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New Stories Coming Soon! If you have adopted a dog from us and have a success story, please submit it to us. Some of the pictures below may get larger by clicking on them.

Trucker now Tucker...

Trucker’s mom says, “He is HUGE (46 pounds last week) and soooo happy! He looks beautiful and has a TON of energy.”
He sends everyone this message from his new home:

First of all, I want to thank everyone at GRR, especially Jeanae and Tracy, who pulled me out from underneath that truck. I was hot, hungry, and really sick with mange and parvovirus. Lucky for me, my Gold Ribbon rescuers got me to the wonderful doctors in San Antonio. I felt awful at first, but the staff took me under their wing and nursed me back to health. I want to thank them, too! And of course, I can never say “thank you” enough to everybody out there who sent good thoughts and good wishes my way and who helped pay for all my doctor bills while I was getting better!

Then, I want to thank my foster family. Pam and Dean taught me to live in a real house, walked me, fed me, and let me play with their pack. I even went swimming in Town Lake—it was nice, but water can be awfully confusing… I tried to walk on it and kept sinking???

Now I’m with my forever family. The first few days were kind of scary. Maggie and Riley (honorary Goldens) took their time warming up to me, but we quickly figured out who was in charge (it’s Maggie, without a doubt)!
I start my days at 6 AM and can’t wait to go outside to play. Sometimes I forget the reason my Mommy takes me out there in the first place… so we’re still working on my timing!

Inside my new house, there are many new things to see and do! I have discovered stairs, and I must say they are a lot of fun. Sometimes when I reach the top, toys mysteriously come falling from the sky. What a treat!

My new mommy is my favorite. I follow her wherever she goes and love all the kisses and attention! She has taken some pictures to show you how big I’m getting—and promises to keep updating you as I continue to grow!

Thanks again Gold Ribbon Rescue for giving me a second chance!!!

View Pictures Here

Adoptable Story:

Trucker is settling right into his foster home and coming into his essential “puppy-ness.” His foster mom says, “After his rough start—being so sick and all on his own at such a tender age—he’s getting the love, attention, and security he deserves! He likes towels and bathmats, so they have a way of walking out of the room with him. (: We have no concerns about this guy… he will be perfect for anyone who enjoys the process of bringing up a spunky puppy and watching him turn into a wonderful, well-behaved Golden.” His foster dad took the latest pics and adds, “As you can see, Trucker is really a cuddly little puppy. He's got spunk, as you can see by his trying to steal Jingles’ tennis ball. And you can see his comparative size as he stands next to 20-month-old Jingles, who weighs 70 pounds. Trucker weighed 31 pounds on 5/23, compared to his initial intake weight of 25 pounds in early April. He climbed up onto Pam's couch while she napped, and I 'caught' them both!"

Update 05/22:

Trucker moved out of the clinic and into a real foster home on Saturday, May 17th. He is living with two other grown-up Goldens and having fun! Watch this space for more updates soon.

update 05/09:

Just check out Trucker’s lastest photos! He is so grateful to all of you for your help… he is growing more fur every day! Our volunteer says, “I got to play with Trucker. I took pics which I am sending along. He is so smart. He knows “sit” and when they want him to return to his kennel, they point at the door and say “in” and he goes in. What a sweet baby!!! He LOVES the staff there.”

Update 5/3

One of our volunteers just went to see Trucker: “He is in the boarding area now. He was running and jumping and barking. I got to play with him. What a DOLL! He is so adorable and vocal. He is eating solid kibble although he was much more interested in playing with my daughter and me than he was in his food. He was very friendly. He had to run and touch noses with the other dogs in the nearby kennels. His fur is growing back and he is adorable. When we finally left he barked and barked and jumped up and managed to escape from his kennel. Did I mention that he is adorable?”

Trucker would like to thank each and every one of your for all your contributions, concern, and good thoughts! He also wants to let you know that GRR is having some trouble finding a foster home for him, so if you would like to have him come and stay with you, please submit an application. GRR will be very happy to talk to you about the care that he needs. Thank you!

Update 4/28:

Wonderful news for Trucker! Looks like he just may have beaten the parvovirus. He’s gobbling up all the food he can eat, drinking plenty of water, and keeping everything down. No vomiting, no diarrhea. His vital signs are all normal. He’s getting VERY frisky: barking to get out of his kennel, pursuing the techs in the exercise pen and nipping at their shoelaces, just like a normal puppy. The vets are now turning their attention back to his skin issues (mange and secondary skin infections), which will be treated with both oral and topical medications. But this little guy is all set to move out of the hospital and into a foster home!

Sometimes we get a “highly adoptable” Golden—young (but not too young), healthy, housebroken, good with cats, good with kids, known vet history… how much better could it get?! However, as GRR’s president once said, “Yeah, but if rescue were always that easy, you probably wouldn’t need rescue groups.”

The truest rescues are the dogs who are highly UNadoptable at the start—too young & weak, too old, too sick, or too injured to walk right into an adoptive home. When a shelter or a Good Samaritan looks at one of those Goldens and says, “Who could possibly want a dog like THIS one?”… then we say, “We do.”

In the past two weeks alone, we’ve taken in two such special-needs Goldens. One is just starting out in life, the other has already lived a lot—but both of them need new lives. Here are their stories.

Trucker: the little puppy who could

Hotline message from San Antonio on April 10: “There’s a Golden Retriever puppy under our truck in the driveway. We just found him lying there a couple of days ago. There’s something wrong with his skin & he’s really timid. We have been putting food out for him, but he can’t stay here. Can you help? If you come while we are gone, please take him. No one is looking for him.”

Action stations! A flurry of phone calls, e-mails, and vet arrangements followed, and two GRR volunteers arrived the next day… and found a purebred little Golden in very sad shape. “Three or four months old. Lethargic, unresponsive. I literally had to pull him out from under the truck, although he did take a few biscuits. You can tell he feels lousy. No hair on his ears for the most part, lots of hair loss on face and legs. I just wanted to pull him close and hug him. His little life has been just miserable so far.”

Almost too weak to stand, the pup was carried into the clinic and installed in a kennel. He still looked awful, but at least he now looked like somebody cared. And it always helps to have a cheering squad! The clinic staff promptly conducted a “name that pup” contest, and chose the perfect moniker: “Trucker,” because this pup really does keep on truckin’. He has sarcoptic mange (hence the bald spots), a skin infection—and worst of all, parvovirus. For the first few days, Trucker went downhill. Vomiting, bloody diarrhea, fever, extreme weakness. The clinic put him on IV fluids—vitally important in treating parvo, since it kills in part by dehydration. Dogs with this devastating illness can’t take anything by mouth, to spare damage to their already compromised GI tracts, so Trucker is getting antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs in his IV as well. He has daily blood counts, too, because parvo also attacks the bone marrow. By April 16—five days after he arrived at the vet’s—the diarrhea had abated, and Trucker was able to stand on his own and give a tiny tail wag when the staff sweet-talked him. On Thursday the 17th, the diarrhea stopped, the vomiting slowed way down, and he even went for a little walk outside and wagged his tail when he saw another dog in the distance! By Saturday the 19th, he hadn’t vomited for 48 hours and his temperature had been normal for 36 hours. And by Monday the 21st, he was eating small amounts of canned food, drinking water—and keeping it all down. And each time he goes out for a walk, he wants to be a little more active. Everyone says, “He’s a sweetie!”

Will Trucker make it? We sure hope so, but he’s not out of the woods yet. Parvovirus is very serious, especially in puppies—and more so for pups like Trucker, who have other problems, too. His current bills are running about $69 per day, and there’s no general rule for how long treatment needs to continue. But just take a look at his pictures. And we’re all hoping that some day we can show another “after” photo: a grown-up happy Golden with a plush fur coat and a loving family surrounding him.

Over the years we have brought in so many wonderful dogs who needed extra help. Maybe one of them is even living in your home today. I have two in mine! – Darla, #06-095, left outside the San Antonio shelter with a huge, festering abscess on her neck (the fish hook that caused the injury was still lodged in the flesh); and Bebe, #07-031, picked up stray with a horribly mangled front leg and slipping into shock. Without the help of GRR, both dogs would have been euthanized at the pound. That didn’t happen, and every day I look at my beautiful, lively girls and feel so grateful to have them.

Can you help give a special Golden a second chance? We can’t save all of them, but we can always, always try. Please donate to our Extraordinary Golden Fund. You can make a general contribution or ask that your dollars go to caring for one dog in particular. Any amount will help. Thank you from all of us at GRR!

Success Story (6/22/08):

First of all, I want to thank my rescuers; Jeanea and Tracy saved me by pulling me out from underneath a truck. I was hot, hungry and developed mange and parvo. Lucky for me, my Gold Ribbon rescuers got me to the wonderful doctors in San Antonio. I felt awful at first, but the staff took me under its wing and helped nurse me back to health.

Next, I want to thank my foster family; the Phillips took me in, walked me, fed me and let me play with their pack. I even went swimming in Town Lake – it was nice, but water can be awfully confusing… I tried to walk on it and kept sinking???

Now I’m with my forever family. The first few days were kind of scary… Maggie and Riley (honorary Goldens) took their time warming up to me, but we quickly figured out who was in charge (it’s Maggie, without a doubt)!

I start my days at 6am and can’t wait to go outside to play. Sometimes I forget the reason my Mommy takes me out there in the first place… so we’re still working on my timing!

Inside my new house, there are many new things to see and do! I have discovered stairs, and must say they are a lot of fun. Sometimes when I reach the top, toys mysteriously come falling from the sky. What a treat!

My new mommy is my favorite – I follow her wherever she goes and love all the kisses and attention! She has taken some pictures to show you how big I’m getting – and promises to keep updating you as I continue to grow!

Thanks again Gold Ribbon Rescue for giving me a second chance!!!

View Pictures Here

UPDATE 4/20
Take a look at Rowdy and his girlfriends! He's hanging out with his two foster sisters, Sassy and Synda, and a neighbor's Goldendoodle, Ella. They all spent a fun-filled morning at a rescue ranch in Dripping Springs that can be reserved for dogs to come play. Once you reserve it, you're the only guest. How neat!! There's an agility area, rescue rabbits, chickens, ducks, horses, and loads of fun.

Rowdy thinks everyone is supposed to love him. While spending a day with friends, he got to know three indoor felines. As you can tell, he thought they were interesting at first, but they soon lost their allure. (that’s “Tubby” in the photo). When his foster mom went to pick him up, he and the cats were hanging out together. Rowdy should have been named Mr. Friendly!

Hi! I’m Rowdy. It’s not the name I had before I came into GRR’s care, but since nobody here knew anything about my past, I got a new name to go with my new life. “Rowdy” doesn’t really fit my personality (I’ll explain that later), but my foster mom says I’m a long, tall, handsome fellow like a 1960s TV character named Rowdy Yates. As you can tell from my pictures, I AM good-looking, if I do say so myself!

I’ve made myself right at home with my foster family and always use my best manners. When it’s time to go outside, I sit at the back door and bark. My foster mom and dad let me right out. Since I’m tall, I could easily take whatever looks yummy right off the counter, but since I’m such a gentleman, so I’ve never even tried to lift a mouthwatering prize. Commands come easily to me. I know SIT and STAY and LIE DOWN already! My foster mom says I’m one of the best houseguests she’s ever had.

In this family we walk a lot!! At first it was hard for me, because I have something called “loose hips.” A special veterinarian evaluated my hips and said that I should get plenty of exercise like walking, light jogging, and swimming, and stay on a healthy diet so I keep my boyish figure. My foster mom also gives me something called 3V capsules every day, plus a liquid glucosamine supplement called Synflex. The vet said that’s exactly what’s needed! We walk 4 to 6 miles every day, so my muscles are getting stronger and stronger.

Back to the name “Rowdy” and why it doesn’t fit (other than the handsome part!). I go to work sometimes with my foster dad. While I’m in his office and people are coming and going, I’m friendly, but not rambunctious. When I was at the vet’s office for my hip check-up, I was as cool as a cucumber. The vet techs were so impressed with my composure. None of that jumping around yanking things off the counter for me!

I do love meeting new people and dogs. Everyone likes me, and I like everyone. Even the nine-year-old female dog who lives here likes me!! She instigates play. WOW! My foster parents said she never does that. Guess I just bring out the best in everyone. I’m an optimistic, happy, and, let’s not forget, handsome boy.

From: suzanne
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 8:43 AM
Subject: Success Golden story... Cindy's Story....

> I do not know to whom to email our success story but I want to share
> it with you all. Our Golden is the joy of our lives, as so many of
> your Goldens are, I am sure. I have attached the story as well as
> Cindy giving some 4th of July Therapy to someone.
>
> I am involved with Pennys from Heaven Foundation (Dog Therapy group)
> and the director, Patsy Swendson, is so impressed with Cindy's
> innate ability to know who needs therapy and how to deliver, she said
> she wished she could get a clone of her. Patsy's Golden (Penny, the
> foundation's name sake) is 13 and and her health is seriously
> declining. I know there was another dog found with Cindy in late
> Nov or early Dec. 06, in San Antonio, named Marsha. She had not
> been adopted the last time I saw her, although that has been a year
> or so ago. Do you know if she has been adopted? I am sure she
> probably has but if not, I think Patsy might be interested. They
> had told us that Marsha was Cindy's puppy, and if that is true, you
> probably can't get much closer to Cindy genetic make-up than a
> daughter! I have encouraged her to contact you all because she loves
> Goldens so much but she says to be a therapy dog, she needs a very
> special one, calm, gentle with a sweet disposition. I just thought
> I would check.
>
> Thanks for all you do for this wonderful breed.

When our 13 year old Golden, Brandy, died in December ’05, we thought we didn’t need a dog. We were traveling so much, our life would be more simple without a dog. After a year, we realized our household without a dog was not only more simple, it was much too quiet!! We found Gold Ribbon Rescue as we surfed the net for nearby rescue organization for Gold Retrievers.

Being older, we wanted an adult dog that would not be too big, a BIG ORDER considering the breed! But in December ’06, we were called that a dog had been found for us. We were excited but nervous about our dog, Cindy, who we would be fostering while she continued her treatments for heartworms with an option to adopt later.

When we picked her up, she was extremely emaciated and much more scared than we were. She was too weak to get into the car so we gently lifted her in the back seat. Cindy could not stop shaking after we got her home, so we covered her frail 40+ lb body with an angel blanket… what a pitiful sight she was. We fell instantly in love with her and made it clear NO ONE else would get our Cindy.

We soon realized that she had lots of issues to deal with, as so many of the rescue dogs do, I am sure. With Cindy, we think it was survival skills she had developed while on the streets. She was very fearful of big trucks, men, doorways, drains along a roadway, other dogs, she does not know how to fetch and could care less about getting into any body of water. During the recent GRR gathering at Happy Hour Farms, she was the only dry dog among the 30-40 there! She was easy to pick out in the crowd!

Her favorite position in our home is sitting beside my husband as he sits in his chair, with her head in his lap. In fact that is her favorite position with anyone, even if standing. Cindy will sit quietly beside a person, leaning her head against their leg. In that position, most people reach down and pet her golden fur before they realize what they are doing. I think she has learned that is a very positive way of getting attention. It certainly works well with us!

During one of the GRR picnics, someone suggested Cindy would make a great therapy dog. After thinking about it for a while and doing a bit of computer research, we called a local group, Pennys from Heaven Foundation and we are now in the Dog Therapy training program. It is a lot of work, especially for a dog who was very shy and fearful. A therapy dog cannot be fearful of the people she is supposed to be bringing joy to! She is doing great and goes through the testing process for certification in August… wish us luck!

Cindy is even making a few visits with the other therapy dogs and their owners to a rehab. center, retirement community, nursing home and some soldiers and their families. She is as patient and tolerant with the energetic toddler petting her as she is gentle with the frail 100 year old lovingly stroking her soft furry head. When I get out her special bag (containing her treats and other necessary items), indicating we are “going”, she is beside herself with excitement, and sits quietly by the front door (as quietly as she can be with her tail wagging furiously!). I think she is going to do just fine!

From: Susan
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 12:13 PM
Subject: Adoption Success Story and Update

Hello! I wanted to send you an update on Harry (06-149), who we adopted in January 2007.

Wow! Harry is such a treat and a wonderful addition to our family. He has grown into an absolutely beautiful dog. When we got him, he was estimated to be just about 1 year old. He was in his adolescent phase, lanky, loopy, and with a short coat, just starting to grow out. He was quite nervous about a new house and a new family. He wasn't affectionate at all, and mostly only allowed our family of three to approach and love on him.

He's seldom found without a toy in his mouth. When we're on the couch watching TV, Harry brings us "presents". If we don't toss them for him to retrieve, he will bring another, and soon we will have a lapful of dog toys.

Harry's favorite time is meal-time. Twice a day, he dances in big circles as we fill his bowl and feed him and his older sister, Magic (9 years old). His favorite toy is a frisbee, any shape or size. As his foster family told us, and we soon learned, the frisbee retrieval game will go on as long as the human is willing to keep throwing it. Harry seems to have endless energy.

We have a pool, which Magic has always loved. When Harry first joined us, he was quite nervous about this pool thing. Knowing that he has webbed paws for a reason, we took him outside and gently eased him into learning to swim. We have a beach entry, so we just tossed a tennis ball into the pool and waited for Harry to retrieve it. Slowly, he eased deeper and deeper, eventually getting all the way into the water. It was really neat to watch his face as he lost his footing and learned that it was ok and that he could swim.

Today, if Harry is outside for more than about 15 minutes, he throws his own frisbee into the pool and waits for it to float far enough away that he HAS to jump in and swim to retrieve it. Harry swims at least 3 days a week. He and Magic love the pool and that's one of their favorite ways to exercise. They have even learned their geometry - the closest distance between two points - and now if we throw a tennis ball or frisbee over the pool into the yard, they often will return to us VIA the pool!

Another of Harry's favorite games is "Look". We have a 2.5 acre lot with a long driveway and a big front yard. If someone is driving up, or if there happens to be a roadrunner, bunny, deer, or other creature in the front yard, one of us simply says "Look, Harry!" and he rushes to the nearest window, ears pricked, checking out whatever is outside. Harry loves company, and he loves bunnies.

Harry's quirks are few, but they are what makes him adorable to us, and they give us an opportunity to shower him with affection. One of them is that, while he is not afraid of loud noises, fast movements do startle him. He will cower when we open the dishwasher, for example. Meanwhile, this type of motion doesn't phase Magic. Also, he tends to have a bit of separation anxiety. Even if a friend or family is staying at our house with him, if none of the three of us immediate family are home for more than a couple of days, Harry gets a little depressed and has an upset tummy. For that reason, we are very careful with where we leave Harry and Magic when we are out of town.

Harry has really grown into a big boy, weighing in at 78lbs (up from 60 lbs) 1/28/07. He is tall and all-muscle. He's grown out of his clumsy stage and prances with confidence. His eye is all healed now, though he still has some trouble with recurring ear infections, which we treat. The swimming complicates this, but we use "doggie Swim Ear" daily on his ears. His coat is full, silky, and a beautiful red color.

We are in love with Harry, and he LOVES his new home, as he reminds us every day when he greets us at the door, toy-in-mouth, "talking" all the while.

I've attached a couple of pictures. I will send more, via separate emails, due to their size. Thank you so much for allowing us to bring Harry into his forever home.

Columbo is now 14 years old and exceptionally healthy. His hips bother him a little due to arthritis, but with doggie aspirin he's getting around very well. He's a gentleman; he always waits for me to enter or exit a doorway before he goes through himself. He walks by my side and sleeps beside me nightly. He's a very loving dog.

Columbo loves to roll in the grass daily. He has three little chihuahuas to keep him company.

We want to thank his original owners for allowing Gold Ribbon Rescue to place him into another loving family like us. He definitely deserved a chance to continue living a happy life. I believe that Columbo will easily live to be 16 years old if he keeps living as well as he is! Or at least we hope he lives to see 16 or older.

Just last summer he began to get white on his face, and this summer the white became much more visible, including his little angelic eyelashes. Isn't he an angel? You can see how he enjoys those rolls in the grass.We want everyone to enjoy the pictures and know that Columbo is in a loving home.