Lesson learned?

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · 3 Comments

I’ve written a few times about introducing dogs. It’s an interesting process that occasionally leads to surprises, some of them unpleasant. But most meetings go as expected especially if the humans are careful and observe what the dogs are telling you. We start with the dogs on leashes which we then drop if the dogs seem okay with each other.After the dogs interact successfully for a few minutes we take the leashes off the collar. We keep metal bowls on hand that we clang loudly if the dogs start mixing it up after the leashes are dropped. That almost always…

Fall tapped me on the shoulder

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · 9 Comments

I haven’t shot much in the HB garden lately. For several reasons. On Friday I found myself at HB with no dogs and no pressing need to get home quickly. I fed Frida the Cat, and, instead of hurrying to the car, I grabbed a camera and strolled through the garden. It was almost a new experience for me — it had been so long. Perhaps more so because the weather had recently turned cool. That’s a relative thing, of course. In Sacramento we’ll mostly have temps in the 70s and even 80s throughout October. I relaxed and slowed down…

‘Spresso Redux

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · 6 Comments

I wrote about ‘Spresso in a previous post here. I’m happy that he’s back for a short visit. I’m actually a bit late in posting since ‘Spresso is going home today. Having five dogs to take care of and being under the weather tends to put you behind. I’m also very pleased to note that ‘Spresso has improved quite a bit since his last visit. I commented in the previous post that “He’s not the most confident of dogs so loud noises, sudden movements, and new situations can be a bit challenging for him.” I noticed right away that ‘Spresso’s…

Red Alert!

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · 7 Comments

Sorry, no Star Trek red alert klaxon here. This is about a different sort of red alert. If you’ve volunteered at Homeward Bound long enough the other volunteers start to learn your canine preferences. I’ve mentioned before that I am partial to the red ones. One day last week I informed 3 times of a new guest named Killian within 15 minutes of my arrival. Oh, and I got an e-mail too which included which kennel the new up was residing in. I took him out later that day for photos This is Killian. I liked him right away. He…

Sometimes you can only do the best you can do

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · 30 Comments

Maxton arrived at Homeward Bound in the middle of July. Of course, I noticed him right away because he was a big, red boy. That always gets my attention. I took him out for photos not long after he showed up that and spent a little time with him. I soon realized that he had a hole in his soul — there was something missing. This isn’t unusual in rescue. Most of the dogs we get are reasonably happy and balanced given that their lives have just been turned upside down. But for some, like Maxton, there is a deeper…

Buddy pays another visit

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · 15 Comments

You’ve met Buddy before in previous posts. He’s a Homeward Bound alumnus who comes to stay with me and Scrappy every now and then. Well, with me, Scrappy, and whichever random dogs happen to be here. That can be an unsettling proposition for a dog that lacks confidence. But Buddy has come a long way since he was adopted by Mary and Drew. This time it was the lovely and talented Daisy with whom Buddy was forced to share living quarters. Scrappy played chaperone the entire time. I had to keep Daisy and Buddy separated for the first couple days…