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Extraordinary Golden Fund

When GRR Goldens require atypical medical expenses, GRR's regular membership and adoption fees are unable to cover the costs (even after generous discounts from area veterinarians). Faced with the prospect of turning away or euthanizing Goldens with high medical costs, we created the Extraordinary Golden Fund. This fund provides a means to target donations specifically for extraordinary medical care. All donations are tax deductable, and there are two ways to donate:

DONATE BY MAIL Make a check out to Gold Ribbon Rescue and put EGF in the memo field, then mail your contribution to Gold Ribbon Rescue EGF P.O. Box 956 Austin TX 78767-0956

DONATE ONLINE Use the link below to make a donation online using a check, Visa, or MasterCard. Thank you!

Our latest EGF dogs, Naia, Mikki, and Maverick would like to thank their supporters:

Ann Knight
Ann Nichols                                                                                                   Ann Woody
Anne Williams
Betsy Davis
Bruce Rossiter
Chuck Maier
Connie Sullivan
Dan Flannery
David Deming
Dennis Bobincheck
Dolores Stoner
Elise Stubbe
Gail Gribbin
Gwen Stovall
Harry Mallard
Helen Almanza
Jeanne Alexander
Kathleen Ragan
Kelly Topfer
Kim Hawk
Lera Borden
Lisa Savage
Lorraine Thirion
Mark Stevens
Mindy Garwood
Nancy Martin
Nancy McGowan
Robert Miller
Robin Caldwell
Ruth Ann Lobos
Sheryl Reilly
Susan Wilson
Amazon
Dell
IBM
IGive

Meet some of our Extraordinary Goldens...

December 2010:

He’s been tossed from a moving car, he’s been threatened with shooting, he’s bounced from one home to a second one to a third one and finally to a shelter, he’s cleared heartworm treatment & survived flesh-eating bacteria … what a dog! Now he faces yet one more hurdle: spinal surgery to relieve the back pain he’s living with every day. Can you help this true survivor meet his latest challenge?

Ryder’s story…

In the middle of May, way out in the middle of nowhere, a lone red dog wandered onto a country property. “He must have been dumped,” said the lady who contacted us. “It’s a miracle he found his way to anyone… there is NOTHING out there.” Two toes on one front paw are scarred over and fused together—an injury that our vets speculate resulted from him being pushed out of a moving vehicle and landing with his full weight on just one foot. The finders kept the friendly fellow for just a few days, then bounced him to relatives on the neighboring acreage. But those folks had tiny dogs, didn’t want a big Golden who kept trying to come inside—and a few months later it was, “He’s got to go or we’re gonna take him out and shoot him.” It was time to get Ryder out of there—and fast! The original finders took him back and bounced him over to some friends.

Was he home at last? It looked like it, and the family loved him. “He is so friendly. He jumped right into our car and settled down. In our house, he scrambled onto the bed and curled up and looked so happy. He has been a house dog, I just know it. He knows commands, too.”

… but a vet visit revealed heartworms, and with finances an issue, that family placed him with a couple who’d seen the handsome red fellow at the clinic. But a few days later – “We don’t want to deal with the heartworm treatment. Please take him back.” Now what? Feeling painted into a corner, the family picked Ryder up, dropped him off at the shelter, and called GRR – “please help!”

And at long last, on August 14, the roving dog found open arms and an open door into the safe and loving home he so deserved. Heartworms, hookworms, anemia, skin problems… we had our work cut out. But who wouldn’t want to help such a great guy? “He is sweet and friendly, always ready to go for walk or ride but mostly a calm, patient companion wanting to be wherever his people are. He's beautiful and has such soulful eyes. His goal in life is just to be close to you. He can even talk! If you don't pet him enough, he lets you know, not by barking but by a series of growls and guttural sounds with variations in tone and tempo.”

By mid-November, heartworm treatment was over … but something else was bothering wonderful Ryder. He was slow to get up, slow to jump into the car, and clearly painful when he tried to sit down. He even began to stumble a bit. It was back to the vet for X-rays and a closer look at his back and hips.

“Bridging spondylosis at the lumbosacral junction,” said the vet’s report. In plain English, the area between two of the vertebrae in Ryder’s lower back is unstable, and in response to that, the bones have thickened and the area around his spine has become inflamed, narrowing the spinal canal and putting pressure on the nerve roots. He has pinched nerves in his spine, and that produces pain comparable to sciatica in humans – ouch! He tries to avoid positions and movements that hurt, but the only real way to alleviate his pain is to perform a surgical decompression of the nerve roots by going in and relieving the pressure. Once that’s done, there’s a 90 percent chance he’ll be pain free.

The operation won’t be inexpensive: even after our discount, the cost is about $2,200. But if anyone deserves that happy, pain-free life, it’s Ryder. “I can’t think of any extraordinary mannerisms to use in his story,” said his foster mom (soon to be his forever mom) apologetically. “He is just extremely loveable. He is just a classic, loving, handsome gentleman and his presence is comforting.” For all he’s been through, we think that’s extraordinary enough!

Can you help Ryder? The smallest donation will make a big difference to a wonderful dog. All funds raised will go into our Extra-Ordinary Golden Fund to help Ryder, and other dogs that need help beyond our financial abilities.  Thank you so much for your kindness.

Sincerely,

The GRR Board of Directors

August 2008:

Chewy...Last update! Main thing is, I had my first hip surgery (on my left hip) AND spay surgery at the same time. It sure seemed to me like a series of most unfortunate events –  who wants to spend so much time at the doc’s? But mom tells me I’m actually really, really fortunate to get all fixed up like this. The hospital staff said I was a real sweetheart and my foster parents were amazed at how well I put up with the E-collar, restricted activity, hours in the crate while I healed… I just took it all in stride.  Heck, Mom complains more when she stubs her toe than I did the entire two weeks I was in “suspended animation”! Oh, other really great news, I finally got this housebreaking thing down and haven’t had an accident in a long while. Mom says I did great not to backslide despite all my medical stuff lately.   

Anyway, I am a happy girl now, because I finally got to get my sutures out on the 29th of July and got that darn E-collar off my head on the 1st of August. Yay! After that I was allowed to play with my brothers and sister again.  It took a couple of days for them to realize that I  was well enough, but tonight we had another loud three-way bitey head (somehow, we never have a four-way bitey head).  What a blast! I’m on antibiotics now to ensure I don’t get an infection of my hip suture area and I’m doing just great on the drugs.  I take pain medication once a day and that really helps, too.

Mom told me that now that I’m over the worst (spay and first hip surgery) that the real training will begin. No more mouthing and no more pulling like a freight train (OK, at 41.5 pounds, perhaps not a freight train…more like a small steam locomotive with a poor maintenance record!). Now, about my size—I’m probably always going to be a small girl, but that’s an obvious plus for those of you who like a smaller-size Golden ( lapdog dimensions!). I also have very distinctive naturally curly nose whiskers. I’m affectionate, I am willing to sleep in when required (hey, my foster parents are retired), I don’t guard food or toys, I don’t bark very often (just the occasional yelp), and I seem to be getting more comfortable every day. 

I need to return to the clinic in late August to get a recheck, and after that I’ve still got hip surgery #2 to go, so  I’m not going to be available for adoption until the middle of September. BUT, if  you  want to adopt me before I get through that second operation, by all means talk with my foster mom and she’ll give you the complete skinny on getting me through it! GRR will foot the bill, of course.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to my care so far. I love being treated like the extraordinary girl I am! Please come to meet me… I know I can make some family really happy!

04/22/08:

Sometimes we get  a “highly adoptable” Golden—young (but not too young), healthy, housebroken, good with cats, good with kids, known vet history… how much better could it get?! However, as GRR’s president once said, “Yeah, but if rescue were always that easy, you probably wouldn’t need rescue groups.”

The truest rescues are the dogs who are highly UNadoptable at the start—too young & weak, too old, too sick, or too injured to walk right into an adoptive home. When a shelter or a Good Samaritan looks at one of those Goldens and says, “Who could possibly want a dog like THIS one?”… then we say, “We do.”

In the past two weeks alone, we’ve taken in two such special-needs Goldens. One is just starting out in life, the other has already lived a lot—but both of them need new lives. Here are their stories.

Trucker: the little puppy who could

Hotline message from San Antonio on April 10: “There’s a Golden Retriever puppy under our truck in the driveway. We just found him lying there a couple of days ago. There’s something wrong with his skin & he’s really timid. We have been putting food out for him, but he can’t stay here. Can you help? If you come while we are gone, please take him.  No one is looking for him.”

Action stations! A flurry of phone calls, e-mails, and vet arrangements followed, and two GRR volunteers arrived  the next day… and found a purebred little Golden in very sad shape. “Three or four months old. Lethargic, unresponsive. I  literally had to pull him out from under the truck, although he did take a few biscuits.  You can tell he feels lousy. No hair on his ears for the most part, lots of hair loss on face and legs.  I just wanted to pull him close and hug him. His little life has been just miserable so far.”

Almost too weak to stand, the pup was carried into the clinic and installed in a kennel. He still looked awful, but at least he now looked like somebody cared. And it always helps to have a cheering squad! The clinic staff promptly conducted a “name that pup” contest, and chose the perfect moniker: “Trucker,” because this pup really does keep on truckin’. He has sarcoptic mange (hence the bald spots), a skin infection—and worst of all, parvovirus. For the first few days, Trucker went downhill. Vomiting, bloody diarrhea, fever, extreme weakness. The clinic put him on IV fluids—vitally  important in treating parvo, since it kills in part by dehydration. Dogs with this devastating illness can’t take anything by mouth, to spare damage to their already compromised GI tracts, so Trucker is getting antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs in his IV as well. He has daily blood counts, too, because parvo also attacks the bone marrow. By April 16—five days after he arrived at the vet’s—the diarrhea had abated, and Trucker was able to stand on his own and give a tiny tail wag when the staff sweet-talked him. On Thursday the 17th, the diarrhea stopped, the vomiting slowed way down, and he even went for a little walk outside and wagged his tail when he saw another dog in the distance! By Saturday the 19th, he hadn’t vomited for 48 hours and his temperature had been normal for 36 hours. And by Monday the 21st, he was eating small amounts of canned food, drinking water—and keeping it all down. And each time he goes out for a walk, he wants to be a little more active. Everyone says, “He’s a sweetie!”

Will Trucker make it? We sure hope so, but he’s not out of the woods yet. Parvovirus is very serious, especially in puppies—and more so for pups like Trucker, who have other problems, too. His current bills are running about $69 per day, and there’s no general rule for how long treatment needs to continue.  But just take a look at his pictures. And we’re all hoping that some day we can show another “after” photo: a grown-up happy Golden with a plush fur coat and a loving family surrounding him.

Vivi: shining through

The day after baby Trucker arrived at the clinic in San Antonio, an Austin shelter called about a truly ancient Golden found stray near a Petsmart. Likely a dumped dog, and clearly severely neglected. The staff warned us, “You guys realize this gal is probably 15 years old, and she has A LOT of problems. Tumors, teeth worn down to the nub from chewing. Rear end has hard skin from fleas/dermatitis. She was matted so badly urine could not escape, so she has scalding. Quite a trooper and a sweetie though.”

No matter! Almost before she’d hung up the phone, Margo was speeding off to meet the spunky senior. The shelter wasn’t kidding about her health. But…  one look, and you could clearly  see  the beautiful young dog she’d once been shining through the very old Golden she is today. And WHAT a personality! She glowed with serenity and trust, with a lightness of spirit that triumphed over her physical woes: eyes infected, skin infected, heavy matting. Teeth actually caked with fur and dirt (from chewing at herself). Two big black tumors, the size of ping-pong balls, hanging from one lip and one hock. The worst ear infection Margo had ever seen; the ear was swollen, angry, and dripping pus. But incredibly: “She’s cheerful, alert, perky. Having a blast socializing with the staff, friendly and curious with everyone.  I AM NUTS ABOUT HER.”

No question where this girl was going… home with Margo, to live out her days as a “permanent foster.” But she needed a name, something as light and vivacious as she is. “Vivian” seemed to fit perfectly—just right for a dog with such joie de vivre.

The next few days were a whirlwind for Vivi. Bathing, grooming, trimming, vaccinations, tooth cleaning, flushing and treating her painful ear. The ugly  tumors came off neatly under light sedation. Vivi enjoyed her trips to and from the clinic… riding shotgun, grinning from ear to ear. And just look at her now—what a glamor girl! She’s carefree at last, and will stay that way.

Over the years we have brought in so many wonderful dogs who needed extra help. Maybe one of them is even living in your home today. I have two in mine! – Darla, #06-095, left outside the San Antonio shelter with a huge, festering abscess on her neck (the fish hook that caused the injury was still lodged in the flesh); and Bebe, #07-031, picked up stray with a horribly mangled front leg and slipping into shock. Without the help of GRR, both dogs would have been euthanized at the pound. That didn’t happen, and every day I look at my beautiful, lively girls and feel so grateful to have them.

Can you help give a special Golden a second chance? We can’t save all of them, but we can always, always try. Please donate to our Extraordinary Golden Fund. You can make a general contribution or ask that your dollars go to caring for one dog in particular. Any amount will help. Thank you from all of us at GRR!

Princess
January 2008:

Once upon a time, a beautiful princess lost her kingdom and everything she owned. For some time, she wandered the highways and byways, living the life of a vagabond and depending on the kindness of strangers for a sip of water, a bite of food, and shelter from the sun and rain. One day, she met a kind family who offered her a place to stay. “We don’t have much room,” they said, “but you are welcome to live with us.” And admiring their new lodger’s noble spirit and gracious heart (in which, indeed, they were not deceived), they named her Princess.

Now, when she lived in her own kingdom, Princess occasionally traveled the countryside incognito, visiting her subjects and making sure that all was well… something that all good rulers like to do. At the peak of the winter holidays, she decided to take a tour of her new territory, and in a surprisingly un-royal lapse of judgment, did not say a word to her family, but slipped away silently. For four long days they waited and wondered, not knowing if they would ever see their Princess again. And then…

A little figure appeared in the distance, bobbing down the road and up the drive. It was Princess! But what had happened? She was hopping on three legs, while the fourth dangled uselessly in the air. Had she had an encounter with a fire-breathing dragon, been set upon by footpads, been injured in a duel? She didn’t say… and her smile was as happy as ever. Still, her family could tell she needed an expert physician, and truth to tell, things were a bit crowded with one big Princess and many other little ones!

Fortunately, they soon figured out what to do, and placed a call to Gentry Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc., a local organization dedicated to helping canine aristocrats in need. Within a day, an impressive coach drew up at the door, and out stepped a GRR representative. Princess had not forgotten her royal upbringing and briskly hobbled forward with a smile, a bob, a curtsey, a bow, and a furious tail wag-plus-derriere-wiggle combination (now wherever did she learn that? NOT in finishing school!). She was clearly the Genuine Article, and in a twinkling she was handed into her carriage. A heartfelt thanks and farewell to her family, and she was on her way to her next adventure…

They say that life is not a fairy tale, but we’re hoping that you can help this Princess get the happy ending she deserves! As the story tells you, she was picked up stray a few months ago by a wonderful family who already had lots of little dogs, but nonetheless made room for one more; but when she showed up badly lame after a four-day absence, they contacted GRR for help. Our volunteer Kathy was of course charmed by Princess, and commented that she didn’t think the injury could be too bad, since Princess was all smiles, wags, and good cheer. So you can imagine our shock when an X-ray revealed that her shin bone was not only broken, but shattered and smashed into so many pieces that there was no way to reassemble it. (She probably did have a run-in with a fire-breathing dragon, in the form of a car.) She’d need surgery and a plate in her leg, and the sooner the better. Everyone who knows Goldens knows how stoic they can be, maintaining that happy spirit even when they’re ill or in great pain… and Princess is an outstanding example of that!

The surgery went perfectly, and Princess is now in rehab. Her foster mom says, “This is such a NICE dog. Everything a Golden Retriever should be. She is a solid girl who takes everything that comes her way. Wonderful personality and attitude. Somebody spent some time with her. She is housetrained, loves everyone, does great with other dogs, comes up to you and sits right down in front you for a treat or a pat. It’s adorable. She doesn’t particularly care for her Elizabethan collar (even though plenty of princesses and queens have worn one on purpose). She wants to scratch, and it won’t let her, and then of course she only has one functional hind leg, which makes scratching even harder. So when we go outside, she lies on her back and just wiggles furiously to scratch her back and shoulders. It’s hilarious. Her pet name is even Wiggles! She’s super social and as soon as her leg is healed, she’ll be thrilled to go for walks and mingle with everyone she meets. She’s the greatest.”

So far Princess has had lots of fairy godmothers and godfathers. The family who took her in, then GRR, and now, of course, you! She needs many more friends to help cover the cost of her operation, which ran around $1,500, and of course some very special new friends to give her a castle and a kingdom once again. Can you help Princess live happily ever after? If so, just click here.

Thank you from all of us at GRR!
 

Donnie
February 2007:

For Valentine's Day, I would like:

a. one dozen breathtakingly lifelike roses sculpted from freeze-dried liver (I promise to admire them before eating them);
b. a heart-shaped meat & cheese appetizer tray (jumbo size, of course);
c. arthroscopic surgery to make my shoulder as good as new;
d. all of the above!

Four-year-old Donnie would probably pick (d), but we KNOW he is going to get (c)-on February 13th, he's scheduled for repairs to the shoulder that has probably been paining him for a good long while. And this energetic sweetheart couldn't ask for a better Valentine's treat than that!

Charming, clever, and handsome, Donnie was found running stray in San Antonio last September and taken to the Humane Society. From there, he went to a local family who kept him in the backyard-a lonely life for a social butterfly, so Donnie became a digger and perfected the art of escapeŠ and eventually, in December, wound up in the city pound. GRR volunteer Tracy went to meet him and was won over! "He's very intelligent and eager to please. Every time I spoke to him, he was VERY interested in what I had to say, as if he really understood me. I would guess he'll be a total cuddler." Donnie's family, tired of his roaming ways, elected not to bail him out-and so, on December 21, he came to GRR.

First happy surprise-Tracy reported she was pretty sure the affectionate fellow was housebroken, as, despite obvious tummy turmoil, he managed to hang on until she screeched to a halt at the vet's and he could use the outdoor "facilities." Next, we got the wonderful news that he was heartworm negative. After a much-needed bath and trim, Donnie moved into his foster home. As he settled in, more hidden talents came to light. For example, he proved to be a Stealth Sofa Warmer (somewhat to his family's chagrin!). Then, the considerate dog displayed a real aptitude for Quality Control Management, thoughtfully testing his mom's gourmet cooking for flavor, texture, and appetite appeal. Strolling into the living room with frosting and strawberries adorning his nose, he was able to assure her that the fancy cake on the kitchen counter was perfectly acceptable for guests. (Funny, mom didn't seem to appreciate his opinion as much as she should have.) Mud Wrestling was the next skill to come to light-on a trip to the dog park, "Donnie went to a large mud puddle, tasted the water, and then lay down in the mud. We think he likes water."

From the start, though, his mom and dad noticed that his right front leg wasn't quite right. Especially after exercise, he'd stiffen up and limp. This boy is peppy and likes to play hard! - but sometimes he just couldn't manage it. After a few weeks, they were worried enough to take him to the vet. The doctor was concerned, too - the shoulder was painful, clearly inflamed, and "felt" funny: he even worried that Donnie might have bone cancer. X-rays clearly ruled out any tumors (whew)-but "I've never seen anything quite like this. It's like there are pieces of bone floating around in the joint. Donnie needs to see a specialist." That's just what Donnie did, and the problem turns out to be a "joint mouse" - not the furry little rodent, but a piece of joint capsule that broke off (probably early in Donnie's life) and has now mineralized. As it moves around within the joint, it causes inflammation, discomfort, and damage. The vet says that Donnie's condition is like having a pebble sliding around in your shoe: sometimes it's uncomfortable, other times downright painful, depending on just where the "mouse" is. The very good news here is that arthroscopic surgery can solve the problem. The prognosis is excellent: once he recuperates for a couple of weeks, Donnie should be almost as good as new, and able to play as much as he wants!

Donnie's surgery won't be cheap, though - it carries a price tag of about $1,000, in addition to the $250 already spent on diagnostics. Can you help make Donnie's Valentine's Day the best ever? Any amount, no matter how small, will help this wonderful Golden and others like him have a healthy, happy, active, pain-free future. Thank you so much for your help!