Come see some of our dogs that are available for adoption and learn more about Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Thank you Jackie's for your hospitality!

Come march with us in the Raleigh St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 12th. Dress in green and dress up your dog - the sillier the better, the crowd loves it.

Our meet up point is between Polk St. and E. North St. Please arrive no later than 9:15 am. The parade starts promptly at 10 am following Wilmington, Fayetteville, and S. Salisbury Streets and will end around noon.

Click here to view a flyer with more information.

Please RSVP to Ellen Yu at Yuellen2002@yahoo.com if you plan on attending.

Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue received an incredibly generous gift from the estate of Tom Donovan, a longtime friend of NRGRR. His commitment and gift has afforded us the opportunity to ensure the future of the rescue by establishing a Sustainability Fund. Similar to an endowment but more flexibility, it will enable us to Rescue.Rehab.Adopt Goldens and golden-hearted dogs in need for years by providing crucial support for care during even the most challenging of times, like the pandemic we have been experiencing for the past two years. It will also provide funding for strategic initiatives to “grow” NRGRR through improvement and innovation.

We are truly honored and blessed to have Tom’s kind, thoughtful, and generous gift. We look forward to fulfilling the trust Tom invested in us to care for Golden Retrievers and other dogs in need. The Tom Donovan Fund will be the vehicle for the future security of NRGRR as well as its growth.

Individuals who include Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue in their estate planning are invited to join our Golden Guardian Legacy Society. We will gratefully welcome all who are thoughtfully planning for the future of NRGRR by designating a gift through Planned Giving to join those who like Tom have made this important decision.

If you have included NRGRR in your estate, please let us thank you. To join the Golden Guardian Society or for information on how to include the Golden Retrievers and Golden-hearted dogs we save, please contact Nell Barnes, our Legacy Society Manager at nrgrrlegacy@gmail.com.

February is the month for LOVE—and one thing NRGRR is really good at, is loving our dogs. We love puppies, teenage dogs, middle-aged dogs, and senior dogs. We love fit-as-a-fiddle dogs and even dogs that require extensive medical care. We never turn down any Golden that needs our help and we open our hearts and homes to as many golden-hearted dogs as there are fosters to care for them.

Finding the right home for every dog can sometimes be challenging. Placing a senior dog or a dog with special needs takes more time, generally, and some very special people to open their hearts to make a home for these hard to place dogs.

For over six months now I have fostered one of the sweetest, most gentle, and easy-going dogs ever; her name is Meadow. She is 10, so a senior; and definitely not a Golden; but as golden-hearted as they come. She was adopted for four months by a wonderful family who loved her very much, but they soon discovered she did not like being an only dog. She had separation anxiety, and try as they did, she just wasn’t happy being left alone (which she rarely was); and crating her was not an option as it only amplified her anxiety.

As her original foster, I did not know she had separation anxiety because I have three dogs of my own and a cat—who thinks he’s a dog. Meadow always had company at my house so I was unaware that she would not do well as an only dog. She was, and is, truly one of the easiest dogs I have ever fostered. Meadow was returned to program, no fault of her own or the adopters, and continues to look for her love-connection!

As I write this, I have several recent applications for Meadow that are quite promising. It is my prayer that she will find her fur-ever home very soon. Maybe even by the time you read this! Let’s hope, love is in the air!

~ Kerry Ahrend, Meadow’s Foster Mom

Julie Rigby, who heads up NRGRR’s dog behavior team, recently shared some great dog “management” tips for bringing a new foster into your home. Included here are excerpts and edits from her email to our foster community and some links with additional valuable information to help transition a new dog into your home environment.

Why do you need to manage dog behavior and introductions when walking a strange dog into your living room? Some dogs will greet just fine, but other times you may create a problem that will be difficult to fix. Why risk it?

ALL foster dogs should receive a slow introduction to your home and at least three days to decompress. The less socialized the foster dog, and the more barren or stressful the previous environment, the MORE decompression they need. Generally, the sorrier you feel for your dog based on its story, the more structure you should provide! You can give a dog the same amount of love—just limit their access to get into trouble. Don't let your emotions make you pile on the love and resources without boundaries.

While puppies tend to be social and friendly, or appeasing with most dogs, adult dogs follow a bell curve. Adult dogs range from dog-social to dog-aggressive, with most being in the middle which is dog tolerant or dog selective.

A dog's tendencies, or feelings about other dogs, also change with environment, handler, training, and more. Your foster dog is at their most vulnerable (at their worst) when transitioning to a new home. They need your management skills most in those first few days when they are likely to be reactive or exhibit behaviors that we don't like, such as guarding resources.

Management includes managing your home environment, for your new foster and your existing pack as well. Until the dogs have had time to observe and acclimate to each other, there are things you can do to create a safe and enjoyable environment for all. For example, pick up all toys and dog chews and give those in crates for at least the first week. Using a “crate and rotate" technique, you can allow the dogs to get to know each other in a safe environment. Crate and rotate means you meet your foster dog's needs, such as pottying and eating, and then crate them for rest; dogs are not loose together. With crate and rotate, dogs that don't know each other can observe, relax, and begin to listen to you without feeling threatened. You can also use baby gates to separate your foster and resident dog(s), again allowing them time and “safe” space to get to know one another.

Here's a good Whole Dog Journal article about the importance of management.

BadRap Rescue provides amazing foster education—listen and learn! You may want to bookmark this site for future reference.

If you have any questions about how to bring a new foster dog into your home, ask for help. NRGRR’s dog behavior team will bring the dog to your home and help it settle in and address your questions and concerns. We want you and your new foster to be successful!

For help reach out to the Behavior Team at nrgrr-behavior@googlegroups.com

Before adopting, we encourage you to think about what you are looking for in a dog. Are you looking for an energetic dog to go on morning or evening runs with you? Are you looking for a dog who will hang out with you during the day as your work from home; one who is quiet and reserved and won’t take center-stage during your Zoom calls? We all have our preferences as we seek out the perfect dog that fits with our lifestyle and personality.

The nice thing about fostering; if that is an option for you; is you have the opportunity to get to know the dog’s personality prior to adopting. For others, the (human) foster can share with the potential adopter about the dog’s personality. And once you adopt a dog, you will continue to get to know their personality as they become more and more comfortable with their surroundings, their new family, and established routines.

So now, just for FUN, let me share a little bit with you about personality types in dogs!

For over twenty years (since 1997) I have been certified in an instrument called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Have you heard of it? I am guessing many, if not most of you, have. Many of you have taken the MBTI personality assessment in a leadership class or team building activity, as part of a career coaching package, or perhaps, if you are married, in pre-marital counseling. It is the most widely used personality assessment in the world.

But did you know that there was a book written about the MBTI and your pets? It was just for fun, no scientific data supporting it, but I got a good chuckle out of it, years ago when I first read it. Let me share some of it with you now and see if you can figure out your dog(s)’ personality type. Remember, this is just for fun so please don’t write to the editor if you disagree! LOL (Note: This is the simplified version!)

There are four scales to the Myers-Briggs inventory:

Extroversion – Introversion: This scale has to do with where you get your energy. Are you energized by people and things (Extroversion), or do you need to re-energize (charge your batteries) through time alone (Introversion)? So, which is it for your dog, does she want to be the life of the party and in the middle of everything, or does she prefer a quite space away from the hustle and bustle and crowd?

E ___ or I ___?

Sensing – Intuition: This scale has to do with how you collect information. Some people (and dogs) collect information through their five senses (see it, touch it, taste it, hear it, smell it), and some collect information through their intuition (their gut). When your dog enters a new place, especially someone’s home, does he run from room to room inspecting and sniffing every nook and cranny (Sensing) or does he simply find a comfortable spot and make himself at home (Intuition)? Here’s another example: Does your dog sniff and inspect treats he is offered before eating them (Sensing), or does he just grab and swallow with the “gut” instinct that it’s going to taste good! (Intuition)

S ___ or N ___? (Note “N” is used for Intuition)

Thinking – Feeling: This scale is about how someone makes decisions, from the head or from the heart. Thinking preferences focus on “things” and Feeling preferences focus on “people.” For example, when you take your dog to visit a friend or relative, does she decide to focus on a toy to chew on or the squirrels in the backyard for entertainment, or is she more focused on getting petted and loved on by the people present?

Is your dog’s preference T ___ or F ___?

Judging – Perceiving: This scale is about how someone likes their world structured and organized. Judging preferences want their world structured and organized; they want to “have a plan and work the plan.” Perceiving preferences like their world flexible and adaptable. They like to “go with the flow.” A dog who favors the judging preference would find it difficult adjusting to change. They have their routine, and they like to stick to it, according to plan! They want and expect dinner at the same time every night and likely have a hard time adjusting when you travel or their schedule is interrupted in anyway. I had a “J” personality Golden and it would take him a minimum of three days before he stopped pouting when I traveled, per the dog sitter. I also had a “P” personality Yellow Lab (at the same time) who was thrilled to see the dog sitter and was his same old happy self, never missing a beat! He always adapted quickly and went with the flow!

Based on this description, is your dog a J ___ or a P ___?

I hope you had some fun with this and got a chuckle, as I did when I read the MBTI book for pets, many years ago. And while this was just for fun, it is important to know as much as you can about your dog’s personality. Understanding their preferences (likes and dislikes) will make life better for your dog(s) and for you!

Kerry Ahrend

We hope you enjoy this new platform for the Rescue Ranger! You may receive this edition more than once as we strive to not leave anyone out. You can always email questions or concerns to us at: nrgrr.rescueranger@gmail.com.

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