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Letter from the President
W e are fast approaching the summer months, the time when most rescue
organizations see a great increase in the number of dogs needing to be re-
homed. Today I speak to you as Foster Coordinator, addressing the need
for relief fosters.
Our foster families vacation too, and at times need a break before taking on a new foster dog. Relief fostering is short-term, and it fills a pressing need for the rescue. Perhaps
you would even like to consider being an actual foster family and keeping one particular
golden until they are adopted?
To become an FHGRR foster, you must first pass a vet reference, a phone interview and
a home visit. The process is the same as if you were adopting a Golden Retriever from
FHGRR. I then look at your particulars and try to match a dog that is suitable to your
needs, in terms of energy level, and compatibility with other dogs, cats and/or children.
FHGRR supplies heartworm and flea/tick medication, collars, tags, and crates if needed.
We ask foster families to supply the food, love and exercise for our dogs. The time span
for fostering can range from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the dog,
the number of applicants and what type of dog best fits in their homes.
Many of our dogs (close to 45 percent) are heartworm-positive when they come to us.
Depending on the age of the dog and his/her health, that Golden will need to stay in a
foster home for up to two months, to allow for the required heartworm treatment and
recuperation time. Many people don’t realize that once a dog has received heartworm treatment and is kept on heartworm preventative, they can live full lives. This treatment
does not shorten their lifespan, nor does it leave them with any related health issues.
Being a foster family is
incredibly rewarding.
We can only take in as
many dogs into our
program as we can put
in foster care, so by
fostering you are truly
saving a Golden’s life!
If you are interested in
fostering, please contact
Jeannie at: retriever
Have a great summer!
Jeannie Herrmann FHGRR Foster
Coordinator/President
Golden Guardians
Spring 2011
Mission Statement: FHGRR is a full-service rescue dedicated to providing rescue and necessary veterinary care for unwanted, neglected, abused, homeless, and displaced Golden Retrievers.
Contact Info
P.O. Box 9077 Greenville, SC 29604
Voice mail:
864-234-9739
Fax:
800-660-8554
Inside This Issue:
Recent Donations ……... 2
Adoption Updates & Success Stories ……….. 3-6
Acknowledgements …... 4
Canine Chiropractic Care …..………………….... 6
Training Tips: Acclimat-ing Your New Dog …….. 7
Rainbow Bridge ……. 8-10
Upcoming Events ….... 11
Acupuncture for Pets .. 11
FHGRR Board ………… 11
Page 2
Recent Donations
Golden Guardians
A big paws-up to the following
donors for their generosity! FHGRR
truly appreciates all your support!
John Adderholdt, in memory of Carl Roof
Carol Ann Andrews, for the White Face
Fund; in honor of Rowdy Andrews
and in memory of Bill Andrews
Nancy Ayers, in honor of Guinness
Embree & Janet Bass
William & Romney Bathurst
Andrea Beeler, in memory of Bud Heide
Boiling Springs Friends of the Library, in
memory of Carl Roof
Jeffrey & Sandra Bowers
Grant Brittain, in honor of Kirby, Dusty
& Georgia
Ronald & Leslie Brown
Diane Butler, in memory of Carl Roof
David & Kim Burdette, in memory of
Bud Heide
Ashley Byrd, for the White Face Fund
Spence Campbell
Carolina Canvas Connection, in memory of
Carl Roof
Mark & Jane Caverly, for the White
Face Fund
Gina Chapman
Charles & Belinda Cochran
Sue Cox, for Beau
Sue & Tommy Cox, in memory of
Bud Heide
Linda & Ron Davis, in memory of Molly
Dennis & Kimberly Dent, for the
White Face Fund; in memory of Hank
and in appreciation for Riley
Dr. Robert Detjen
Linda Dobson
Laurel Doudera, for the White Face Fund
Joseph & Darlene Drake
Marian Duncan
Heidi & Brent Durocher, in memory of
Bud Heide
Robert & Linda Eichelsderfer, for the White
Face Fund; in memory of Scruffy, Maxie,
Gretchen, Bud and our "Golden Boy," Maxwell
Karen Fluharty
Charles & Carol Fritze, in honor of Abby
Sabina Ganic & James Behr
Linda Gilkinson, in honor of Mellow and in
memory of Buck
Golden Rescue in Naples, Inc., for Bert
and Colby
Golden Retriever Foundation, for Bert and
Colby
GlaxoSmith Kline, courtesy of Steven
Eggleston
Amy & David Goldstein, in memory of
Carl Roof
Michael & Margaret Goode
John Gray , in memory of Venus Tzouvelekas
Anne Greer
Lee & Kathryn Hagglund
Jeannie & Norm Herrmann, in memory
of Bud Heide
Dr. Eleanor Blair Hilty
Margaret Hunter
Lee & Elaine Huntsberger, for the White
Face Fund
Michael Johnstone & Ramona Martinez
Wendy Kimbel & Richard Snider, for the
White Face Fund
Mary Ann Kiriakides, in memory of Venus
Tzovelekas
David & Deanna Klingel, in memory of Jessie
Otto & Virginia Kohler
James & Catherine Lagerman, in memory
of Bud Heide
Peter, Lisa, Marissa, Jenna & Casey
Larocque, in memory of Lady
Anne & Leo Laubengeiger, for the White Face
Fund
Joseph & Jill Lawrence
Laura Leavy, in memory of Callaghan
Barb & Brian Loomis
Barry & Linda Love, in honor of Karin
Brandsted
Low Country Golden Retriever Rescue, for Tess
Richard & Patti Luna
Grace Lyle, for the White Face Fund
Mrs. Edgar Lyngholm, in honor of Dane
William & Katherine McCann, in honor of
Calhoun (aka Digger)
J.G. McDonnell, in memory of Carl Roof
Therese Mcglone
David & Margaret McGrath
Leo & Mary Maguire, in memory of Bud Heide
Bob & Brenda McLain
Susan McNamara
Herbert & Annabel Moses, in honor of Lady
Thomas & Brooke Nelson
Heyward & Nancy Nettles, in memory of Carl
Roof
Peggy Orend, for the White Face Fund in
honor of Tess, Peggy & Keith Zionts
Coco Parkam, in honor of Daisy
Curtis Parsons
William & Sue Pogue, in honor of Susan
McNamara
John & Mary Prock
Ben & Jennifer Rigby
Samsa Beds
Caroline Schumacher, in memory of Carl Roof
Karen S. Skelton, for the White Face Fund, in
honor of Noah and BeeBe Skelton
Leah & James Smith
Sobys New South Cuisine, LLC
Pamela Sullivan
Julia Lane & Patricia Ten Pas, in
memory of Bud Heide
Bonnie & Michael Twitchell, in memory
of Bud Heide
United Way of Asheville
Gerald & Brenda Uttaro, in honor of
Abbey, adopted in January 2009
William & Greta Vaughan
William & Constance Vlahoulis
Thomas & Leslie Ann Washburn, for Tess
Karla & Theoplious Welfare, in honor of
Elaine Price
Jane & Jeff Weisner
Bill & Karen Weller
Kent & Gail Wilcox, for the White Face Fund
Diane Woodward, in honor of Big Mac
Spring 2011
Snickers
Our new boy, Snickers, came home
with us unexpectedly two Saturdays
before last Thanksgiving. We wanted
to wait for a sweet, mature female, but
I got an e-mail about Snickers, so
Betsy and I drove up to North Carolina to meet and ―interview‖ Snickers. We
understood that Snickers was about
6½, and had sired three litters as part
of a backyard breeding pair. His owner
had moved, electing to take only the
female and leaving Snickers with a
friend charged with finding him a
home. When he came into rescue,
Snickers was being kept in a cage in
the friend’s backyard.
Through some confusion, the rescuer
who brought him to the meeting site
thought we were to take him into fos-ter care that day. That wasn’t our plan,
as we were scheduled to go to Colo-
rado the following week to visit our
son over Thanksgiving. We didn’t
want to bring a new dog into our
home, only to have to board him or
hand him back a week later. The res-
cuer was distressed because the next
day she had to take in a couple of other
Goldens whose days were numbered.
She didn’t have room for all of them, and she told us that unless we could
take Snickers, she would have to re-
turn him to his backyard cage.
We figured that staying with us, if
even for only a week, was better than
that, so we agreed. Snickers apparently
also voted ―yes‖ and happily jumped
into the back of our SUV with our 12-
year-old boy, Max. Snickers and Max
promptly fell asleep together and
missed the excitement of a big black
bear running across the highway in
front of us on our way home!
We had adopted Max through the Hu-mane Society in Indianapolis in Octo-
ber 2002. At that time, we also
adopted a female named Phoebe, who
had been his kennel mate. Unfortu-
nately, last summer we lost Phoebe
suddenly to a hemangiosarcoma. We
missed Phoebe terribly, and Max
seemed to us to be lonely. So, we
started looking for a new golden fam-
ily member. Max is arthritic and very sedentary at this point, and we are
semi-retired and relatively sedentary
ourselves, so our new family member
had to be mature and calm.
Before we applied to FHGRR, we
adopted a young male through another
Golden rescue group at their urging –
even though we were looking for a
mature female. Unfortunately, that
relationship didn’t work out, as the
dog bit Betsy and in the weeks after-
ward, became increasingly aggressive toward both of us – most un-Golden-
like behavior. It broke our hearts
again, but he had to go back.
Snickers has confirmed our belief that
Goldens are sweet, lovable, friendly,
playful and sometimes very goofy
creatures. We suspect that an onoma-
tologist (one who studies proper names) would tell us that the meaning
of the name ―Snickers‖ means ―lover
of balls and all things that are round,
roll and bounce.‖ Snickers does love
his balls and has a clear hierarchy of
his favorites. He expects any human to
play with him constantly, but when no
one is available, or if he is told ―no‖
with meaning, he’ll play by himself for
hours. His favorite indoor game is to sit at the top of the stairs and chew on
the ball for a while; then he lets it roll
out of his mouth onto his fore legs, just
inches from his nose. He leaves the
ball there until, in due course, he
nudges it so that it rolls over his fore-
legs and bounces down the stairs. Al-
ways surprised by the effects of grav-
ity on his toy, Snickers studies the ball
at a distance, as if by concentrating he
can levitate the ball back to his mouth. Finally, he trots down the stairs, re-
trieves the ball, returns to his spot and
begins the process anew.
Snickers is now home and a part of our
family. We had to keep him – a couple
of our neighbors threatened to adopt
him if we didn’t! Snickers and Max
get along great. We suspect our late
Phoebe would have loved him too.
– John and Betsy Prescott
Adoption Updates and Success Stories
Page 3
Ian
I adopted Franz, now Ian, when I lived on Lake Saluda
off White Horse Road. I had a pontoon boat, and Ian
loved to swim in the lake and sit on the front of the boat
when we went out on the water.
Ian is the most loving, gentle dog I've ever seen. He's 8
years old now and slowing down, but he will sit, lie
down and stay. He never was much of a retriever because
we think he was abused by someone trying to get him to
hunt. Ian is scared of loud noises. We have to give him
Valium at New Years Eve and the Fourth of July. Al-
though he's a big dog, he can somehow wedge himself
behind the toilet when the firecrackers start popping.
I remember the our first trip to the On Golden Pond event
in NC. Ian almost drowned! Every time someone threw a
ball, Ian would drop the ball already in his mouth, turn
around and swim back out for the latest thrown ball. He
almost never got back to shore with a ball. I thought I'd
have to go in and save him when his legs gave out.
Ian and I are attached at the hip. Weather permitting, he
goes where I go. He's a bit overweight but a beautiful
dog, and we are now enjoying my retirement back in my
hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
– Mike Dollfus
Queso
I wanted to send an update on Queso Taylor (formerly
named Bozo). I adopted him October 2007, and these
past three years with him have been amazing!
He is the sweetest, most loyal dog, and I love him more
than you know. We spent this Christmas in the moun-
tains and he absolutely loved the snow! Here's a really
sweet picture of him sitting in the snow. So cute!
He is a very loving dog who is happy all the time. He
loves to run with me and he also loves chasing his tail.
It's hilarious to watch!
I am so thankful for him and am very excited about the
prospect of many more years together.
– Elaine Taylor
Page 4
Adoption Updates and Success Stories
Golden Guardians
FHGRR would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the following folks:
Kristen Pace, for doing the newsletter mailings
Melinda & Bob Hoover at Camp Bow Wow, for providing daycare for our fosters
Dan McNamara at Metro Reprographics, for printing the newsletter
All FHGRR volunteers, especially our wonderful foster families
Buckley
It's been three years since we adopted Buckley (aka Samboy
and Sutter). We asked for a large, spirited young male that
would be great with people, and FHGRR filled our request
100 percent.
Shortly after adopting Buckley, he went through the certifi-cation process with Paws2Care to become a therapy
dog. He has been involved with the Reading to the Dogs
program in area elementary schools – even landing a spot in
a school video – and he is currently making visits to the
Shriner's Hospital.
On a recent visit, Buckley was in the room of a small child
who just had surgery. The child was sitting in the lap of a
grandmother and the parents were sitting on the hospital
bed. At first greeting, the child was a little hesitant because
of Buckley's large size, but Buckley remained calm and
stayed close to the child. Then the child began to stroke
Buckley, and leaned over and gave Buckley a kiss. Toward
the end of the visit, I gave the child a doggie treat to give to Buckley. At that same time, the doctor walked into the room
and saw the child holding a doggie treat in the small mis-
shapen hand. After some consideration, the child leaned
over to give Buckley the snack. Ever so gently, Buckley
slowly reached up to the little arm and careful took the bis-
cuit in his teeth. Being so cautious to avoid the small fingers
around the biscuit, Buckley slowly slid the biscuit out of the
small hand.
The amazed doctor leaned over to me and whispered,
"That's incredible!" Upon leaving the hospital room, my
hospital escort told me that the doctor who had been in the
room with us was the chief of staff. It was a magical mo-
ment for all, and yes, that's incredible, but then that's a
Golden!
– Sherry and Lanny Dusek
Spring 2011
More Adoption Updates and Success Stories
Page 5
called FHGRR and they suggested I foster him until some-
thing else was decided. I made an appointment at Foothills,
and Dr. Randall determined that Colby was 6-8 months old
at the time and had a hard life for such a young pup! He had sarcoptic mange, ear mites, fleas, and several broken
bones including his jaw, leg, and hips. Since August, he's
gained weight and is a lot healthier!
He is now roughly a year old and is a great young
dog! Colby currently lives in Easley with his foster mom
(me), three dachshunds and a Jack Russell Terrier, who are
his best friends.
Post-surgery, Colby is doing great! He's using his leg more
than ever and seems to have no pain at all. He absolutely
loves being outside. I took him hiking and to the river last
weekend and he jumped right in the water and laid down!
He’s so much happier now!
– Morgan Arthur
Colby
I found him in the road in Pickens in mid-August during a
rainstorm. He was drinking water from a ditch and was
almost hit by several cars. After a brief chase, he finally
laid down in a field and I fed him some treats.
I picked
him up,
put him in my
trunk and
took him
home.
He was
seriously
malnour-
ished and
skittish. I
Beau
It was a Saturday in February when we all decided to attend
the Cupids & Canines adoption event in Greenville at Camp
Bow Wow. We arrived early so that we would have plenty
of time at the event.
It wasn't very long after we arrived that we had a chance to
meet Beau, courtesy of FHGRR, who participated in this
event. His foster mom told us about his past, a past that in-cluded being shot in the hip, and basically being a "drifter"
dog with no real home. When Beau came to FHGRR, he
was in horrible shape –
severely underweight, with
heartworms, mange and
intestinal worms. FHGRR
rescued him from the
Anderson Humane Society
and his foster mom did a
wonderful job nursing him
back to health.
Almost immediately after
meeting Beau, you can sense his desire for love
and attention. He's such a
great addition to our home.
He loves his naps, espe-
cially after going out in the
back yard and rolling
around in the freshly placed
pine straw!
He's a typical senior
golden with a beautiful
white face that loves being
scratched and rubbed. Even
if no one is close enough to do the scratching, he'll find a
way – by rubbing up against the walls in the hallway,
around the coffee table or on the fence in the backyard!
Mike and I love Beau very much and hope to have many
more years with him.
– Sandy & Mike Miros
Page 6
Adoption Updates and Success Stories
Golden Guardians
Canine Chiropractic Care
Does your Golden need an adjustment? Dr. Kelly Miller has worked with people and animals as a chiropractor for 22
years, and now she is certified in a new technique called Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM), developed by
veterinary surgeon Dr. William Inman (www.vomtech.com/drbill.htm). VOM is a healing technology that locates
areas of the animal's nervous system that have fallen out of communication, and re-establishes neuronal communica-
tion, thus inducing healing. This is done using two instruments to scan the spine and administer low-force, pain-free
treatments to correct any blockages. VOM can be useful in treating acute and progressive lameness, pain from hip
dysplasia, incontinence, digestive disorders and many more ailments.
Dr. Miller is offering an initial free exam and adjustment to any rescue dog (her normal fee is $26/visit). Contact
her at:
1124 Moore Road (off Hwy.14), Greenville
864-458-7822 (home/office); 864-525-8476 (cell)
Spring 2011 Page 7
By Julie Caswell, Pawsitive Effects Dog Training
www.pawsitiveeffect.com.
So, you’ve decided to adopt a puppy or dog from Foothills
Golden Retriever Rescue. But have you thought about what
will happen when the dog comes into your home? How will
you insure that Bowser is trained to be a useful member of
the household?
I use a clicker to communicate with the dogs when I train,
and I use positive reinforcement – treats, ear rubs, belly rubs,
playing fetch, or anything Bowser sees as a good thing.
I recommend you treat the new dog just like you would a
new puppy, in order to teach the dog your routine and what
is and is not allowed. Though you can immediately start
practicing good doggie manners and basic obedience such as ―sit‖ and ―down,‖ house-training is usually the first issue
you will need to address. If the dog has been in a foster
home, the foster parents can tell you if he is house-trained.
However, even if the dog is house-trained, he will now be in
a new situation and will probably have accidents if you don’t
work on house-training.
Put Bowser on a potty schedule. Initially, take him out-
side every couple of hours to allow him to go potty.
Most dogs won’t have to go this often, but this way you
will avoid indoor accidents and get the dog in the habit
of going outside. (A young puppy will have to be taken
outside this often until he is trained.) If the dog is house-
trained, then you will only need to do this until he learns
to signal you to go out. If Bowser isn’t trained, you need
to do this until he learns to potty outside.
Always reward Bowser for going potty outside. Use a clicker to mark the correct behavior, or say ―yes‖ and
then reward Bowser. This teaches him where to potty
and that he is doing the correct thing. It’s important to
tell the dog when he is doing the right thing.
Pick a spot where you want Bowser to potty and go
there every time. Even if you have a fenced-in yard, you
need to initially take Bowser out on a leash to his potty
spot to make sure he actually goes. Many dogs when let
out on their own choose to play rather than potty; then,
when they come in, they remember that they needed to
go and have an accident inside.
If you catch Bowser in the act, calmly say ―oops‖ and
immediately take him outside to his potty spot. If you
yell loudly, you could teach Bowser that going to the
bathroom in front of you is wrong and he won’t want to
go potty outside in front of you either. If you punish
Bowser for an accident that happened while you were
gone, he won’t have a clue why he is in trouble.
Unsupervised time in the house allows Bowser to have
accidents inside, to chew on inappropriate items such as
shoes, phones, and to dig in
the trash. When you can’t
supervise him, keep Bowser
with you by tying the leash to a loop on your pants, or
put Bowser in a crate or
small dog-proofed room.
Feed Bowser on a schedule
so you know when he will
have to potty. Most dogs
have to go to the bathroom
10–30 minutes after eating.
Basic Cues
Bowser may already know some basic cues such as sit,
down, leave it, etc., so you can test Bowser by stating some
of these cues and wait for him to respond. If Bowser re-
sponds 4 out of 5 times to a cue, then he probably under-
stands what the word means. If he can’t respond 4 out of 5
times, it means he doesn’t understand what the word means
and either needs to be trained or needs more reinforcement.
So the next training I recommend for new dog owners is to
start capturing behaviors you like. Capturing means when
Bowser sits you mark the behavior with a click or ―yes,‖
state the cue ―sit,‖ and reward him. This is the easiest way to
start training because all dogs sit and lie down sometime throughout the day. You can capture any behavior you like,
whether it has to do with obedience or it is just cute and you
want to turn it into a trick. Here are a few suggestions to get
you started.
Sit is important because a nice greeting behavior and
Bowser can’t jump and sit at the same time.
If Bowser sits or stands when he approaches you for
attention then reward this behavior. If you ignore this man-
nerly approach then Bowser may start jumping or barking
for attention.
Reward ―bed‖ when Bowser lies on his bed. This cue
comes in handy when you travel or visit people because you
can take the bed with you and Bowser will understand that
bed means lie on his bed.
I reward ―crate‖ for the same reason. If you teach
Bowser this cue, it will be very easy to get him in the crate.
Finally, if you have any problems with behaviors such as
chewing, jumping or barking, contact a positive trainer.
Contact Julie Caswell at [email protected] or 864-
633-6570. Julie offers a 10% discount to everyone who
adopts from FHGRR.
Home, Sweet Home
Reflections of a Grand-dog:
Lola McNamara, 1998-2010
Lola was not a rescue dog, but she was
a loving and patient hostess to the
many rescue dogs that became a part
of her life as they were fostered in her
home.
Susan, Lola’s mom (now Susan Pogue
McNamara), and Susan’s brother, Dean, grew up surrounded by dog love
and similarly, our dogs were sur-
rounded by our love. So, it was gener-
ally understood that when Susan went
out on her own, a dog would be in her
life. Lola was Susan’s family’s first
dog – and one of my grand-dogs. They
picked her from a litter of nine puppies
in January 1998.
Lola was a distant relative of our fam-
ily Golden, Banner. She was from a
friend that bred a beautiful line of
Goldens. Her AKC name was JJ Cash-erel’s Little Red Lola. Just as Lola
arrived on the scene, Susan had a
household move and Lola spent some
weeks with us until Susan was settled.
I got to know Lola well then.
Even as a puppy, when I was practic-
ing ―stay‖ and ―come‖ with her, she
had a mind of her own. She was will-
ing and eager to please, but just not too enthusiastic about foolish games with
no apparent purpose. Although always
exited about greeting you and giving
kisses, Lola was just not excited about
the basic obedience commands. De-
spite her reluctance to learn com-
mands, Lola was always by our side,
sharing pain, sorrow and, of course,
happiness!
I never heard Lola utter a cross word,
though she had plenty of reason to do
so. Young children tugging and pulling on her; household cats being, well,
cats; a new family puppy stealing
attention; and most of all, those foster
dogs sharing everything. Susan had
more than 25 FHGRR foster dogs
come through her and Lola’s home. I
was constantly amazed at Lola’s ac-
ceptance and civility to each dog. Each
came with its own personality, bag-
gage and quirks that Lola adjusted to.
She was more than gracious when
sharing attention with each newcomer.
No turf battles, no growls, no domi-
nance issues. I suppose I am being
anthropomorphic, but it was as if she
knew she was helping a fellow traveler
get through a tough time.
From the time of her puppy day in by
back yard, we were forever friends.
– William A. Pogue
Page 8
Rainbow Bridge
Golden Guardians
Memorial to Deacon
Our beloved FHGRR rescue, Deacon
Lamb, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on
Valentine's Day, Feb.14, 2011. He
taught us and everyone else he met
about unconditional love. He became
part of our family almost three years
ago and it was love at first sight.
We were told he was approximately 10
years old, but he didn't look or act like
it. He was definitely a Velcro dog, and
we loved it. Once he met you he would
lean up against you and stick to you
just like Velcro.
He was the happiest dog we have ever
known. All you had to do was talk to
him and his tail started
wagging. He was the
only dog I have ever
known who wagged his
tail while eating.
He loved everyone he
met and our grandchil-
dren, ages 2 and 4,
loved him and planted
hugs and kisses on him
every time they saw him. Deacon, of
course, wagged his tail in return.
His time to cross over came much
sooner than we ever expected or
wanted. We have owned other dogs
raised from the time they were puppies
and they lived 14 and 15 years. We
loved all of them and they loved us,
but none of them loved the way Dea-
con did. His big brown deer-like eyes
seemed to look straight through us like
he knew everything we were thinking.
He knew we loved him uncondition-
ally just like he loved us. He will re-
main in our hearts forever.
– Dennis and Sandra Lamb
Spring 2011
Memorial to Jessie
May 8, 2003, sounds like a long time
ago, but it seems like only yesterday. I
remember so well standing on the hot
pavement at the Humane Alliance in
Asheville, watching the volunteers
unload the dogs from the Waynesville
rescue and assign them to their foster
families. We were given a golden
named Lizzie: 7 years old, emaciated
at 20 pounds, wounded face, and in-
fected skin. My husband cried when he
saw her. We thought she could not
possibly live . . . we’d just take care of
her and make her comfortable for the
days she might have left. We named
her Jessica Lynch Too, after our other
dog. They’d both been rescued that
week from dreadful circumstances and
were both courageous. We called her
Jessie.
We learned from her former vet that
her name was Gold Magic’s Heaven
Can Wait (aka Lizzie). She was born
April 18, 1996.
We said goodbye to our Jessie on
March 22, 2011. Living and loving
Jessie for eight surprising years was
pure pleasure. She learned to dance
and became a world-class therapy dog;
we had a lot of fun. She was small and
thick-coated, with a huge plume of a
tail. She was always smiling; her cute
white face drew everyone into an im-
mediate embrace. Her vet describes
her as ―gracious.‖ We describe her as
―precious.‖ We had a great eight years,
and we miss her.
Thank you, FHGRR, for investing in
her life and all the many other goldens
you save and rehabilitate. Who knows
how it could turn out? Looking at
Jessie that day, I wondered if the effort
should even be made. She was more
dead than alive; perhaps putting her
out of her suffering would be better?
These animals have such courage and
determination, and their recuperative
powers are amazing. Jessie dazzled us,
and she taught everyone who met her
the meaning of joyful living. We treas-
ure every moment we spent with her.
Thank you, volunteers.
– Deanna and Dave Klingel and Lily
right away – I loved it! Wherever I
went in the house, within 30 seconds,
you could hear the click of her nails on
the wood floors as she came looking
for me.
She was a great swimmer, and would
retrieve all day in the water, if you let
her. She loved her toys and balls, but
most of all, she loved us. I would give
anything to have her with us again.
She had been such a healthy girl, up
until the time she was diagnosed with
a severe herniated disk and cancer – a
hemangiosarcoma.
Molly will always remain in our
hearts, and we know we will meet her
again one day at the Rainbow Bridge
– Linda and Ron Davis
Memorial to Mollie
Our dear Mollie, the sweetest girl ever,
is now waiting for us at the Rainbow
Bridge. Molly died on February 16,
almost 8 years to the day when we
adopted her from FHGRR. Her
FHGRR name was originally Sibby,
but she quickly became Molly to us.
She adjusted right away to her new
home, and became my Velcro dog
Memorial to Lady
She was a mischievous pup from day
one! Always in trouble, but always
loving. If we left town, she became
sick and sad; she always missed us so.
Lady woke up every morning with a
smile. She loved her treats, her walks,
her toys, her bed.
She was such a beautiful golden girl,
with her pretty face and bushy tail. She
was always there to greet us when we
came home.
Lady, you passed away too quickly
and we miss you dearly.
Love,
Peter, Lisa, Marissa and Jeanina
Larocque—and your brother, Cody
Rainbow Bridge
Page 9
Page 10
Rainbow Bridge, continued
Golden Guardians
Memorial to Chloe
Some of you were aware that Chloe had not been feeling
well recently. I took her back to the vet to find out she had
an enlarged heart, fluid in her lungs and her white blood
count was high. The cause of the infection was unclear. The
vet said even if they could get the infection and fluid under
control, Chloe would not make it to the end of the month.
They gave her additional meds, which seemed to help until
Friday night.
Charles and I took Chloe back to the vet Saturday morning
to find out, through another set of x-rays, that there were
tumors on and around her heart and lungs, which had not
been visible in the set of x-rays taken on Tuesday.
Our vet consulted with the other vet on staff. After review-
ing the x-rays and going over everything, they were certain
that what they were seeing was cancer. There were a couple
of other things that could be done, but Chloe’s condition
was worsening and it was clear she was not going to get
better. The vet said that with more meds we might be able to
prolong her life another few weeks, but it wasn’t worth put-
ting her though it. I could not take another minute of Chloe
suffering. Charles and I both knew it was time for us to
make a decision. As difficult and painful as it was, Charles
and I decided, with the help of the vet’s advice, that it was
time for Chloe to rest in peace. Just before she went to the
Rainbow Bridge, we gave her an ice-cream sandwich and
she loved every bit of it!
Chloe was a sweet girl. When we first brought her home,
she was very scared of everything. She overcame quite a bit
of her fear while she was here. She was a beautiful girl. We
will miss the look she gave us with her big brown eyes, her
constant nudges for attention, her wanting to be brushed,
and rolling on her back as if to say, ―rub my belly please!‖
She just wanted to be loved and she got plenty of love while
she was here with us. Our only regret is that we didn’t find
her and adopt her sooner.
– Jill and Charles Barbour
Memorial to Tucker
Tucker was our introduction to
FHGRR. Karen Orr begged me to foster
Tucker after our Golden, Barney, died.
Tommy had reservations – Barney had
just died on Saturday and barely a week
had passed. When we met Tucker, he
was a mess! Rescued from an Anderson
boarding facility where the animals had been left for 3 weeks without food or
water, Tucker had been in intensive
care, weighed less than 50 pounds, and
had no fur. He had just been neutered
and hardly ever been out of his crate.
The first week, he paced, panted, peed,
pooped and ran off every chance he got.
Slowly but surely, he settled in and be-
came the best dog we have ever had. He
was Tommy’s shadow. He would lie
beside Tommy, no matter what he was
doing, never letting him out of his sight.
He had toys, food, Frosty Paws, vaca-tions at the beach and his own boat
(which he let Tommy drive).
He loved to torment his Golden broth-
ers, Simba, Chance and Oliver. If ever
there was an alpha Golden, Tucker was
it. He loved to ―posture‖ over everyone
he met. This was HIS house and he was
the boss. Everyone got along as long as
they understood this.
He lived to go anywhere with us, and he
loved to play tug with Oliver. Outside,
he always had a ball in his mouth.
Never was a pup more excited to eat. He knew when it was 5 o’clock. He
would dance to his dish, dance to the
food barrel and dance back into the
house! And that tail! It wagged all the
time; even as he lay in pain, he could
still wag his tail and give me the claw
paw, one more time.
Tucker was Tommy’s ―heart‖ dog and
will bring tears to our eyes for a long
time; Oliver dearly misses his ―tug‖
buddy. As much as I loved Tucker, he
was truly Tommy’s pup. God speed Tucker – you were one in a million!
– Sue Cox
June 11 – Whole Foods Education Day Whole Food Market, Woodruff Road in Greenville
Saturday, June 11
9:30am to 12:30pm
Come join us at Whole
Foods on Woodruff Road in
Greenville to educate the
public about FHGRR. Bring
your Goldens—especially
fosters. This is a great
chance for folks to meet our
adoptable dogs!
FHGRR Board of Directors and Staff
Rescue Director/Adoption Coordinator – Andrea Beeler
President/Foster Coordinator – Jeannie Herrmann
Vice-President – Cheryl Parker
Intake Director – Cathy Lagerman
Secretary – Gina Chapman Treasurer – Kim Burdette
Communications Coordinator – Barb Watkins
Volunteer Coordinator / Newsletter Editor – Linda Lee
Web Master – Jim Nunziato
Intake Team -– Cheryl Parker; David & Linda Brown; Carol Fultz;
Stephanie Morris; Chuck & Sharon Sitka
Spring 2011
Upcoming FHGRR Events
Page 11
Acupuncture for Pets
By Angel Mitchell, DVM
―How does acupuncture work?‖ That is
the one of the most common questions I
am asked. There are two different ex-
planations, the eastern way and the
western way. As westerners, it is easier
for us to understand that acupuncture
works by stimulation points in the body
that are associated with nerve plexi that
cause the release within the body (at
both local and distal sites) of chemicals
such as endorphins and anti-inflam-
matory agents. These allow the body to
heal itself naturally or to decrease pain.
The eastern version is a little harder to
wrap your mind around. The Chinese
found that the body has many channels,
or meridians, running through it. These
meridians are connected with the or-
gans internally. They knew three thou-
sand years ago that the heart was the
center of circulation and joy, but the
Chinese organs do not exactly correlate
to what we know of these organs. For
instance, the Chinese Kidney is associ-
ated not only with water regulation but
sexual function and fear. As you age,
your kidneys (eastern) lose their Qi and
that deficiency causes grey hair, weak
legs, loss of energy and more.
Acupuncture opens the meridians to
allow the flow of Qi to move through
the body smoothly. For diseases such as
arthritis, it is easy to understand that
you can open the channels and relieve
pain, but you can also support the kid-
neys by allowing the Qi to flow, bring-
ing energy to the organs.
In the beginning, I practiced acupunc-
ture with my western brain and I placed
needles into points to treat hip dyspla-
sia or back pain. My results were not as
good as I expected. Then I learned to
use my eastern brain, and like the Chi-
nese, treat the patient not just the symp-
toms. By using tongue and pulse diag-
nosis (another article), history, and
physical findings, diseases can be diag-
nosed in Chinese terms and treated
more effectively.
For example, a dog with hip dysplasia
would be treated with points for hip
pain and possibly back pain. If that dog
also has weakness, poor appetite, and
excessive water consumption the prob-
lem may be Kidney Yang deficiency. I
would still use those hip dysplasia
points but I would also support the kid-
neys and stimulate the Yang with other
points. This approach is much more
successful because it is how acupunc-
ture was designed to work.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is
a combination of acupuncture and
herbal remedies. These two modalities
work in concert with each other to sup-
port the organs, and allow the smooth
flow of Qi through the body. The
beauty of acupuncture and TCM is that
it can also be used with other treat-
ments such as Chiropractic and West-
ern medicines. So for the pet who
doesn’t mind sitting still with needles
for 15 to 20 minutes, acupuncture is a
win/win situation.
Contact Dr. Mitchell at :
Bonnie Brae Veterinary Hospital in
Columbus, NC. 828-894-6064.
bonniebraeveterinaryhospital.com.
Post Office Box 9077
Greenville, SC 29604
Phone: 864-234-9739
www.fhgrr.com
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