I am a tenderhearted animal lover.
Anyone who abuses, mistreats, neglects or tortures animals is on my black list.
I have had a dogs most of my adult life. I love Golden Retrievers. Mr. C grew up with a Golden,
Honey. As soon as we could afford an apartment that allowed pets we got 8-week old
Abbey from the first litter of a home breeder. The husband was a psychologist who thought dogs needed to be with their mother for 12 weeks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It was a long wait!
When Abbey was about eight we got 8-week old
Corby. Corby was a once-in-a-lifetime dog. She was brilliant. She was a 3-ball dog who could keep track of three balls at a time when playing fetch. Quick learner. Show her once, and she's got it. She followed us everywhere. Corby was a very sweet girl. After
she went over the Rainbow Bridge we didn't have a dog for a couple of years.
Dogs take the spontaneity out of traveling or just being away from home for a very long day. Dogs are expensive to acquire and care for. Dogs are a lot of WORK. It just about killed me to live without a dog. Maybe my constant begging for another dog won over Mr. C, or maybe he was tired of my begging.
Wanting some assistance in finding a reputable breeder, I contacted the local Golden Retriever club. We met some wonderful people who suggested we consider adopting a dog from the
Golden Retriever Rescue and Community Education (GRRACE).
We were matched with a year-old male golden-chow mix we named Jeeves. He was quite a project and a little scary at first. In a few months we trusted each other and Jeeves settled into our family nicely. Jeeves went over the Rainbow Bridge too. A friend in GRRACE found another dog, Cotehele (Sweet Girl) who came into our family five days later. She was a puppy mill mom. The first night she hopped on our bed and has been a velcro dog for the past 8 years. She is an amazing dog. She is ball
crazy, more astonishing than Corby in every way. She is smart, understands lots of words, and of course she is very sweet. Cotehele is a good sister and teacher for the dogs we foster for GRRACE.
Henley and
Cassie were hospice dogs. Heartworm prevention is so important!!!!!
When a a dog is continually chained in the yard or locked in a fenced area I get angry at the owner and I am heartbroken for the dog. There are two dogs on our nightly walk who are in these circumstances. The first dog is in a fence. No matter how cold it gets outside, she never goes into the house. The family pays no attention to her except to feed her. She has a dog house she retreats to, so technically she is not neglected: she has food and shelter. I can attest she loves to be petted, especially under her chin. She loves homemade dog cookies, too.
The second dog is chained. She is the same sweet exuberantly energetic, affectionate puppy who showed up at the Farmer's Market and happily got acquainted with anyone who would let her. She had a particular interest in my bakery table. The next time I saw her she was chained in the back of the yard along the alley with a cobbled together dog house. I never see the family playing with her or giving her any affection. The first time I approached to say hello, she was shaking from fright.
She has no shelter;
she cannot get into her dog house.
She is at the end of the cable in this picture.
The cable is wound in and out of a shrub so it doesn't reach to her doghouse.
She has no way to get out of the cold and snow
nor a dry place to lie down.
The straw is covered with snow.
She has no water.
Her dish of food is buried under the snow.
That's it below the chain. My toe is pointing towards it.
We have become friends. She loves the homemade dog cookies, hugs and pats. Other people have tried help her with no success. Our town has no animal shelter. I called the police this morning.
The dispatcher said someone would check on her. . .
