Thursday, October 30, 2008

AGA Saves 300th Golden This Year!

Wow, it looks like my luck is taking a turn for the better. I just found out that I am the 300th golden retriever to be rescued by Adopt a Golden Atlanta this year! They named me Sunshine, which I quite like, and they got me out of that horrid shelter in middle Georgia.

I'm about a year old and a small golden girl. All the kind volunteers know about me right now is that I ride well in the car and I'm calm. I really look forward to showing them my true personality over the next few days, cuz I have a feeling this will help them find me a forever family. And this is what I want more than anything in the world!

Things are going to get better for me, just like they have for the 299 pups before me this year. I'm honored to be #300 and I thank you all for saving my life. Woof! Woof!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Abby's Mom Writes In



Hey y'all! My mom wrote you this letter below. I just want to add in my two cents: THANK YOU for giving me a wonderul life! Love, Abby

Dear AGA,
I have been meaning to write you guys for the longest time. I am sorry that it has taken me this long. I adopted "Abbey Road" on April 1, 2007 and I wanted to send you an update on her. I am also going to attach some pictures for you!
I cannot express to you how wonderful it has been to have Abby in my life. Now I can't imagine life without her. When I brought her home, AGA told me they thought she was ABOUT 7 years old. My vet told me she thought she was closer to 8 years old. So, I decided that we would say she was 7 and 1/2. I then decided that 6 months from the date I got her would be her 8th birthday. (Oct. 1, 2007). So, Abby is now 9 years old! Go Abby!
And just as you all had "warned" me, she is definitely a couch potato! She is also, however, been the greatest joy and addition to my life, to date. Sometimes I wonder if the love that I have for this dog is unhealthy in any way. She is my constant companion at home and I miss her while I'm anywhere else. I always look forward to going back home because I know SHE will be there waiting for me.Recently we have been dealing with some behavioral issues, but we won't give up! We have a great vet and behaviorist to help us along the way.
Overall, I just wanted to express my gratitude to your organization for all that you have done and continue to do. Again, "thank you" is not enough but for now all I can offer.

Ginger has a new friend


Hi, Ginger here! Well, I’ve been at my new home about 4 months now and I am sooooo happy! When I first came everyone was so worried I would not get along with the resident cats. That was so silly, when I first met Leopold I immediately gave her a kiss. We are best friends.

She sleeps with me and she makes biscuits on me. I don’t really know what that means but it feels good and she purrs a lot while she is doing it. I never get any biscuits out of it but my mom and dad think it’s just wonderful and get all excited!

I have another cat friend named Corky (I call him Corkscrew because he’s a real shy and likes to hide alot). He is nice but nothing like my Leopold! I’m so glad I came here.

When mom and dad are loving on me they call me Ginger Snap and snap their fingers or Ginger Bread (must have something to do with the biscuit thing). Anyway, I hope to see you at Goldenrama!!!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Orwell Checks In

Sorry you haven't seen me lately, but I have been very busy raising my new little brother. It's tough work! I have to make sure he takes good naps (so I take naps in his room with him), provide cushion when he falls (so I strategically place myself right next to him at all times), and I'm forced to clean up after him when he drops his food on the floor (sweet potatoes are my favorite!!). I feel so lucky to have my family and constant TLC, so now it's my job to return the favor!

I'm bringing my parents, sister Cali, and baby Wade to Goldenrama. I hope to see you there!!

Love, Orwell

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Vote for Crosby!

I am so excited to let you know that this photo of me and my baby Bennett has made it to the Top 100 Anniversary Contest photos at Milkbone.com! The winner is decided on votes and I was wondering if you could please vote for us! If we win I will be the first Milkbone "SpokesDog" - can you imagine how great that would be for Golden rescues everywhere?!

It's really easy too - go to www.milk-bone.com and click on our photo. You'll have to put some info in the first time and then you can vote every day!! People can vote one time a day now through November 18th.

Thanks, AGA! You've already made me a winner by saving me and finding me this great family - Milkbone would just be gravy. But yum, I do love gravy! Woof!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Cookies and Cakes Needed for Sunday's Bake Sale!


CALLING ALL COOKS! GOLDENRAMA BAKE SALE NEEDS YOU!

Please share your family's favorite dessert with us! We still need delicious home-baked goods for the Bake Sale at Goldenrama. That's this Sunday, Oct. 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at The Concourse. We have a particular need for cakes, pies, a cheesecake or a batch of your famous cookies, popcorn balls or candy. Baked items need to be packaged in boxes, ready to sell (So sorry but we don't have the resources to package them for you!) and brought to the Bake Sale table as near to 12:00 as you can get there.

Please contact Delynn at delynnelliott@yahoo.com for details or 404-704-0375 if you have any questions.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Stormy Reports in from Orlando




Happy Halloween, my spooky AGA friends!
Wow, being Orphan of the Month not only made me a YouTube star but it got me the greatest forever family! I am really starting to feel at home in Orlando. I didn't want my new mom to leave me at first but I'm starting to realize that she has errands to run (sometimes to buy me treats!) and that she always comes back to me.
I'm really scared of loud noises like thunder, lightning and any outside equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. My family feels so sorry for me - they just hold me and love me when I cry. They take me to get a bath and brush on the day the lawn guys come so that's doubly awesome - no noise and I get all clean and pretty! I think I'm going to get better now that I know there's really nothing to be scared of.
I have the cutest 3 little girls who love me constantly and my best friend is Teddy who's a little pup compared to my svelte 100+ pounds. He is a doll and we have so much fun. Mom says I'm going to visit our vet soon to have my teeth cleaned and meet everyone! She says they are going to just LOVE me!
Once upon a time I was always in trouble because I didn't do my job herding goats. Now my days are filled with walks, lounging out on the front and back porch, and receiving lots of loving. I like this job a lot better!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Q: What's better than ONE adopted golden?

A: TWO adopted goldens!!

Hee hee. Molly and I love riddles.

Our parents just wanted to send in a photo to show people how pretty and happy we are. That's me, Sammy, on the left and Molly's on the right. I'm somewhere around 3 years old and got adopted in February 2007. Then in May of this year, mom and dad went back to AGA and adopted Molly who is 6 and now I have a big sister - woot!

Mom stays at home so we play with her and each other all day long. We are best friends and Dad says it's hard to see the age difference between us. I like to think of myself as the alpha but I let Molly be in charge sometime too. That's just what best friends do. If you know someone who already has a golden, show them my letter and maybe they'd like to check out the orphans and go get their pup a brother or sister. It worked out great for me and for Molly!

My First Month at My New Home, by Brandi


Hi everyone at AGA. You used to know me as Alexandra before my Mom and Dad changed my name to Brandi, which I quite like. I have been in my forever home for just about a month now and things are going great. I have an older golden brother, Jake, and two kitties, Chui and Simba, to play with. We all get along fine. I have a fenced back yard to run and play in, but, of course, I do have my chores. Someone has to keep those pesky squirrels in line. They like to stay up in the trees and wait for a chance to get to the bird feeders. That’s me in the picture while on guard duty. I wait patiently; hoping one of them will make a mistake. I also like riding in the car even though my Mom doesn’t want me to sit on her lap in the front seat.

I spend my nights sleeping on my own cushion in Mom and Dad’s bedroom. For some reason Jake doesn’t like cushions but he has his own polar fleece blanket in the doorway which he enjoys. Jake and I plus the kitties get lots of pets and brushings and we doggies love the tummy rubs. I know I am going to be really happy here. I love my Daddy and follow him around everywhere.

Thank you AGA for rescuing me and bringing me to Atlanta where I have such a wonderful life. My prior life and the fire in Alabama seem like a distant memory. I didn’t know that life could be so good!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

A Note from Dusty and Belle

Divorce is bad, for sure, and we're so sorry that our first mom and dad had to get one. But when they knew they were going to have to give us up too, at least they knew to call Adopt A Golden Atlanta. And well, things are GREAT with us! We live in Hilton Head and play all day long, every day!

We have two adorable little girls to love and we get to ride in the car to take them to school every day - yippee! We love going to Atlanta to visit our grandma and cousins. Our forever mom says we are the best pups ever.

Thanks for helping people get through the hard times, AGA.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Where's the Remote?

I love watching TV! My favorite program is the Animal Planet but if the remote's not handy, I'll watch whatever's on. I like that this house has TVs in lots of rooms so I can wander around and watch from different places - what a life! And this family is so smart - if the TV's not on, all I have to do is stand and stare at it and someone will turn it on for me!! I really get hooked on the shows too - sometimes I watch for as long as 30 minutes. Bad habit, I know, but at least I don't eat junk food while I'm watching!

Come over and watch with me sometime!
Chester

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

AJ Follow His Beloved Sophie To Rainbow Bridge


Our hearts go out to Sophie and AJ's parents, Kristy and Jonathan. Last week Sophie became ill and died suddenly and this week her best friend AJ decided that he wanted to join her. He was found to have a cancerous growth on his heart, but mom and dad think he just wanted to go find Sophie because he missed her so much. We are so sorry for your losses.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

New Puppy Orphan Just Arrived



Hi! I'm Scamp and I'm a 4 month old male golden retriever. I was at the Chattooga animal shelter and one of the volunteers called AGA and asked if they would take me. They said yes - yippee!! They keep telling me that I am so cute and happy go lucky. I heard one lady say I was just a sweet, lovable cuddly little guy. And another said I was confident and good-natured. Nice people! My foster mom is very proud of me - I haven't had any accidents in the house, I sleep quietly in my crate and walk very well on a leash. I love other dogs, have no opinion on cats and adore children. Please adopt me!!
Remember: AGA Adoption Day is always the first Sunday of the month from 12 - 2 at the Buckhead PetsMart. That's today Oct. 5!

Awesome Reunion Story!


Hey, AGA! Dougal here - I used to be called O'Malley when I was hanging with you guys. My forever family is the best so thanks very much for finding them for me. Before I got here, they had another golden named Pepper. He had gotten lost and they were very, very sad. They told me all about him. But GUESS WHAT??? He came home last week!! After being gone for 9 months! And he got on TV and everything. We are great friends already. Here's the story below. I just knew y'all would like it. Oh, and the most important thing to learn from this? MICROCHIPPING WORKS!
ATLANTA -- Imagine for a moment one of the mysteries of love -- the unbreakable bond between a family and its dog that is so real, their dog is part of the family. A golden retriever from Atlanta named Pepper disappeared last Christmas, turned up last week in St. Petersburg, Fla., and renewed a family's hope in miracles.
"He's in great health," said Pepper's owner, Liz Carter. If only Pepper could talk -- oh, the stories he would tell about his long and dangerous journey of hundreds of miles , beginning on December 23, 2007, near his Atlanta home, in a dog park in Buckhead.
"A firecracker went off, and he was spooked and ran," Liz said. Liz and her family searched for him for weeks -- finally giving up in heartbreak and grief. "We put up posters, we offered a reward, we wrote to every vet within a 15 mile radius." Then, last week, a stranger --Jay Getman -- suddenly called Liz from St. Petersburg, Fla.
"I asked her if she was Elizabeth and she said yes," Getman told BayNews9 of Tampa -St. Peter sburg . "And I said, "Well, I have your dog, Pepper.'"
"Utter shock ," is how Liz described her initial reaction. "My heart was pounding. I couldn't make sense, I couldn't even think what to do next." Shock gave way to amazement. In nine months, Pepper had somehow traveled from Atlanta more than 450 miles to St. Petersburg , finally showi ng up outside Jay Getman's office -- hungry, dirty , and full of fleas . Getman took Pepper to a vet, who detected Pepper's micro chip ID. Liz drove down immediately.
"He absolutely recognized me. He came strai ht over to me, put his head on my lap and just lay on the ground," she said. "I can only think that, being such a friendly dog, that he went into somebody' s car, and willingly went. That's all I can think of, I don't think he could have made that trip on his own."
Pepper first moved in with the Carters six years ago. They rescued him with help from Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta. "Pepper was our first - ever dog. And he just came into our hearts. And it's been so nice that he was able to be reunited with us, and it was just, it was just great ."
If only Pepper could talk, the stori es he would tell. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I want to hear all of those stori es, though," Liz said. "I think they're pretty sad." Pepper now has a sibling. The Carters recently rescued another Golden Retriever to help fill the void of Pepper's absence.And since Friday when Pepper came back home, he has slipped right back into the family routine, as if he'd never left -- like waiting at the door the instant he knows it's time for everybody to go to soccer practice.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Kodi



So, this is sort of embarrassing. My mom wants me to tell you about how I swim in the pool. The fact is, I do it exactly like she does, so what's to write?
Anyway, since she is the greatest mom ever and I apparently make her smile a lot, I will happily tell you. Here goes: when I get in the pool I walk on two legs until the water gets deep and then I start paddling. Pretty normal, right?




Why are you laughing? You people sure are easily amused. Oh well, glad to make you smile too. I'm off for a swim, er, walk in the pool before it gets too cold.