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New Stories Coming Soon! If you have adopted a dog from us and have a success story, please submit it to us. Some of the pictures below may get larger by clicking on them.

From: Alan
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 12:40 PM
Subject: Lord Winston, Success Story

If there was a photo in the dictionary for the word, "Scamp" , Winston would fit the bill.

Winston was a stray from the Town Lake animal shelter. The folks there, looking at his ragged appearance, thought he was a golden mix about 3 to 5 years old.

Winston needed to be fixed, His hair was matted and knotted, he was sick too. GRR got him and offered him to me -- foster with the option to adopt.

I have babysat for my best friends' goldens and love the breed. I wanted one to call my own. I was thrilled to finally get the call from GRR to head to Town Lake to meet him.

Winston was a skinny little boy who wore a giant lampshade around his neck to protect him from licking his neutering incisions. He had never been in a car before and was afraid to go in. I asked the kind folks at Town Lake to help me get him in the car.

We found out that Winston had a bad case of kennel cough too. He wasn't house trained or crate trained either. Through several trips to the vet and a series of medications, Winston started to look and feel better!

After a trip to the groomer we found he was absolutely handsome! Check out those fluffy ears and feathering of the fur on his front legs! (Not to mention his movie star face with the spiked fur between his eyes.)

The vet thought he was about 2 years old rather than 3 to 5. I took him to my neighbor who is a vet and she thought he was even younger. (Gee, wouldn't it be nice to get younger each time we visited a doctor!) She said he was more like 16 months old.

As Winston was on the mend, we saw his golden temperament start to shine. He loves children, meeting new friends -- people and dogs, getting belly rubs and going on long walks.

And of course, tennis balls! There is no toy on earth as wonderful as an old tennis ball to play with! Winston loves to fetch them and chew on them. He will 'skin' the ones that are willing. And he is a tremendous athlete who loves to run as fast as he can to catch a ball in his mouth after the first bounce. Any NFL football team would love to have him as a wide receiver!

Winston learned to love his crate. He is house trained. He loves to roll his tennis balls under couches and arm chairs and try to retrieve them. He loves it even more if you join him on the quest.

Winston loves to lay on his daybed and his owner's bed but knows the other furniture in the house is off limits. He is smart, knowing the commands, sit, stay, lay down, give me the ball.

What does the future hold for Winston? Well, as he matures he will get more obedience lessons and training. His gentle nature and love of children may lead him to becoming a therapy dog.

Winston would not be as healthy and happy if it wasn't for all the financial and volunteer support he has received. I know he would like to thank you all for caring about goldens! He is a true success story!

View Pictures Here

07/25/2007

"...It will be six years this Labor Day when we brought Murphy (01-086) home.....and our lives haven't been the same since. Like so many of the stories we read in your newsletter, Murphy's story has a happy ending. The shy puppy of 10 months has grown into a handsome golden that loves nothing more than to cuddle with us. Wherever we are - tag along for a ride everytime he sees us pick up our keys and of course, he still sings when he wants to play ball. We've always had dogs but we both agree Murphy is truly special, we can't imagine our lives without our Texas Tenor. Thank you for all you do to help these precious Goldens."

Peggy & Steve

Murphy would like to introduce Murphy the Texas tenor. Murphy is a small 60lb. light golden 11 month old male. Murphy was found in Seguin and came straight from the pound to our home. We have had him for about 10 days and we are already seeing major breakthroughs. The vet says he is healthy.

We have found Murphy to be a real dichotomy with typical Golden Retriever traits and some learned survival skills. Of the typical traits, Murphy loves people. Very social, competitive for affection and always close. As with most GRs, he loves to play fetch. He loves to jump for a ball and has a long hang time about 6 ft. off the ground. I would guess fetch was his only fun contact with his first owners. But, if you make a fast move outside of play time, he will freeze or run. You can pet Murphy, but he does not like you to put both arms around him. He is house broken, but is still uncomfortable with house rules.

Murphy is also very verbal. At first we though he was anxious and nervous. He probably is, but also he is just a happy dog and likes to sing about his new found home and all the tennis balls. You sing in the shower; Murphy, the Texas tenor sings with a ball in his mouth. He sings when he wakes up, when he is thanking you for his dinner, when he is going for a walk and just about any other dog centered activity.

Murphy has developed tail waging to a martial art. With his entire body weight directed through his tail he can clean off a coffee table in short order. House rules? Murphy never read the one about plants on the coffee table.

Murphy is still a typical puppy with the short attention span and lots of energy. He walks well on a leash, will chase cats if they run and tolerate them if they do not. He is very good with other dogs but is still distrusts strangers. Murphy does not understand bed time or his crate, but, once in his crate, he is settled for the night. So far, he does not travel and is very frightened in a moving car. We have started taking him on short trips to let him know he does not wind up at the vet every time he gets into the car!

Murphy (and I) need some work on basic obedience. He is just learning sit but has a hard time with stay and down. Generally, Murph needs a stable loving family, time to forget his past experiences and some positive reinforcement. He needs someone who will appreciate a happy tenor!

Murphy the Texas Tenor is still singing when he gets excited. When you first meet Murphy you think it is high anxiety, but I do not think he is anxious when he jumps into bed first thing in the morning and wants to play. He is just plain happy.

Murphy spends the mornings in his crate. He is not happy about going in, but once bribed, he will settle down and accept his morning nap in the confined space. In the afternoon and all night, he is free to roam the house. We have never had an accident or a chewed-up anything. He knows his toys and loves to sleep and play around us. Once in a while he will disappear and come back with a sock, but that just says it is time for some attention.

Murphy loves to play ball. He will fetch a lot longer than you will throw. Murphy is not a real good traveler as yet. We took him on a weekend trip to Houston. He did fine and loves sharing French fries at Giddings. He did just fine with Paddy playing in the new home and went for a couple of nice walks. Murphy ran out between me and the door and ran into the front yard. My immediate reaction was to call him down in a harsh voice. He stopped, but would not come back. But as soon as I made it clear that he was not in trouble, using my happy voice, he came right back and followed me right back in the house. Guess I learned that time. We made a mistake of feeding him a big meal just before getting in the car and driving back to Austin. We had a car sick dog on the way home. That was our second lesson learned on the trip. But, Murphy does settle down and sleep most of the time in the car. Just do not give him supper first.

Murphy is now an only dog and really does well in that environment. He and the cat get along just fine. This morning he laid right next to the cat and her food bowl. When the cat was finished, he cleaned out the bowl. Very nice manors.

Since Paddy has moved back to Houston, Murph is much better on the obedience training. We have been working on the leash. He knows sit and is working on stay. Last night I had a breakthrough with me being able to "down" him, and then walk about 6 ft. away, and back around him twice, then called him to my front. He has great potential if someone would work diligently with him.

All in all, Murphy is probably ready to find a permanent home. He is now feeling pretty comfortable with us, laying near watching TV etc. I would recommend a family that has kids but no other dog. He is just not sure enough of his self worth yet to compete at that level. He needs someone who will work with him on the obedience and reward him with every good move he makes. He probably will not do well in a large obedience class as there will be too many distractions, but if someone can get the basics and work one-on-one with he will be a great family dog.