ALL RESCUED, ALL LOVED: LIVING THE GOOD LIFE IN GOLDEN
Ellie is 5; Henry is almost 5 months; Sandy is 12.5, and Harley is 3....the loves of my life! Henry is the pup I adopted from RMLR (ROCKY MOUNTAIN LAB RESCUE); all of them are rescue dogs.
Henry came in from North Platte, with canine influenza (diagnosed by my vet as not being kennel cough) dog in the same car.......need I say more? All my dogs came down with it--I was very worried about my oldest girl, Sandy (12.5 yrs old) so the vet gave her lots of fluids for her 104.9 fever...very scary. But everyone finally recovered--it was awful.
Henry is the sweetest puppy! Very mellow; quick learner; LOVES all my dogs and the dogs he has met (he was very scared of other dogs at first, but I kept bringing him to the Chatfield State Park (against the recommendation of 2 trainers) and he overcame his fear..thank goodness! Now he just LOVES all sizes; no fear at all. That is the best place to socialize a puppy! Back to Henry: just a love bug...easy going....he is the definition of "retriever"--loves to fetch his balls, sticks.....he makes me smile every time I look at him...just a joy. Only chews on "his" toys...he learned that from his siblings.
Thanks! Ann
SAMMI
I just wanted to send a quick note about Sammi. She is doing well. She had a busy summer. Sammi was the mascot for Camp Freedom. Camp Freedom is a camp for children with disabilities. The disabilities are wide ranging. Sammi did so well that we had to arrange for her to be a part of camp even when my husband and I were unable to participate.
I think the best Sammi camp story was from a session that my husband and I were unable to help out with. She went a long with our friends who normally watch our dogs when we are unable to take them with us. Anyhow, there was young boy attending that session who was terrified of dogs. His parents kinda cringed when they saw Sammi. Well, the boy became interested in Sammi because he had never seen a dog with 3 legs. The boy kept his distance and Sammi would just sit smiling at him as to encourage him to come closer.
Well, by the end of his 3 day stay at camp, he was best buds with Sammi. He would lie on the ground and let her lick him from head to toe! What is even better about the story is that this particular camper's siblings wanted a dog, but mom and dad were hesitant due to this boys fears. I heard that the family adopted a dog from one of the shetlers and everyone is doing great! My husband was particularly moved because he understands the impact of having a disabled child can have on other children in the house.
Sincerely,
Ann (and Sammi, Ollie, and Dan)
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Spot
Spot is a 2-year-old Great Dane/Lab mix that came to the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue in October 2008 from Madison, Kansas via a CARE transport. His owner, who had kept him chained in the yard, relinquished him. The pound that Spot was in was ready to euthanize him when RMLR found out about him. We had him transported to Colorado and placed with one of our foster families. His foster dad took him to the vet for his heartworm test, which came back positive. He also requested x-rays, because he had noticed that Spot favored one of his rear legs. The vet found severe hip dysplasia, and recommended immediate surgery after Spot recovered from his heartworm treatment. The vet suspects that Spot previously suffered a broken leg that went untreated by his former owners. Spot's unusual markings got lots of attention, and he quickly got adopted by a wonderful couple in Centennial, CO. They are currently helping him to recover from his heartworm treatment, and will be working with RMLR to get him through his upcoming hip surgery.
Harley/Diddey
Harley is a Black Lab/Border Collie mix came to the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue in April 2008 from Leavenworth, KS via a CARE transport. He was tried out a couple families and his named changed to Ridley along the way. Always decked out in Black and White this smart guy knows he is more than just another handsome face. True to his mix Border Collies are known for their amazing agility, Ridley is no exception commenting "Six foot fences, that's kids play". Full of energy this sweet, friendly, fun lovin' boy would make an excellent running companion or candidate for agility training. These dogs live to work and are known for their high energy, speed and obedience. He was having a difficult time finding a forever family while in a rescue known for adopting out labs, when he had so many Border Collie traits. This past weekend his incredible foster family decided they couldn't bare the thought of being without him. He's made great strides in learning how to harness his energy and behave. He now is named Diddey and goes on daily 4 mile runs with his new forever mom!
Retriever Rescue of Colorado
PO Box 221495, Denver, CO 80222
RROC began in 2006 with only a few volunteers on hand to spearhead the effort to create an incredible rescue organization. The expectation that RROC would achieve saving around 30 dogs was far exceeded within the first year of operation and today proudly touts more than 850 retrievers saved and adopted as of 2008.
Fionn (aka Roman)
Well, he first thing Roman did upon arriving in his new home was change his name. His new name is Fionn (pronounced Finn) MacCumhail (pronounced MacCool), named after the Irish legend who was part Robin Hood, part King Arthur. Fionn, the legend, was a natural in water and got his powers from salmon, and as it turns out, my Finn was born to swim and chose the smoked salmon dog food from a selection he was offered. So Irish hero dog is big, red, mine and happy.
He has been going to doggie daycare every day with his new brother, Chester, the schleppherd. They have so much fun! Finn loves the pool and even takes his naps in the wading pool (supervised, of course ;-) He's eating, he's putting on a little weight and he's sleeping on the bed and the sofa like a pro. He is also madly attached to his feline brother, Fergus.
At first it was hard because Finn was so submissive and insecure. If I called him, he would melt into a ball, but I figured out that I should just call Chester and give kisses and treats, and Finn would follow. He is becoming more secure, really coming out of his shell. In fact, they told me at his daycare today that they can see so much more happiness in him in the past two weeks, and that he is really bonded to Chester. Today when Chester came out first to go in the car, Finn actually cried at the gate, and since I've only heard him bark one solitary bark in two weeks, I know that this was a big step for him to cry for his brother. Since I've never adopted an adult dog before, I didn't realize that he wouldn't bond to me immediately, so we're working on that. I do think he likes me very much, but he's reserved a corner of his heart for now, I can tell. I know, too, that his heart is so big, and it is opening up a little more every day, that soon I'll be his Number One instead of Fergus the cat :-)
Rosie (aka Aquamarine) She is doing very well. She is a really laid back girl, she has her crazy puppy moments but for the most part is a very mellow dog. She's also REALLY SMART... we have a box of toys for her and she will go and nose around, find the one she wants to play with and PUT IT BACK when she's done and get another one. I swear :-)
She also is doing very well on potty training and hasn't had an accident now in about 5 days. We're crossing our fingers that she'll be mostly housebroken soon. We are so thrilled with our lovely puppy and can't wait to see the dog that she grows into.
Chester (aka Desert) Amber,
Thank you for your email. Chester (aka Desert) is doing GREAT. We absolutely love him, and he has adjusted extremely well. He plays with lots of other dogs in our neighborhood and spends a lot of time playing the yard with me. His training is going well, although he gets distracted pretty easily by other people and dogs because he's so social!! He's a smarty though and is picking things up pretty quickly. He is truly amazing, and I couldn't be happier with the dog we adopted.
Thank you RROC!
Best, Hyland & Laurence
Oakley (aka Jungle) Thank you for the follow up. I have to say both my wife and I are very impressed with your organization and very pleased with the experience. Our family decided to change Jungle’s name to Oakley. Agreeing on a name wasn’t easy between the six of us but it was fun and everyone likes the new name. Oakley is starting to respond to his name but is still learning it. So far he has settled in nicely and has already learned to sit and shake and is learning to fetch. He does really well in his crate at night on only puts up a little resistance at first but calms down quickly and sleeps through the night. We are still working on house training and as long as we keep to our routine he does pretty well.
RAGGEDY ANN – A SPECIAL LAB Rags arrived on the 2/11/2009 C.A.R.E. transport. Chet is a new driver for C.A.R.E. Here’s his and Rags story: My name is Chet and my wife Jennifer and I just started to do some volunteer work for C.A.R.E. and RROC – Retriever Rescue of Colorado.My first transport was to Topeka, KS and I saw Raggedy Ann in the shelter. I was a bit shocked, she has chemical burns on her little body, stitches in her left eye and half of one ear missing!!I found out she had been in one bad home where she got the chemical burns, was taken out of that home to only be put into another bad one!!She was then put into a closet for long periods of time without food or water!!Somewhere along the way, a bigger dog or a disturbed person tried to take her left eye out! I tried not to pay too much attention in fear of falling for her….but it had already happened!!I did my transport, Jennifer and I talked about what I had seen and we both cried.A week later, C.A.R.E. had another transport for me and it was to Topeka!!That was it!It was a sign!We had to bring her home! I went out on the next transport and when I got there to adopt her I hit a wall of opposition!Well if you know me that just makes me more determined!!I had to come home without Raggedy Ann and it was very hard to walk away and leave her there!Needless to say, a few stern phone calls later, some paper work, and money, she was ours!Now how to get her home and C.A.R.E. to the rescue! She has put on quite a few pounds and let go of a lot of stress her first week or two with us!Thanks to C.A.R.E. - I truly feel as if we have saved a beautiful life!!Thank You!!!I have added a few pics of her and her new bro and sis (both RROC dogs). Note “Rags” (that’s what we call her for short) is the smallest of the three! Chet Kelley
Amigo
Amigo came to RROC from a very loving home.
This beautiful 10 year old purebred Golden Retriever boy was the beloved pet of a man whose home was destroyed by a tornado in the midwest. Amigo almost didn't survive. The man lived with friends and relatives but there was no place for his buddy. When Amigo wandered onto a very busy street, the man realized that he needed to find a safer place for Amigo and that meant giving up his dog.
RROC offered to take Amigo and find him another loving home. Amigo's owner was grateful but couldn't understand how we would get him all the way out to Colorado. He was so amazed to learn about C.A.R.E. The poor guy sobbed when he delivered Amigo to the transport on July 19, 2008.
He has stayed in touch to learn how Amigo did in foster care, where Amigo had two canine friends and lots of attention. He thanked us profusely when told that Amigo was in a great permanent home.
Amigo's new family adores this gorgeous boy and takes him on long hikes. They are thrilled with what a loving, smart dog they've received!
Colorado Animal Rescue Express (C.A.R.E.) is a 501(C)3 Public Charity
