Tag: Pets

Bring the Meeting to Order

Being part of a rescue organization, means dealing sometimes with sad news. But for all the difficult days, there are many more rewards. Lest you think that all are days are tough, I would like to share with you highlights from a recent meeting at Homeward Bound.

Top-dog is a take-charge kind of guy, who definitely knows how to command the room’s attention.

Type A is a perfectionist, excellent note-taker and always on the ball.

This one is a visionary; see the far-off look? Clearly strategizing about the next big project.

And here is our socialite. Knows how to work a room, and definitely needs to be in charge of community relations.

Oops…do I spy a little boardroom competition? Stare down!

Or just bored – in the room? Talk about sleeping on the job.

This meeting has been called on account of nap time. Welcome to the joys of rescue!

When Forever is Too Short


“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart… I’ll always be with you.” ~ Winnie the Pooh

Shelby’s story of faith, patience, perseverance and love touched us deeply.

The reward for her surrender to trust: she left Homeward Bound for a forever home of her own.

‘Forever’ turned out to be much too short. Symptoms revealed Hemangiosarcoma; and while Shelby’s new family’s belief in her worked miracles on her emotional wounds – it, sadly, could not heal her cancer.

Shelby crossed the bridge this week – at home. For however brief the joy of her homecoming, she was surrounded by love.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

Shelby took our breath away. Our hearts break for her family – our fellow Homeward Bound volunteers and friends – whose bravery and strength have been so severely tested. Still, we know that Shelby will always be with them.

For Shelby – we say “Run free, girl. Run free!”

When Every Leaf is a Flower

Gardening was called today on account of rain. Lots of rain.

Despite a couple days of dreariness, the trees and plants are deserving of a good soak after another very long California summer of endless blue skies.

All are bowed in gratitude for a refreshing bath.

With the skies temporarily parted, Jackson and I set out to enjoy the autumn leaves and color that cooler temperatures have finally delivered to us.

Here he is posing. Please don’t laugh at his pointy head. He has a complex about it.

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” ~Albert Camus

Now he is pretending that I don’t see him eyeing the big fat duck behind him.

Our start and stop pace for photos is confusing to him. As far as he is concerned, if you’ve seen one pretty tree – you have seen them all. Unless of course, another dog has visited it – or a squirrel sits in it.

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” ~Emily Bronte

Tomorrow I will head out to the Memorial Garden to monitor its progress toward winter. Between showers and other duties, I hope to add a little more to the mulch pile. Over Thanksgiving, we plan to get spring bulbs in. Another California advantage – planting bulbs until December.

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” ~William Cullen Bryant

Enjoy the color while you can. Winter waits behind it.

November Notes From The Garden

Maria and some other Homeward Bound volunteers traveled to Tahoe today to join in the search for Murphy – a Golden on the run since a family camping trip in early October. So I was holding down the fort alone in the Memorial Garden today.

A large shipment of newly arrived commemorative bricks were lined up and ready to be installed.

The messages are so touching. It truly is a great way to honor our departed pups.

Maria’s sunflowers have begun a second showing. What a treat in November.

Meanwhile, the Dahlias are saying their farewells.

There are just a few blooms remaining,

and the emerging buds get tinier and tinier. What a beautiful show they gave us this summer and early fall. We’ll over-winter them carefully for next year.

The Mums, on the other hand, are in their glory. This one from Jody’s garden bed is especially pretty in pink with its sunny yellow faces.

Tomorrow, Ina will move the Rock Rose from the Tree Circle Garden.  With the tree getting larger, they don’t get enough sun to bloom successfully, and they are already growing too large for the spot. Ina thinks they will look beautiful in the California garden she is planning for the front section. Shhh…don’t tell her that they are not California natives!

It was pretty lonely in the garden today – so the dogs kept me company. Bones gave the Sunflowers his sniff of approval.

Hope – a really sweet girl and new arrival – paid a visit.

Cisco was showing off his much-improved coat…

While Goldie showed us that she has a few previously unknown tricks up her paw: like this adorable rollover.

It was bath day at Homeward Bound with a new grooming team in training. So much pampering and primping…

what better place for Bo-Bo to air-dry than in the garden?

And finally, Wedo came to say the words we can’t wait to hear: “Goodbye”. He went home today with his new family. We’ll miss you sweet boy!

Side note: Ina told me know that the beautiful Asters in the Cottage Garden are second generation cuttings from the old Sacramento City Cemetery. I visited there on Saturday to see the originals. The grounds are absolutely beautiful – maintained by more than 100 volunteers and a few Sheriff’s friends doing community service. Look for a post this week on the blog.

Thinking good thoughts for Murphy’s rescue. It was too quiet at the ranch today. Bring that girl home, and hurry back everyone!

Bring Murphy Home

For weeks now, everyone at Homeward Bound has been following one family’s desperate search for their golden retriever, Murphy – who was lost at Lake Tahoe in early October during a family camping trip. She bolted when she heard gunshots. Being in unfamiliar territory, she was frightened and quickly lost.

She has made her way to South Lake Tahoe, where she has been regularly sighted near grocery stores, coffee shops and a hospital – likely eating from trash cans. But she is badly spooked, may be hurt, and is not coming to her family or other volunteers trying to aide in her return.

Many of Homeward Bound’s extended family have traveled to the area to assist with the search. As the weather turns, each day that she remains on the run brings bitter disappointment and greater distress.
This is the heartbreaking work of those involved in rescue. Lost dogs; abandoned and abused dogs; sheltered dogs with clocks running out. Sadly, not all will be saved.

This is also the heart-warming work of rescue. Many have traveled long distances to join in the search; hundreds have shared their prayers; thousands have shared the posts with their network of family and friends.

If you live in the area, and can assist, let’s bring Murphy home and write a heartwarming end to this story.

Our Village

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

A plane buzzed to signal a special event today at Homeward Bound – the annual Volunteer Picnic. This is the one time during the year when all volunteers come together to an afternoon of appreciation, and connection.

And of course – they were accompanied by their honored guests: the Goldens; almost all of them (like Libby and Jasmine below) rescued from Homeward Bound.

The saying goes, “it takes a village” – and that couldn’t be more evident than today’s gathering. In this all-volunteer organization, each person contributes their unique talents putting in long hours, at, and away from, the ranch. Many times, their paths do not cross except at a couple of events each year. There are transporters, feeders, walkers, groomers, trainers, placement experts, foster families, community representatives and more in addition to the volunteer staff.

They are the lifeblood of the organization, and the reason why Homeward Bound is able to take dogs that other shelters find challenging to place, and create miracle, happily-ever-afters for hundreds of dogs each year.

In all the hubbub, we did still manage to get some gardening in. It is, after all, prime fall planting season, and both Ina and Maria are expanding beds in the Memorial Garden.

Ina plans a California natives garden to frame the garden’s entry. We spent about six hours pick-axing old roots, uncovering archeological treasure,

gigantic weeds,

and laying the groundwork for her next amazing creation.

Having just doubled the size of the Herb Garden,


Maria is now planning to convert the Container Garden into a Fragrant Garden.

By next spring, St. Francis will be surrounded by the smells of orange blossoms, star jasmine, rosemary, lavender, thyme and gardenias.

So many plans – so little time. Hope to see you in the Garden.

Shelby’s Homecoming

Regular readers will remember the story of Shelby, one of Homeward Bound’s more difficult rescues.
Not because she was sick, or old, or broken – at least not physically.

But there was something very broken about her ability to relate to people, other dogs, or even a human touch. You can read about her here.

Maybe that’s why Chris – one of Homeward Bound’s talented trainers – took such a loving to her. Over the course of a year, she and her husband patiently worked with Shelby. In the same amount of time it took for the Memorial Garden to take shape – Shelby blossomed too.

Last weekend -Shelby was finally able to go home. Happy girl.

It is not the end of her story. Shelby may always need special attention to feel safe and secure. But she has found her fur-ever home, and a family devoted to her healing. And that is cause for special celebration. Happy homecoming, Shelby! Come back and visit us in the Garden. 🙂

Still Planting. Still Rescuing.

I thought our gardening plans were ruined, it was so dark and dreary (and early) when I got up. Even the pups had to be dragged out of bed today. But then, the crown of the tree across the street turned golden – and the day in the garden was saved. A little cold. But saved.

Next week, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary is recognizing its volunteers in a special annual event. Our Maria insists that the Memorial Garden must look its best. So, while my garden and photographer blogger friends showcase the fading season, we’re still busy planting. The benefits of California gardening.

I finally attacked the merging of the Hummingbird and Grandma’s Garden beds. Maybe it’s Grandma’s Hummingbird garden now. The rosemary, lavender and sage were spread throughout;

While this amazing Blue/Black Sage found its way to the Perennial Garden.

The petunias were pulled up as their season was over, and they were replaced with more seasonal Snapdragons, Iceland Poppies and Pansies.

Maria finished expanding the Herb Garden which now includes winter veggies; Ornamental Kale, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Red Chard and Artichoke. We’ll see if those are planted for our enjoyment – or the bunnies!

She filled the box behind it with Sages: Pineapple, Autumn, and Genetian (love that blue!)

Pat and Penny (she’s the one resting) dead-headed the roses…yes, still in bloom!

Meanwhile, Ina’s Asters are putting on a magnificent show –

appreciated by all.

Most appreciated, of course, are our visitors. This weekend’s hit parade includes more pairs (we’re seeing so many of them now) including Robbie and Nina,

and Ginger and Rusty.

There’s Dusty;

Goldie;

Sunny (recovering from a recent surgery);

Ollie;

and Pancho.

Bart;

Bogey (who is blind – and the sweetest boy ever!);

Little Scout (who is going to school to learn how to be a dog-loving dog);

and…Moe. As in Curley and Moe. As in – not even close to a Golden Retriever.

What can I tell you? We rescue.

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/

End of September Update

The humans were a little sluggish this morning at Homeward Bound. I’m not sure if it was the late-into-the-evening fundraiser for the organization, or the weatherman’s promise of 100-degree temperatures…on September 30th. Enough already! While we pounded coffee, the dogs and creatures were up and at ’em. Bees…

butterflies…

frogs…

and even the Hummingbird made its appearance!

We created a garden bed just for this fellow, but he has eluded us all summer – until now. More in another blog about how I almost blew his photo, and the interesting Photoshop save and results.

The only thing not moving was this Crawdad that must have made its way from the draining rice fields. The yards have been full of them, but this one was strangely silent.

Not to be shown up, Maria, Pat and I got busy dead-heading and preparing for the paths that will be installed in two weeks. Here’s Pat hard at work!

With the weeds beaten back, we can’t wait to cover this uneven baked clay earth in three inches of walk-on mulch which will show off the beds beautifully.

Once the paths are in, the goal is to expand the beds. Ina will extend the Cottage Garden across the length of the front entrance,

we’ll create some needed space in the over-grown Hummingbird garden,

Sue and Jeff have planned beds of pansies under the trees (once the weather cools!), and Maria was so inspired by the removal of the blackberries, that she has already begun the task of doubling the size of the Herb Garden.


Across the way she dressed the St. Francis bed for fall.

Goldie gave it the once over, and her approval.

And with that, the parade was on! This is Hank Spoon.

A terrible name for a sweetheart of a boy. Maybe someone will adopt him and change it to something more befitting.

Brutus and Sierra came in search of refreshment. They are still looking for their ‘fur-ever’ home together.

Goldie, number two. A beauty with, what look like, Collie ears.

Scout and Huck are new arrivals. Scout is part Golden and part Corgi. One of our gardeners already has her eye on him. Occupational hazard? Or master plan? I’ll keep you posted.

Huck is a people-loving little thing, who will do well with someone dedicated to his training and who can match his obvious enthusiasm!

Bones helped himself to another apple from the tree. He can’t hear, but he can see and smell! (Remember not to let them eat the cores!)

Bo-Bo and Hershey are not available for adoption, so they can call the garden ‘home’.

And finally, Wedo. This sweet pup has led a ‘sheltered’ life and needs someone who will be devoted to helping him discover life beyond. In exchange, you will be the recipient of this adoring gaze!

There is a lot more to catch you up on, but it is late, and I promised to bake triple chocolate cranberry cookies for work tomorrow…so off I go! See you back here soon.