GoldenGram - October 2020
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Greetings Golden Lover!
We’d like to extend a warm, Golden welcome to NGRR’s new e-newsletter, GoldenGram! Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders that are affecting so many of us, we wanted to reach out to our Golden community more frequently and in a format that allows us to get news to you more quickly. So, in addition to our print newsletter that is published and posted on our website in the Spring and Fall each year, we’re planning to send about 6 GoldenGram emails per year to Golden lovers. These e-newsletters will bring you stories of NGRR dogs, training and safety tips, Golden merchandise from our store, and other updates. We’d like to hear from you about the types of information you’d like to see in future issues of GoldenGram; please see the bottom of this email for how to send your suggestions.
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How NGRR Is Responding to COVID |
This year has brought many challenges, particularly related to the pandemic. NGRR, like so many other organizations, has had to adapt. One thing that has not changed: We continue to accept Goldens and Golden mixes as surrenders. If you know of any families having to make the difficult decision to rehome their Golden, please tell them about NGRR and let them know of our continued commitment to placing surrendered Goldens in loving homes. One big change is the large gap between the number of adoption applications we’ve received and the number of Goldens needing new homes. We have received so many adoption applications that we’ve stopped accepting any new ones until we can make our way through the ones we have received. While we cannot anticipate when a new dog will come into NGRR, we always want to be ready with a foster home to provide a safe, loving environment and any needed veterinary care prior to placement with a forever family.
At NGRR, we are always looking for ways to connect with those who share a fondness for our beloved Goldens, and we had planned regional in-person meetups this year where Golden owners could get together for lunch, games, and mutual admiration of our beautiful pups. We’re absolutely looking forward to some in-person gatherings as soon as it’s safe to do so.
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We rely heavily on donations to take care of our Goldens, with 80% of our revenues coming from our wonderful donors who love the Golden Retriever breed. We use these funds to provide comprehensive veterinary care before placing our Goldens with their forever families. Occasionally, we call upon a family in our all-volunteer organization to provide a loving home for one of our hospice Goldens. This ensures that the Golden has a wonderful home, and it can be a rewarding experience for the family in providing the dog’s best final days, weeks, or months, or quite rarely, years.
What’s the story with this handsome fellow? Buddy was surrendered to NGRR when he was 12 years old and a bit overweight. At his first vet visit, Buddy was found to have tumors on his thyroid glands, and after seeing a specialist, these tumors were determined to be inoperable. This didn’t sound very promising, and it was clear he’d need a special home. There was a family that was approved to adopt, had two young girls and a cat, and wanted a calm dog that was over any puppy antics. We didn’t have a dog that was just the right one for them, but when Buddy was surrendered, we asked the family if they’d be willing to foster him. "Sure!" they said.
Talk about a love connection! This family had never fostered for NGRR before, but they jumped right in. On his first day with the family, he joined the girls at one of their soccer games. Over time, he joined them in all of their daily activities – walks in the neighborhood, art projects in the yard, soccer games, kayaking, and this summer, a month at the beach with another family who brought their Golden. Now, two years have passed and Buddy has two best friends – Jojo and Cece – who are his human sisters, ages 11 and 8. Although Buddy couldn’t receive any treatment to remove the tumors on his thyroid glands, he looks great and is very happy, and he loves and is very much loved by his family. We’re so grateful to this family for taking Buddy in and embracing him. At almost 14 years old, Buddy is a true wonder dog who is clearly a testament to how a dog can prosper with the love of a devoted family!
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Headed Back to Work: Are You Worried Your Dog Will Miss You? |
By Julie Bond, animal behaviorist and Founder of Pet Education and Training Services. Julie specializes in the treatment of pet behavior issues and has a master's degree in animal behavior from UC Davis.
As shelter-in-place orders are loosened and folks are headed out in public again, many people will be heading back to work. If you added a puppy or dog to your home during quarantine, you may not have any idea how your dog will be when you go back to work. If you’re concerned that your dog may have separation anxiety when you leave, this article will help you figure out if your dog is just missing you when you’re gone or may have separation anxiety.
First, set up a camera to observe your dog in your absence. You can go high tech with a nanny cam or home monitoring system, or simply set up a computer, tablet, or old phone with a camera function to observe your dog. Set up the camera and leave your dog for short periods of time like a trip to your mailbox, a walk around the block, bringing in or taking out the trash, etc. If your dog is alert to your absence but not in distress, great. Move on to leaving your house for a longer walk. No problem? Get in your car and go for a short drive or run errands. Observe your dog while you are out so you know if he's in distress.
If your dog is profusely panting, pacing, drooling, barking, whining, scratching at the door, or being destructive, he's in distress. If you crate your dog when you leave, look for vocalizations, panting, drooling, digging at the crate, gnawing on the door, scratching to get out, or tearing up bedding. If your dog whines a bit when you leave, but then trots off to nap on the couch or watch birds out the window, he's fine. Keep an eye on him while you are gone and see if he goes to sleep or remains awake and vigilant the whole time you are away. Dogs spend the great majority of their day resting, so they should be doing that whether you are home or not. If your dog shows any of the signs of distress noted above, then he may have separation anxiety. If he doesn't show any of these signs, he's fine, BUT you still need to think about what you'd like your dog to be doing all day when you are gone. By pairing your departures with fun activities like interactive, food-based toys, you not only make your departures less of a big deal for your dog, but you make your dog actually look forward to you being gone as they get something special then! Plus, a dog who has spent a half hour working on a frozen Kong toy, for example, is tired and ready for a nap. Your dog should have a few things to do while you are gone, but spend the majority of that time resting and patrolling their home turf to keep it safe. That's what dogs do.
It's best to prepare your pets now for your ultimate return to your job outside your home. Get your pet onto the schedule that you will be following on your workdays. Set an alarm, get dressed, and get ready for work even if you aren't going off to work quite yet. When you are working from home, make those work hours count; spend your time working and not focusing on your dog. You can pay attention to them on your breaks! That way, they won't be expecting attention and interaction all day when you aren't there. When you do briefly leave your house, don't make a big deal of it; leave the house with zero fanfare and don't go over the top when you get back home. Reinforce your dog for being calm, not jumping up, spinning, barking, etc. While you are both excited to see one another, it shouldn't be a three ring circus when you get home!
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2021 NGRR Calendars Are Here – And They Make A Perfect Gift! |
Our beautiful 2021 NGRR calendar features our wonderful rescued Golden Retrievers.
Order yours on our website now for $15 each and help support our mission to provide comprehensive veterinary care to the Goldens in our care!
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Connect with NGRR on Social Media |
Yes, we’d love to connect with you on social media! Check us out on Facebook and Instagram (links below). |
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Dalton wants to hear
from you!
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Now that you’ve seen one issue of NGRR's GoldenGram, Dalton here is ready to receive any suggestions for the types of information you’d like to see in future issues of the e-newsletter. Feel free to send us pictures and stories of NGRR dogs you've adopted too! We look forward to hearing from you.
Look for our next GoldenGram the third week of November. In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy!
Your friends at NGRR
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Phone: (650) 665-0964
Address: 405 El Camino Real, Suite 420
Menlo Park, CA 94025-5240
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