Postcard from Rita's Jumbo, now Sampson

My boy, formerly known as Rita’s Jumbo has taken on his new persona, Sampson; after all, he has the strength of three dogs. In just five days, Sampson has learned to sit, stay, wait, take, fetch, leave the ball, come, treat, dinner, and go bye-bye car with ease. He has adjusted to his harness leash and LOVES to go to both of his favorite destinations – his Disneyland which for us is the local Unleashed pet store, and to “Uncle Al’s” to play ball. He has turned into a Sampson size lap dog and loves to share my 1-1/2 chair with me and be pet and massaged. His proclivity for humping has settled down when redirected, and he has become a good listener. He is a jewel and very eager to please.

He gets so much attention, he should have his own Facebook page, since he hogs mine so well. Here are a couple of his latest Facebook portraits (below).

Well, there you go. Guess you can tell I’m pretty sweet on him.

Keep me on your email list. And thanks again for all your hard work.

Warmest regards,
Mary B.

Rita's Jumbo adopted!

Rita's Jumbo went home this morning with Mary B. Jumbo arrived in the U.S. in early August and has been patiently waiting for the right family to come along.

Mary has adopted several dogs from us in the past; she recently lost Garbo and was lonely for the companionship only a Golden can provide. Mary was interested in several dogs but kept coming back to Jumbo. After meeting him, she had no doubt that he was the perfect dog for her.

Mary has called us since the adoption meeting and bubbled over with excitement about how wonderful Jumbo is and how happy he is at his new home. He has been renamed Sampson.

Thank you so much to Rita and her team for giving Jumbo the care he needed and sending him off to the US for a chance at a new life. Thanks also to the Welcome Waggin' for meeting Jumbo when he arrived at the airport. Thank you Carole Spies, and doggies, Sammy and Zoe, for doing this home visit. And thank you Barbara D. for your extraordinary coordinating efforts.

Rita's Beryl lands a home

Rita's Beryl arrived in the US a few months back. Even before she came, we knew she'd had a small mass removed from her leg that turned out to be a grade II mast cell tumor, which had sloppy margins. Mast cells tumors like this have a high probability of recurring and spreading, and the vets estimate her outlook to be about 3 years.

Lucky for Beryl, Erik and Kristen, members of our foster network, had recently come back into town and were ready to start fostering, and thought Beryl looked like a good possibility for them, so off she went. Since Beryl was an unknown with cats and the Erik and Kristen had recently brought home an adopted kitten, we thought we'd give it some time to see how she got on with her feline roomie.

Erik called last night to say that Beryl's moved right in and made herself part of the family. She seems to enjoy catching the kitten to cuddle with, and since the kitten doesn't seem to mind, it's working out for everyone. So Beryl's been invited to stay with the Erik and Kristen until her time comes, and we hope that's a good long time!

MJ's Beauty...

after rolling in stinky meadow mud in the Sierra Nevada mountains...

Rita's Chance adopted!

Rita’s Chance joined us after traveling to the U.S.A. from Taiwan. Today he was introduced to Cindy, Michael, and their corgi/terrier mix, Brody. It was love at first sight for everybody. Brody, though a smaller dog, apparently has been around big dogs his entire life, and doesn’t want to play with dogs his own size. He was jumping up on Chance, and chance started to accept Brody’s overtures for play. In fact, it was so cute, I ran for my video camera, but was too late. But that burst of play sealed the deal. Michael is looking forward to working with Chance to teach him all that a well behaved dog should know, and Chance seemed to be already bonded with Michael by time everyone was in the car. Michael rode home in the back seat with Chance and Brody.

Chance thanks Rita and her rescue group in Taiwan for taking him in, giving him much needed care and making arrangements for his safe passage to Los Angeles. He also thanks the Welcome Waggin’ for making his first moments in a strange country to be filled with love and compassion, and Mariko for letting him stay with her for a short time. He also thanks the West Wind Dog Walkers led by Julie; Sandy D. and Woody for doing the home visit, and Barbara D. for playing match maker.

Happy Howl-o-ween from Otto (formerly A-Fu)

Otto's gotten very good at the "still" command as you can see. He's doing great (look at that smile!) and I'm very happy to have him!

Best,
Janey

Meet Maggie's Macy

Macy was found tied to a post in a park, looking very upset and sad. When her rescuers approached her, she became excited and greeted them with a wagging tail. When they untied her, she followed them into the rescue vehicle. She's been to see the veterinarian and all her tests came back negative. She will be looking for a permanent home in the U.S.

Postcard from Rita's Molly

Molly is doing fabulous. She is our family member along with Woody and Carmen and has adapted perfectly (although a bit stubborn at times). We are blessed with an acre of land so the dogs have room to run and at night they of course sleep in the home where they also have free reign.

Thanks!

Let me know what else I can do.
Jay

Postcard from Rita's Hugo

Hugo is doing fantastic! He has a playmate by the name of Tobi, she is a 14 year old Lab-Boxer rescue. They get along great and are inseparable. Our back yard is about a 1/4 of an acre and Tobi and Hugo have access to all of it. Hugo has seen one of the best hip specialists in our area for his hip dysplasia. He is on vitamin supplements and he is on a strict diet to keep him healthy and comfortable. He also goes back on a regular basis so that we can monitor his condition. He has been a great addition to our family and gets constant attention by either Stacey, myself or our two kids. I have attached a couple of pictures of Hugo and Tobi. Thank you to all of you for what you do and keep up the great work!

Josh

Bailey, Mocha and Simba arrive!

Thanks to all the Waggineers who came out yesterday to welcome them!

Simba, Bailey & Mocha Are On The Way

And our team is headed out to get them!

Postcard from Maggie's Bingo

Bingo, now Hunter, is doing great! He is so comfortable here that it feels like he has been with us forever! We noticed right away how hungry he acts, and it looks like he was seriously malnourished. He is also very small for his age (approx. 2), so we don't know if that is a Taiwanese trait of the Goldens, or if it is due to continued malnutrition for his formative years. We have taken Hunter for walks and he loves going to the kids' school when it is time to pick them up. He gets lots of love and hugs from the children there. He is so calm, we are just amazed! I will enclose a picture of him in our yard-this was about 15 minutes after we arrived home, and he is so comfortable already! Any information about Bingo (Hunter)that we can get from Maggie would be greatly appreciated. We are all very curious about his past, and just wondering about his life before we met him.

Thanks again,
Kathy

Maggie's Bingo adopted!

The Pellissier family hit the jackpot yesterday afternoon when they chose Maggie's Bingo to become part of their life. Bingo came out of the kennel and jumped right up on the porch at West Wind to snuggle in next to 13 year-old Samantha. That secured the first of four cards he was after. Then he went to work on 9 year-old Garrett, quickly making the kids a done deal. Mom and Dad were also taken by his sweet, calm nature, giving Bingo the four aces he was hoping for. Into the SUV he went, all a-wag, headed for life in a new home with two and a half acres attached.

Bingo sends his deepest thanks to Maggie and her rescue team in Taiwan for saving his life and opening up new possibilities for him, and to Barbara D. for coordinating with Maggie to bring Bingo westward. The Welcome Waggin team gets big kisses for being there to greet him, letting him stretch his legs and romp a bit, then assuring him of a nice place to spend the night. The IE/SGV team took it from there as Jennifer G. took care of his vet needs, Pat J. got more photos and videos of him, Julie's dog walking group gave him some welcome exercise, and Jo B facilitated the adoption. Many thanks to all.

Update from Lily (formerly Rita's Angelina)

Lily is such a sweet dog and has become a wonderful addition to our family. She adores our 35lb Golden Doodle, Claude, and they play beautifully together. She has been with us since the 8th of May. She had arrived in LA a week before and was barely weighing 40lbs. She now weighs 60lbs and we hope she will lose a few pounds. She loves her food!

You may tell her Taiwan family that she is a very happy girl and we feel very lucky to have her!

Warm wishes,
Ann

Hannah (formerly Rita's Alinna) lovin' life!

Dear Hannah is the joy of all our lives. She is so happy and loves life here in America. She has been with us for 6 months now and we can see each day her trust and love for us grow.

Hannah is about to finish her intermediate obedience class. She loves to go to obedience and mix with the other dogs. All the practice has paid off and she is the best by far in her class. The thing we love about Hannah is that she seems to be smiling. She is so very happy. First thing in the morning she runs out of her crate and greets me and then she checks all her toys to make sure they are still there. I would think food would be her first item of interest, but that is not so. Hannah is a pure lady and very gentle. She is calm and yet playful.

We often wonder what was her past life like, but we know we are blessed to have her and we are sure she feels the same way. We all cannot begin to thank you for rescuing Hannah. She has completed our home and bought new life to all of us. She really has hung her leash up and knows she is home.

Thank you and keep up the wonderful work of bringing all of us 'golden blessings'

Love,

The Ringland Family
Joann, Bill, Tricia, William and Hannah!!!

Meet Rita's Mocha

Mocha was found in the street. After receiving treatment for skin issues and babesia, he's ready for a forever home. Mocha is about 2 years old and will make the trip to the U.S. soon. Mocha's photo album: click here.

Update from Sierra (Rita's Fiona)

Sierra's doing great! Continuing to shine and come out of her shell more every week. We've completed her basic training and keep working on it every day. She really is fun!

She's beginning to play/interact with other dogs more, but still showing signs of resource guarding (just with dogs, not people). She has a best dog friend down the street and they love playing together (when she's not guarding the ball). She makes friends with everyone she meets and loves rides in the car. She sometimes refuses to go for a walk and instead drags me by leash to the car. She's definitely not shuttle about what she wants.

This past weekend we had a family BBQ and all the family dogs attended too! She had so much fun running and chasing after balls with them all day, that night she curled up next to me and fell asleep with her head in my lap and the ball still in her mouth.

Here's two recent pictures of Sierra in her forever home.

MaryJane

Update from Rita's Lucy

Lucy is doing fine. She seems happy and is enyoying her new friend Sasha. She likes living in the house and likes the yard.

Karin, Lucy (Rusty) and Sasha

Update from Brady (aka Maggie's Stanley)

Enclosed are a few pictures of Brady (aka Maggie's Stanley). The first was taken after his surgery to remove a large growth from his back. As you can see, even with the large plastic cone, he was full of energy and wanted to play. The surgery was a success and you would never know that he had an operation.

The second group of pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago. He is a beautiful Golen. He has responded very well to training. We are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to adopt Brady. He is a very special dog!

Thanks to all of the people who helped us with the adoption process and with the surgery.

Garry & Linda

Pang Pang at work with Mom

YEEEAAAHHH PANG PANG!

Pang Pang passed her therapy dog test this evening through Therapy Dogs International! Of 18 dogs, only 4 met the TDI testing requirements. Kudos to David, her trainer, who worked so hard to teach her the commands and discipline required to make this possible. He is very proud of her tonight! It’s hard to believe that only a few months ago Pang Pang did not understand English. This golden girl is a true combination of beauty and brains – special in so many ways! I am very excited, as this gains her admission into areas where she can touch many lives. In addition I am confident that her success will send a clear message for homeless animals waiting to be adopted.
Sharron

Gino is pure joy!

Gino is a pure joy, we really love him and he has become part of the family. He loves to snuggle and thinks he is a lap dog. We do have to watch him around food, I think he became a sneaky thief in his earlier life! One day he took a 2 lb block of cheese off our butcher block and I caught him just as he started to gnaw on it. He also likes butter. So we have learned to be careful!!

If the folks in Taiwan can fill us in, we would love to know a bit more about his history; where and how he was found, what condition, etc.

Steve & Cathy

Pang Pang touches many lives

Pang Pang is already touching so many lives!

She has completed 30 hours of training and is taking her Therapy Dog exam this Tuesday evening. We believe she will pass, because she enjoys “showing her stuff.” You can tell that David, her trainer, is very proud of her and that she enjoys her time with him. I will let you all know how she does.

At work Pang Pang delights our seniors every day. They call her, “our dog” and are delighted with her greetings, kisses and constant tale-wagging. We introduced her in the newsletter last month and residents have flocked in to see her. The property marquee sign says, “Come Meet Pang Pang!” She will have her own column and photo every month in the newsletter. She loves to ride in golf carts and our maintenance staff and security guards get the biggest kick out of driving her around. I swear, if she could learn the princess wave it would not surprise me! She visits our on-site groomer once a week, romps around the Dog Park and wanders through the administrative offices.

At home Pang Pang is Petey’s big sister, and she tolerates his wet Boxer kisses and constant urging to play. She has learned to love him and of course he just adores her. She is all about the balls and toys and will chase them forever, with Petey close on her tail. They are so much fun to watch – a constant source of entertainment. She is happiest with me and actually becomes anxious when I pick up my purse without putting her on leash. She is with me almost always. There is no way to describe how close I feel to her after such a short period of time. She is so incredibly special.

I know how much my dogs have impacted my life so it should not be surprising to see how much Pang Pang means to our seniors. I have been amazed though, at her understanding and compassion. This is a tough time for seniors. They have to deal with their health problems, loved ones who are ill and many issues related to the economy. It is the hardest part of my job because there are some things we just can’t fix, although we try very hard. Pang Pang senses the distress and calmly lays her head in the lap of a weeping woman, who instantly is distracted from her concerns. How wonderful to be able to take her into a resident’s home who is unable to leave her bed and see the smiles and warm touches. For those who cannot afford a pet or who cannot care for one, she offers the company and unconditional love that they crave. She is truly theirs and they have embraced her.

For me, Pang Pang is a true inspiration to learn more about how she can help others – in areas that we (humans) cannot. She is also an inspiration for those who are considering adopting a pet, and I want to help ensure there is more awareness in regard to this need.

Again, my sincere thanks to all of you for helping make Pang Pang an important part of so many lives. She has completely worked her way into our hearts. Please know that she could not be more loved!

Sharron