Gillian
Little Miss Gillian has been with us for a week now, and she has completely stolen our hearts. She is a wonderful puppy, with that irresistible mix of playfulness, total charm and love.
All seven of the “Rocky” litter had a bit of a rough time at first—they hadn’t had any vet care, ever, and likely picked up a little bug when they were living outdoors and “roughing it.” So, Gillian and her sister Jewel weren’t feeling too good the first few days at our home. They slept most of the time and had little interest in food or play. After a few days of rest and vet care, however, their real personalities have surfaced. We now have two adorable, mischievous pups running through the house.
Gillian may be the runt of the litter, but don’t let that fool you. She’ll play with the big dogs just fine! She runs right along with our 90-pound Golden to chase after a tennis ball. Every now and then she actually gets one, and prances around the yard with her prize. She loves to snuggle up right next to the big dogs, too. She’ll try to lie down right next to their faces, just wanting to get as close as possible. She will try to get them to play, but if they give her the signal they’re not in the mood, she instantly rolls over, belly up, making it clear that she gets the message.
Inside the house, she puts her focus on the various dog toys. She is the collector of the house. Whenever you are trying to find Gillian, just look for the pile of toys and she’ll be lying in the middle of it! A typical pup, she likes to collect other “toys,” too – that is, shoes, socks, and basically anything she is able to put in her mouth. She will surrender her prize to us when asked, although that doesn’t mean she won’t go look for another one to replace it!
Gillian is a real snuggler. If I stand still in one place, or sit down for more than a minute, she is cuddled up in right next to me, many times with her head lying across my foot. She loves to be petted, and just melts when you look into her eyes and tell her how beautiful she is.
She has been living with three cats here and has done great with them. The cats will lie on the floor within a couple of feet of her, and she pays little attention to them. No chasing or growling whatsoever. Cat FOOD is another story. More than once she has ousted the cats from their bowl to try to eat their food. It’s just too yummy! We’re working on that. But it’s not surprising, really—because Gillian loves her food! She is a little vacuum cleaner when I put her bowl down. Having had a rough start, she is still a bit on the thin side, but now that she is feeling better, she’ll start to look more like a typical nicely rounded puppy.
Gillian loves to go for walks. As soon as the leash is on, she’s at the door ready to go. Both Gillian and Jewel walk very well for as little experience as they have. I’m not going to say they always go in a straight line, but they respond well to little tugs on the leash.
The morning noises like the garbage truck, hedge trimmers, trucks, etc. can be a bit scary, but they just sit down for a moment until the noise passes, then go on their merry way!
Both girls have been doing very well with their potty training. I let them outside as soon as they wake up from their naps, and they go right away as soon as they’re outside. They both sleep through the night without any problem.
Gillian is just an incredible love. She is very self-confident, and ready to take on the world. She loves everyone and everything, and assumes the feeling is mutual. As cute as she is, I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with her instantly!
The rain has come to Central Texas!
… and we don’t mean the weather, either.
No, at GRR it’s raining PUPPIES! In just four days, TEN adorable Golden pups from two litters have arrived in GRR care…
Litter #1: Rocky and Friends
The hotline call came in on Tuesday, September 8th: a few days before, a Good Samaritan had found seven pups abandoned by the roadside as he was heading to his ranch outside of Austin. He had a Golden himself and recognized the floppy-eared little charmers as Goldens. But what to do once he had the whole crew home? Taking in a single pup is one thing, but seven all at once? Time to send out an SOS! Volunteer Jacki was on the case and headed out to meet the pups that same evening. “Four girls, three boys, maybe 4 1/2 to 5 months old, all adorable, but they’re wet and dirty and need to get into rescue pronto,” she reported. In fact, the smallest boy looked pretty miserable. Turned out he hadn’t eaten for over a day and was coughing and listless. “I’m taking him to the ER right now,” said Jacki, as she scooped up little Rocky (“because he’s had such a rocky start”)—“and I’ll be back for the rest of you pups tomorrow!”
…. And just as promised, with Rocky already resting comfortably at the clinic, the Great Puppy Convoy began to roll the very next day. SUVs? Check! Crates? Check! Lots of towels? Leashes? Six more collars in different colors? Check! The wonderful Tanglewood Animal Hospital notified and ready to receive & examine & microchip six more 25-pound, dark gold “packages”? Check! Foster home hunt begun? Check! Ready, set, GO!
With plans in place (after a sleepless night for the intake team and an early morning featuring too much coffee), the collection and transport went like clockwork, and GRR welcomed its newest members: girls Gillian, Mystic, Jewel, and Pearl, and boys Trooper and Mica. Meanwhile, Rocky had been diagnosed with pneumonia and giardia (an intestinal parasite), but with just a few days of vet care he’s feeling much perkier and has already been discharged from the clinic and whisked into a foster home. The other pups are in foster care, too (Trooper, Pearl and Mystic in one home; Gillian and Jewel in another; Mica in a third), and we’re just starting to see personalities. Girl Pearl is social & a leader & thinks “It’s all about me!” Miss Gillian is another confident one, “super active and alert even though she’s the runt of the litter!” Jewel and Mystic are more timid than their sisters, but becoming more curious and active. Mica stayed with the vet one day longer than his siblings to be treated for dehydration, “but he was still droopy. Dr. Abbott thought he was depressed without his dog family & urged me to bring him home. Once he spotted our canines, he perked right up! All the big dogs really like him. We are really enjoying him... such a sweetheart.”
Litter #2: The ABC Girls
… After such a whirlwind start to the week, we figured we were due for a break. BUT – who should show up in the shelter’s photo gallery on Friday, 9/11, but an adorable Golden fluffball of a tiny puppy? She was shown in three different shots, each cuter than the last. The pound is no place for a young pup, and a foster family quickly stepped up to take her in. However, Tracy looked at the photos again and e-mailed, “Uhhhh, are there THREE? There are three different shelter numbers??? And three different links?” !!!!!!! That’s right, “she” was really “they” – three tiny puppies, likely just 6 weeks old, only 5 pounds each, turned into the pound by an owner who couldn’t keep them.
OK, action stations again! Jeanae promptly organized a second convoy, heading north this time. And by Saturday afternoon, 9/12, the puppies had been to the vet, travelled to their foster family, chowed down with great enthusiasm (several times), spent an exciting afternoon meeting new dogs and people, and then suddenly keeled over, puppy-fashion, for a much-needed nap. So as to do it all over again tomorrow! And of course they got their rescue names, too:
“A” is for Aspen, the littlest girl.
“B” is for her sister Bristol.
“C” is for her other sister, Cypress.
…and “E” is for our exhausted but elated GRR team, admiring ten lucky puppies, now safe and sound and on their way to great new lives.
The next few weeks will be eventful ones, as all the puppies continue to feel better, grow, learn, and entertain their foster families with all those puppy antics! Do you want to adopt one of these girls or boys and watch her or him grow up firsthand? If so, just let us know.
You may also find it extremely helpful to review the puppy-care information from Dr Ian Dunbar's website; go to http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads and review "Before You Get Your Puppy" and "After You Get Your Puppy."
View Pictures Here