Rescue | Gardens For Goldens

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

Camp Yogi: Temporary Closure

September 15, 2019 by Ogee

This is Yogi taking a forced break from puppy fostering. It has been nonstop since the beginning of July. GiGi’s litter: Garrett, Gabe, Griffin and Gracie. Beau Dude and Conway. Before them, Rose, Ty, and Nutmeg, Anna, Sara, Lily, and Noah. Fourteen puppies in eight months. No wonder Yogi is exhausted! He’s such a great sport and expert puppy raiser, entertaining them, teaching them boundaries, watching over them, and generally allowing them to torture him. It’s that later part that […]

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

Justice for Justice

August 11, 2019 by Ogee

She spent her life in an outdoor yard. So terrified of indoor enclosures was she that she broke through a window to avoid being confined. Emaciated. Sick. She had to fight to protect what little food scraps she was given. A Great Pyrenees mix weighing in at only 58 pounds. Her mouth partly paralyzed; who knows how many litters of puppies she had produced and what damage that had inflicted. Used up, she was dumped. Two others were “coincidentally” found […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Justice

Blossoming

March 17, 2019 by Ogee

The gardening is waking up. After a long, wet winter and many false starts, there are signs everywhere signaling spring’s arrival. But the bulbs and trees are not alone in their blossoming. Sara is an adorable little black and white hot-dog of a puppy born in a field to her Golden mom. First noticed around Thanksgiving last year, a kindly neighbor began leaving out food for mom and her dwindling litter of pups. After several months, only Sara remained. She […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: Dog Fostering, dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Reriever Rescue, Puppy Fostering

Forrest

July 29, 2018 by Ogee

There is a reason why gardeners are increasingly moving to native plants. Unlike fancy hybrids, native plants are uniquely adapted to their landscape. Having developed over time, they are resilient and well-suited to the available soil, water, and sun or shade. As a result, they thrive where others languish – providing valuable habitat to others. Today’s designer dogs are much like plant hybrids. Mixed breeds combined in the hopes of a perfect mix of genetic traits. Bernedoodles are apparently the […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: Bernedoodle dogs, Dog Rescue Story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

The Charmed Life of a Garden Cat Named Frida

February 25, 2018 by Ogee

The north wind that blew in mid-month stayed. Spring is nothing if predictably unpredictable. We went from t-shirts to down jackets and mittens within 24 hours. While the overnight thermometer dropped below freezing for a week, it stayed close enough – thankfully – to have little impact on our opening blueberry and apple blossoms. And now, there is much-needed rain on the horizon. But today, we all soaked up the warm spring sun. A butterfly (Mourning Cloak?) warming its wings […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: Cat photography, Frida, Garden Cat, Gardens Golden Retrievers, Spring

Special Delivery

February 4, 2018 by Ogee

Saturday was puppy going home day. While all the preparations were being made, and Chubbs received his morning massage, another pup (of sorts) was getting ready for his arrival. On Tuesday, Ms. London gave birth to baby Paris. Yes – rescue animals come in all shapes and sizes at Homeward Bound. On the private side of the fence, our president provides refuge to geese and ducks and roosters – and the biggest, oldest pig I have ever seen. Most recently, […]

Categories: Nature, Nature Photography, Rescue • Tags: Alpaca birth, Animal Rescue, baby Alpaca, Chocolate Lab puppies, Nature Photography

Chocolate (Puppy) Love

January 21, 2018 by Ogee

When a new group of puppies arrived in December, I was the last to know. Seems I have been hogging the puppies of late. Can you blame me? This group has had the good fortune of having Puppy Mama Judy looking after them – and while they are not quite ready to go home, they are all spoken for. Thus, I am allowed to break “puppy silence.” Mama dog, Lady Godiva, is a beautiful – and young – chocolate Lab. […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: Chocolate Lab puppies, Dog Rescue Story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Labrador Retriever Puppies

Everything In Its Season

November 5, 2017 by Ogee

I love the velvety purple stalks of Mexican sage. It heralds fall; its amethyst hues offset by the season’s golden leaves. A perennial in most gardens – but not in our Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. It is too wet in winter, and too hot in summer. The clay soil and baking sun are too much for this tough, but not quite tough enough, sage. The first three seasons, I moved it to different spots in the garden hoping I would […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Rescue • Tags: Dog Loss, dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden Sacramento, In Its Season Henry David Thoreau