Gardens For Goldens

Wordless Wednesday: Spun Crystal

Moving from human to kind

In a world that has seemingly gone mad, you would be forgiven for wondering if an effort like rescue is trivial in comparison to the headlines these days. But it’s not. There are lessons here.

It’s not just the hundreds of dogs that we rescue each year through our own effort at Homeward Bound – but the untold number of rescuers, advocates and angels all over the globe working together for a common good.

It’s not just the dogs saved, but the countless number of people whose lives are touched…

enhanced…

and transformed as a result.

It’s not just the act of rescue, but the education that accompanies it. Not that long ago, rescue networks were non-existent. We have a long way to go – but we have demonstrated that a difference can be made against seemingly impossible odds when people stand united together. The dogs, and our work on their behalf, teach us about acceptance of others,

forgiveness,

and healing.

We learn to face adversity without losing hope…

and how to say “good-bye” – while still carrying on.

Rescue reminds us that despite all the difficult things we see and experience, human beings still have the capacity for care and compassion.

And in this crazy world – maybe that matters most.

“The next evolutionary step for humankind is to move from human to kind.” ~ Author Unknown

Walk With Me

After all the year-end projects are finished and the holidays are put away – my mind goes blank, and my motivation flies right out the window. It’s time to get outside and clear the head. Getting off the beaten path and out in nature returns perspective – and appreciation. I hope you don’t mind me taking you off our usual garden/rescue path for a short detour.

“Sometimes we must unfocus our way to clarity.” ~ Terri Guillemets

It’s so easy to get lost in our daily lives. Tasks take on undue importance until we return them to their proper place. Headlines make us worry for the world we share. On sheltered trails under big blue skies –

by the pond’s edge on cold, crystal days –

all of it is temporarily shed and I’m reminded of all the beauty this world holds.

“If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point.” ~ Antonio Porchia

Restoration and rejuvenation lead to innovation and renewed passion – in any undertaking. Change your point of view, and be reminded of the world’s good grace.

I took a couple of days off to walk our American River trails and explore the nearby Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary. The creatures were not as cooperative as my camera would have liked, but that’s OK.

It made me look up. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, but I do resolve to do this more – and to bring others along. So thanks for walking with me.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

Wordless Wednesday: Contemplation

The Bridge

Mojo was the last dog of 2014. Dog number 410. Something tells me he won’t be with us long. 🙂

Hunter is the first dog of 2015. He was literally pulled from a Los Angeles shelter after closing on New Year’s Eve. Special elves opened the gates to help set him free and into the waiting arms (and van) of Barry – one of the many angels who help ferry dogs on their journeys home. Hunter (on the left) spent his New Year’s night in foster style waiting for transport. He has yet to arrive on site…hmmm. Another failed foster? Or transport adoption/abduction in the works? It wouldn’t be the first!

Maria, one of our devoted gardeners, is an experienced foster “mom” herself. For the past two and a half years, she provided permanent foster to handsome Beau.

Our permanent fosterers are special angels. They take the dog as their own, while the dog legally remains Homeward Bound’s. The rescue continues to provide all of the medical care the dog needs throughout its life. It is the perfect arrangement for special needs or very senior dogs. Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue alleviates concerns about medical expenses, making it easier for families to say “yes” to a dog in need.

Beau was both a special needs and senior dog. When he went to live with Maria at the age of 11, he already had failing hind legs.

Regardless, Beau went everywhere Maria went, even traveling in a special cart when walks became too much.

When Maria was out of the country on one of her many world travels, her sons and devoted caregivers, Aly and Drew, stayed with him. But his favorite place to be was right beside Maria in the garden.

He was never alone – and utterly adored. When his time finally came, Maria was determined not to have another dog too soon. And then she met Yule.

When our beloved companions leave us, some people wonder how you could open your heart again. We ask: how could you not? The loss of a dog never leaves us. But love has a way of making hearts grow larger.

“Our feet still go around the place the food dish used to be.
And, sometime, coming home at night, we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts belongs to them…and always will.” ~ Linda Barnes

I showed you how Yule melted into Maria’s hands when he first arrived a couple of weeks ago. He’s a shy boy – and a young one at only two years of age. He’s also a little hard to read in a rescue environment.

Today was Yule’s special day. Maria is wearing her foster hat again.

Whether he ends up staying with her forever, or only for a while, her time with him is a gift. It allows Yule to gain confidence in the security of a home environment, and it provides an opportunity for us to learn much more about him. If he is not Maria’s forever dog, our odds of making a perfect match are better for their time together.

Beau will never be forgotten. Rather, he is honored by Maria as she makes room in her heart – and home – for Yule.

“I am the bridge between what was and what can be. I am the pathway to a new life.” ~ Diane Morgan, A Poem to My Foster Dog

Wordless Wednesday: Red

A Happy Tail

Among the greys and browns of our December garden are little pockets of color, life…

and many happy tails.

The roses are having their last hurrah, with a cold snap now upon us. A yellow rose symbolizes friendship. Something we have in abundance here.

People from all walks of life bonded by a common goal of saving lives and seeing dogs on their journeys home.

Pink roses represent gratitude and appreciation.

I don’t know if it shines brighter in the faces of our newly adopted dogs or their lucky humans. This is Zephyr and her new family.

Red is for love and passion.

That’s what Chris and Steve have in spades.

They devote all of their weekends and many of their nights and vacations to our dogs and mission of rescue, with a special passion for the hardest cases. With love and patience they slowly rehabilitate dogs that others might give up on.

Goldie came to Homeward Bound at the age of 18 months. She went home and came back five times – sometimes the result of her own behavior issues, and finally, because of the economy.

Last returned in 2012, she was guarded, unpredictable, and not safe enough to place up for adoption again.

Considered sanctuaried, she could stay with us forever – but for a special bond – coupled with Chris and Steve’s steadfast determination.

Since 2012, they have been building trust. Over the past year, there have been careful introductions to Chris and Steve’s other rescue dogs.

Baby steps and small victories, culminating in a very special day. Today was Goldie’s Going Home Day.

It will take care and time before she is fully integrated in to the family, but if anyone can do it – they can.

Tonight, Goldie sleeps not in a house – a home. A forever home. And that makes for one very happy tail.

(Special photo credit: Rob Kessel for many of the images here.)

Wordless Wednesday: Merry

Holiday Cheer

Saturday morning, there were two adoptions on the weekly board. By evening there were seven. This is all the cheer I need to make my holiday bright.

“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
~ Dr. Seuss

But, try as we might to empty the kennels before Christmas Eve, there are always new recruits.

Darbee snagged the coveted office dog spot, which makes her Judy’s (current) favorite.

This adorable little girl looks like a cross between a Golden and a Corgi with a little Basset Hound rolled in for good measure.

Yule was a stray, rescued from the shelter. Part Golden, part Great Pyrenees.

Scared and very thin, his wary face turned to smiles in Maria’s hands (which means she found a way out of gardening chores!)

The rains have turned our garden and walking paths to lakes and mud, but after three years of drought, no one is complaining. The rice field next door once again supports migrating geese and herons.

And the bees were enjoying the last of the roses and the blooming Ceanothus on a late, warm, December day.

Nature’s Yuletide decorations cannot be beat.

Wordless Wednesday: Petrified

Good News In Buckets

Remember when I was whining about the injustice of the flooded rice fields adjacent to our water-starved garden? Well look at us now!

The area beyond the levy is the rice field. The area in front shows the overflown banks of our pond at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue.

Good News #1: It rained. Buckets and buckets. For hours on end. It rained so long and so hard I thought we might float away.

Good News #2: We did not float away. But we did have some flooding, and we’re left with pooling water everywhere. Every time our pups go out, they get covered in mud. Us too. (Candy was working on manners with new arrival, Tucker. Looks like Tucker: 1; Candy: 0 so far!)

The rain created rivers of water that swept the garden’s walk-on bark paths away.

I spent the day putting down a layer of shreds to soak up the mud and make the place passable.

Good News #3: More rain is on the way, but in more manageable doses this time. We need every drop of it to help put an end to our three-year-long drought.

Good News #4: Remember scared Missy from last week’s blog post? She went to her foster home. Given that her foster mom has already renamed her Maggie, we’re pretty sure that they will be a foster failure together. We love foster failures.