Postcard from Nora (formerly Rita's Melissa)

Almost four years ago, we became the parents of a little golden girl from Taiwan, named Rita’s Melissa. Brought to our house by Nestor who had fostered her for months, she was frightened, shy and nervous. After lapping up a bowlful of water, she jumped from one foot to the other to let us know she was ready for a walk so my husband Alan happily obliged by taking her on one of their long daily journeys. And, so life with Nora began.

She was always an easy dog to care for because she asked never for anything, was grateful for anything given. She never barked and slept much of the time. We are both retired so we are around her almost all of the time but in the beginning she seemed indifferent to our presence. The only time she cried was after she had eaten and was in the kitchen. Then she stood at the kitchen door, afraid to move. Apparently she had been confined to a kitchen in her earlier life and was begging us to allow her to come into the rest of the house. When she did come into the living room or dining room she hid herself behind a chair and slept. She was afraid of almost everything—fire hydrants, any large object, to a certain extent, us. We couldn’t go near her face and when we called her, even in the house, she wouldn’t come. I think she thought nothing good was going to come out of contact with any humans.

But gradually, we are so happy to say, she has settled in and we have become a family. When we sit on the patio, Nora is with us and the neighborhood children swarm around her to pet her or bush her hair. Her tail wags constantly with pleasure. If she’s not with us, she cries to come out. If we go in, she cries to come it. She sleeps on her bed at the foot of our bed. And when we watch television, Miss Nora is literally right under our feet, I guess, so we can tickle her every once in a while and watch her brush the floor with her glorious bushy tail. She is a joy in every way, and through her daily walks with Alan she has become a fixture in the neighborhood. Known and loved by all.

Rita's Chance adopted again

I am happy to report that Rita's Chance has found a new home with Linda and Curt of San Diego. Linda and Curt are previous adopters of Cabo (who has now passed on) and doggie parents of Summer, their 16.5 year old golden. Chance was an adoption return because his family was moving and downsizing and could not take him with them. Linda and Curt were looking for a younger dog but were very considerate of Summer and wanted to make sure that she got along and was not too stressed in bringing another dog home. Chance has lived with numerous dogs of different sizes and ages and has gotten along great. He is on easy going guy so we knew that he would be great with Summer. Linda and Curt were very excited to meet Chance and drove from San Diego to Brea to meet up with Bobby and Nestor (Chance's fosters) on a Friday night. It did not take much time and Chance was in their car, riding back to San Diego and his new home.

The adoption going home photo shows Curt and Linda and their son with his fiancee. New mom Linda reported the following:

He is so sweet and loving with Summer Girl and gets along well with my son’s fiancé’s dog who, although small, wants to be the dominant one (Chance could care less). It took him about a week to start feeling comfortable in the house. As I had mentioned to you, he initially just wanted to run to the garage or stay in my son’s room (which is right next to the garage). He now knows that he has the run of the house and so when my son leaves for school he comes upstairs to be with me and follows me around the house. He is really a sweet dog and we are happy to have him. Not the best on walks as you mentioned - suddenly refusing to go any further - but I am working with him on that. Attached are some photos of him with his new friends (sorry I am not a very good photographer). He is so sweet and loving with Summer Girl and gets along well with my son’s fiancé’s dog who, although small, wants to be the dominant one (Chance could care less). Thanks for your help in matching him with our home – he is a good fit.

Otto's latest adventures

Otto (formerly Rita's A-Fu) was recently Best Dog of Honor at our wedding, and just today morphed into an adorable lion.  ~Janey

Rita & All Your Rescue Teammates - “Our Thank You”

You have given Leslie and me two of the most wonderful treasures of our lives...Gary and Daisy (formerly Yellow).

The pictures below tell you the wonder of these two pups:

GARY came to us a little over 2-1/2 years ago, arriving on a Welcome Waggin' night, jumping out of his crate and into my arms and the rest is history.  Gary has always been this big lovable white teddy bear, the most gentle fellow one could ever know.  Everyone who came in contact with with - whether on a walk, seeing him ride in my truck - everyone has always wanted to come up to him and give him a big hug.

At our Rescue events, people would get in line for a chance to give him a hug, shake his paws, take their picture with him.  Children especially love, parents would want to take a picture of him with their children. 

At home, he followed me wherever I went wanting to cuddle by my side.  I watch TV laying my head on his side.  When I want to take a nap I often will lie behind him and rap my arms around him.  He loves you to touch and hold him.  A Big White Love Bug.  What joy he has brought to our lives.

DAISY arrived on a Welcome Waggin' night about three months after Gary and similarly jumping out of her crate and into my arms and the rest is history.  While Gary is super lovable to all, and Daisy too, Daisy has always been "my little girl" absolutely wanting to be by my side at all times, barking when I leave her sight, always leaning up against me, wanting me to shake her paw, loving to sleep on her back paws pointed high and her favorite always to sit beside me in my truck or next to me on a rock with her legs & paws laid across my lap.

THESE TWO PUPS have brought such joy to our lives.  Leslie and I can never thank all of you enough for rescuing them, making them healthy and sending them to our Rescue in the USA so they could have new forever homes with us.

WOOF, WOOF!

Paul & Leslie

 

 

Rita's Hunter...home sweet home

Rita's Hunter was adopted by Nicole and Ettore. Hunter found his way across the ocean with the help of Rita and MJ and landed at LAX with a couple of other country canines. He had allergies and was hyperthyroid. It took many tests and combinations of medicines by Rita and MJ to come up with the best solution for his itchiness and lethargy.

Following his arrival with the help of our welcome wagon at LAX, Hunter went to Culver Palms to stay for a bit until his foster, Benison, took him home. Benison was a first time foster but handled Hunter like a pro. His commitment to him was wonderful. Because one of Hunter's meds was prednisone, he was more thirsty than normal, which, led to having to relieve himself more frequently. Since Benison lived in a condo, it was very time consuming for them both, but Benison stuck with him, even after I offered to move him since I didn't think it was the best living situation for them both. Ben said that he would be there for Hunter until he found his new home.

Now that Hunter is home with Nicole and Ettore, he has his own backyard available to him whenever he wants and plays, plays, plays.

Thank you to Paul for doing Nicole and Ettore's home visit and to Nancy for helping them with their placement. Again, thank you to our staff at CP and our volunteer walkers. And, of course a shout out to Rita and MJ for helping this gentleman on the beginning of his journey.

Tai (formerly Rita's Willie) runs ahead

Every dog is special, but there was something extra special about Tai. Even though he had a very rough start before his angels Rita & MJ saved his life, you would never know it when you met him. He was sweet, lovable and had adorable quirks. He was our neighborhood ambassador, stopping to visit with everyone on our nightly walks, sitting nicely to be pet and almost always shaking hands. He loved kids, water, ice and toys. In typical retriever style, he always wanted to carry something, usually whatever he could get his paws on when he was excited - often clean laundry. He had jaws of steel, so it was nearly impossible to get anything out of his grip if he was intent on holding it. Tai was an expert at removing tags from anything, loved to shred things and could get the squeaker out of any toy in 30 seconds flat. He was also a master beggar and could hear a piece of string cheese being opened no matter how quiet or how far it was from him. Tai loved his big brother Buster, who we lost in 2011, and picked his little brother Sam himself. Sam taught Tai how to wrestle and romp, and they had a great time playing together and snuggling when they were done.

Tai wore his emotions on his sleeve, so when he wasn't feeling well on June 5, it was obvious something was terribly wrong. He had an emergency splenectomy, and we discovered he had cancer. He recovered from the surgery remarkably well and had his first round of chemo on June 19, which he tolerated beautifully. But on June 29, Tai let me know he was not feeling well again, and after consulting with our emergency doctors, I made the heart-wrenching decision to release my beloved boy from his ailing body.

As much as I miss this sweet boy, I know Tai's gentle soul had an impact on so many lives - 2 legs and 4 legs alike. I cherished every minute with him, especially the three-and-a-half weeks after his surgery when he was feeling good and back to his old self. I think he knew I needed that precious time. Tai will hold a special place in my heart forever.

Barley (formerly Rita's Michael) runs ahead

We lost our beautiful Barley to cancer this weekend. He touched so many people's (and dog's) lives with his loving personality and his antics! He was truly the perfect dog in every way, and we feel blessed to have had the privilege to show him what life can be like off the streets of Taiwan. We will miss him dearly. Rest in peace, Wugart xoxoxo

Leslie & Chris

Update from Lady (formerly Rita's Ye-Zi)

Lady is such a smart and sweet girl. She pays so much attention on us trying to please us. She let me clean her ears, brush her teeth and bath her without fighting with me. She follows me everywhere even into the bathroom. (I got no privacy!!!) She is smart enough to trick us for a treat. She gets a treat every time she does her business outside. She learned to stand by the door to notify us she needs to go out. When she gets back she goes to the treat jar and sits there. A few times, I caught her that she went outside and turn around come back in to claim her treats. So sneaky! Since she hasn’t had an accident in the house for almost two months, last week I started letting her join Ranger to go to my neighbor’s house every Monday and Wednesday afternoon to have some fun while we are not home. They like her a lot too.

As I expected, her energy compensates Ranger’s calmness. She is always in play mode and never tired. However, sometimes, it’s too much for Ranger. Ranger is the opposite of Lady. He is so independent that he only comes to us when he needs some love. Ranger is also a gentleman. He lets her occupy his bed, play his toys and eat his food. The only thing I discourage them from doing is wrestling. Since their sizes are so different; Ranger is almost 90 pounds and Lady is 40 pounds, I am always nervous when they are wrestling. I don’t want any of them get hurt. Other than wresting, they play fetching, walk and run together.

I have attached a few photos of Lady and Ranger. They are so cute, aren’t they? They are the best dogs we can ever get. Again, Thank you all for bringing Lady to us.

Best regards,
Jessica

Rita's Captain Sails to a New Life

Congratulations to Rita’s Captain who has found his forever home with our very own volunteer David and his wife, Sonsee. Captain, a beautiful 3 year old boy, is one of our latest arrivals from Project Taiwan, having made the long voyage in March of this year. Having just lost their wonderful Golden boy Kai (also from Taiwan) about 6 months prior, David and Sonsee offered to foster Captain upon his arrival in sunny Southern California…and…well…you can guess the rest! Captain wiggled his way into their hearts as well as the heart of his Golden sister Lani and never left his foster home.

Captain gives his thanks to Rita and M.J. for rescuing him in Taiwan and sending him here to ensure a better life for this special boy, as well as to GRCGLAR for being here for him. And of course he thanks David, Sonsee, and Lani for opening their hearts and their home to give him the wonderful life he deserves.
Welcome home, Captain!

Photo update from Maggie's Hero...happy dog!

Rita's Lime adopted!

Congratulations to Izzy and Jamie who welcome Rita's Lime as a permanent member of the family.

Rita's Lime, now Tugbert, crossed the ocean and landed for a short stay at Culver Palms Animal Hospital until he was taken in by Izzy and Jamie who were first time fosters and requested a bit of an easier first time foster for their home. Well, even though we initially thought that Tugbert would be an easy foster, he provided Izzy and Jamie with some challenges. His house training was not perfected, counter surfing was a daily occurrence, and he did not want to go near the beach because of the waves. Izzy and Jamie powered through and researched and asked lots of questions to get him trained and more at ease.

They taught him basic manners....sit, down, shake, roll over. I was most impressed with them training him to go to his bed when they requested. I know how difficult that task is for a dog to learn and for a trainer to teach. It takes lots of dedication and repetition. After a couple of months, Izzy and Jamie asked if they would be able to make him a member of their family and the Rescue approved.

Tugbert's name is from his love of playing "tug" and "Bert" because Jamie just liked the name.

Thanks to Rita and MJ for saving this boy and getting him over to the US and to our rescue. Thank you to Sandy for providing guidance and direction for Izzy and Jamie and support to Lime.

Update on Otto (formerly Rita's A-fu)

We recently celebrated Otto's Gotcha-day - with dog-friendly treats from 3 Dog Bakery! Otto may be 10 years old, but he's still got the appetite of a puppy. The treat was gone in 3 seconds! (And no, he didn't get all those cookies in one sitting. He may beg but there's a limit!)

Lately, Otto's enjoying his golden years in Dana Point, CA. We recently moved to a much bigger place with rooms and rooms of cool tile floor to lay on. Otto's favorite pastimes continue to be eating, sleeping, and looking cute. He's a love bug and still the best hugger.

Maggie's Hero adopted

Congratulations to Maggie's Hero, who found his forever home!

Hero was found in a fishing village with many skin problems and he was quite emaciated, and he also had heartworms The ARTT team asked us if we could take him in and, of course, we said yes. We also discovered that he had hip dysplasia and a possible torn ACL. He didn't seem symptomatic with his hip dysplasia and when we went to repair his ACL the vet decided he didn't need surgery after all. But, with his bad joints, chronic skin and ear problems and hypothyroidism (not to mention he was hit or miss on which dogs he liked and when he found one he liked he wanted to jump right on them to start playing, which most dogs don't appreciate), he was a tough guy to place - most families just don't want to deal with these problems.

Hero spent almost a year with his foster family, but finally along came John, who didn't care about any of these issues. John and his daughter previously had a Golden and they currently have a Sheltie. They were missing the Golden personality and contacted us to help them find a pup. They were very excited to meet Hero, and were even more excited to take him home. He's doing great in his new home and is very happy.

Hero thanks the Animal Rescue Team Taiwan for finding him and sending him to us. He thanks the CP Dog Walkers who regularly gave him walks and love during his time there. He's forever grateful to Deanna and family for fostering him for so long. He thanks Laura for scouting out his new home, and he thanks the placement team and PA Lisamarie for making the match.

Welcome home Hero!

Rita's Captain, Moomin and Hunter on their way

Coming soon...Rita's Captain, Hunter & Moomin

Postcard from Lady's (formerly Rita's Ye-Zi) adopter

I'd like to thank you each and everyone in GRCGLA and Rita, MJ and Maggie. Without your efforts, Lady won't be here with us. Because of your dedication, these unfortunate dogs get a second chance to start a new life and be loved. What a wonderful thing you all are doing! My hat off to all of you and I wish one day I will become one of you.

Lady is such a sweet heart that we all love her. She is so full of energy. Ranger, my other Golden, and her have been keeping each other busy. They play, sleep and eat! What a fun life they have!

I will definitely keep you posted about Lady.

Best regards,
Jessica

Rita's Ye-Zi adopted!

It is with sheer delight that I announce the adoption of our sweet little Rita’s Ye-Zi by Jessica, David and their 7-year old Golden Retriever, Ranger.  Ye-Zi came to us from Taiwan accompanied by Sarah who was a volunteer of Rita’s, graciously offering to travel with the dogs.  Jessica is Sarah’s aunt and fortuitously picked up her niece at LAX the night of Ye-Zi’s arrival.

Now...I don’t know if Jessica was forewarned as to just how darn cute Ye-Zi was, or if Jessica was even looking to add another family member, but it was love at first sight and Jessica fell head-over-heels for Ye-Zi.  Jessica wanted to adopt Ye-Zi and take her home that night, so I urged her to fill out an adoption application and that was the start to this wonderful match.

Following a delightful visit, a lot of dog conversation, and completion of paperwork, Ye-Zi was off to her new home.  There was a final smooch accompanied by a few tears (of mine) and Jessica provided a warm hug with an assurance that they will love, hug and kiss Ye-Zi as much as I did. The hatch was shut and off they went.  Ye-Zi has since become “Lady” and all reports have been positive.

Lady will be forever grateful to Rita, and M.J., as well as her traveling companion Sarah for starting her off on her epic journey.  Lady would also like to thank Stacey and Duke for doing the home visit, and the placement team and PA, Eva, for making the match.

Postcard from Barley (formerly Rita's Michael)

Barley (Rita's Michael) is loving life in So Cal! He came to life after his hip replacement surgery last year...he plays like a puppy again! He has many fans, including kids and other dogs, in our neighborhood. His favorite pastimes are multiple walks a day, shredding stuffed toys, napping on the porch, and massages! We love him dearly.

Leslie & Chris

Rita's Honey adopted!

Congratulations to Rita's Honey, who found her forever home with failed-fosters Judy and Chip, along with Freedom and Tilden.

Honey is one our most recent arrivals from Taiwan. She's an older girl with a heart of gold and a very sweet personality. Judy was part of the Welcome Waggin' and had offered to keep a pup overnight. That's all it took for her to fall in love with this sweet girl. Once she was vetted Judy picked her back up and she's been hanging out with the gang and charming everyone she meets. I don't think Judy was looking to add a third dog to her crew, but Honey had other plans. She knew, as soon as she got in Judy's car, that she was going home for good. She gets along great with Freedom and Tilden and is an absolute doll.

Honey is so grateful to Rita and MJ, who found her, got her healthy, and sent her to us. She was so very happy to meet the Welcome Waggin', and then felt she hit the jackpot when Judy took her home. Judy says she's the one who hit the Jackpot and that Honey is here lucky charm - she brought Honey into her vet's office and they offered her a job! Judy also says: " We now call her Mia Honey because everytime I would say Honey, all would come running including my husband." Judy says she's send a family photo in as soon as possible.

Welcome home Honey!