Help EGRR Help Corey and Cody!

Unfortunately, EGRR is used to getting dogs that desperately need our help. Most times we are able to help them without having to ask our generous members for additional support in order to get our Goldens the medical attention they require. Whether it’s routine veterinary care, surgery to repair minor issues, expensive heartworm treatment or just some TLC from a caring person….EGRR is here to help.

However, sometimes circumstances are such that we have to ask our members to dig deep. This is one of those times. Last November, we received a call from another rescue group to come help Cody, a 7 month old, who was hit by a car, suffering a shattered pelvis and a break in the growth plate of the right femoral head.  He had been left at Hollywood Animal Hospital by his owners, who could not afford the expensive surgery to repair his injuries.  We stepped forward and took him into our program and are covering his expenses. Cody is now living in a wonderful foster home while he undergoes extensive and expensive therapy.  You can read more about Cody, who is the featured dog in our Winter Newsletter.

Then, two weeks ago, we heard about Corey, a 1 year old, who was also hit by a car. Here’s his story:

Corey’s “owner” got him from a friend who found him wandering the streets. She had him for a month, but couldn’t afford to feed him or take him to the vet. Her mother stepped forward to help out. She bought him a leash and collar, and brought them to her daughter while they were playing in a park. The daughter wouldn’t put the leash on him, and….the inevitable happened…….he was hit by a car.

Corey suffered a devastating injury called “brachial plexus”, which means the nerves and muscle in the armpit area were torn away from his spinal column, resulting in paralysis of the limb. He has no feeling in his left front leg, which drags on the ground.

Ninety percent of the dogs that have brachial plexus do not recover and must have the affected limb amputated.  However, the Neurologist and our vets felt it was best to give the injury two weeks to see if, by some miracle, he improves.

Unfortunately, the two weeks are up and there has been no improvement. Now, decisions have to be made. Our vets are consulting with other experts to determine whether Corey should have the entire leg amputated or whether he’d benefit from a procedure that would require partial amputation and a prosthetic device be made for him. Either way, we’re looking at expensive surgery and a very long course of therapy so Corey will be able to enjoy a normal life.

Corey will  need a foster-to-adopt home while he recovers from his surgery and learns to walk again on either 3 legs or with a prosthetic device.   If you are interested in helping Corey as a foster-to-adopt home please call EGRR and let us know.

EGRR needs your financial help to help Corey and Cody.

PayPal is a great way to make a direct donation to EGRR using your credit card.

You can also donate by mailing a check to EGRR Treasurer, 10729 Royal Caribbean Circle, Boynton Beach, FL 33437

Expo Is Coming

What: Our 11^th Annual Golden Expo Reunion
When: Saturday, March 31, 2012
Where: Tradewinds Park, Appaloosa Shelter

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon to celebrate our rescued Goldens and their families. There will be games for our furkids, delicious food, fabulous raffle tables, demonstrations, grooming, and the highlight of the day…..our Rescue Reunion Parade!

If you’d like to donate to our Silent Auction, please contact Marie at foleytom@bellsouth.net.  Restaurant gift certificates, pieces of art work, and signed memorabilia, are examples of items we have auctioned in the past.  Use your imagination and come up with a fabulous donation that will earn EGRR lots of money to help care for the dogs!

Winter 2012 Newsletter Is Here!

For the Winter Edition of Recycled Gold, click here

Save The Date

The next EGRR open Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14th, at Kara’s home.  The meeting will begin promptly at 7 pm. We will be planning for Expo which is just around trhe corner.  We hope to see you there.  A light supper will be served.  For directions and to RSVP, mail Kara at seadogs347@aol.com.

EGRR Wraps Holiday Gifts at Barnes & Noble

On Saturday, December 17th, EGRR volunteers wrapped gifts at Barnes & Noble, on Glades Rd, in Boca Raton.  In addition to the human volunteers who did the wrapping, we had four canine volunteers to help attract the crowds. The weather cooperated this year, and so did the crowds.  We collected some wonderful donations were also able to spread the word about EGRR, and the work we do, to many members of the community.  Those of us who participated, enjoyed this fun day, and look forward to doing it again next year

Fall 2011 Newsletter Is Here!

For the Fall Edition of Recycled Gold, click here

Join EGRR at Clint Moore Animal Hospital, on Sunday, September 18th,  from 2 pm to 6 pm as we join hundreds of dog organizations around the country participating in AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day.  This is the first time that Clint Moore and EGRR have participated in this national event.

There will  demonstrations in Agility, Flyball, Obedience and Rally. In addition an AKC Canine Good Citizen and STAR Puppy test will be offered. Information on basic dog and puppy training classes will be available. Groomers and vets will be on hand to answer questions.

EGRR Wraps Holiday Gifts at Barnes & Nobles

On Saturday, December 18th, EGRR volunteers wrapped gifts at Barnes & Nobles, on Glades Rd, in Boca Raton.  In addition to the human volunteers who did the wrapping, we had five canine volunteers to help attract the crowds. In spite of the rain, it was a busy day, and we collected a tidy sum for our efforts.  We were also able to spread the word about EGRR and the work we do, to many members of the community.  Those of us who participated, enjoyed this fun day, and look forward to doing it again next year!

Report on Morris Animal Foundation K-9 Cancer Walk

The Everglades Golden Retriever Rescue & Club team, pictured above, had a very successful walk.  We finished in 6th place, for donations earned, with a total of $1180.  We finished in first place, for being the team with the largest number of members.  We all had a great time, and hope we have done something to help stamp out this horrible disease that is killing our beautiful dogs.

To see more pictures, courtesy of Barb, click on PICTURES. To see a video of the event, which includes an interview with EGRR President, Hermine, and Mollie, EGRR #120, click on VIDEO.

The Golden Retriever Foundation has partnered with the Morris Animal Foundation in a new cancer study.  This 3-year, $1 million project will focus on hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma, 2 of the most prevalent cancers affecting Goldens.  To learn more about this project, and to see how you might be able to help, click here!

Expo 2010 Is History!!!

It is hard to believe that after all the planning, Expo has come and gone!  The weather was just perfect, the raffle table was beautiful, and the demos were fun. We honored all our foster families, two special volunteers, Dave Hendrix and the Graf Family, and all the dogs who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge, but the highlight was the Parade of Rescues. There were beautiful Goldens, in every size, shape and color; young ones, old ones, fat ones, skinny ones, red ones, and almost white ones.  There were several photographers working the event and some of the pictures are now available for viewing. What you see here is a mere sample of what was taken.  To see more, click on pictures and more pictures.  If you recognize your dog or someone else’s, please identify them with a comment.  EGRR would also like to extend their since thanks to everyone who donated time, raffle items, and anything else to help make our Expo a success.

We all had a great time on Sunday, October 25, 2009 when the Great Pumpkin paid a visit to the grounds of Clint Moore Animal Hospital.  To view more pictures of this fun event, click here.

Our puppies are now 5 months old.  Four of the six, and their Mom, had their first reunion since they all went to their “forever” homes.  This picture of the pups, their “parents’ and their fur siblings, does not show all the fun they had romping and playing in yard of their “foster” home, but it was the only way we could get to see them all, instead of a blur of activity. 

6/18/09: Sky, the last of the EGRR puppies, was adopted today, by a former EGRR adopter, and went home with her “forever” family.  Our foster family is feeling a little lonely because Lady went to a foster-to-adopt home on Monday, and they are now left with just 2 puppies, their own and the one whose “forever” family is on their honeymoon.  She will be gone by next week at this time. They won’t be sad for long because caring for 2 puppies is a lot easier than caring for 6.  We have pictures of some of the puppies with their new families in our Happy Endings section.

6/11/09:  At 8 weeks, all our puppies were supposed to go to their “forever” homes, but 2 days before the BIG DAY, we received a tearful phone call from Sky’s new family. An immediate family member had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, necessitating that they make frequent trips out of the county in the next few months.  They knew that their lives would be chaotic and that this was no way to begin life with a new puppy, so now Sky is looking for her “forever” home. 

Since she had only met this family once, she has no relationship with them, and does not know that she has suffered a loss.  She is just a happy-go-lucky puppy, who is very sweet, and is in the process of learning about the world.  She has just learned that her world contains tennis balls!  She is still living with 2 of her sisters; the one being adopted by her foster family, and the one waiting for her “forever” family to return from their honeymoon.  We would love to place her as soon as possible, so that she doesn’t continue to bond with her foster family. Since she is the favorite of one of the little boys who live with her, it will be best for him if  she doesn’t stay much longer.  Of course, we will not sacrifice finding the perfect home for the speed in getting her adopted. 

6/6/09: The puppies are now 7 wks old and don’t look very different than they looked a week ago — only bigger.  They have received their first series of vaccines and were microchipped (see picture).  They were visited by their new families, and selections have been made.  This was not easy since they are all so cute and sweet.  Next week they will move out of their foster home into their “forever” homes and begin their new lives.  Lady will be glad to see them go, so that her milk can finish drying up and we can find out what needs to be done for her hips.   

 5/29/09:  The puppies will be 6 weeks old tomorrow.  They are no longer nursing, and have just begun to eat real kibble.  They love to play with each other; biting, rolling, and chewing is their idea of fun.  They also like splashing in their water bowl.  All the pups have outgrown their string indentifiers and are wearing real collars.  They have even been outside in the yard, but the rain has been keeping them inside most of the day. They appear to be very affectionate and are as sweet as their mom, Lady.  According to their foster family, they are all beginning to display unique personalities.  They will get their first vaccines on Monday, and they can then be visited by their prospective adopters. 

5/18/09: the puppies are now 4 weeks old. They are being weaned and are allowed outside in their foster mom’s yard. They are very active, playing with each other, eating well and in good health. The vet says all their hearts, eyes, and ears are good, and their hips appear to be tight (which is good). They weigh between 6 and 7 pounds, which is a great size .
They are chewing on each other — mom is starting to growl at them when she doesn’t want them to bother her. That’s ok, and perfectly normal. Lady is just showing limits and boundaries to her babies like all moms should!

5/9/09: At 21 days old, the puppies now have teeth and are starting to walk. By the middle of the next week, we will be moving them out of the whelping box into an X-pen, because they will be able to scale the top of the whelping box by then. Today they tasted real food for the first time — Green Girl (a.k.a. Limey) really took to it, and would still be eating if we had let her. Some of the others weren’t quite sure, and even fell asleep with their heads on the rim of the bowl. Not to worry, they are Goldens and will all be eating very soon.

 
5/1/09: At 2 weeks old, the smallest smallest puppy is already 3 lbs. Their eyes and ears are opening, and they are more vocal than they were before. They are beginning to push up on their front feet and will be walking before we know it. They now look like dogs instead of guinea pigs. 

4/25/09: At a week old, Lady’s puppies each weighed about 2 lbs, which means they doubled their weight in a week. Their faces are no longer pink and are covered with fur, and their pads have changed from pink to black.

4/18/09: THE PUPPIES ARRIVED!
EGRR and Lady proudly announced the arrival of 6 little girls. They were all beautiful and perfect. Lady and her family are living together in a wonderful foster home, and she is a doting Mom.

It is hard to believe that Expo 2009 is now history!  A wonderful time was had by all.  We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making our day successful — those who donated goods and services and  those who donated their time.  All of you will be recognized in our Spring newsletter. And of course, all those wonderful Goldens who participated in the Parade of Rescues.  Pictures are now available here.  If you recognize your dog, or someone else’s, you can log on and identify the dog by making a comment.

Gender: Male
Age: 2
Status: At the Rainbow Bridge

Sometimes Love Is Not Enough…..

On February 5^th, EGRR posted a story about Chase, a happy-go-lucky 2 year old boy, who had just come in to rescue.  Poor Chase, had lived his entire live outdoors, and was neither obedience trained or housebroken.  Since he was friendly, smart and loving, we felt he would quickly learn good manners and make someone an awesome buddy.  Sadly, this was not to be the case, because Chase tested positive for heartworm, an easily preventable disease. All that is required is monthly heartworm prevention medication, gotten from the vet, however, although Chase’s family loved him, they never took him to the vet.

 EGRR began the course of heartworm treatment.  This treatment is not benign, but without it the heartworms will infiltrate the heart and lungs, and eventually kill the dog, so there really is no choice.  We have treated many dogs, and before Chase, lost only one elderly dog to the treatment.  Chase was young, and so we were not too concerned, but it seems his luck had run out.  A week after receiving the second part of the treatment, Chase began having bloody diarrhea and vomiting blood.  As the worms were breaking up and dying, they were killing Chase too.  We are sad to report that Chase will not be anybody’s buddy.  Instead he is now playing at the Rainbow Bridge where heartworm is never an issue.  

 We at EGRR hope that Chase has not died in vain.  People must understand that along with loving a dog, comes the responsibility of properly caring for him. This means regular visits to the vet, maintenance on monthly heartworm prevention medication, flea and tick control, feeding quality food and obedience training. Golden Retrievers are not meant to be outside dogs, especially in the hostile environment of South Florida with its myriad of potential hazards to the health of the dog.

 One might ask how this could happen.  Who would give or sell a dog to a family that is so uninformed and ignorant about proper care of a dog? The answer to that question is either a pet store or a backyard breeder, where oftentimes the only qualification for a buyer is the color of his money. They don’t care about long-term health or temperament or well-being issues, just the how quickly they can make some money.  If you or anyone you know is considering acquiring a dog, please go to a responsible breeder or to a rescue organization (hopefully EGRR!).

Puppies as Christmas Presents

Printed with permission of Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota, Inc. (RAGOM)

Are you thinking of giving a puppy as a Christmas present? If so, please reconsider. Puppies (or any dog, for that matter) do not make good Christmas presents for several reasons:

• Adopting a dog is a decision that should be given a lot of thought, not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
• A young puppy will need constant attention and supervision. They will need to be fed and taken out every few hours, and housetraining can be a very time-consuming process. People are very busy during the holidays, and often don’t have the time to meet a puppy’s around-the-clock demands.
• Christmas is a very hectic time of year and not a good time to introduce a new dog to your household. It can be very stressful at times for us, and pets can often sense this stress. A new pet will already be in enough stress as it is learning to become accustomed to you and your home, and it’s not fair to the dog to bring them home under such stressful circumstances.
• When you adopt a new dog, it will take a great deal of time to learn all about the dog’s personality: what it will and won’t get into, what things can stay out and what needs to be put away, how long the dog can stay comfortably and safely on its own. During Christmas, there are a lot of things that can pose a danger to your new pet—such as Christmas cookies and holiday dinners, and Christmas trees and presents, with their lights, shiny decorations, ribbons and small ornaments—and when you are very busy it can be difficult to watch the puppy as closely as you need to. The last thing you want to be adding to your Christmas agenda is caring for a sick puppy and the big bills and heartache that may come along with it.
• Many kids are really excited at the thought of a new puppy, but after the novelty wears off they may not be so interested in helping care for and clean up after the new pup. Puppies are forever, not a toy that can be played with on Christmas Day and cast aside when the holiday is over.
• Everyone in the family should be a part of the decision to adopt and in choosing a pet that matches your lifestyle and is compatible.

If you are still adamant on adopting a dog during the holiday season, RAGOM requires that all family members be a part of the decision-making and be present for the home visit. Because of this, we do not allow puppies as “surprise” presents, and will only consider adopting out a dog as a Christmas present if the gift recipient knows of your plan and is a part of the decision-making and involved in the adoption process.