Photo Gallery & Brag Book

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.

Cody was the "social director" at our San Gabriel House Bed and Breakfast in Georgetown who greeted arriving guests, and, on occasion, pushed open the dining room door to join them at breakfast. In the time we lived there with him, he made friends all over our neighborhood and with guests from all over Texas and the US.

Last October, we sold our B&B in Georgetown and moved to Austin, and in four months, Cody has acquired fans all over THIS neighborhood. His size, good looks, well-mannered style, and gentleness make friends for us and for him wherever we go. I don't have a picture of him that I can email you, but when I do, I'l send it. GRR fans can find him as a calendar pin-up in the 2004 calendar; I believe he appeared in wildflowers. Sue

Cody was aptly named by his previous family, we assume for Cody Bear. He has a huge head and incredible coat that make him look much larger than he really is. Gentle Ben would have worked too, as he is so sweet and tender.

He's 4-1/2, weighs 75lbs. His problems are minimal and temporary. He obviously lived outdoors as his coat is extremely thick and dry. We've spent hours trying to get the mats out and have him on an oil supplement to bring some shine back. He also had a few accidents in the house but quickly learned what a "good potty" is, and since he loves to be called a "good boy", has not had any accidents since his first few days. We also thought he was going to be a problem walking on a leash, since he pulled so badly at first. But, within a week he got the hang of that too. He is so smart and has an incredible need to please you.

We have not seen him around cats so can't comment on that, but we do know that he grew up with children in the family, and the few we've come in contact with, he's been very sweet to them. He mingles well with people, likes other dogs and gets along well with them, adapts quickly to new places, is calm at the vet, rides great in the car and sleeps quietly at the side of the bed.

With lots of love and some time and training, he will be an absolutely remarkable dog. He's pretty extraordinary just as he is now.

Oh yeah, he loves hugs and likes to be kissed on top of his head.

Fourteen-year-old Milly (yes, her age has been revised upwards once again) was our Extraordinary Golden Fund poster girl in December, and the response was overwhelming: so many of you contributed to the EGF to help Milly get healthy! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts—and here’s the latest on how this old girl is doing.

First, thanks to thyroid meds and a better diet, she’s shed a whopping 15 pounds and is looking much slimmer. She still has another ten or so to go, but she’s headed in the right direction. Second, though she’s had a few more bouts of bad bladder infections (apparently there’s something in the way she’s built that predisposes her to this trouble), daily cranberry capsules and a monthly urinalysis (to get a jump on treatment at the first sign of trouble) seem to have that problem under control at last.

Unfortunately, though, Miss Milly won’t be having the surgery we had hoped for. Her foster mom had noticed that, even as Milly got over her infections and began to drop the excess pounds, her energy level and appetite kept coming and going. Some days she’d be perky and playful, romping with the kids and enjoying her meals; others she’d be droopy, reluctant to get up, uninterested in food, and not even willing to take a drink of water. This was pretty troubling, so it was back to the vet for a very thorough check-up.

What the vet found wasn’t the best of news. The big tumor on her belly is, as we had hoped, just a lipoma—but something else had begun to grow beneath it, as a hard mass could be felt internally. Over the next several weeks, the new tumor enlarged noticeably. Our GRR vets have consulted and decided it’s likely a “mixed mammary tumor,” deep inside and attached internally along the femoral artery, nerves, and muscles. It’s inoperable and quite likely cancerous. The explanation of Milly’s up days and down days may be due to the positioning of the tumor; if it’s pushing on a nerve or pressing against something or caught on something on a particular day, Milly will be pretty uncomfortable. Then it shifts, and she’s back to smiling, feeling happy, and getting around easily.

Our best guess is that she has about six months or so to go, and her foster family is just going to watch her closely and let us know when she starts to have more bad days than good. For now, Milly seems to be enjoying her life; she has a spunky attitude and a chipper personality, and her foster mom and dad are happy to have her with them as long as she has left.

The funds all of you have so generously donated will be used for Milly’s continuing care—and to help other dogs in need. And there are plenty of those already this year! Of the 35 dogs who have arrrived in care in 2006, we have several with heartworms, several needing X-rays for joint problems, one who took a trip to the specialty vet for a cardiac ultrasound after a routine vet visit uncovered a heart murmur, one who is recovering from a dog attack, one who required surgery for a pelvis badly broken in a traffic accident (tragically, she did not survive her ordeal), another who needs dentistry for badly broken teeth… and the list will go on. But thanks to you, we will keep on doing our very best to make every dog who arrives in our care healthy, happy, carefree, and—finally—the “best dog in the world” for some loving family out there.

Thank you again for all you do!

Shortly after arriving in foster care, Ranger became seriously ill with pneumonia. With the help of his devoted vets and foster family, he recovered completely and was adopted about a month ago. Here’s an update his foster mom received from his new family:

We have had a busy month since we brought Ranger home from ya'lls house. He is adjusting GREAT and his personality is really starting to shine the past 2 weeks. He feels like this is home and has started to pattern his daily habits. He has learned the word "walk" and "home.” He is walking great with the leash now and loves to investigate the neighborhood. He HATES it when the kids are outside and he is inside! He has begun to bark more regularly and races around our back yard like his feet are on fire with excitement!

Here he is today with his favorite toy monkey! He carries this thing around, as I am sure he did at your home!

We are absolutely LOVING him and he is just a great dog with a fantastic personality! I personally enjoy him sleeping with me in the morning when David leaves and each of the kids are delighted when he chooses their bed to sleep at night! At bad habit, but it's so hard to break when he's so cuddly and snuggly!

Happy Spring!

Well, it has been almost a month since Miss Molly Brown came to the household and what a month of joy and laughter it has been. When we brought her home for the first time, what did she do??? She ran and jumped into the pool, not to swim but to get a drink. Well, we knew we had a name for her that was more than just Molly. She was officially christened 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown" after the Titanic.- Molly Brown for short.

Anyway she has done so well. After about 6 hours of sniffing, grunting and some more sniffing, she made herself at home. She has absolutely flourished. She loves to go out into the yard and explore, running after the birds. She follows our other golden around like a shadow and I know that Wrinkles is simply in pure awe of her. Molly has really begun to come out of her shell and with her reduced stressed, she is panting less and less and less. She is a late riser and can often be found sound asleep an hour or so after the rest of the dogs in the house have been fed and exercised. Then she wakes up, takes a big stretch and then has a leisurely breakfast.

She had a complete physical and was found to be fit as a fiddle and the vet is questioning her actual age. In fact she may be less than the 8 years that we think. She had her first spa treatment the other day and she really looks like a new dog. Her coat is even, shinny and so soft. The amazing thing is that the white muzzle and 'boots' she had appear to be reverting to their original color. The vet said that with continued proper nutrition, reduced stress and unending hugs and kisses, it is likely she will have a uniform coat. That was quite a surprise.

She and the resident cat are not overly thrilled with each other but both are making adjustments. Molly is inside and the cat is outside….and both seem to be pleased with that simple arrangement.

Molly loves to talk and grunt and sits for hours at dad's feet. She is his companion, protector and foot warmer. No complaints from either side.

So folks, in a nutshell, she is doing great. She is so loved its hard to believe she is the same dog we welcomed a month ago. We are looking forward to years of grunts, playtime and kisses from out 'Miss Molly Brown".

Oh she is saying something as I type…. "Woof….woof". That means "Thank You GRR for making me so happy."