Homeward Bound Golden Retriever 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

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

What Rescue Is

August 4, 2019 by Ogee

“Hi. We are interested in rescuing a Golden Retriever. Any suggestions?” I have to bite my tongue when I get these messages. What this well-intentioned person means is that they want to adopt a rescued dog. Hurrah for them! The world needs more good people willing to give an abandoned, surrendered or rescued dog a home. They are a critical part of the effort. Rescue does not work without them. So I keep my thoughts to myself – except here, […]

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

Dog Days of Summer: 2019

July 21, 2019 by Ogee

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 […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies • Tags: Dog Days of Summer, Dog Rescue Story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

From Feral to Family: River

April 14, 2019 by Ogee

I first met him on an early spring morning. Arriving before the feeders to tend to Daisy and her puppies, I happened to look down the shoot that runs between two large dog yards. In the walkway was a pacing, nervous black dog who looked ready to bolt. He had been living feral on the river for who knows how long. It took animal control a month to catch him. When lures failed, they resorted to a catch pole. It […]

Categories: Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Feral Dog, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, River

A Promise for Life

March 31, 2019 by Ogee

There are no promises made to the plant members of the Homeward Bound Memorial Garden. We get everyone off to the right start and visit twice a week, but beyond that, they are on their own. If they can’t cut the clay soil, low water, and valley heat and cold then we just acknowledge that it was not meant to be and part friends. If they are bossy and bully their neighbors, they will find themselves kicked to the curb. […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Promise for life

Angel on Loan

January 20, 2019 by Ogee

Penny was our angel on loan. Born to an autoimmune-disordered body she did not deserve, each battle waged against her diminishing self created fresh challenges. In the end, small victories were no match for the war raging within. Had she been an old dog, we might have let her peacefully slip away much sooner. But she was a baby, just two years of age. We could see her whole life ahead of her – or so we thought. Sometimes, the […]

Categories: Dog Loss, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: autoimmune disorder dogs, Dog Loss, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, sancutary dogs

Out of the fog

January 13, 2019 by Ogee

The world gets smaller in winter. As the mist clears, tiny details emerge. For a dog with seizures, the world can feel very small, indeed. Scary, uncontrollable moments followed by a fog. Most humans find them hard to handle. It is easy to withdraw. New diets and medications can make a world of difference – but the most important ingredient is love. Daisy is a seizure dog. To look at her you would never know. Her person is drawn to […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Seizure dogs