Sweetpea

Updated 7/19/10

Went for a walk with my Buddy Zappers

Update 4/11/10:

We have been fostering Sweetpea for about 3 months and are finally getting around to putting a description of her on the GRR website. Normally we post a foster dog’s description right away. So why not Sweetpea’s? Well, partly because GRR decided to surgically remove a couple of superficial lumps and we wanted to make sure she healed properly. And Sweetpea was much overweight (she was a candidate for a new breed of retriever -- the “pot-bellied retriever”) and is just now getting down to her proper weight. But, frankly, the real reason for the delay is that Sweetpea is such a good dog and fits into our household so smoothly that the days just slipped away.

Sweetpea deserves her name. She is one of the sweetest Goldens we have ever fostered. She is always positive about life, happy and inquisitive, interested in everything, and unafraid of anything (except for thunderstorms, which make her pant). Sweetpea likes everyone, no exceptions, but she likes her family best of all. She is a “Velcro” dog, following me from room to room. She especially likes children. She thinks their high voices and rapid activity are wonderful, and she is too big (and too tolerant) to mind when little fingers sometimes pull her hair or ears or poke her eyes. Sweetpea and our Golden, Cooper, get along just fine. She likes other dogs as well and goes out of her way to greet them in the usual doggy ways. On the other hand, she sometimes charges up to other dogs impetuously, inadvertantly intimidating smaller dogs and getting a bad reaction. She does not care! She is happy!

On top of everything else, Sweetpea has perfect house manners: she is house trained, stays off furniture, can be left alone safely, and does not chew anything inappropriate.

Sweetpea is a pretty girl. Actually, her eyes are gorgeous. They are soft and filled with awareness, interest, and affection. Her fur is glorious. It is thick and luxuriant, and when not brushed for a few days it develops beautiful big curls. Sweetpea is a big-boned girl and her ideal weight is about 80 pounds, making her a great big teddy bear. She is perfect pillow size and will even put up with being used as a pillow, at least for a while.

I feel a bit sad we cannot keep Sweetpea permanently but in the long run our life style cannot accommodate two dogs. Whoever adopts Sweetpea will get the dog of a lifetime.

NOTE: Among the lumps removed from Sweetpea three months ago was one on her tongue, which turned out to be cancerous (a mast cell tumor). Due to her age and to the likelihood of unpleasant side effects, GRR elected not to pursue chemotherapy. Her prognosis is “guarded” – which in this case simply means that we do not know when/if the cancer will recur or where it may appear. We are looking for a “permanent foster” home for Sweetpea; she will move in and live with you and be part of your family just like any dog you would adopt for your own, but GRR will continue to pay for her medical care at one of our approved vet clinics. Of course, if you are interested in adopting Sweetpea outright, knowing all her history, we would be delighted & very happy to discuss that with you.





 

Update: 01/18/10

Both Sweet Pea and Zappers are settled into their foster homes – many thanks to everyone  who so generously offered to take them in. They’ve been to the vet for check-ups, visited the beauty parlor, and embarked on their health & fitness programs – both Goldens are aiming to whittle their waistlines by a pound or ten, and Zappers has a date to get his choppers scaled and polished till they shine.  More updates coming soon!

Here are two wonderful, calm, loving oldsters who need foster families. Do you have room for Sweetpea, age 10, or Zappers, age 12? The two friends are coming to GRR from a loving owner who can no longer care for them. They’re both pretty Goldens and just as friendly as can be. They get along well with other dogs, and they like the family cats, too! Sweetpea is a curly blonde who adores children and “is just the sweetest dog.  All she wants is attention. Just happy relaxing at your feet.  Not high maintenance at all.” Red-headed Zappers is an all-around good old boy who is just as gentle and sweet as his friend Sweetpea. “At his age he still likes little walks—and he loves to fetch his big plastic ball.”

If you can give either of these super seniors a home—foster or forever—for the New Year, please e-mail surrender2@grr-tx.com. If you are already an approved GRR foster or adoptive home, that’s a plus, but if you aren’t, just visit http://oldsite.grr-tx.com/adoption/index.html, read through the information, and fill out the adoption application (the applications for adopting and fostering are exactly the same). We will do our best to speed you through the process!

Adoption Procedures