Newcomers

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · · · 13 Comments

A couple new dogs arrived in the last week. One is a boarder named Charlie. I worked with Charlie in 2015. He was surrendered to HB because of excess anxiety if I recall correctly. He was diagnosed with pica — regularly eating nonfood items such as pebbles. He was taking Prozac when we got him. Turned out his problem was really just that he was a puppy. We weaned him off the Prozac, worked with some of his behaviors, and he was adopted right away. Charlie is now a very happy and healthy boy enjoying what life has to offer….

Daisy

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

I’m grateful to people who recognize that they simply can’t provide a proper home for their dog, and make the difficult decision to give up their friend. Most people do not realize how much time and effort it takes to do right by a canine companion. Many of them, unfortunately, do not discover the truth until after they already have a dog. Ideally, people realize their limitations early on and work to find a new home for their pet. Or let a rescue like Homeward Bound take care of it for them if they cannot. Daisy came to us from such…

Max goes home

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · · · · 4 Comments

You might remember Max. He’s the impossibly handsome Lab with the shiny eyes who’s made several appearances in my posts. He went home on Sunday, Valentine’s Day. Yes, he sure has my heart. Max is a joyful boy with an intense curiosity about everything in his world. He is big and strong and sometimes a lot to handle. On the outside. On the inside he is still just a little boy. But that little boy could put up a ferocious front when faced with a situation that scared him — like another barking at him. Max worked through his issues…

Scrappy’s Story – Part 1: Descent

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · · 20 Comments

I’ve posted about Scrappy several times already. He’s also often called Scrap, Scrapper, Scrapper-Doodle. He’s been my permanent foster for almost a year now. It’s time to tell his story. He wasn’t supposed to stay with me permanently. I bring dogs over from the Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and give them some time to heal emotionally and get a little training along the way so they can be adopted. I really don’t do much except give them a safe place with some rules and structure. This allows them to get back on track and become the dogs they were meant to…

A piece of me is missing

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue · Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · · · · 14 Comments

Those who work in rescue know that bittersweet feeling that arises when certain dogs (or cats or whatever) move on to their forever homes. We’re delighted for them, of course, but there is a sense of loss too. It’s more than a fair trade though because they still maintain a place in our hearts. Yesterday it was Marshall’s turn to vacate his kennel at my house in exchange for much nicer digs with his new humans. I can’t tell his story better than Ogee so please visit her blog here for Marshall’s story. I suggest this reluctantly due to Ogee’s…

Turnabout is fair play, I suppose

Categories: Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · 20 Comments

Last week I wondered in a post if I had been cheating on my dog, Scrappy. Today I found out what it’s like to be on the receiving end. Scrappy asked me if I would take his picture this afternoon in the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. Seemed suspicious but I obliged him. When we finished I went back in the Homeward Bound office for a short time and returned to find him with … Lori! He must have set up a date. I hid in the bushes and tried to take the best shots I could. There they were all…

Am I cheating on my dog?

Categories: Rescue DogsTags: · · · · · · 24 Comments

Technically, Scrappy is a permanent foster — a dog that can’t be adopted — but I consider him to be mine. He’s a great dog. I love him dearly. He’s cute. He’s got personality. But at a place like Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue you are tempted by many of the new dogs that show up every week. Yule came to us last year just before Christmas. Note: I did not name him. He was a stray so we knew nothing about him. Except that he was scared … and gorgeous. We all attempted to soothe his anxieties but he…