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February's Golden Gazette Inspired Ragan

After seeing the story about Crosby in the February Golden gazette, I thought I’d send you a photo we took of our 2010 AGA adoptee, Ragan (formerly known as Russett - one of the 2010 Red Hunter Group from McDonough), and his best bud, Walker, playing in the mud in the middle of our backyard landscaping project. We call it “Dogs Behaving Badly.”

Ragan is at the top of the photo. They had a blast!

Here is Ragan on a clean day.

I am wheelchair-bound, so both Ragan and Walker help me with everyday things. Ragan is especially great at picking anything up off of the ground and handing it to me – business cards, silverware, magazines, clothes – just about anything. He also loves to close the door for me when we come back inside the house. I’m a little leery of teaching him to open the doors; not that he couldn't do it, but that he might just let himself out at will!

Goldens are such smart and loving dogs. It is amazing what a large amount of vocabulary they understand.

-Karen

Chief is Going to the Beach for Good!

Dear AGA:

I wanted to tell everyone that my dad has decided to move back to the beach for good. WOOF, WOOF! I’m very happy. Also, thanks to my family at AGA. This great adventure I’m about to embark on, would not be possible without your help.

P.S. My dad is awesome! He takes me on a lot of walks; so much walking that it has even helped my dad lose some extra pounds. We love to talk during car rides and I also enjoy watching TV with him. If you watch really close, you may even catch my TV debut.

I love everyone at AGA.

Thanks for everything you do!

Jay and Chief

Life According to Crosby

Dear Diary,

I know it’s been a while, but I have been very busy spending time with my new family since they adopted me back in June. You wouldn't believe how fantastic my parents and human siblings are. My mom says that I love “my people” and that I don’t like to be by myself, but to be perfectly honest – I just can’t get enough of them.

I have to tell you about the strangest but most awesome game ever… It’s called Hide and Seek. Here is how the game works: When my family and I go for a hike, my mom will have me stay with her and my human siblings will run down the trails and hide from me. As soon as mom screams "free" I get to take off at full speed to find the kids. It’s like magic, one minute they are there and the next they aren't. Oh, I love Hide and Seek!

Another one of my favorite activities is playing in water and mud. Here are some before and after pictures from one of my mud adventures.

Before playing in the mud: I have to say –I’m a handsome puppy.

After playing in the mud: Although my mom has a look of terror on her face, I know she is really thinking, “Crosby, you’re such a rugged, good-looking son.”

Before I go back to spending time with my family, I have to share some great news. I’m going to the beach for spring break! WOOF! WOOF! I’m so excited to play in the surf, roll around in the sand and make new memories to share with you.

Overall, I have to say the last couple of months have been the most wonderful time in my entire life. I could not have asked for a better family or forever home. I am forever grateful to AGA for making all of my dreams come true. I truly am the luckiest dog.

Thanks for keeping all of my secrets.

XOXO

Crosby

YEAH! BURGER in Va-Hi Makes My Tail Wag Today

Today has been a good day! I woke up, stretched, enjoyed some of my tasty dog food and mom even brought me to work with her. However, since the minute we stepped inside the office everyone has been talking about eating tasty hamburgers and hot dogs from YEAH! BURGER. So you’re probably wondering – why is there is so much buzz about YEAH! BURGER today at the office? As your trusted source on all things tasty, here is the inside scoop:

• Ten percent of today’s sales at YEAH! BURGER in Virginia Highland will go straight to Adopt a Golden Atlanta rescue program for golden retrievers. The Virginia Highland location throws a weekly “Feel Good Tuesday” promotion and passes 10 percent of the day’s sales to a varying cause or charity.

As some of you know, before I found my forever home with Melissa, I was also an AGA dog. Therefore, I highly encourage everyone to go to YEAH! BURGER in Virginia Highland because not only will you be helping other fine fellows like me with every purchase, but you will also get to delight your taste-buds with a YUMMY, TASTY, JUICY hamburger.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with my thoughts about this hamburger frenzy.

• How lucky are humans to be able to go enjoy those delicious and oh so tasty hamburgers and hot dogs. WOOF YUM!
• I love hamburgers… Tasty hamburgers…. Luscious hamburgers!
• Thank you YEAH! BURGER for supporting Adopt a Golden. You guys are the best!
• Humans: Order a burger or hot dog to help a golden with a cold, wet nose.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day, filled with mouth-watering hamburgers from YEAH! BURGER.

Lots of love and kisses,

RAFER

PS- Did I mention I’m craving a hamburger?

Andy's Awesome New "Dog Cave"

Below is a letter from Andy thanking AGA president, Lauren Genkinger, for matching him with the perfect family. He has also included a couple of photos in his special 'cave'.

Dear Lauren,

I've asked for help sending you a short note - my paws are too big for the keyboard! I'm writing to say "thank you" for matching me with the V family....it is a forever home! I'm still a little shy sometimes, but they understand that I need some time to really relax. But you can tell I look pretty relaxed in my picture.

Can you believe I have my own "dog cave"? It's like a man cave only better! It's a covered porch with all my toys and a comfy sofa.

I love my long walks with "my guy". I'm man-shy, but "my guy" is very patient and just keeps petting and talking sweetly to me. He told his wife that resistance is futile - I'll love him best in 2012! I think he might be right.

My new family has 3 grandchildren who like to play and they treat me very well. Lots of ball throwing, chasing, pats and belly rubs. I also have a beagle "cousin" came to visit Christmas Day and she loved to play too! Finally, there is "my Aunt" who makes me homemade dog treats with natural ingredients. Am I lucky or what?

So thank you for all you do for dogs like me. I tell every dog I meet how wonderful AGA is!

Happy New Year.....Love, Andy

Last Chance to Support AGA This Year

 

Only TWO days left to remember Adopt a Golden Atlanta in your charitable giving for 2011! 

AGA relies solely on donations and has a 501 (c) (3) classification with the IRS. Your donation is tax deductible. We also meet the requirements for corporate matching, employee giving and volunteer grant programs.

Help us save more dogs like Finnegan next year!

Wishing you a Golden 2012,

Lauren Genkinger, President & Founder  

A Christmas Message from Shasta

Hi everyone, Shasta here!  Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and to say thank you again for allowing ME to even have a chance at having another Christmas.  I am probably leaving some wonderful folks at AGA out of my thanks so I would appreciate it if you would pass them along for me.

I am so happy to have a Mom and Dad that love me so much (they tell me all the time) and my very own home.  I have learned to hop up onto the couch whenever I want to and love to stretch out, and I am getting around better and better.  Mom and Dad tell me all the time how beautiful I am and mom calls me her "velveteen rabbit" because she says I am all soft and fuzzy and real.  

I wasn't sure what she meant until she read me the following, and I like it now when she calls me her own velveteen rabbit because even though I kind of limp sometimes, and I can't hear real well, or my eyes or a little watery, it means I am really, really loved and I am special.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive.

But the Skin Horse only smiled. 

I couldn't have wished for a better Christmas.

Love,

Shasta

PS - The pictures above are some that my Mom took of me today on our walk to show you how beautiful I am now that I have so many folks who love me.  The 2nd picture shows my left side with my bad back leg--it feels so much better that I even use it now rather than just swing it along.

Swimming Lessons, Gracie's Way

Before I learn to swim in my pool, I need to get used to sharing a large water bowl.  I love to dig in it and soak the bathroom!

Love,

Gracie (aka Candy Cane)

A Note From Pingo's Pal Pat

To all Golden lovers, 


Just a note about adopting a senior dog or senior pairs... I adopted Pingo, 8 years old and cannot say enough about how wonderful adopting a senior dog is. Please consider adopting a senior dog; they are your forever friends, loving companions and grateful to have a wonderful home. 


Needless to say, they are housebroken, quiet and above all very few, if any bad habits. Adopt a senior dog -- its very gratifying to know you can give love and attention to an older dog and allow him to live out his life in a wonderful world!  


Pat 

Go, Buzz, Go!

Buzz (formerly AGA Jordan) competes in his first agility trial in Conyers as his mom tries to keep up. He took first place in the Novice A Standard division! Congrats, Buzz!

Spook-tacular AGA Halloween Pups Go to Wonderful Homes

Three lucky families got some very special treats this Halloween! AGA’s “boo-tiful” Halloween Pups Jack-O-Lantern, Pumpkin, Casper, and Wendy all went to wonderful forever homes this past weekend.

Jack-O-Lantern and Pumpkin, who had already formed a special bond, were both adopted by a terrific family in Atlanta. These adorable pups look so happy with their new Mom and Dad! They are thrilled that they got to stick together, and can’t wait to explore the family mountain house and meet their human siblings.

Wendy, the pistol of the litter, was adopted by a great family who has been anxiously waiting to get a female golden. Wendy has an older golden brother named Stanley, also from AGA, to show her the ropes around her new home! Wonder if Stanley’s what has her attention in the picture?!

Casper found a forever home with his new Mom and her lab mix, Ella, in Greenville, SC. Casper and Ella will be the perfect puppy pair; Ella is very independent and Casper is a bit needier so the dogs should be a good match for each other. Casper’s Mom is a grad student so Casper will get to go to class with her from time to time, what a smart pup!

Max Acworth Is Cruisin' Through Life

AGA orphan Max Acworth is stealing hearts with his perfect doggie manners and lovable personality! He has already won the affection of his foster Mom, and this past weekend he made a new canine companion when he met his foster Grandma's dog, Abbey.

Fast friends, Max and his new pal Abbey enjoyed an afternoon drive in the back seat of the car.

A full day of playing with Abbey must have worn Max out! Time for some beauty rest.

...but Max isn't out for long! After a little cat (or should we say dog?) nap, he is back to playing with his purple bear, one of his favorite toys!

To learn more about Max, check out his biography on the AGA website.

Lady: A Hero to Her Family

Brave AGA golden Lady, recently adopted by a wonderful family from Florida, showed some true courage yesterday. Lady was bitten by a water mocassin in her backyard; the owners are pretty sure she was trying to protect her human siblings from getting too close to the snake!

Thankfully, her owner was on top of the situation and killed the snake and immediately took Lady to the vet. After an overnight stay, she is recovering beautifully and is enjoying being pampered by her loving family.

Lady's snake bite certainly isn't getting in the way of her appetite!

This little Lady deserves all the R&R and pampering in the world after her heroic display yesterday, and it looks like she's getting it!

Snug as a bug in a rug! We are so happy that Lady is on her way to recovery. Her family is very lucky to have her.

A Huge Milestone for AGA and Barney

AGA has reached an important and wonderful milestone! Our 312th dog of the year, Barney, is our 2500th dog saved since we began on October 1, 2003 -- 8 years ago this week and guess what... Barney is 8 years old! 


In fact, Barney's date of birth is 10-11-03... ten days after AGA opened for business.  Now you must admit, some higher power had a hand in this one!


It is appropriate that Barney is our 2,500th dog. Barney's owner died and he was being kept by a relative who did not want him taken to a shelter. This is the exact reason why we started AGA -- to work with owners who had to give up their goldens, but didn't want to take their golden to a shelter. 


Barney's caretakers placed him on Petfinders and one of our volunteers saw him.  He is now in our care. Unfortunately, Barney is in pretty bad shape as you can see in his photo. In fact, if ever a dog needed AGA, it is Barney.


Barney has Cushings Disease, which we will treat him for immediately. It simply requires daily meds. Also, he has the following: heart murmur, severe dental disease and a fractured tooth, horribly infected ears, severe arthritis in all limbs, hypothyroid, pendulous abdomen without a palpable mass, diffuse hair lose, scaling, crusting and redness of entire body with extreme leathering of the skin in numerous areas, and severe yeast overgrowth (meaning Barney does not smell like a rose.)


Despite his many medical maladies, his tail has never stopped wagging since we picked him up!


Barney will need our help and we have officially set up theBarney Fund!  We know his care will go into the thousands, so what better number to shoot for in donations but $2,500. We will keep you informed. 
  
Barney also needs a foster family to nurse him back to help. Can you help?


Let's give Barney a wonderful 8th year to enjoy! And HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY, AGA!

Happy Days for Huckleberry!

Huckleberry (Teddy) overcame some major health obstacles and made it through his heartworm treatment and is now doing amazing! This beautiful golden is truly a miracle dog!

Huckleberry (Teddy) looking mighty fine exploring his spacious backyard.

Enjoying some chill time on the rug with a puppy pal. Watching a little Animal Planet, perhaps?

Message from the President: Not All Vets Are Created Equal

Every month we hear heartbreaking stories about medical misdiagnoses, treatment that was started too late, treatment that didn't work at all and dogs who needlessly suffer while their owners struggle to make financial payments to their vet.

We understand loyalty and that you feel your vet is a good person, but give them one chance to help and then if you don't see improvement in your dog, take your dog to another vet and get a second opinion.

Feel free to contact us about your dog's problem. We have probably had experience with the same problem over the years. We can steer you to a vet who has solved the problem. When it comes to troubles ranging from skin problems to bladder issues to seizures, all vets are not created equal.

Lauren Genkinger
President & Founder

Vanilla Rules the Roost

Look how much Vanilla (a Golden/Great Pyrenees mix) has grown since she was adopted 2 years ago! It’s hard to believe that Vanilla, once this tiny little pup, is now bigger than all of her Golden siblings!

Say “Cheese!” Have you ever seen such a big smile? Vanilla’s Dad says his happy girl spends her nights sleeping snuggly in the bath tub when she isn’t guarding the foot of her Dad’s bed.

This look says it all, Vanilla is clearly the furry queen of the house!

It's Raining Puppies!

Wellesley and his new Mom are as happy as can be together!

Wellesley’s Mom isn’t the only one ecstatic to have her around; Wellesley’s sister Bunny is pretty excited to have a new playmate too!

Adorable brother and sister Princeton and Sarah (now Colby)Lawrence are so thrilled to be able to stick together as they join their big, happy forever family! Living with their Mom, Dad, three human siblings, and 2 kitties, not to mention they have a pool to splash around in, there will always be something fun for these pups to do!

Yale was adopted this weekend by neighbors of his foster parents, a wonderful retired couple with plenty of time to play with their pup! After losing their 13 year old golden in May, it seems that Yale was just meant to be! Yale is looking forward to meeting his parents’ children, grandchildren, and grandogs; he can’t wait to go to the family’s lake house either!

AGA Fosters Needed: Can You Help?

These last few months have been VERY challenging for our rescue.  We have seen so many dogs displaced.  

The list of reasons is endless and so heart wrenching:  I do not want the responsibility any longer.  I cannot afford vet care.  I cannot afford food.  I do not have time for the dog.

One thing that makes Adopt A Golden Atlanta such an incredible rescue is our foster program.  Our rescue is known for taking the needed step of fostering to ensure a successful adoption for the human and dog.  People come to AGA because we take the time to place a dog in a foster home and figure out what the dog needs to thrive and be happy. 

Guess what?  We need help.  We need fosters. Many dogs cannot begin their journey to a forever home until they go to a foster.  If a foster is not available, dogs are stuck at the vet or stuck in boarding with an undetermined wait time.

Will you help?  Fostering a dog is a wonderful gift.  If you adopted from us, someone did it for your dog.  Someone bridged the gap for your dog between orphan and adoptee.  Have you ever thought about it?  


We would love to talk to you about being a foster.  Give a Golden a little bit of your time…the reward is happiness for so many!!