Tag: Golden Retriever

Laying Out Grounds

“A garden is never so good as it will be next year” ~ Thomas cooper

We officially cannot stop ourselves. Every visit to a local garden – like the recent outing to the WPA Garden and Old Historic City Cemetery Gardens – provides fresh inspiration and undercuts our well-earned fall rest!

This weekend at the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden, Ina got busy laying out the first plantings for the entry-way California Natives Garden.

Wordsworth said: “Laying out grounds may be considered a liberal art, in some sort like poetry and painting.”

Ina’s beds are certainly a work of art with carefully selected blue-green Festuca’s, silvery Artemisia, and the deep evergreen of Ceanothus. Soon, she will add feathery, copper-colored grasses – and who knows what other surprises?

Susan and Jeff are busy picking out bulbs to bring spring color to the tree circle gardens; Jody’s garden is sporting a new Erica Heather addition.

And someone needs to inform the Sunflowers and Daylilies that the season is ending.

Today, we were blessed with hidden bounty: The birds must have taken some pity on us.

The nights have turned cold, and the days short. As they fade, so does the garden color. Everything looks a little more subdued since last week.

As if to brighten up the place, a transport of ten new dogs arrived yesterday at Homeward Bound. The garden was literally overflowing with them! Some, like Sheeva and Chickeeto are still unsure of their new surroundings. You can see the worry in their eyes and tucked tails.

But most seemed to get right into the swing of things. Lovers and huggers include River…

Thadeus…

Gracie…

Jack…

And Champ.

Shadow – an old hand at this – can’t figure out what the fuss is all about!

It was a beautiful day to be laying out gardens with the Goldens. Even the squirrels say so!

Surrender

When a plant fails to thrive, is over-run with bugs, or becomes a thug to others, we do our best to nurture, mend or tame it in the Memorial Garden.

One of our volunteer gardeners, Ina, is famously tough on her problem plants. She literally tells them to toughen up and get it together, or they are out of here!

And they will be, if they don’t respond. But plants are not animals.

When you see so many dogs come through a rescue organization like Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary, it is easy to fall into judging those who have given up their pups. This is Sammy. He was surrendered this week.

Recently, I met a woman in the garden who made me rethink my judging. She had come to the ranch, accompanied by her young son, in hopes of learning the fate of an older Golden she had given up.

She explained to me that her family lived in a very rural area at the time. Her dog was very much a beloved member of her large family which included a foster child, and was used to having room to run in the great outdoors. Life changed on a dime, however, when her husband passed away unexpectedly. Forced to move from the country to the city and a small apartment, she became a single, working mother practically overnight.  She was beyond overwhelmed just trying to keep herself and her children together. The complication of caring for their older dog in a tiny space was beyond her capacity.

You could see that it broke her heart, and her son’s to surrender their dog.  She didn’t know what she could learn, if anything, when she visited the Sanctuary – but she was hoping for closure.

When you surrender a dog, you give up all rights to it. Still, she was able to learn that her dog was successfully adopted, and now lives in an area with the wide open spaces it was accustomed to. She was greatly relieved – and sad as well. Tears welled up in her eyes as she told me about her pup and her heartbreaking decision.

My dogs are part of my family, and I consider them a lifetime commitment. I can’t imagine a circumstance that would ever force me to give them up. But I have never been faced with difficult choice this woman faced. To seek out Homeward Bound – an organization dedicated to rescue, no matter what the dog’s age or health, gave her dog the best chance for a good home and happy ending.

Too often, people give up on their animals without a second thought.

Shelters are filled with the pets of people who regard them as an inconvenience, an expense, or too much trouble.  Worse, are those who simply drop a dog off on a road somewhere.  If you would give up your dog because “he’s un-trainable”, or “he has (name-the-ailment)”, or simply “he was a lot smaller and cuter as a puppy” – please stick with Goldfish (nothing against Goldfish!) That wasn’t the case here. And many times, surrender is the last option of people who have lost their loved ones, their homes, and more. It was an important reminder to me to count my blessings and pray that I will never have to face the decision this woman did.

Rescue. Adopt. Foster. And if you must surrender – do it with responsible care.

Time For A Change

Next month marks a year of chronicling the progress of the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden on this blog. Though it wasn’t part of the original plan, capturing the progress of the dogs has become as much a part of the storytelling.

The season is changing,

so it seems an appropriate time to change the blog format to something that better shows the blend of our passions: gardens and Goldens.

Pardon my tweaking as I figure things out. And thanks to all who have followed along this first year. There is much more to come in the garden, and undoubtedly, many more pup stories to tell. I hope you will visit often.

Where Friends Gather

“Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade.”- Rudyard Kipling

Maria lost no time today prepping the garden paths for our installation project, only a week away now. She removed buried rock, the few remaining weeds and leveled some hardened clay bumps and lumps.

Meanwhile, I set about expanding the Hummingbird Garden, giving the plants a little more breathing room, as the Russian Sage continues its skyward march.


Nothing gives us greater joy than seeing that the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden has become such a gathering place for friends – of all kinds. Today, in addition to walkers and trainers, we played host to frogs,

butterflies –

and our newest volunteer gardener; Pat’s newly adopted Penny.


If you’re a regular reader, you may remember her as Blossom. She’s a beauty – and great company in the garden.

The Hummingbirds returned,

this time displaying an amazing courtship ritual of aerial acrobatics. While the female sat on the wire playing hard-to-get;

the male rocketed high into the sky,

and then dive-bombed back to earth and to her…over and over and over again.

Some honored guests shared photos with us of the garden when it was nothing but a field of mud and weeds. We have come a long, long way.

The best friend visits of all, of course, are the dogs. Today’s line-up included Sanctuary pups Bebe and Veronica,


Hank Spoon…now Hank, The Spoon (more on that in another post),

Eastman,

Goldie,

Denver,

Susie and Hope,

Brittany,

and two extra-special friends. This little girl was found by one of our trainers on the side of a country road.

There’s not a stitch of Golden in her – except her obvious affection for people –

so we’ll have to craft a rescue plan for her. We call her Sanka – for her coffee-colored spots.

But the most heart-warming moment of the day belonged to Snuffy.

You saw him here a few weeks ago; shaved and obviously in need of adding a few pounds.

We watched him, hopefully, visiting the garden with a family considering fostering –

then saw them leaving together a short time later. That people can see beyond Snuffy’s missing coat and temporary rat-tail to see the adoring dog within, makes all efforts worthwhile.

Make a volunteer gardener’s day: adopt, foster, rescue. Who knows? We might even plant something in your honor.

The Language of Love

Judy, from Homeward Bound, shares that we had some honored visitors in the garden, recently. I’m going to piece together the story for you, borrowing many of her own, well-written words. How wonderful that the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden could serve as a backdrop to this amazing reunion.

On Friday, September 28th, Johanna Quinn came to Homeward Bound to visit dogs she had rescued in Taiwan and sent to the Homeward Bound sanctuary. Johanna (far right) is an American living in Taiwan, and she works with shelters there, and rescue groups in the U.S., to save these dogs’ lives and find them better futures.

As every gardener knows, flowers have a language of their own. Blooms express sentiments that, sometimes, cannot be spoken.

These pups have a language of their own as well. “They come to us with names we don’t recognize like A‐Tong and Momo, GinDian and San Li,” Judy writes. “Their paperwork is green and in Chinese. When we talk to them they look confused and don’t seem to understand us. But when we scratch their ears and tummies, and when their tails wag and they melt into our hands, these differences don’t matter – because we are speaking the same language; the language of love.”

In the past few years Homeward Bound has taken in over 30 dogs from Taiwan, traveling thousands of miles in search of a better life. Thanks to dedicated volunteers of the Taichung Universal Animal Protection Agency (TUAPA) and Asians for Humans, Animals & Nature (AHAN), Golden Retrievers – and countless other breeds, from Taiwan are getting a chance to live the doggie version of the American Dream.

Their medical expenses while in Taiwan, and all of their travel expenses are paid by the Taiwan rescue groups. Homeward Bound’s responsibility is getting a driver to the airport to meet the flight, and then finding the Goldens the best possible home. Many volunteers have made the trek to SFO to meet the flights, and witness the amazing arrival of Goldens coming through customs, along with other breeds that have been rescued by TUAPA and AHAN.

Only one of the rescues Johanna sent to Homeward Bound is left, and that’s Tom (below) known as ‘A-Tong’ in Taiwan.

When Johanna saw him for the first time she spoke to him in Chinese. “His ears perked up and he jumped on her with pure joy at the recognition of not only his rescuer, as she had spent a great deal of time with him, but of his language,” says Judy. “He clearly understood Chinese better than he did English!”

Judy writes: “I took Johanna on a tour of the facility and we started – where I always start now – in the Memorial Garden. As we were walking the garden, Jeff and Nancy Rogers, and a dog that Johanna had rescued, came to visit.

Ping-Ping came to us in 2009 and it appeared that she had been hit by a car, or otherwise injured, so that a portion of her mouth was missing. Although she had some surgery in Taiwan, Homeward Bound did additional structural and cosmetic surgery on her after she got here.

I worked on the adoption. The family – along with their two twin daughters about 13 years old – were looking to adopt a younger dog. We had very few young females available, and a lot of people didn’t want their children to meet Ping-Ping because of her deformity.

But these girls didn’t care at all, and they made it very clear that they wanted to adopt a dog that needed them. Ping-Ping was their girl. I don’t remember all of my adoptions, but I remember this one because the girls were so unique for 13 year old’s. Looks didn’t matter; it was about who needed them.”

Many of the dogs have been adopted by Homeward Bound volunteers, as well as others. Because Homeward Bound does not turn away a Golden in need, no local dogs are displaced by the arrival of the Taiwan dogs; all are welcomed here.

“We are grateful that TUAPA, AHAN and Homeward Bound all speak the same language. It’s the language of rescue; the language of love,” says Judy.

For more information about AHAN and TUAPA, please visit their websites: AHAN at: www.ahan.org, and TUAPA at: http://shibasenji.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/tuapa-taiwan-animal-rescue/

Catching Up

Ina sends this note from the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden today:
“As of today, the bramble has had a complete ‘ectomy’ in both beds. Very satisfying work for a gardener with attitude! Onward!”

And no photo – so we are left to wonder just what gift she has left us. For those of you new to this blog, look back at the history of Ina’s Cottage Garden to understand her talent – and her ambition.

Since I cannot share a garden update just yet, I should catch you up our weekend visitors – lest they think they were overlooked!

Sunday was apparently homecoming day in the garden. School was in session just as soon as those pesky puppies cleared out, and we had plenty of alumni returning for additional training. There’s Stella, with Jody. (Jody is the one in the dog-shirt…big surprise!)

Thor and Loki – named after the gods of Thunder and Mischief respectively. Guess which one is Thor.

Henry – a beautiful combination of Golden Retriever and Afghan Hound. Just look at that coat!

Henry is one of those “failed fosters” – which means he went home with one of our gardeners, and they decided to adopt each other.

Hopper and Cinnamon are two of the newest arrivals. Another pair to, hopefully, be placed together. (Update: Another couple, Mosh and Marie who were featured last week, are now in foster care…together!)

Snuffy. This sweet pup is now receiving the TLC and medical treatments he so obviously needed and is on the road to recovery and a full coat again. He would like you to know that he gets along with cats and likes other dogs. And that he has a lot of love to give.

Bones. You may have seen him here before. He may not be able to hear,

but he sure speaks “Debbie” the dog-walker!

There is one more pup to tell you about, but you’ll have to return for that one. I promise you it is a special read in honor of National Dog Week. (Really…there is such a thing!) Hope to see you back here soon.

Puppy Touchdowns

Sundays are great in the fall, because with football on, no one even notices if I am gone for hours to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden!

I arrived just in time this weekend for puppy socialization class.

Who needs football on TV when you have live action on the field?? Kickoff!

Tackle!

Wait…holding!

Defense! Defense!

Time out!!

Bench warmer?

The Referee.

Huddle up!

Hey, unnecessary “ruff-ness!”


Water break.

Hut! Hut!

Hut! Hut! Hut!

OK, that’s just piling on!

Game over. Let’s hit the showers!

Playtime in a controlled situation is a great way to socialize your pup to other people and dogs. This Homeward Bound romp was designed for that purpose. Not to mention bringing a smile to our faces, too.

Hunter’s Transformation

You might recall from the Hunter’s Beauty post a couple of weeks ago, a dog that arrived at Homeward Bound understandably scared, a little distrustful, and very uncertain about his new surroundings.

I made the mistake of asking him to sit for a photo, not knowing that it had taken Rob, one of the trainers, forever to coax him out for a walk. He sat; then he laid down; and he refused to move.

Maybe it was the only control he felt he could exert in this situation that had been thrust upon him. Maybe he was just sad.

Rob waited. And waited. And waited some more. He waited until Hunter decided it was OK to get up. Then he waited while Hunter decided it was OK to continue the walk.

His patience with Hunter was about building trust. And in just a couple of short weeks, it has paid off ten fold.

When we saw Hunter this weekend, he was a changed dog. Happy, attentive, and definitely not sitting still!

He wanted to be anywhere that Rob wanted to be, and he didn’t mind at all if we wanted to offer pets!

This is the magic that the dedicated Homeward Bound team works with the Goldens who are lucky enough to make it here. And  yet, it is not really magic at all. It’s about respect, bonding, tender loving care, and a promise of a better future. That’s magic that you could offer too.

Rescue. Adopt. Foster. There are a whole bunch of Hunters out there desperate for a second chance.

Garden Party

“You may go down to the garden.”…(Peter Rabbit’s mother) Beatrix Potter

I confess that I did not have to make two trips to the Memorial Garden this weekend.

The temperatures are beginning to cool, which means the need for extra watering is diminishing, and even the weeds are growing a little slower.

But I’ll be taking a little break for some ocean camping, and our blooming days are growing shorter. I want to enjoy summer’s last blooms as long as I can.

Everyone else had the same idea; the dogs were everywhere in the Homeward Bound garden this weekend! Miss Macy with her ever-present toy,

Sunny with her sweet white face and disposition,

Blossom looking pretty,

and Hootie enjoying Laura’s company. (Laura’s the one with the hat!)

Sonny was back for more training classes. He is a certified Canine Good Citizen (CGC) who provides weekly therapy visits to a local Kaiser hospital.

Boulder and Phoenix are new arrivals; a pair who will hopefully find a new home together.

And Eastman – another new arrival who greets dogs and humans with a happy smile and wagging tail.

Even Axel and Bradley, who have perfectly good homes of their own, came by just to see what all the ruckus was about.

Party in the garden!

Some new things are blooming in Ina’s Cottage Garden. I believe this is Obedient Plant.

And this looks like an Aster…Ina?

The Roses are putting on a show; the result of Maria’s feeding them last week.

This contrast of blooms is beautiful in the White Garden.

The Hummingbird Garden was hosting more than birds…

can you find my little Dragonfly friend hiding here?

And of course…the Dahlias.

A riot of color. A splash of sunshine. And dogs. What a great way to celebrate the closing of summer. Does the party have to end?

How Hot Is It?

You’ve heard of the dog days of summer? So just how hot is it in the west this weekend?

Here’s a hint.

I made a quick trip to the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden this morning to water the fence-line Roses which we didn’t get to yesterday. While I waited on them, I decided to remove the birch tree that we accidentally drowned.

I filled the hole, graded the surrounding area to prevent a recurrence, and cut the water to its companion for a bit. It still has some buds, so fingers crossed please.

Temperature is rising. Too hot to work anymore. What to do? Puppy Play Date!

In the pen next to the Garden were three cuties; two from a litter delivered last January at Homeward Bound.

Puppy Play Dates are a great way to socialize your young one. To ensure that things didn’t get too out of hand, they were joined by Bella, the grown-up in the group.

Come on little pups…I’ll show you how it’s done.

There you go! Now it’s time for a nap…

and dreams of catching squirrels.