I know I have been away too long when this takes up residence in the entry arbor.
After an easy pace to the first half of the year, it has been raining dogs, lately.
My co-volunteers carry the heavy lifting of feeding, cleaning, vet trips and walking while a couple of us make sure that photos are taken, their bios get to the website, and we get the word out. It truly takes an army.
Jared has been with us since February. He arrived via another rescue that was having difficulty understanding his needs or finding a willing foster. He stayed with our foster for a bit and then came into our program. He was malnourished, anxious and acting out. Today, he is a dog transformed. Jared’s reward came this weekend when a like-hearted man saw straight into his soul.
Lola was pulled from a Southern California shelter but when their foster homes were all booked up, they told her rescuer to return her.
Her rescuer saw that this dog was extraordinary and was not having it. She took Lola to her home already overflowing with foster dogs where Lola comforted her severely autistic son and the rescuer began reaching out across the state. She found us. She had Lola flown to us.
And Lola found a family where two broken hearts – one human and one canine – were mourning the loss of their canine companion. Lola’s rescuer is now a member of our family, too.
Little Wyatt was dumped in front of a shelter at the age of only five months. He was malnourished and had a horrible skin issue but this wiggly boy wormed his way into everyone’s heart. Meds, good food, and TLC restored his health and coat – so his new family could see in him what we saw all along.
If everyone who put in an application for Mabel took home a dog, our kennels would be empty.
This girl is terrified of thunder, gunshots, fireworks, and loud noises. She lived in Utah where she was experiencing one storm after another. Mabel was transported to the safety of our Sacramento Valley where thunderstorms are extremely rare. Her new home will ensure the peace and quiet this girl needs and deserves.
And my husband and I have been hosts to these adorable puppies since the 4th of July.
The product of a Golden Retriever mom and a Dobie daddy, they inherited his looks and her heart. All are now adopted; one will stay with us for another week.
Meanwhile, the garden has been on automatic pilot where spiders are free to weave their webs across our arbor, bermuda grass runs wild, and the hot colors of summer have replaced the blues, purples and pinks of spring.
Time races by.
Before I know it, the Asters will be in bloom and the cycle will begin again.
But for now – these are the dog days of summer.
Gardens For Goldens 
I always perk up when I see a post from you! Thank you for your wonderful thoughts, photos and insights.
Thank you!
Audrey, your incredible gift of capturing the moment in beautiful photographs is only surpassed by the prose that accompanies them. Thank you for all the blessings you offer as a dedicated volunteer to Homeward Bound: the garden, the fostering, the publicity, the willingness to find these precious dogs a forever home and more… You are making a difference by touching the hearts of so many of us, including me. Gratefully, Mom of the late Holden the Golden Lab (aka Janet))
Thank you!
The only blog posts I read that give me goosebumps are yours. So many happy endings certainly start this week off on a positive note. Thank you. 🙂 Your garden keeps shining and smiling even with the weeds and the spider because it knows it’s a backdrop for all the amazing work your volunteers do.
Thank you, Judy! The garden is looking a bit fried at the moment…but I imagine yours feels the same after that heat blast. Remember sweaters???
Your posts always make my day. You guys, all of you, do such a wonderful job of caring for all the beautiful dogs that come your way. It’s just amazing. I wish I lived near so I could maybe help out and thank all of you personally. You are all Angels on Earth.. Bless you all.
Thank you, Carol!
I wish I could get a Golden from HBGRR! Hubby and I want another one soooo badly! And Ducky needs a friend who will be patient with her but still tell her off when she needs it. And over the years I’ve been reading your blog, I’ve come to know I could put my full trust in you folks.
Beautiful work: you with your camera and all the volunteers who worked so hard for the pups in this post. Amazing close-up on that spider — yikes!
Yikes is right! Big ugly thing! Glad I found it before it found me!
Thank You for all of your tiredness work!
Sent from my iPhone
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What a beautiful tale you weave, of love and bloom both in the garden and in the lives of dogs and humans. Always a joy to visit here, Audrey.
Thank you, Lynn!
Wonderful dogs, heart-rending stories, flowers and a spider photo to be proud of. They are hard to photograph! Thanks for all you do.
This is beautiful!