GRINinc. NEWS UPDATES
SEPTEMBER 2006

OUR FOCUS THIS MONTH IS FOSTERING !!

We wish to take this opportunity to mention a truly wonderful foster family ... Ron and Lisa Hykes, their Golden Harley and their cat Davidson.  Ron, Lisa and Family would take any dog, at any time; we could always depend on them.  They sacrificed for our special Goldens just so they would have a home to go to.   Ron and Lisa formally sent in their resignation just this past week as a foster family since they will be moving to North Carolina to be closer to family at the end of the month.  Ron and Lisa ... you will be greatly missed ( oh yes and that crazy redheaded Golden Harley and the quiet, always on guard, cat Davidson will be also missed).  We thank you for helping us and more importantly the 13 Goldens that you have fostered.  You really made a difference in their lives. 
 

Wow, I couldn’t possibly foster. I have too many dogs now. Three to be exact. I couldn’t possibly bring another dog into the house. The other dogs probably wouldn’t accept it and I’d have a mess on my hands. Besides, my wife would kill me if I did. Not only that, but I know I would fall in love with the dog and it would never leave. And let’s see, I’m way too busy and gone a lot. We both work full time, go to dog shows on the weekends, and we train three nights a week. I couldn’t possibly have the time to foster. Oh yeah…I can’t take a chance on exposing my dogs to something a stray from the pound might drag in here.

These were just some of the thoughts that went through my head when I was filling out a volunteer form for a Golden Retriever Rescue back in 1997. I literally checked every “box” on the form EXCEPT the one that said “foster”. Little good it did me. Exactly one week after I sent the form in, a lady called me pleading for me to take in a dog in my area that was in horrible shape and the owners had threatened to take it to the pound. I reluctantly agreed to take the dog temporarily until a better foster could be found.

Huckleberry became our first foster. Since then we have shared our house with more than 50 other fosters. Why you might ask, when I had so many good reasons to not foster? Well…I was wrong! One more dog didn’t really matter that much and my own dogs were pleased to have another playmate. I now have six dogs and continue to foster. Is time tight? … yes, but it’s worth giving up a little more time to help a dog that might die if not offered another chance. What about our trips out of town? Rescue always paid to have the dog kenneled or found another home for the dog to stay until we got back. No problem whatsoever. Did my dogs come down with some horrible disease? No. Even though Huckleberry had almost no hair and had parasites both external and internal, my dogs were fine. I keep my dogs vaccinated and Frontline’d, so the risk of disease is minimal.

Now for the big one. Did we fall in love with him? You have no idea! I cried my eyes out when he went to his new home. After all we took this wretch of a dog that no one wanted and turned him into something that anyone would want. What a feeling of satisfaction we had knowing that we had helped place this wonderful creature in a home where he was going to loved and taken care of for the rest of his life. Huckleberry is responsible for the over 50 fosters we have had since him. The second one was easier to let go of and the third easier yet. Now we just take great satisfaction in helping to rehabilitate a dog and watch it go to a wonderful home.

So there you go. You might think you have all these reasons that you can’t foster, but Huckleberry just took all those reasons away! If you don’t foster, please consider it. Foster homes are the backbone of any rescue. You can be the “richest” rescue in the world but if you don’t have fosters, you aren’t going to save any dogs. I have personally had to tell different Animal Services that we couldn’t take a dog from them because we had no foster home for it. The dogs were put down. Now that is something that is hard to do! I think about those dogs a lot. What I would have given for an open foster home.
John Pfohler

Golden Rescue in Naples, Inc. does it’s best to make fostering a pleasant experience for you. If for any reason the dog doesn’t work out in your home, we will move it. We provide access to experienced dog trainers, etc… to answer any questions you might have and to give you support. Be it house breaking, jumping, or medical questions, we are there to help you. Give us a time when you are going out of town and we will make arrangements for boarding or moving the dog. We will supply you with a crate if needed and we pay all medical expenses. You will be involved in the adopting process when suitable homes are found for your foster. Please visit our website at: http://www.grininc.org/foster.html

Thank you.
The Board of GRINinc.

To My First Rescue Dog
author unknown

You came to me full grown
But very much like a puppy.
A human's love you had not yet known.
Each pat on your head
Caused you to jump in a frenzy.
In your first hours you even shredded your bed.
Each experience was new and you were so amazed.
Inside the house you seemed overwhelmed.
Just the simplest things would capture your gaze.
Constant excitement was your state.
Your jumping and barking
Made you a challenging roommate.
But slowly you came to understand
And when I reach out
You no longer chewed on my hand.
Within a few months so calmly you sat.
Imploring with those sweet brown eyes
To give your head just one more pat.
The adoption day in mid-December
When you met your new family
Is one I will always remember.
I sent you on your way
With a final hug and kiss
Knowing your new life began that day.
You trotted away without a backward glance
And through my tears I smiled
Because you deserved this second chance. 

 

Between August 15 and September 15, 2006
we have had 6 adoptions completed!
Click on WOOF REPORT on the left menu
to see photos of our recently adopted Goldens. 

Don’t forget to check our current AVAILABLE DOGS !!

The Rainbow Bridge

GRINinc extends our sympathies
to the family of Jim Huff on the death of his mother, and
to the family of Stephanie Foster on the death of her father.

Congratulations

WATCH FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE OF 'NEWS UPDATES'
IN MID-OCTOBER 2006.
WE WILL BE POSTING A 'NEWS UPDATES' ISSUE EACH MONTH
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WITH THE CURRENT EVENTS IN GRINinc.!

ARCHIVES:  (click on the following links)
News Updates August 2006

Golden Rescue In Naples, Inc. is a 501c3 Non-profit organization.

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