Hey Guys,
     Remember me? Blondie the frightened, emaciated, 10-month old female stray found roaming the streets of Phoenix. Well, I was just sitting around wagging my tail when I decided to write a brief note highlighting everything that’s new and exciting in my life. But more importantly, the profound impact my adoption has had on my new family, friends and me. I would now like to introduce a few members of my immediate pack that have helped me erase sad memories, anxieties and days of abuse.
     Darcy & Shelley are the foster parents Rescue A Golden of Arizona, (RAGofAZ) placed me with while awaiting a permanent home. I was greeted at Darcy & Shelley’s door by three Golden Retrievers who graciously allowed me to share their home. The Golden trio let me play with their toys and selflessly let me share Darcy & Shelley’s love and attention during my brief stay. My new foster home was beautiful, safe, warm and filled with love, happy sounds and good smells. I slept safe and sound for the first time in weeks, maybe months, after being on the run. Darcy & Shelley wanted to adopt me but unselfishly gave me up so other Goldens could have the same opportunity that I had.
     With the help of Darcy & Shelley, I have adopted a family that includes a loving mom, great dad and a wild teenage brother. Needless to say, I want to thank Darcy & Shelley once again for all the love and attention given to me while under their care. We all had misty eyes when I was dropped off at my new home five months ago. My new dad says there is a special place in heaven for people like Darcy & Shelley and rescue organizations like RAGofAZ. I know he’s right.
     John is my teenage brother and quite possibly my favorite member of the pack. We act totally crazy when we are together. We listen to electronica music, play Frisbee and chill-out in his bedroom with a bunch of his friends. My new pack and I decided a name change was in order, especially one that denotes a positive image. With the inspiration from John, our resident computer geek, the name “Linux” (short i sound, please) was chosen. Linux is also a computer operating system that was designed by hackers, the good ones.
     My adopted name ‘Blondie’ was apropos when my coat was light in color not gold and amber as it is today. However, John said ‘Blondie’ was also the name of a mediocre rock group, an antiquated cartoon strip and used as a less than complimentary remark like ‘Bimbo’. Therefore, John said, “my new name is way cool, the bomb, contemporary, unusual, the ultimate compliment and truly fitting for a liberated, 15 month old female, genius Golden like myself.” Now, how could I really refuse?
     I have overcome a couple of phobias with the help of my brother who, by the way, utilized the latest techniques in K9 psychoanalysis. I was suffering from an acute case of hydrophobia that caused me to pace endlessly around the backyard water bowl (my brother calls it a swimming pool). Can you imagine being a Golden Retriever and totally afraid to enter the water? Wow, it was doubly embarrassing for me. However, as a result of John’s expert therapy I now leap off the side of the water bowl, belly flop into the pool and expertly swim around ridding the water bowl of any large, floating dead bugs. It’s great; I get my exercise and protein at the same time. Like most of my Golden relatives, I now prefer being in the water bowl* rather than out. Currently, John and I are working on monsoon phobia (fear of thunder) and anticipate a cure soon.
     Probably, the best compliment that can be paid to RAGofAZ is a comment made by brother one afternoon. John dorms at Arizona State University during the week but returns home on Sundays so my mom can do his laundry and feed him. John said, “Linux is such a great dog. I’ll definitely contact RAGofAZ for a retriever like Linux after I graduate.” My shocked parents said, “Wonders never cease”.
     Mom is my comfort person in the pack. She is always giving me hugs and kisses and telling me how pretty I am. I can never get enough attention. Sometimes for a laugh, I will go for a swim and then immediately race through the K9 door and shake off inside the house just to see the expression on her face. Mom is the one who brings me to the vet, gives me my vitamins and medicine, feeds, bathes, grooms, and picks up after me. If I am good, mom and I will go in the car** on a ‘just for the girls’ shopping spree at the pet store. I get really neat things like a new collar, dog bones and lots of toys.
     Some of my favorite toys are: “Mad Dog” a doll resembling Raggedy Ann being electrocuted, “Shoe” a soft brown sneaker from Maui that I squeak in the middle of the night, “Woobie” a stuffed gingerbread man with a broken squeaker and a bad case of b.o., and “Ropey” a multi-colored, frazzled, caped rope-man that could double as a nightmare. There is a special place in the dining room where I neatly and gently place all my toys. Sometimes I carry them around the house and make believe they are my puppies. Mom says the family is very fortunate to receive such a wonderful addition like me. The feeling is definitely mutual.
     Dad is the alpha male of the pack. Therefore, it is my duty to follow him everywhere in the house and yard. Sometimes he calls me Shadow. Believe it or not, I can even be found resting on the bath mat outside the shower until he is finished. I love to run after birds, hunt lizards and crickets when my dad and I are in the back yard ***. Paws down, my favorite activity is chasing the next-door neighbor’s cat out of my yard.
     On Saturday mornings I take my dad for long walks along the
Greenbelt,**** a thirteen-mile long park that meanders through lakes and golf courses in Scottsdale. People in the park are always stopping dad to compliment me on my behavior and, of course, my great looks. We also practice the previous week’s obedience training along the way. Dad always recommends contacting RAGofAZ or the local animal rescue shelters to people that are interested in adopting dogs.
     On Sunday mornings I take my dad to a high school baseball field where he lets me run as free and fast as I can. Of course, the field is fenced, gates are locked and I do obey most of his commands. I usually follow up my Sunday run with a swim in the water bowl and then I crash for the entire afternoon. The best thing about my dad is he lets me do the things I like such as run through mud puddles, hunt bugs, chase birds, bark and just be myself. We make a great pair.
     Michelle is my good friend and my college instructor. She is very talented, gentle, persuasive, patient, and pretty. My confidence has soared to new levels since I matriculated at the Sit Happens (SH) obedience school in Scottsdale, Arizona. Michelle says that I have excelled in the basic commands. In fact, she says that my heel and my focus are one of the best in the class. Michelle believes that I am very bright and she occasionally uses me to demonstrate to new pupils. I am also learning some fundamental Schutzhund techniques, which is specialized training for advanced students. When I am with Michelle, my tail wags continuously during training and only stops wagging when I sit. I love attending school and would highly recommend SH or a similar school for any K9 with a confidence problem or any K9 that just wants to have fun.
     Am I one of the few adoption success stories? Heck no, I am simply one of thousands of pets that are lovingly adopted each year throughout the country. But let’s keep the ball rolling in the right direction. Your local pet adoption agency needs your financial support. For that matter, your local human homeless shelter could also use a few dollars now and then. However, if we can first persuade humans to contact their local pet adoption agency or reputable breeder rather than contacting a ‘back yard breeder’ and second, educate humans on the responsibilities of pet care, together we may be able to slowly stem the tide of puppy euthanasia and help prevent unwanted and abused dogs, like me, from roaming the streets.
     Well, that’s the basic core group of my magnificent pack. Each one of them has greatly and uniquely contributed to my overall emotional and physical well-being. Our individual lives have crossed paths and because of that we have been truly enriched by the experience. In the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”, George Bailey wishes that he were never alive. But with the help of Clarence, his guardian angel, George realizes the profound affect one life has on another. Like George, I am humbled and thankful that my guardian angels at the rescue center were there when my pack and I truly needed them.