NRGRR continues to operate virtually as much as possible due to COVID-19 restrictions. We have had to cancel all of our largest fundraising activities this year and we are in need of donations more than ever.
We hope the you will participate in our current fundraisers including a virtual Golden on the Green Golf Tournament, the Golden Guardian sponsorship, and our International Rescue efforts, all which you can learn more about in this issue.
We appreciate your patience and continued support as we navigate this uncertain time together. While we are pausing our fundraising and community events, we are not “pawsing” our commitment to rescue, rehab, and adopt dogs in need.
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NRGRR International Rescue |
Our international rescue efforts were halted when COVID hit. However, things are beginning to slowly open back up and we have recently rescued several Golden Retrievers from Turkey and we have additional dogs from China scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks.
Your donation toward our international fund will help us rescue these and more beautiful Golden Retrievers from overseas. Click the button below to learn more about our international rescue efforts and make your donation today.
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2020 Statistics
through August
96 Dogs Rescued
44 Dogs in Rehab
102 Dogs Adopted
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Congratulations to these dogs finding their furever home in August
- Oslen 20
- Boz Skaggs 20
- Deke 20
- Quinn 20
- Stout 19
- Rembrandt 19
- Nadine 18
- Kosovo Ari 20
- Kosovo Hope 20
- Benji 12
- Clara 20
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19th Annual Golden on the Green
Virtual Charity Golf Tournament
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The Golden on the Green Charity Golf Tournament has been a treasured tradition for 18 years, and over the years it has become like a family reunion. We want to keep the tradition alive for the 19th annual tournament, but given the COVID situation, we made the difficult decision to hold a virtual tournament this year instead of gathering together as we usually do.
The Golden on the Green Charity Golf Tournament is one of our biggest annual fundraisers and we hope you will honor the tradition and participate virtually this year so we can continue to support the Goldens in need. We have 2 ways you can participate; 1) by registering and playing a round in support of NRGRR and 2) by making a Tee Sponsorship.
The virtual tournament will run through November 30th, 2020 and you can enter (play) as many rounds as you like. Click the button below for more information and to register.
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This is how the virtual tournament will work:
- Make a donation of $25 per player on your team. (1 to 4 players)
- Play a round at any golf course of your choosing.
- Share pictures from your round on social media using the hashtag. #goldenonthegreen and #NRGRR - (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram)
Prizes:
- Grand Prize: (2) players that have registered via the link below will receive (1) free registration in the 2021 NRGRR Golden on the Green Charity Golf Tournament.
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(10) players that have posted photos on social media will receive a coupon for a free golf item in the NRGRR store.
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Support the NRGRR Golden on the Green Charity Virtual Golf Tournament with a tee sponsorship. For a $100 donation, you can honor your pet or loved one with a virtual "In Honor of" or "In Memory of" tee sign. Click the button above for more information and to purchase your sponsorship.
The sign will be:
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Placed on the Golden On the Green web page.
- Listed in a future issue of the Rescue Ranger.
- Shared on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
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A fun way to support NRGRR is to become a Golden Guardian Sponsor. With a $100 donation you get to name a foster dog and we will keep you updated on their progress while they are in our program.
All of our rescue dogs have unique names as their identifiers, so you may have to get creative. You will be asked to submit 3 name choices to ensure the name has not been used before. You are encouraged to use a special name to honor a loved one, or a funny or silly name to reflect the Golden's personality.
A new option this year is to have your sponsorship listed on our Golden Guardian web page. There we will include a photo of your foster dog and a short reason for their special name. There is even an option to give a Golden Guardian sponsorship as a gift. Click the button below for more information.
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To give you some inspiration, we are starting the What's in a Name segment with stories from previous Golden Guardians. If you are a Golden Guardian and would like to share your story in a future Rescue Ranger, send an email to NRGRRGoldenGuardian@gmail.com.
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What's in a Name...
Willie Nelson
I was given a wonderful gift of a Golden Guardian sponsorship several years ago. It was a challenge for me to come up with a clever name to submit; I wanted something unique. The best name I could come up with for my first dog, which I found as a stray, was Red. How original, right?
I was still struggling to come up with a name several months later until I watched a movie called Our Idiot Brother. It stars Paul Rudd who gets into a little trouble with the law and ends up losing his Golden retriever, named Willie Nelson, to his ex-girlfriend. There are several plots of the main character trying to get his life together after being released from jail but the one that I, of course, like the most is trying to get Willie Nelson back. I knew right away that this was the name that I wanted to submit for my Golden Guardian. I was so grateful for the Golden Guardian gift that I also purchased another sponsorship and, not to ruin the ending of the movie, I chose the name Dolly Parton.
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That's not the end of the story, however. I had the unique opportunity to meet Willie Nelson while he was in foster care. When I first met him, he instantly rolled over for belly rubs. From that moment, his foster mom knew he adored me and that I should be the one to adopt him. Once we ensured Willie would get along with my other NRGRR dog, I ended up adopting him too! Willie is now 13 years old, about the same age as his namesake...in dog years, and still gets around pretty well, just a lot slower. - Scott Kennedy
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Genetics, Blindness, and Golden Retrievers
In this month's medical blog post, our Medical Coordinator Katie McKay reveals a couple of issues that can commonly strike Goldens that cause blindness, Golden Retriever Uveitis and Progressive retinal atrophy. Learn about their hereditary traits, some common symptoms, and how veterinarians diagnose these diseases. There is also some great advice gathered from the NRGRR family on how to help navigate your dog into the world of blindness.
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Over in our foster's Google Group, we were talking about how to teach a dog to get off the bed. And the topic of counter surfing came up. So this month's training tidbit comes to you courtesy of our foster group!
The positive and effective way to work on counter surfing is through rearranging the environment, teaching the dog that staying on the floor is rewarding or teaching "leave it." However, if you Google "stop dog counter surfing" you see devices to shock or scare your dog to put on the counter. Huh? We seek to help people use humane training methods - which never start with the application of electrons or fear.
So skip the "shock and awe" devices and clean up your counters. Dogs counter surf because it works - it's rewarding! When dogs jump up and check the counter, if they are rewarded some of the time with tasty food or even tasty food spills to lick up, then the jumping up will keep happening. If you're distracted and have food out, use a baby gate or crate to keep the dog out of the kitchen. Here's a great article to check out on how to train your dog to be more respectful of your counters.
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To access behavior help for your foster dog, reach out to your dog coordinator. For adopted dogs and others, reach out to Julie Rigby.
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FOSTERS NEEDED...the “life-blood” of most rescues are their fosters. You simply CANNOT save lives without fosters. After being pulled from a shelter, or an owner surrenders their family pet, the dog needs a place to land for medical care (if needed), training perhaps, and a safe environment where they can build confidence and prepare to meet their forever family. Fostering saves lives, and you can be part of our rewarding mission to Rescue.Rehab.Adopt.
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Foster Spotlight: Mark Ridenour |
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Mark Ridenour started fostering for NRGRR a little over three years ago. He wanted to pursue some volunteer work, and as a dog lover, volunteering with a rescue seemed to make sense. Having raised a Golden of his own, and his love for the breed, led him to NRGRR. His love for dogs is not limited to Goldens, and so he appreciated that NRGRR also rescued golden-mixes and golden-hearted dogs. |
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Mark has fostered a number of dogs including a bonded pair and a Golden named Tiff with his companion cat Becca; NRGRR’s one and only “golden-hearted” cat! When Mark first started fostering, his friends laughed at him…certain he would not be able to “just” foster! So far he has not “failed” although currently he has a permanent foster, one of NRGRR’s senior boys, Oscar. But as Mark says, “that isn’t a fail!” |
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Mark’s top benefits from fostering for NRGRR include: the other volunteers he has met through the rescue, the people he has met at the Meet and Greets (pre-pandemic days), and meeting so many loveable dogs! Mark says he finds “dog people” to be the best kind of people in the world. Being part of NRGRR and helping displaced dogs find good homes is extremely rewarding. |
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Mark’s advice to anyone considering fostering: “Try and see if you like it. There is no harm done in trying and you'll meet some great people (and dogs) in the process.”
What keeps Mark from keeping all the dogs he fosters? Space is an issue he says, and it could get pretty expensive keeping them all…but most of all, it feels so good helping dogs find new homes. As Mark puts it, it’s easier for him to think about the dog’s well-being rather than on his own mushy wants!
THANK YOU Mark Ridenour for your dedication to helping NRGRR Rescue, Rehab, and Adopt! We appreciate you!
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If you or your family are interested in fostering please see our foster page to read the steps to foster and complete the application. If you have any questions about fostering, please reach out to our foster coordinator, Mimi Suddath.
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Check out the NRGRR store for Golden on the Green and NRGRR logo items. We have towels, balls, hats, and vests. We also have select styles and sizes of golf shirts that remain in inventory from previous year's tournaments. They make great gifts for your golfer friends and dog lovers! |
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We are always looking for new ideas for store items. If there are any items you would like us to carry, email our store manager, Nikki D'Ambrose, and we will see if it's feasible for us to provide it to you.
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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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NRGRR is a 501(c)(3) organization in North Carolina that is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of Golden Retrievers in need. The organization advocates responsible pet ownership, community education and protection of all dogs. |
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