Golden Beginnings -- Success Stories

Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue

Success Stories

(updated 4/28/08)

News from Katie

Update on Katelyn, now known as Katie Spaulding. We adopted Katie from you in November 2006. I can't tell you how much she has blessed our family. As you can see from some of her photos, she has grown to be a very happy dog. She loves to play with our other Golden, Olive, and is just all and all a wonderful dog. We love her so much. She's added years of life to us and to Olive. When we first adopted Katie, she would bolt at the first sign of escape; however, we quickly learned the magic word to stop her in her dead in her tracks...COOKIE! She loves to eat and has the poundage now to prove it. Thanks for everything.

Robert and Marisela S.

4/24/08

News from Keeley

I have a brag for one of our former GBGRR girls. Keeley, was pulled from a shelter in Louisiana & fostered with Stacy & Barbara ( I think) for a short time before finding her forever home. She was terribly thin & malnourished when we took her in. She was adopted by Lois W. & trained in agility. She still has some eyesight issues but is doing wonderful in agility. She has earned her MACH which is Master Agility Championship ... it's a big deal in agility. She also qualified to compete at the AKC National Agility Championship competition held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Only 219 dogs in the country qualified to compete in her class. Out of the 219 dogs, mostly border collies, our Keeley placed 47th !!!!! I am so very proud of her !!

Brenda K.

GBGRR Volunteer

4/16/08

News from Macy Pup Louie

Kathy (Macy and pups foster Mom),

I thought would send a couple pictures of Louie. He has really come out of his shell.....running all around the house and getting into everything he can find. He is a definite love though. We get plenty of laughs watching him. He kept trying to get on the couch so decided would put a little step stool in front of sofa and teach him to get up by himself. Well it only took 2 times and 2 treats for him to learn this. Now he just comes up whenever he wants.

Hope you are getting the chance to enjoy some peace and quiet now that all the puppies have gone to their new homes.�

Dana Gazelle

3/20/08

News from Muffin, now known as Lucy

Muffin, now known as Lucy, went to her "forever home" early as her new mom Vivian agreed to foster her through heartworm treatment. The treatment was tough on her, but she's over it now and doing great. She loves her new brother Shasta the kitten-- they enjoy wrestling and cuddling together. She also loves hiking, camping, playing on the beach, and of course swimming-- water draws her like a magnet! She's lost a healthy amount of weight on fit'n'trim dog food, but still gets occasional treats-- tuna is her favorite food ever! Opening a can (to split with Shasta) starts a small riot.

Lucy and her new family are having a great time together and look forward to a long and happy future.

Vivian B.

3/13/08

News from Yukon

Hi! We just wanted to tell you thank you again for allowing us to adopt Yukon. It has been almost three years since he came into our lives and he remains the CENTER of our home. We all ADORE him more than words can say. He truly completed our family. Before Yukon there was a piece missing that was filled when he came into our home.

He gets attention and love all day, someone is usually home with him, talking to him and loving on him the majority of the time. He loves to play ball in the open lot across from our house and go on walks around the neighborhood or at a local wooded park.

He is the world's BEST dog! He is SO well behaved and patient and sweet. He visits the kids classrooms and the teachers love to have him come because he is so calm with the children.

He does nothing wrong.... he does not counter surf (or even take food when my kids leave it down on the floor!) or go out the door without being told it is ok... he comes when he is called... he is simply the best.... we love him more than words can say...we all think our hearts might burst with the love we have for this sweet boy and every night we count him in the blessings bestowed on our family.

Thank you again! Kristen, Ken, Mason & Rachel W.

3/9/08

News from Kramer

Mike,

Wanted to send you a few photos of Kramer. He is doing SO well! He has settled into his new home pretty easily.

The highlight of his day is jumping into the pool. While he is not a swimmer yet, he loves to bask in the sun and cool water on the sundeck of the pool. He is very smart and has been learning lots of new commands at obedience school. He has even learned how to be confident when he goes on a walk. He has made such huge strides in learning about the world outside of our backyard. We also learned that he is very entertained by shadows on the floor. He spends much of his evening pouncing on shadows from fans, people moving, and especially his own shadow. We are constantly amused by his antics. He has truly lived up to being a typical velcro golden. He is my shadow all day, every day.

I can't believe it has already been 6 weeks! It seems like he has been a part of our family forever. We are so thankful that he came into our lives. Thank you so much for setting us up to meet him. He truly is the perfect addition to our family.

Jenna B.

3/2/08

News from Annie

I just wanted to touch base and give you all an update on my Annie, (Sandi). Annie is doing wonderful, she has blossomed so much in the 51/2 months since I adopted her. At first she was shy and easily frightened, but now she has relaxed, and bonded with me so well. I think she knows she is safe and loved very much. She no longer jumps at sudden noises or movements, and the kitchen has now become a room she is not longer leary of entering. This is this relaxed calmness and contentment to her now. And I swear to you, she smiles at me, HONEST!! Annie has the most expressive face.

I'm not sure how she was treated in her past, but she has come a long way in a short time. She is definitely my Velcro girl, but that is just fine with me :). My family all adore her. When they come to visit she gets all the hugs and tummy rubs she wants.

I just want to say a heart felt "Thank You" for bringing this wonderful girl into my life. She has rought so much love and happiness to me.

Sometime in the future, closer to the summer I plan to adopt a second "Golden" so you will be hearing from me soon. Annie has gone to Doggie Day Camp so I could see how well she does with other dogs and she loves her time there, so I feel adopting a second Golden would be a positive for her.

Again, thank each one of you for the wonderful work you do, you are all very special people.

Kay Z.

2/6/08

News from Allie

Just wanted to pass along a short update on Allie. She proudly wore her Mardi Gras costume and walked in the Krewe of Barkus Parade in Galveston on Sunday afternoon.

Barry K.

2/4/08

News from Cody

Just thought I'd send a New Year's note to let you all know that Cody is doing so well… it's like he's been part of the family for years!

Wishing you both a great and "Golden" New Year!

Curtis L.

1/1/08

News from Max and Dakota

I just wanted to say a special thank you to Golden Beginnings for my two precious boys - today was Max's one year birthday of joining the family. When I picked my little red cutie up last year, I had no idea that my first foster was going to be my best "failure"- although I'm pretty sure Max, from the way he laid his head in my lap when we first met, knew he'd found his mommy. He and Dakota (his 2 year birthday is coming up!) bring such happiness to me, and always put a big smile on my face. Cil, thank you so much for finding Max for me, and thank you for letting me keep him! I just can't imagine getting along without my dear pups, and I know that everyone else who has a Golden thinks the same thing - it just hit me again today how important helping these wonderful dogs is - not just for the sweethearts themselves, but for the tremendous joy they will bring to the family they complete!

Thanks for letting us be a part of it all!

Rachel, Dakota & Maxwell

GBGRR Volunteer and Foster Family

1/16/08

We adopted Higgins last December a few days before Christmas. We adore him!!! He has been the most wonderful addition to our family and we cannot imagine life without him. He is doing beautifully and has grown out a gorgeous coat over the past year. Thank you for all of your help in matching him up with us. Happy Holidays!

Finlay has been part of our family for a year and a half. Even though he’s over three years old he still acts like a puppy! Most of the time he runs up and down the stairs of our home in hot pursuit of his tennis ball squeaky toys. You’ll note he loves to eat them as well. He appears to be doing his best to gnaw his way through his toy donut in this picture!

Hi there,

Thought you would appreciate our good timing with this shot of the boys trying to go for a ride in our Jeep without us! :-) Thanks for all your efforts toward finding beloved Goldens homes!

Daisy is doing wonderful and she is a real cuddle-bug. She loves to climb up on the couch between Floyd and I while we watch TV and curl up on our bed at night. As I type this to you Daisy is at my feet :-). She has definitely bonded with me, as she seems to follow me everywhere. We are still working on the counter/table surfing, but with time I am sure she will learn... just as she has quickly learned to LOVE ice. For some reason, Echo as a puppy learned to love ice, he taught Hershy and now all three come running when they hear the ice falling into a glass.

I truly think Daisy is a perfect match for our family. She loves to play with Hershey, play watch dog with Echo and cuddle all night long with us. I really could not have asked for a more perfect fit!!

Please feel free to share this email with Mike and the website. I would love for others to be able to read a truly great success story.

Keeley was pulled from the Roicy Duhon Shelter in Lafayette Louisiana in November 2005 and transported to Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue in Houston Texas. I fostered Keeley for awhile and then adopted her. I fell in love with her enthusiasm for life and her kind eyes.

Keeley was very thin and malnourished, weighing only 29 pounds when I got her. Even though she was so malnourished, you could tell that she was very smart and eager to please. We spent the first few months allowing her to regain her strength and get the hang of our routine. I am very active in the sport of agility with my other Goldens and hoped that Keeley would enjoy the sport as well. Once she was strong enough, we embarked on some agility training which she really seemed to enjoy. We started showing in January 2007 and she has already progressed through the AKC Novice and Open ranks and recently earned Masters Titles in standard and jumpers. She continues to amaze me and everyone else with how happy she is and how bold and confident she is despite her rough beginning.

Below are three pictures of her—one which was her intake picture where she weighed 29 pounds, one taken 6 months later at 44 pounds and an action shot from an agility trial earlier this year.

A Very Special Success Story - Chief Update

Read more about Chief at http://jumpstarttherapies.blogspot.com/

Chief says hello to each of you!! For those of you who don’t know, Chief is our therapy dog in training that I have been working with. Here’s the link to the blog page off my webpage. http://jumpstarttherapies.blogspot.com/

His training is continuing to progress. We just finished training other staff members at our clinic to work with AAT programs and their dogs in therapy. It’s very exciting, as the program is growing over night!! It’s nice to have so many staff as excited about doing this as I am. My fears about Chief’s shyness are also becoming increasingly alleviated. Chief is also becoming more comfortable in the clinic, even with adults (which he tended to shy from before). It’s great to see his confidence building in so many ways!

We’ve been working on some fun new behaviors, which I have posted on my blog. One of the ones I am most excited about is teaching Chief to paint. I’m in the process of teaching him to hold a paint brush (in a tennis ball) in his mouth, and will hope to progress to getting a canvas positioned soon. I can see this as being a very motivating behavior for some of my kids who avoid drawing and painting activities. What could be more fun than painting a picture, WITH A DOG???

Chief is also in the beginning stages of dropping rings onto a ring toss game. I envision the kids throwing the rings for Chief to retrieve and then return to drop on the stick. Or, the child and Chief could take turns. The video for this was him first learning the dropping stage of this behavior. He’s learned to take and hold the ring…so we advanced his training today. I’m also teaching Chief the “shell game”, where a treat is hidden under a cup. That video clip is posted, too. Therapeutic?? Maybe not, but wouldn’t he be great in Vegas???

Wags and kisses to you all!

Tammy and Chief

Tammy Renaud, MA, OTR

Occupational Therapist

Jumpstart Therapies

10/7/07

News from Jackson

Mike,

Here are some recent pictures of Jackson for the "adoption" section of GBGRR and some details about him and his big sister, Casey (Casey was adopted from GB almost 5 years ago)/

Jackson and his big sister, Casey love to play constantly. Jackson takes every bone and toy that Casey has and being the sweet Golden that she is, Casey allows Jackson to control most of the toys. Once in a while she takes back what is rightfully hers, but does it in such a gentle "golden" way. They cannot live without each other, although Casey still likes her "quiet" time.

Jackson graduated "with honors" from Petsmart Puppy school. He now sits, stays, lays down and heels on command. He is such a good little guy and just wants to please. He loves to give kisses and is very sociable and sweet. He does like to get "mischievousy" at times and sometimes gets himself into trouble. He's so cute that it's hard to discipline him. He has the cutest personality, tons of energy, and is fearless!

Thank you, Golden Beginnings, for finding Jackson and bringing this joyful puppy into our lives.

Dale & Bob E.

8/31/07

News from Willie

Hi, its Willie. This is my new picture for 2007. My Daddy adopted me in June of 2005. I am now three years young. My foster mom and dad were Stacy and Barbara, they are the best. Ain't I handsome. Woo! Woo!

8/21/07

News from Barton and Maverick

It is time to say thank you to your site and association for the two dogs that were adopted in the month of June, Barton and Maverick, whom I call Mookie the Mooch, from a large gathering in north Houston in front of a DVM office. I saw both boys and could not make up my mind. One 18-month old (Maverick) and the other older statesman (Barton). I was unsure of Maverick he was so laid back for a young dog. Let me tell you .. he is far from laid back. The boy has so much bounce he must have been with a few antelopes. Barton was so friendly, gave kisses to me and a few other lookers, but he just kept bringing me back . Ok! Ok! Well I could not make up my mind so I took them both and they are great to have. It is as if they bonded from day 2, even if I think Barton puts up with Mav's over bouncing play they get along, run and play ball and tug.

I guess they like me because if I am home, I have two shadows. If I go to the bedroom they are behind me. I walk in the bathroom yes that is right they are there/

Barton must really love it here because he sleeps like a rock on the floor at the side of the bed. I have to walk over him to get to the bathroom at night .. LOL. He moves for no one. And Maverick, well he has claimed the middle of the bed. I just wish he did not dream and snore so loud then again. I could not love them any more.

They run and play on the 40 acres I have but if I am not in site they come looking .. well unless there is a rabbit or something to chase then it is back in a minute Dad and it is run chase and then come home/

So without getting long winded .. I will just say thank you for the two Golden angels you helped me find you will NEVER get them back

Guy C.

Alvin TX

7/18/07

News from Lissa

The Dog Who Found a Home

Once there was a . They traveled to League City. In League City they found a cute . Her name was Lissa. She was a pretty Golden $retriever. Since they did not know who she belonged to, they took her . Lissa was a very good . They told her that by telling her . Soon they realized that Lissa needed a better so they gave her to another nice . They took very good care of her. They and gave her to eat. They also got her a . They loved Lissa alot!

Love, Natalie

7/4/07

"What appears to be the end may really be a Golden Beginning!"