Vinny Swimming
With Barb D’s help Vinny went swimming today. Vinny was so happy about swimming he actullay ran off the dock after we took his vest off

Swimming is part of Vinny’s physical therapy for his hip dysplasia. Although Vinny swims quite well he seems to prefer not to so for his own good 2 to 3 times a week we go to the marina and force him to swim with the aid of a PFD and leash to keep him in the water.

I took these pictures of Bear with Jack Oritt in September at the doggie park. I thought you would like to have them. bob and I will be sending a donation in memory of Bear. How lucky he was to have his new Mom and Dad. They are angels! Marty

Photo taken shortly after Bear came into rescue

Bear died on Superbowl Sunday, at home with his foster mom and dad, Jean and Al, and their golden Millie. They report he passed peacefully at home and did not appear to suffer. Bear was diagnosed with cancer after being given up by his owner who had serverely neglected him. While the vet game him only 2 – 3 months to live early last fall, he surprised most by being his happy-go-lucky self and not acting sick at all until this past weekend when he would no longer eat or drink. For a dog that had turned 10 while in rescue he apparently did not suffer from achey joints, but his cancer caused incredible itchiness which we did everything we could think of to alleviate. He went to the dog park most days of the week where he managed to get every human there to pet him. He enjoyed wandering off lead at the marina and chomping on rawhides or raw bones while his foster dad had his evening cigar.

We are all so very thankful to Al and Jean for loving and caring for him. He was a great dog and will be missed.

Can a Golden Retriever who was confined to a cage for six years find happiness on a 400 acre farm with deer and rabbits to chase, mice and groundhogs to hunt, and cats to cuddle up with?

Well, yes.

Princess has established herself as the lady of the manor, patrolling the perimeter of the yard to guard against squirrel invasion and bumping the elbows of her two servants when they don’t skritch her at the appointed times. She takes her people out for 1 to 2 mile walks in the morning and afternoon to keep them in good shape and monitors the dinner table to make sure they don’t overeat. A few deer chases and fun runs each day keep her in true Princess form.

Her coat has become absolutely gorgeous in spite of (or because of?) her penchant for practicing her break dancing on the farm roads or in the fields. Her lower canines, which had been ground down to nubs while she was in her cage, have been removed but it hasn’t impacted her hunting prowess. She’s developed a fondness for yellow tennis balls (as if that was an odd trait for a Golden) and will run around the front lawn with them several times before bringing them back for another throw.

We noticed that whenever we took a new route on our walks, Princess would stop several times en route to study the surrounding fields or woods. I think she was taking inventory or making a mental map because no matter where we are, she will take the proper direction if told to “go to the house”, even when the house is well out of sight.

When we lost our previous Golden, Duchess, we thought that no dog could really replace her. We were right and we were also wrong. Princess and Duchess are similar in temperament, but Princess has her own strong character, and she has brought a whole new type of happiness to our home.

John and Mardi Boddie

Unknown to December 28, 2008

Chance was our third Golden.   Chance’s owners said he was at least 10 years old when we adopted him.  Although we had him for a very short time he conquered housebreaking, basic & advance obedience training, and received his Canine Good Citizen certificate.  Chance was truly the gentle giant.

June 25, 1991 to August 30, 2008

Abby was our second Golden.   Everyone who vacationed ocean front at Pawleys Island, SC the 2nd or 3rd week of June knew Abby because every morning she’d run up every deck to see what was for breakfast and wake all the visiting dogs.

August 25, 1987 to October 16, 2000

Sam was our first Golden. We adopted him from the Howard County Animal Shelter on February 14, 1988.  He was my best bud.

Nothing better than a sunny day and a "Wholesome Hide".

Many of you have asked about Bear, the 9 year old golden who was given up by his owner and has cancer. Good news is he gained a couple of pounds….he weighed in at 62 at his last vet visit. The cancer causes his extreme itchiness so he often has sores from scratching. His foster dad, Al Huey, reports that Bear doesn’t know he’s sick. He enjoys the dog park and REALLY enjoys getting to run off lead at the marina. Big shout to Jean and Al and their adopted rescue golden, Millie, for loving Bear.

I thought you’d like to see a picture of Princess in her element. This was taken during a walk last week. She flushed some quail and chased a deer and was having an overall great day.

Thank you for all you did in rescuing her and bringing her to our family.

Have a wonderful holiday.

John and Mardi Boddie