Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc. (NJ) Newsletter Winter 2009/Letters To GRRI-NJ

Letters to GRRI-NJ

Today Tucker is 10 years old. He is now officially a double digit boy.

John and I want to thank Rescue for allowing us to adopt him back when he was 14 months old. It doesn't seem that long ago. For the three of us it was love at first sight (a real Hallmark moment as he came running thru the field to greet us). We will never forget the contented sigh he gave when he got in the car for his ride to his foster home, it was as if he knew he had found his forever home - it took us the rest of the ride (a whole half hour) to know that he was correct and he was ours.

Barb & John

Happy Birthday Tucker! How quickly the time flies – it does seem like only yesterday.

Greetings!

Joe took these pictures today. He just loves that chair! Liberty enjoying a nice fall afternoon!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Irene

He sure looks nice and comfy.

GRRI,

Here’s Lucy…..she sleeps with her tongue out. LOL. Have a great day.

Pam Schmidt

Now how cute is that!

Hi Shayne (GRRI volunteer),

I just wanted to let you know that we put Taffy to sleep last night. She was having difficulty breathing, she stopped eating and she was so weak that she couldn't get up. It was so hard saying goodbye to her. She was such a good girl. We loved her so much. I just can't believe that she is gone. The cancer originated in her liver and we thought that she would have a couple more months left but she went down hill so fast. We know it was the right decision, but it's so hard to accept it. We loved her so much. She was our little girl.

Cathy Clements

Cathy, we’re so sorry to hear about Taffy. You’re right, even when you know it’s the right thing to do, it’s always so hard. Taffy will always be with you in your hearts.

Hello and Woof!

I can't believe it ... this summer marked my 2 year anniversary of being in my forever home! I had a fun summer playing in the backyard with my human sister and brother. And, I had fun sitting in their little kiddie pool and drinking the water from it! Besides that, I like to sleep a lot, but I have to be in a room with someone from my family. (I think it makes them feel better.) I'm great at begging for food and sometimes, I go right up to a bagel or piece of toast and just lick it!

My family keeps telling me how much they love me. The kids give me lots of hugs, pets and kisses. They always hug me before they go to school and they can't wait to pet me when they come home at the end of the day. During the day, I keep my mom company, but I don't do housework! I'm more than happy to clean up a stray Cheerio on the floor, but besides that, I need my rest!

I'm sending a picture of me with my little sister, Jordan, and my little brother, Jared. It was taken before they went to the beach this summer. I stayed home to catch up on some rest that day.  Please let me know if you receive the picture and this e-mail. I e-mailed an update to you last year and never received a response and never saw my picture in your newsletter, so I want to make sure you get this one. Since I'm turning 10 in a couple of weeks, I want to make sure everyone at GRRI knows how great life has been for me!

Best regards to everyone at GRRI,

Eli Feiner

Eli, you and the kids look wonderful. We can’t believe how big they’re getting. Thanks so much for writing. You’re right, we didn’t get your update last year, we’re sorry we missed it.

Hello GRRI-NJ,

We lost our companion, our partner in crime, our best friend last month, Nugget. We adopted Nugget directly from a family through GRRI five years ago. One of their children was allergic and they could no longer keep her. It was the luckiest day of our lives. She has been at our side ever since. She went on a trip to Baltimore, a camping trip to Maine and many places in between. But last year she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her front leg. We did the best we could and she was with us for another year but the fight was too much.

We miss her smile, her tail thumping on the floor, her nuzzle pushing us not to stop petting her. We know she is waiting for us and we will see her again some day. Thank you so much for bringing us together.

Betty and Mary Croft

We’re so sorry to hear about Nugget. You know she’s watching over you and biding her time until you can all be together again. Thank you for adopting her.

Dear Friends at GRRI,

It is with a heavy heart that I let you know that Rusty died on September 10, 2008 at the age of 13. He was a great dog and was adopted only a short 8 years ago. Up until the morning of his death he was a happy, alert, loving, and faithful friend. He loved going outside, especially helping in the flower and vegetable garden, where he eagerly ate any low hanging ripe tomatoes! He was also my mom’s (age 88) best companion. Thanks to GRRI for finding us such a wonderful ‘red’ Golden to share our home with these past years. The photos show him at one of the GRRI reunions, his majestic ‘white face’, and playing with his ball in the backyard.

Dee Campbell

Dee, our sincere condolences on Rusty’s passing. What wonderful memories you have of him. We’ll miss seeing him at the reunions.

Eileen and Judy (GRRI volunteers),

We have some new photos of Cody. He loves the leaves!

Best,

Amy

Cody sure looks like he’s having a good time and the colors do him justice! A true Kodak moment. Thanks for sending them, Amy.

Hi,

It is very hard to believe that Traveller is 5 already, it seems like only yesterday we were driving down the turnpike to pick him up to foster him. This photo was taken at Goldstock at the lake. This boy almost loves the water as much as Linda and Rich's Rocky.

Traveller has become quite the event boy. He loves going to the events with his brother Cody to meet and greet all the people.

Thank you rescue for allowing us to adopt him, we can't image how empty the house would be without him.

Cody is still his best bud and loves to play with Trav, especially when playing a round of bitey face.

John & Barb

Happy Birthday Traveller. Another lucky “Ready boy”!

Hello Anne (GRRI foster mom),

Just a quick update on the most wonderful dog. She is such a part of our family and we all love her deeply. Her tail is waging finally, so we think she loves us too! She helps herself to her toys (and the children's toys), takes them right out of the basket when she is ready to play. Like you said she is a chewer, we can always get new house plants :) Annie had her first ear infection a couple of weeks back and I found a new Vet to take her to in the area. The Vet I used for my previous dogs is in Bergen county, so new dog, new Vet. Her ears cleared up quickly and she's just great. She just loves going in the car nowadays, she knows it will be someplace fun. Soccer season and football have come to an end, so no more trips to the field, which she got to like and she made lots of friends there too.

Hope all is well with you and yours,

Carla, Kevin, Matthew and Madison Gear

We’re soooo happy to hear how well Annie is doing. She deserves to be in a happy forever home and going for rides to fun places with her family.

Hi Ruth! (GRRI foster mom)

Lexie is still doing great! She loves the boys and loves to play. The baby adores her, he crawls over to her and rests his head on her back, so cute! She has turned into a lap dog, anyone that she likes gets a big visit from her!

We are still interested in adopting another Golden, I just know Lexie would love it. She really loves playing with the neighborhood dogs and I think she would love having a buddy in her own yard. Do we need to submit another application or reactivate our prior one?? Thanks for all your help!!

Jill Holzberg

Hi Jill, we’d love to help your family get a new furry family member. Yes, we will need a new adoption application from you, it's one application per dog. You won’t need a new home visit since we do have that on record.

Hi Eileen (GRRI adoption coordinator),

Just wanted to say hi and show you how wonderful "Glenda" is doing. As you can see by my children's faces they are in love with Glenda.

Hope you are saving lots of Goldens! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Cindy Adams

Cindy, what an absolutely wonderful picture. We all agreed, this is one of the best pictures we’ve ever received. What love between a dog and her children. Thanks for sending it.

Hi Lynda (GRRI foster mom),

I am horrible at this update thing. I actually took pictures a couple of weeks ago to send to you that are still on the camera. I promise to download some and send them.

Jersey is doing fantastic. He had an absolute blast a couple of weeks ago when we got 10” of snow unexpectedly. The kids were trying to make a snowman and Jersey kept running up and jumping on the snowballs they were trying to roll. You probably had to be there, but it was very funny. The kids would also throw a snowball for Jersey to chase and then he would spend a couple of minutes looking for it and trying to figure out where it disappeared.

Jersey has also become a Pittsburgh Steeler fan (I know you probably don’t want to hear that!!). He wears his Big Ben Steelers jersey during the games on Sunday. I actually think he could care less about the game, but he looks good in the jersey.

Jersey’s newest adventure is getting on Haley’s school bus every morning. The bus driver is a dog lover and has small dry doggy treats she gives him. Jersey now paces every morning waiting for Haley and I to be ready to walk to the bus. He wags his tail so hard when he sees the bus that he practically smacks himself in the head with his tail. Haley loves it because her friends on the bus think she has the coolest dog!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!!

Michael, Jill, John, Haley, and Jersey

Thanks for the update, Michael…and “hint hint”…we’re still waiting for those photos!

Hi Lynda (GRRI foster mom),

Just getting ready to go to bed, am working on a paper for grad school. Mara is just wonderful. :) She has adapted to the halti-lead quite well but is still a little nervous walking on a leash. I believe it’s any cars that pass make her a little anxious. Her physical @ the animal hospital went well. At present, she is 63lbs. She had a rash down by her genitals which has since cleared up. Her blood work & urine came back great. She eats right next to her brother, Rugby & also sleeps by him on the bed. My family is just taken with her. Of course she favors me & is sleeping right next to me as I'm typing this email. She is doing much better with leaving the cat alone & responds to leave it when I look straight into her eyes. Everybody @ the hospital fell in love with her right away:)))))))))))))))))))) Currently we are working with teaching her high five which she almost has mastered. In the future, I will work with her on learning play dead:) that will take a couple of weeks, but she's very smart:))))) Feeding time is still cause for excitement with her but I put her in a sit stay & she responds. All in all she's doing great:)))))) BTW she's jumping up on the counter, probably b/c she saw Rugby do it. So I set a set of soda cans up on the counter close to the edge & when Rugby jumped up all the cans fell to the floor! Scared the crap out of him! She saw that & begins to think twice before she does it. Will keep working with her on that.

Hope all is well with you & yours:) Thank you again for Mara:))) We just love her so very much:))))))))))) ))))))

Fondly,

Patty

Thanks for the update, Patty. Mara was quite the counter surfing pro in her former home as well. She managed to grab quite a few Sunday dinner roasts off the counter before they realized THEY needed to be more careful! We’re happy to hear she’s doing so well.

Dear Pat (GRRI foster mom),

It is wonderful to hear from you! You have been on my mind for the past month and I have been meaning to write you. Daisy is WONDERFUL and we love her LOTS and she loves us a ton!!! She is such a sweetie and she knows how to let us know what she needs. Everyone who meets Daisy loves her too. I hope that all is well with you.

Thanks again for writing and I will see if I can get you some pix soon,

God bless,

Rosemary

We’re always so happy to hear that our adopters are so madly in love with the dogs they adopt from us. That means we’re doing our job!

Dear Jill (former GRRI foster mom),

I hope all is well.

I thought you might want an update on Abbey. She is great and the picture attached was taken at the beach about two weeks ago. She is 10 and very healthy. I do give her a shot twice a month for the cranky hip, but besides that she is doing great.

We are outside a lot. I unplugged the outside fence about a year ago. She may meander to the neighbor, but that is about it. Usually she keeps me in her sights at all times.

All the walkers in the neighborhood know that she is extremely friendly. Somehow she knows the mailman comes midday and likes to chase him for a bone or two!

Anyway speak with you soon....may want a playmate for Abbey and do not want a puppy.

Sincerely,

The Cinotti's

Whenever you’re ready, submit an application and we’ll see what we can do about getting you a new pal!

Dear Eileen (GRRI adoption coordinator),

Please accept this donation to GRRI in honor of Judy Lilien and all GRRI volunteers. You are doing wonderful work!

Best,

Amy & David Perlin

Thank you both so much! Judy is a wonderful foster mom, we’re so lucky to have her. And Cody had a wonderful time playing with Judy’s other dogs, even though he did take home some New Jersey dirt with him!

Hi,

I just wanted to send these adorable pictures of Chelsea and Daphne.

We adopted Chelsea about 2 1/2 years ago, and she is a continual source of joy in our lives, especially for her sister, Daphne.

Thank you,

Heidi Walker

Thanks so much for the pictures Heidi!

To Golden Re-Triever Rescue, one & all,

It’s a time for counting blessings and to think of all the reasons life is filled with warmth and joy. That’s why you are being thought about in a very warm and special way.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Margaret & George Bender in loving memory of “Mattingly”

Thank you both so much for your donation in Mattingly’s memory. Holiday blessings to you and your family as well.

Hi Eileen (GRRI adoption coordinator),

I have sad news about Ginger. I adopted her the summer of '07. She started out as a foster and than we ended up adopting her. Well we had to put her to sleep last month. I found several lumps on her right front leg and shoulder the end of September. My vet removed the lumps and it turned out to be a very aggressive form of plasmacytoma. We took her to an oncologist who put her on prednisone which helped to shrink the tumor which grew back very quickly after being removed. The oncologist said chemo or radiation would not be effective for this type of cancer.

Needless to say we are devastated. We couldn't have asked for a more affectionate, sweet, loving dog and we are very grateful for the time we had with her.

Thanks for all the good work you do,

Amy Stein

Amy, we were so sorry to hear about Ginger’s passing. She had a wonderful life with you and Marvin and we appreciate all you did for her.

Dear friends at GRRI,

We just wanted you to know how fantastic Bear is doing (middle front in photo). We had adopted her in mid December '06. We had almost immediately changed her name from Bethany to Bear because it was so much more fitting.....she has these big chocolate brown soulful Teddy Bear eyes! She gets along so well with her sisters, Sophie (left, another adoptee from a neighbor) and Gracie (right).

Sadly, though, Gracie was diagnosed with her second bout of cancer last November, lived another 8 months until she passed away in her sleep in the beginning of July. I believe it was a miracle of sorts that Bear actually came to us when she did, not the other way around, knowing that Sophie would need a companion. Bear, along with Sophie, is a constant source of entertainment and they're best buddies too! We keep in contact with Bear's foster family, Debbie and John Smith. They actually live quite close to us. We had gone over to their house this summer for a barbeque and had a blast! They have Cooper and Cleo, Golden rescues also. It was so much fun watching the four dogs interact with each other. Cleo and Sophie were the swimmers. Bear was nervous about going swimming (but loves baths...go figure)! We love this copper colored girl so much! She's affectionate, intelligent, pretty and is a very happy little doggie (her gentle "grrrrrr" is one of the happy sounds she makes with a toy in her mouth)! We're blessed to have her in our lives! Anyway, we always peek at your site to see what beautiful Goldens are up for adoption.   You may be hearing from us soon again, now that Gracie's gone (we miss having 3 dogs running around)! Nonetheless, we'll keep you posted as to how our sweet Bear is doing! Keep up the good work and have a safe and wonderful holiday season!!!

Sincerely,

Lisa and Bill Barkenbush, Sophie and Bear :)

What a wonderful photo...we love seeing pictures of “Golden heaps”. We’re sorry to hear about Gracie and can imagine how much you miss her despite having 2 other dogs in your home. We see you’ve submitted a new application so we’ll see what we can do for you!

Editor's note: Since this letter was submitted, Lisa and Bill have adopted another GRRI Golden, Becky!

Hi everyone,

I've been very busy this year so not a lot of e-mails. Attached is a picture my mom took of us. Wizzer is on the left with Nick, Sammy is in the middle with Vinnie, & I am on the other end with Danielle. My mom made the bandanas for us. I hope everyone is well and we all wish you a safe & happy holiday.

Shylow & family

We have to say, Shylow, that we’ve missed your emails. They’re always so entertaining.   Your kids are so grown up, they’re really young adults now. Wizzer and Sammy look great too. Did you stand on the table for your birthday again this year?

GRRI,

It’s now official, we signed the adoption contract today so Shep/Chef, whose name is now Brodie, is officially a member of our family. I showed him the contract and explained that he was ours now but he didn’t seem impressed since it wasn’t edible.

Thanks for all your help and support! I’ll keep the photos coming. Attached is one taken when I was getting out Christmas decorations. Brodie immediately moved into the vacated storage space.

Cheers,

Nancy

Congratulations, Nancy, and thank you for enrolling Brodie in obedience classes at St. Hubert’s. They’re such a wonderful training school and we really felt it was something he needed to have in order to start off on the right paw with his forever family. It’s always great to see a Golden in the middle of holiday decorating. They love to help.

Happy Holidays from the Holzberg family!! Lexie is a doll and we just love her!

Jill

What a great family family photo. We can’t wait to see Maggie added to next year’s photo.

Hi Judy! (GRRI foster mom)

It’s been a while … how are you? How is your brood?

I saved all my Halloween online/email cards to open when my life wasn’t so hectic … didn’t open it until a few weeks ago. I apologize, but did enjoy it very much despite the passing of the holiday. Thank you.

Amber is good – I love that dog more and more each day. We have three cats now and she’s great with them. None of us thinks she likes the rescued Golden, Maya, we adopted last spring. Maya is 3 years old and a little nutty. Amber’s facial expressions say it all … "I wish you weren’t here!" I was walking them on one leash that divided into two. About two months ago Amber just stopped in the middle of our walk and refused to move. I know I could have made her continue, but she doesn’t do things like that without a reason. So, I unleashed her and continued walking with only Maya on the leash. Amber very happily followed – she would stop and sniff, but always caught up with us. I think she was very happy not to be connected to Maya! Now I use two separate leashes, the extendable (is that the word?) for Maya and a regular one for Amber and it works great. Occasionally Amber will stop and not want to go any further … I turn, talk to her, she wags her tail at me and eventually we move along. She loved the snow over the last couple days – it makes her so spunky. With the addition of Maya I do notice how old Amber is. It shows up in her eyes – something about them looks like they have seen a lot of years. I’ve purchased dog beds for her so it’s softer on her calluses when she gets up from lying down. Her allergies are the same – except when we had a flea infestation (yuck) – and she sleeps a lot during the day. However, she lights up and looks about 2 years old when her food or biscuits are in sight.

If Amber could email you I am sure she would wish you a Merry Christmas and be happy that she lived in your house after she was rescued.

XO Donna

Hi Donna, thanks for the Amber update! Is it possible that Amber is developing arthritis in her spine and/or hips and that’s why she sometimes pauses during walks? Other than of course to stop and smell everything in sight! Maybe she needs a little bit of pain medication like Metacam. And of course some Glucosamine and Chondroitin. We’d love a new picture of her and Maya. Happy Holidays!

Dear GRRI,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of the great people in the group.…And a very big Thank You for Hutch.

The Germer Family,

Charles, Ilene, Cassie and Hutch, "our Golden kids”

Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for the picture of the furkids…they look great!

Hi Lynda & family, (GRRI foster family)

Happy Holidays from the Liveseys :)   From left is Taylor, Rugby, Lana (changed her name) and Lacey.

Loved your dancing Golden moments. Thanks for thinking of us.

All is well with Lana. She has made a wonderful addition to our family. Rugby has met his match. She tires him out. We are truly happy & love her so much. She has become quite attached to me. She sleeps attached to me in the bed. I love every moment of it:)))))))))))

Enjoy your holidays with your family & have a joyous New Year:))

Fondly,

Patty

What a beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sending it. We’re thrilled you’re so happy with Lana!

Hi Judy (GRRI foster mom),

Could you PLEASE take me back? They are making a fool out of me. They call me their "little dear". I know you would never do this to me.

Merry Christmas anyway,

Maverick Myers

We hate to say it, Maverick, but you look absolutely adorable!

Anne (GRRI foster mom),

If I could just get out of this nice warm bed I'd send you a card.

Happy holidays!

Love,

Lucy

Oh Lucy, you look soooo nice and comfy in that bed. That’s the perfect place to be on a cold winter’s day.

Dear GRRI-NJ,

My 13-year-old Golden, Sydney, is watching me from her spot in front of the fire, near the Christmas tree. She is a great joy in my life, and I don't even mind that I sleep on the couch now to be near her in case she needs me at night. We lost her great friend and life companion, Travis, an almost 15-year-old Golden, last March. Sydney became ill that night, and of course I thought she was depressed. A week later, when she was still sick, the Vet did some tests and told me she has extensive "metastatic disease" and would only last a few more weeks.   That was March 11. I know we have little time left together, and I want these last few weeks to be as great for her as all the weeks that went before. She still likes her toys and her dog cookies, and going for walks, and will sometimes even still wrestle on the floor with me. Watching her fills me with such happiness, and such sorrow at the same time. I try to never let her see me cry.

Thank you for letting me tell my Sydney story, and for taking care of other Goldens like her. Please accept this small contribution, in memory of Sydney and Travis, and Jake and Maggy Mae, my first two Goldens.

With warmest regards,

Susan Iannarelli

Susan, thank you so much for your moving letter and for your donation. All of us who have shared our lives with these wonderful dogs know the feeling of helplessness that you’re experiencing right now. May you have many more quality months with Sydney.

Hi Jody and Anthony (GRRI foster parents),

I just wanted to send you a couple of Christmas photos of Maggie [formerly Goldie]. She is very good in the house and likes her daily routines, especially the walks. Corey really enjoys his early morning walks with her in the park. She still gets overly excited when she sees another dog, but she is gradually getting better on the leash. All in all, she has a great personality, and we are very happy that she is a member of our family.

Have a Merry Christmas,

Lucille & Corey

Maggie certainly looks happy in her new home and it looks like she’s claimed that chair as her own! Thanks so much for sending us your update and photos.

Hi Lynda (GRRI foster mom),

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The picture from our holiday card is attached. Hope you like it. Julie, me and the kids want to wish you and your family a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

Tom

P.S. There is a ringtone on Julie's phone that makes Max howl and bark, it is funny. I will videotape him and send it to you.

What a great family picture…Max looks wonderful. Happy New Year to you and your family as well!