Kirby

After losing my previous golden to gastric torsion (twisting of the stomach), I didn't think that I could ever have another golden that would be like him. I decided I could not lose another dog, so I would not replace him. After two weeks, I realized that the house was way too quiet and calm without a golden in it. I started searching for a golden puppy, but a friend suggested that I consider adopting, so I decided that I would give it a try. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, not knowing what the dog had previously been through left me a little unsure.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if these dogs have been through a terrible time, then they deserve to have a nice and loving home. I mean, who could possibly hurt or treat a golden badly (I'm afraid that there are people out there that do hurt them). But I decided that I can make a difference in the life of at least one golden. I started looking at your website and called and visited several dogs, but they just didn't have that connection to match up with me. Just when I thought I was about to give up on adopting, then came Kirby.

I went to the foster home where Kirby was and when the couple had me come into the house, Kirby jumped up and put his paws on my shoulders and licked me on the end of the nose. Well that was it, the connection made. We sat and talked for a think and hour or two and I didn't realize it, but I had been petting him the whole time. When the couple came to my place to see where Kirby would be living, I wasn't sure whether I was going to be considered worthy of adopting him and so I asked if I would be allowed to adopt him. They said, Oh yes, he's going to have it made. I guess they could tell that I spoil my goldens, just a little. Kirby had been kept away from people in the home he was rescued from, had been adopted and returned to the Rescue, and had been through numerous foster homes, so I wasn't sure exactly how he would react when he saw someone. Would he be afraid or people or would he be on the other end of the spectrum and "love" people too much?

Well, he LOVES people, especially small children. There was a little boy in my apartment complex when I first got Kirby that loved Kirby as much as Kirby loved the little boy. We had gone to get the mail and Kirby was trying to lick the little boy. When his mother told him to tell Kirby goodbye, he turned and grabbed Kirby by the muzzle and planted a kiss right on the end of his nose. Well, of course Kirby had to return the kiss!

Everyone in the apartment complex knew who Kirby was (we've since moved into a house). They didn't necessarily know my name, but they knew Kirby's name and I became "Kirby's Mom". Kirby and I were out for our walk one day when we were stopped by a 4-year old. He asked if Kirby was "a golden wetweava" and if he could pet him. I told him that Kirby would love for the little boy to pet him. He proceeded to tell me that he was 4 years old and I told the little boy that Kirby was also 4 years old. He said "he's awfwe big for 4 yeaws old." He said that Kirby was "not as light as most goldens, like the color of honey." After we talked for a while, the brother of the little boy ran back over to his bike and I told him that he had better go with his brother and ride his bike and Kirby needed to finish his walk. The little boy, very seriously, looked at me and said, "can we meet again, cuz I just wuv golden wetweavas?" I said sure, Kirby would love that. The little boy went running off yelling "we can meet again, we can meet again!" Needless to say, I do believe that Kirby just made the day a 4-year old!!

As you can see, the house is no longer too quiet or too calm, it's filled with the love of a golden. I want to thank NRGRR for providing me with my perfect "golden" opportunity.

With Much Love,

Pamela & Kirby

A Tribute in memor of Maggie (Allison) and NRGRR Volunteer Maja

Maggie was my idea. We needed the second dog to keep our golden retriever/lab mix rescue, Zander, company.  Not a lot was known about Maggie, except everyone believed she was a problem child and "bad dog".  We pieced together this biography.   When the original owner got pregnant with her first child she swore Maggie, a six month old pup then, posed a behavior problem and surrendered her to the SPCA. The SPCA contacted the rescue group and Maggie was on her odyssey from one home to the next.  She was surrendered over and over again because someone didn’t have time for her or someone abused her physically and mentally or someone kept her confined alone all day behind a fence with no attention.  Before we spotted her big brown eyes behind the pen of the handler, she had lived in eight different homes in eighteen months. 

From the moment we saw her, we vowed she was going to be ours and that we would bring her home to our Zander and she would have her forever home with us.  Maggie was far from a “bad dog.”  She suffered from separation anxiety.  Who wouldn’t given her history?  She was bossy and mouthed your arm to keep you near.  She didn’t want to be alone outdoors.  But, as we quickly learned, all that Maggie really wanted to do was please.  Please us she did for nearly nine years.  She romped, she swam, she put up with our cats, she comforted us, she rode shotgun, she chased our Zander until he died, then she made a great dog out of our puppy Jax, another rescue from the NRGRR.  Once Maggie accepted that we liked her, we really liked her, as Sally Fields would say, the bossiness disappeared, as did the mouthing and the fear of being outdoors. 

When we got the news that Maggie had cancer of the blood vessels, we were profoundly saddened at the prospect of life without her.  We had sympathetic friends who tried to comfort us.  But the kindest words were simple ones that so honored our Maggie. “May I come for a visit?” your Maja M. asked.  Words that showed caring and respect for Maggie’s place in our family.  Unfortunately, Maja never got her visit with our Maggie.  Maggie’s disease had progressed too quickly.  It was time.  Those same big, brown eyes that begged us to bring her home, said let her go.  So, we drove her to Lake Jordan and let her romp in a March breeze with Jax for the last time and we gave her treat after treat. And then we granted her her wish, and we let her go.

Maggie and Maja, they will always have golden spots in our hearts.

Lisa

Rex Perry has been by my side for so many years and still sleeps on the bed with me. We live on fourteen acres now and Rex is fascinated with all the deer, bunnies and possum that live in our woods. He is an older golden these days and a little slower and less tolerant of the cats, sometimes he steals their food. When he is not on the bed he likes to lounge around on whichever furniture is close by. Our best guess is he is somewhere around eleven and we are fortunate and thrilled he is so healthy and active. He has seen me through life’s ups and downs and has been my best friend along that journey.

Sadie Mae Perry loved the snow last March, in fact she loves everything. She has the happiest, easiest going disposition of any golden I have ever met. Three years ago Sadie had a splenectomy and has managed beautifully. The vets were amazed that she didn’t even need anesthesia for the ultrasound, she is a very cooperative good girl. She is a little on the big boned side and has also aged to around eleven now but is happy and healthy. She only likes to sleep on the bed in the summer when the air conditioner is on and we still have a lot of problems with thunder storms. But she is the sweetest most loving friend I could have ever found.

Lola

I contacted the NRGRR in early 2001 when my current golden retriever Maggie was suffering from loneliness (her mother had just died at age 16) and heart failure.  I knew Maggie would be passing on soon, but hoped to alleviate her loneliness by fostering a dog for company.  Unfortunately the NRGRR  got back to me with a request to foster just a day after Maggie died.  My daughters and I were feeling pretty raw and weren’t sure we were ready to have another dog in the house right away.  However an adoptive family had been already selected for Lola and all that was needed was for me to pick her up from the vet and keep her for a few days until the adoption was completed.  I agreed.  Interestingly I knew the family that was adopting her – they were a lovely couple that had another GR at the time.  I knew Lola would be going to a happy home.

Lola and I bonded right away.  Lola was fortunate that she had not been mistreated or abandoned – her owner was in the final stages of cancer.  I kept Lola for a week and during that time I could almost hear her sending me messages “I want to stay with you.  We belong together”.  I was tempted to keep her, but she had been already promised to Jim and Mae.  Besides that, I was very busy, with a full time job and a horse that I rode every day.  I felt that I hadn’t had enough time to spend with my previous dogs and didn’t think it would be fair to Lola to leave her alone so much.  So at the end of the week, I delivered her to her new home.

The very next day I lost my job.  I thought “I’d have time for a dog now”.  My father was diagnosed with cancer.  I thought “I really need a dog now”.  I was regretting my decision and I was really missing Lola.  After one week I received a phone call: “Lola just isn’t happy here.  She has not stopped looking out the window for you.”  So Lola came back to me – to stay.  Because she was such as sweet girl, she was allowed to go to the horse barn with me and we’ve spend many happy hours together on trail rides.  She became my road trip partner (think ‘Thelma & Louise’) on the long drives to Michigan to visit my parents during my dad’s illness and she brought him great comfort laying at his side.  We fostered several other dogs and she always graciously shared her home, her food and her mom with them.

Lola will turn twelve next month.  Wherever I go, she still wants to go with me.    She is still full of energy and bounce, and aside from the white face, you would never know she is a “senior”.  I hope to have Lola for many more years.  When she finally goes to the Rainbow Bridge, I will be back at the NRGRR to see who picks me next.

Andrea Bailey

The Perfect Match

I have been moved to write this letter because of my recent adoption from the NRGRR. I would like to start by saying that it took me several months to find what would eventually turn out to be the perfect match.

I looked at the SPCA, all the rescue groups throughout the Triangle and even shelters out side of the Raleigh-Durham area. It was an ongoing search, night after night, day after day. I was ready for my pet companion but it seemed to be very difficult. Some shelters didn't know enough about the dogs to make me feel comfortable enough to want to make that commitment, other shelters were just too busy to take the time with me that I needed. It was becoming frustrating and it was beginning to consume a lot of my time.

On a Saturday morning in August, I decided to check out the NRGRR web-site, as luck would have it, they were having an adopt-a-thon at the PetsMart on Glenwood, so I decided to go. It was fun, I pet a lot of pooch's, filled out an application, talked to a couple of volunteers and met Martin. I put on my application that I would be interested in learning more about Martin. About a week later my application was approved. The really strange thing was, I had been approved through a lot of other shelters and I kept looking and looking, this time, I relaxed and all of a sudden I stopped thinking about it. I remember telling a friend that I was not consumed with it any more, I felt like my interaction with the volunteers was good and someone was going to help me find my match. That's where Sue comes. She kept in contact with me week after week. She would tell me about a few dogs and always concentrating on the things that were important to me. The dog that was mentioned in every conversation was Martin. Martin was heartworm positive upon his arrival to NRGRR, therefore he was on his treatment and could not be visited. I waited until he was a week away from being able to be adopted and went to visit. I knew when we met that he was the one. We are companions now. He is a wonderful dog. He is extremely loving, wanting to please, smart, friendly and faithful. I get greeted when I wake up in the morning and when I come home. He hangs out with me in what ever room I am in. My experience with NRGRR has been wonderful. Thanks to the NRGRR I have my pet companion and Martin has a forever home and a human companion.

The rescue is made up of volunteers and without the care from them NRGRR would not be what it is. I thought others should know that Sue does a great job and it really shows that she cares, not only about the dogs having a good home but I felt like she cared about me having what I was looking for and I was not put at the bottom of her list. I would like to add that Martins foster mom, Beth, was equally helpful. She was willing to take her time talking about Martin, she was accommodating when it came to visiting and picking up and she has checked on him a couple times since the adoption. At one point I was starting to believe that I was not meant to have a dog, now I know why, I was meant to go through the NRGRR and end up with Martin, which by the way, I have changed his name to Charlie. In the picture, Charlie is on my left.