with our lifestyle and their personalities are PURE GOLD. They have adjusted to our schedules and they are a wonderful addition that I would recommend to anyone considering adoption. It was a very frightful experience at the beginning, one that I had never been through before, but I can say that I have been surprised beyond measure by the efficiency of Golden Rescue In Naples, Inc. and blessed beyond words with the love and companionship that has become a part of our home once again.
The Family of Sam and Harley
updated 08/04/09
Golden Rescue In Naples, Inc. is a 501c3 Non-profit organization.
For more
information, please call 239.514.2715
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