Shelter Dog Special

We all know about January white sales… but this year GRR is finding out about another New Year’s “stock up now” phenomenon, namely the January Golden sale. Who knew? But it’s true – bring in one shelter dog, and get one more, well let’s say two, OK make that three—no, get EIGHT MORE shelter Goldens right away!! Yes, in just  the past 6 days Gold Ribbon Rescue has brought in nine shelter dogs… our heads are spinning trying to keep them all straight.

*1- to 2-year old GOLDEN BOYS – BIG REGIONAL CLEARANCE EVENT*

We got five of them… from five different  shelters. One-year-old Moses was the first to arrive. A typical  jumping, bouncing, distracted pup, this cute blondie was pretty stressed by everything that’s been going on (he was brought to the shelter from far out of town, where he was found as a stray). One thing he knew for sure was that he did NOT want to go back into that darn kennel!  We decided this nice but anxious fella would benefit from a spell of board & train, and by the time he left the vet’s for “school” (after just a couple of days), he was already starting to settle down. “Nice dog… responds well to correction and positive techniques… friendly.” Time and patience will work wonders, as they always do.

Our next boy was gorgeous Jackpot, around age two. A volunteer for another rescue group was at a local shelter to check out a few other dogs, spotted him in a back cage, and called our Hotline. Seems he was on hold  for an adoptive family, but 3 days past the pick-up date, they still hadn’t shown.  But GRR did! Picking a name was easy—one look at him and it was “Wow! We hit the jackpot with this one.”  Jackpot’s a bit skinny at 68 pounds, but once he fills out, you can tell he’ll be a real stunner. At his foster home, he’s learning  just to relax and be a pup. “Any sudden movements or loud noises will cause him to collapse flat on the floor,” says his foster dad. “And for some reason he’s afraid of lying on his side when  somebody’s down on the floor with him. We’ll  work on that. This guy is just a dream on a lead,  he’s calm & quiet, and he gets on fine with our Golden Sonia. And he’s great with the cats, mostly ignores them.  We’re looking forward to his full personality coming out.”

On Monday the 25^th, two MORE boys showed up, both around the 12- to 15-month mark. Stray boy Banx actually had a microchip when nabbed by the long arm of the law—but it didn’t lead anywhere. Said his “chauffeur”: “He is a beautiful blond and a wild man!  He will jump on people, mouth your hands, and grab anything you might have in your hands and play keep away.  On a leash he pulls every which way!  On a positive note, he’s very affectionate and a reasonably good car rider.  He should be easy to train because he seems naturally obedient and wants to please.” Charming red Brick was at a very small shelter, who sent out an SOS – “His euth date is today, so can you get him out fast?” Yes! Sweet, pretty, friendly, good with other dogs, rode nicely in the car. Went straight to the vet for a very badly needed bath (phew! What HAD this silly boy been  rolling in?) and his neuter surgery.

And on the 26^th, in came one more year-old blond – cheerful Austin. This happy stray doesn’t seem to have been on his own for long—he was pretty clean, with nice clean ears and short nails. “Absolutely beautiful!  And nice, too. Doesn’t seem as nutty as most young Golden boys,” said our evaluator.

Unfortunately, young Brick is heartworm positive, but the other four boys are HW negative and should be available for adoption very soon.

*SPECIAL ON GOLDEN  “COMFORTERS”*

“Timid but very, very sweet. A leaner. Loves pets.” Petite blonde Strudel is about 5 or 6, and she had pups around three months ago—hence her shorter, almost Lab-like coat. What a charmer… “ooohh, she is NICE,” just about sums up everyone’s reaction! Unfortunately, this cuddly girl is heartworm positive… but as calm as she already is, we’re hoping the treatment will be a breeze.

“Heartworm positive” was also part of the report on 5-year-old Bliss, another gal who came in from the same shelter just 5 days after Strudel. And on top of that, this dark-gold miss had ears so badly infected that the shelter elected to sedate her and deep-clean them right away… and they spayed her at the same time (she was in heat, too!). After all that, you might expect she’d be down in the dumps… but our volunteer happily reported, “Hooray, we got her!!! I am so in love with this dog. At PetSmart she jumped up, hugged me and tried to bury her head under my arm. She picked out a hot pink shiny collar with sparkly crowns on it, because she is The Princess. (I laid three on the floor and that is the one she chose). I am so glad we have her! She was great with everyone in PetSmart, though shy with kids—she’d try to climb into my lap when she saw them. But when grownups approached, she’d sit and wait for them to pet her.” Medicine for her ears, good food, a cozy home, and heartworm treatment when she’s up for it… in just a few months, Bliss will be feeling  even happier… just as blissful as her name.

* GOES WITH ANY DECOR*

Keeper’s name says it all. With his wavy dark red coat, open smile, and busy, friendly personality, this 8-year-old is a prize who will enhance any home. “He is adorable!  He was behind the counter at the pound, standing up like a person waiting to help.  The staff loves him.  He still has plenty of energy & does a cute little bouncy dance.Good in the car, very responsive, just a fun guy.” Unfortunately, Keeper has heartworms… and at the vet for his check-up, he suddenly became feverish, then started to have trouble breathing.  X-rays showed serious lung congestion, and blood tests revealed the problem: ehrlichia, a tick-borne disease. With anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, though, he’s feeling better, and he’ll be continuing his meds for a while. His badly swollen and infected ears also need help. Right now he’s enjoying  rest and recuperation at a nice quiet foster home, and we hope to report soon that this wonderful  Golden is back in the pink!

* KING-SIZE  DEAL*

At 114 pounds,  5-year-old Goliath is a goliath all right – but ONLY in size. However… warlike? No! A philistine? Absolutely not! Hostile, aggressive, ferocious? No, no, no!! This giant-size fellow is sweet and very gentle. Said our evaluator, “He let me touch his ears, belly, paws, etc. and didn’t seem to mind a bit. Pretty soon he started following me around wherever I went. He’ll make someone a great companion.” But first, Goliath needs to shrink down to more David-like proportions and get back into fighting (er, playing) trim: “the worst systemic yeast infection I have seen in a while,” said the vet. That means skin troubles, eye troubles, infected ears. Oh, and he’s heartworm positive, too. Never mind! It’s going to take some work, but in a few months Goliath will have the gorgeous looks to match his already lovely temperament.

Stay tuned…

Adoption Procedures