Postcard from Rita's Becky, now Penny

Check out Penny (aka Rita's Becky) on SDdoglife.blogspot.com! We have been having so much fun with Penny and love finding new, exciting places to take her. I started a blog to share these finds with other dog-lovers. There is so much out there to do with dogs! Check out all these great things to do and events, and the adventures of Penny!

We feel so blessed to have Penny in our lives and we're looking forward to a fun summer with her! 

Thank you for all you do and thank you to Rita!

Meet Rita's Seven

Photos from Rita's Molly

I have attached a few pictures of Molly enjoying her new back yard. She is a wonderful addition to our family and it seems like she has always been with us. Please let Molly’s foster mom in Taiwan know that Molly is a very happy and well-adjusted girl, and that we greatly appreciate all of the efforts of Rita and her team in Taiwan that led to Molly coming to stay with us.

Robert

Update on Rita's Kim, now Liu Liu

During the past three wonderful weeks that Liu Liu has joined our family, our lives have been definitely brightened! Liu Liu is very intelligent, very affectionate, and very cute. During Liu Liu's daily walks, she always seems to receive a compliment on her good looks. (Just today a passerby commented on our gorgeous dog, and another lady exclaimed, "What a beautiful child!")

Liu Liu especially loves joining her family on the tennis court where she is very good at shagging balls off the court and chasing balls all around. (We think Liu Liu prefers the tennis court over the local dog park, and definitely gets more exercise on the court!) At home, Liu Liu craves human touch which we love to oblige her. Liu Liu follows us all around the house, and everytime we sit down, Liu Liu lays her head in our laps. Liu Liu loves to be held and to snuggle with us. If we sit down at a computer, Liu Liu will nudge us until one of our hands is touching or petting her.

During the daytime, Liu Liu has recently started to sunbathe in our backyard. She also likes to dig, and has buried several chew bones that we bought for her. Every week day afternoon, Liu Liu waits a few minutes behind the front door right before the children arrive home from school. Liu Liu knows that when the children come home, they will spend a long time playing with her.

Liu Liu has become territorial of her house and backyard, and is sure to let us know if a non-pack member (e.g. gardener) arrives. Liu Liu prefers that such non-pack members hurry up with their work and leave so that she can resume her sunbathing undisturbed!

Although Liu Liu is pretty well-behaved, she will start a dog training class in two weeks where we anticipate her to shine. This summer, we plan to take Liu Liu with us to the mountains where we look forward to hiking with her, hopefully, off-leash. We also plan to introduce her to the beach.

We have been extremely blessed to have Liu Liu as part of our family. We love this wonderful, affectionate, and beautiful dog so much, and consider ourselves to be the lucky ones!

The Piibe Family

Congratulations Rita's Gino!

Rita's Gino found his forever home today with Cathy and Steve B. and their golden girl, Bailey. His journey has been a long one from the trauma of losing his eye due to an unknown incident while in Taiwan to the adjustments of the sights and sounds of Southern California. Surprisingly, this happy boy with a joyful spirit has been guided by his own desire to love and be loved and of course access to numerous tennis balls which he so enjoys!

Cathy and Steve saw Gino on the website and felt drawn to him despite what many others saw as a handicap...which couldn't be more farther from the truth. They instantly took to Gino and he to them as if it was always meant to be. It is adopters like this that inspire us all with the true meaning of rescue.

Gino thanks many folks who embraced him along his journey to his forever home including:

• Rita and MJ for their devotion and healing resources in their rescue of this special boy 
• Barbara D. and the Welcome Waggin Crew for Project Taiwan for welcoming him to his true home here in the US
• Sandy D. and her walking crew of volunteers at Culver Palms for caring for Gino during his initial arrival
• And a HUGE thank you to Deanna & Rich K., their boys and golden for fostering and loving him as their own for 2 months. Without devoted fosters, we simply couldn't do what is possible for goldens like Gino.

Big props to Barbara R. and her dog, Woody, and Pat C. who drove over an hour to do the homevisit  this morning so that a meeting could be possible mid-day with Gino. We truly appreciate going above and beyond to help Gino start his new forever life today!

Congratulations Gino! We look forward to updates of your new adventures with your family.

Congratulations Rita's Hugo!

Rita’s Hugo made his match yesterday with Josh, Stacy and their two children. This young family just recently purchased a house and were anxious to make an addition to their family. Josh was watching the website and fell in love with Hugo. They drove up from San Diego to the kennel in Ontario, arriving an hour early so they went to breakfast, and then parked down the street until 9:00 a.m. – the time we had agreed upon for the meeting. Hugo was outside when they first arrived so they had an opportunity to watch him showing off – he has a gigantic personality that makes it very easy to fall in love with this guy. This family immediately fell in love with him. It didn’t take them long to decide that Hugo would be going home with them.

It is also noteworthy that Josh’s Mom adopted “You’ve Got a Friend” a few months ago. Josh reports that Friend is doing great – is a wonderful dog that they all love. In fact, it was Friend that encouraged Josh to work with us when he was finally in a position to have a dog.

Rita’s Hugo thanks Rita and MJ who rescued him in Taiwan and found him safe passage to the states, to this Rescue who enthusiastically welcomed him, to the IE dog walkers who kept him in good spirits while he waited for a home, to Julie W. for taking wonderful photos of him for the website, to Jennifer G. for seeing to his medical care, to Barbara R. for doing the home check and to Pat J. for facilitating the meeting. And of course, none of this would have happened if Barbara D. didn’t coordinate everything. Good teamwork everyone!

Jack, Michael, Fiona and Pang-Pang are here!

Jack, Michael, Fiona and Pang-Pang arrived safe and sound last night, but not without some drama as their passenger escort got hung up in Immigration with some visa issues which caused the pooches to wait in the holding area for several hours, and kept the Waggineers hovering in the waiting area as well. But they hung in and were there to greet the happy travelers and make their first footfalls on US soil a joyful one.

Much gratitude and bonus brownie points to crew chief Ira L., and his team of Marty F., Adrienne B., Sandra D. and Pam E. Thanks to Marty and Sandra for providing overnights, as well as to Jo B. and Kriss H. who made some space at home for the travelers as well.

Arriving today!

Update from Ollie (formerly Rita's Boss)

Hi All,

An update and a few pictures of Ollie (Rita's Boss, adopted in December 2009).

We have learned that Ollie is quite a water dog. He loves the snow! We took him on a hike to the Pacific Crest Trail in the Wrightwood area last month. He enjoyed the hike, but especially loved making "puppy angels." He was so curious about all of the things to see and smell in the mountains! Now that it has gotten warm on some afternoons, he likes to jump right in to a small stream that runs along one of our walking paths near home.

He has proven to be a wonderful companion. Very loyal but also interested in other people and dogs as well. He has his routine now. He knows the signs that tell when its time to eat, walk, play, get a treat, get brushed, go to bed. These are his favorite things. When he is excited, he spins in circles. Although he definitely likes water, he still doesn't care for baths! He is not overly fond of car rides, either, but usually finds the activity at the end worth the trip.

We are always grateful to everyone who has helped him get to us!

Susan

Postcard from Rita's Christine, now Mali

We have been very happy with our adoption of Rita's Christine, whom we have renamed "Mali". Mali is a very lovable and interesting dog and has adapted extremely well to our family and now gets along very well with our 14 year old Golden mix. Here are some photos you can pass along, with our thanks, to the adopters of Project Taiwan.

-Linda

Rita's Angelina adopted!

Rita's Angelina went home on Saturday with the Lessers and their dog, Zoey, on Saturday morning! Angelina actually met three different families before selecting the Lessers; apparently the fact that Angelina had been debarked was not attractive to some people! It's just as well, as the Lessers, including Zoey, appreciated Angelina for all her special gifts, and off they went to start their new life on the west side!

Angie owes her life and passage to the States to Rita and MJ, who took her in, nursed her and sent her off to a land of golden opportunities. She's also grateful to the Welcome Waggin' crew, who greeted her at LAX and made sure her entry into the new country was friendly and safe. Angie's also appreciative of Kate J. and family, who gave her a place to stay while she picked over the applications; to Bethany "Marathon Woman" who found her this lovely home; and finally, to Barbara D., for representing Angelina and ensuring her final destination.

Nice teamwork, everybody!

Meet Rita's Pang-Pang

Video postcard from Luna

From Luna's foster, Mariko...
Luna and the boys had a playdate today. Her coat is so full. She is very much loved by her mom, Gayle and her twin kids.

Meet Rita's Jack Boy

Jack is 3-4 years old. He was rescued from a shelter. Jack is friendly and likes to play with other dogs. He is very healthy and ready for a new home once he makes the trip to the U.S.

Postcard from A-Fu, now Otto

Otto's personality is apparent to everybody he meets. He's a charmer - a real mellow fellow. I was absolutely dead on when I nicknamed him the George Clooney of goldens when I first saw his picture. Otto's gorgeous and the people who admire him often find themselves enthralled in his presence. And they always introduce themselves to him first!

Otto's kind, gentle and loving to all animals he meets - people, canines, felines - except squirrels. Those rascals and their wily tails unleash Otto's chasing instincts, so I get a nice resistance workout when we encounter one on our neighborhood walks. I've discovered his favorite activity is fetching (yay!) and he loves carrying around his big Kong tennis ball around everywhere we go.

Otto's best friends are a Dachshund named Dax and an Alaskan Klee Kai named Dexter. They run circles around him and steal his toys, but he loves to give chase (and secretly just lets them win anyway).

Those who tell me how lucky Otto is to be picked up from the streets of Taiwan, cleaned, fed, flown and adopted by a SoCal mom is wrong. They are so wrong! They neglect to realize how my life is absolutely filled with so much love because of this big handsome blond drooler. I love my Otto-bahn. Photo album, HERE.

Update from Rita's Evan, now Buzzy

Evan (Buzzy) is doing great.  He has gained some weight and he seems really happy.  He gets along great with all other dogs – and he has a bunch of friends at the park.  He has met his cousins (Benny, Wally, Toby and Maggie) and they are all great friends.  We have taken him camping to the desert, but he hasn’t been to dog beach yet.  I am sure he is really going to love the beach and I bet he is a really good swimmer because of his enormous paws.  He has even gotten used the kitty and they are friends. 

Thanks
Nancy A.

Rita's Bella adopted!

As of today, Rita's Bella has a new address. Bill and Susan W. came down to see this little oriental beauty this afternoon. When Bella came out to the yard where Bill and Susan were waiting, it was like they were watching a debutant coming down the stairs. They both were charmed by this sweet little girl finally in person (they've been watching her videos online). They threw a tennis ball which Bella promptly fetched and brought back. They both had doggie biscuits hidden in their pockets and gave her when she sat in front of them.

Bella will be spoiled rotten. Both Bill and Susan assured me of that. They brought a brand new red collar (which was a little too big for Bella - she'll get a smaller one), a matching leash, and brand new toys one of which she carried in her mouth when they drove off. Susan said there are tons of toys at home waiting for Princess Bella.

Bella would like to send her heartfelt thanks to Rita and MJ for saving her life (from the shelter AND the illness) and sending her off to the U.S. to find her forever home. She also appreciates the wonderful Welcome Waggin' committee who welcomed her and her buddies in their arms when they touched down early April. Also a special paw touch and nose lick from Bella to Eva I. and Hayley for finding her new Mom and Dad. And thank you to Mariko and the boys for being such a devoted foster family! Finally, Bella sends her appreciation to Barbara D. for overseeing the whole process.

Rita's Kim adopted!

Rita's Kim went home this morning with the Piibe family! The Piibes were charmed by Kim's antics, and she's off to grace the South Bay with her puppy-like charms!  Kim will always be grateful to Rita and MJ for saving her life and finding her safe passage to the states. She's also most appreciative of the Welcome Waggin' crew who made her arrival such a joyful one, and to Kate J. for allowing her to stay overnight on her first night. Thanks also to Kate for making introductions this morning, and a special shout-out to Colleen and Gabriel who scouted out this lovely home for her. Congratulations, Kim!

Rita's Melissa: video update

Coming Soon: Rita's Fiona

Fiona is a very sweet girl, about 4 years old, rescued from an animal shelter and suffering from erlichiosis and Babesia canis. She has been treated, thanks to Rita and friends, and has fully recovered.

Coming Soon: Rita's Michael

Michael is a 4-yr old male found as a stray.