Rescue | Gardens For Goldens

Let the Strong Survive?

March 29, 2020 by Ogee

Yes. I heard him correctly. A cavalier statement until your child, spouse, or parent fall ill. And yourself? Will you promise not to reach out for help if you need it yourself? Is your attitude limited to the current situation – or does it carry over to cancer, heart disease, childbirth, and more? I am concerned for a world where this kind of thought takes hold. These are times that test our humanity. And I am grateful to be surrounded […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: COVID VIrus, Humanity

In My Dream

March 15, 2020 by Ogee

In my dream, I hear the sounds of thunder. Growling, gnarling, teeth gnashing in a battle to ensure each has their own. Looting and hoarding. Sounds of terror and squeals of alarm. Intimidation and threats. Bodies slammed to the ground. Awakened. The sounds continue; the smell is unbearable. Is this our end? No. It is puppies at play! Ferocious cubs. Testing out their tiny voices and might on the early path to doghood. Four Great Pyrenees puppies to be exact. […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: Adele Litter, dog rescue, Foster puppies, Great Pyrenees puppies, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

Getting Our Feet Under Us

March 8, 2020 by Ogee

Mother Nature has been taunting us. Sending daytime temps soaring, then blowing in a light freeze. To boot – a bone-dry, record-breaking February. Not a drop of rain. As I undertake the annual editing of Asters, I’m glad that I moved summer-blooming perennials in the fall. Apparently, there is an old gardener saying that this helps them get their feet under them. Someone else needed some help getting her feet under her. Her name is Babe. And she stole my […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: China Dogs, Dog Meat Farm, Dog Meat Market, dog rescue

Shedding the Past

January 5, 2020 by Ogee

The garden was thick with fog this morning – too wet to do any real work in the ground. So I set about removing the last of the apples from our little orchard. This used to be the work of a dog named Bones. With lumps and bumps and infected ears that left him deaf, he was left tied to a tree and abandoned. When he was finally found, he was literally skin and bones. Rescued and made well again, […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Pets, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs and Dementia, Dogs and Forgiveness

Noelle: Our Christmas Joy

December 24, 2019 by Ogee

A Good Samaritan saw her stray and shivering in the rain and mud. She was frightened, emaciated, and would not come. Animal control was called. A catch pole was used; something that can be terrifying to dogs but life-saving when there is no other option. She was covered in mats and filth, and it was obvious that she had recently had puppies. There was no sign of them. It’s unclear if she was turned out after weaning them, or had […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Dog rescue holiday story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Inspirational

The Lab Lift

December 15, 2019 by Ogee

Behind human failing—due to health or incapacity—you can often find animal suffering. This was the case behind a recent large-scale rescue. In Oregon, a backyard breeder struggled to care for his wife with dementia. I don’t know if the situation was ever better than we found it but things had obviously gotten out of control long ago. When he passed, there was no one to care for the dogs or the other animals on the property. A plea for help […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue, Responsible breeders • Tags: dog rescue, Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Responsible breeders

Time Flies on Restless Pinions

December 8, 2019 by Ogee

Somehow it became December. Don’t ask me how. The garden does not seem to know, but the neighbors’ Christmas lights are up and the rain they said would not come has arrived. Muddy dogs are a sure giveaway. It feels like we moved seamlessly from summer to winter. I would say that it has been unseasonably warm but I think we should stop saying that with climate change now increasingly knocking on our door. The garden is still full of […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Passing Seasons

Shasta’s Long Journey Home

November 10, 2019 by Ogee

My human dad raised me from a puppy. He loved me and I brought joy to his golden years. He was old and old school, and believed that dogs should be kept outside. So the yard was my world. My whole world. I didn’t know anything different. I had everything I needed – until the day he was no longer there to care for me. Before he left this world, he needed to know that I was safe. So I […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: Animal Adoption, Animal Rescue, dog rescue

A Legacy of Faith and Hope

September 21, 2019 by Ogee

From a certain angle, you would never know there is something different about these two girls. To me, they could not be more special. As puppies, they set me on the path to puppy fostering. Surrendered by a breeder, they both had a congenital abnormality called Megaesophagus. The esophagus – which connects the throat to the stomach – is enlarged and lacks the elasticity or motility required to move food and liquid down to the stomach. Unless gravity is employed, […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: CNM Labrador Retriever, dog rescue, Dogs Megaesophagus, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppy rescue