Angela the Lifeguard

Angela has really come into her own as a retriever. She leaps into the pool to fetch her float toy, while Arthur watches with great interest from the sidelines. On Saturday morning we were playing Angela's favorite game, and Arthur fell into the pool by accident. He's not a strong swimmer and flailed around a bit. Before we could get to him, Angela was on the job, grabbing his collar in her mouth and dragging him to safety. Was there ever any doubt about the size of her heart?

Angela's Summer at the Pool

Here are some photos from Angela's summer by the pool. She's been in the water a couple of times in the past but today she was happy to get in on her own. Maybe because it's close to 100F! (Don't worry, she doesn't have access to the pool if we're not around.) She doggie paddles, of course, but today she was content to just float in the water as we guided her around. So funny! Arthur got in on the action a little too. I love the happy face in front of the greenery--her tail is wagging for certain. Right now both dogs are sleeping, exhausted from the fun afternoon in the pool.

Angela Retrieves a Baby Possum

The dogs were out for their evening bathroom break one night while Audrey was out of town. I was getting ready for bed when they both started to bark franticly. This was not the normal routine emergency barking. I grabbed a bathrobe and headed outside. Equipped with a flash light containing half dead batteries I could see the dogs crouched down barking at this small fuzzy thing. This is the point where time seemed to really slow down. There was a small baby possum playing dead. Angela picked up the possum in her mouth like a squeaky toy, shook it violently a few times, then started to parade around the back yard. She would not respond to any verbal commands. By this point I am half running half streaking around the back yard. Thank goodness there is no You Tube coverage of this event. Of course Arthur my loyal herding dog thinks this is a game. He is running circles around me while I continue to chase Angela. Suddenly she runs towards the stairs and the back entrance of the house. I am starting to get closer to her. Just as she started up the stairs, I was able to dive and just barely get a grip on her tail before she entered the house. As I held onto her tail for dear life, she dropped the possum. I was able to get the dogs inside and then I scooted the possum off the stairs. This two minute episode felt like hours. I went to bed with two stubbed toes and a couple of bruises. Arthur and Angela seemed to enjoy the excitement. The dogs remained agitated that night. The possum was nowhere to be found the next morning

Happy Dog Faces

Angela's health continues to improve. Her demodex is significantly reduced. Her disposition continues to improve. We are occasionaly treated to a dog smile.

Road to Recovery

Happy to report that the meds seem to have worked and Angela's skin shows marked improvement. She seems a lot happier these days, too. Even the fireworks were "no big deal". Perhaps she's finally figured out that she's on the gravy train. Right now the two dogs are wrestling, with Arthur on his back, nibbling on Angela's neck. Now she's down! If I can figure out how to post a video I'll do it.

Vet Visit

We had Angela to the vet this week and found that she has a recurrence of demodex. It's causing her skin to crack & bleed in places. She's on some meds (topical, antibiotic and ivermectin) now and seems a bit happier as they start working. Arthur's trying to help out by licking her wounds, not a great idea of course. Otherwise she's as active and playful as ever.

Sorry for the delay!

Angela's learning to be a frisbee dog! Now she and Arthur take turns catching, and there's generally some disagreement about who gets to carry it back. Angela says, "hey, I'm a retriever after all!" They run until their tongues hang to the ground and we have to insist that they quit. Great way to burn off some energy...

Angela also had her first experience at sleepaway camp (Camp Canine) while we were out of town for the weekend and unfortunately couldn't bring the dogs with us. Arthur showed her the ropes and looked out for her.

Beach Day

Another trip to the beach...Angela loves to play in the water! She races after Arthur as he chases the frisbee and sometimes assists with retrieval.

She's been barking and acting a bit aggressive with other dogs and some people so we are going to work on socialization in the coming days.

Pillow Explosion

Angela is one creative dog...in this picture she triumphantly strides through her path of destruction. She dismembered a throw pillow and spread the fluffy white batting throughout the living room, like a freak, localized snowstorm. Another recent escapade was to pull the skillet off the stove (luckily it had cooled) and devour the remains of an omelette. She also gnawed the end of the spatula down to a nub. She never ceases to entertain us and keep us on our toes.

Barks at Strangers

A little setback in our progress...seems that Angela has become comfortable enough and protective of us (her pack) that she barks at strangers. Not just people that come to our home, but (much more worrisome) those that we pass on the street. A neighbor was gardening yesterday and Angela wouldn't stop barking as we walked by her house. People we pass while walking are likely to get some barking and jumping. We're working on having her sit while a stranger walks by, feeding her treats for cooperation and to associate strangers with possibly getting treats, but no progress so far. Any thoughts or ideas, you nice people who have adopted rescue dogs or dogs with "issues"? Thanks!

Dog Beach

What a treat to take Angela to the beach! She took to the water like a pro. After racing the waves to the shore at first, she decided that it was fun after all and ran around with Arthur as he chased his prize frisbee. She made the rookie mistake of drinking the water but quickly realized that was not a great idea. After the beach we went to the dog wash for a little cleanup; she was less happy with that part of the day. She's now curled up on her favorite chair taking a little snooze.

Angela's New 'Do

Big day for Angela today...we went to the dog park to see how she did off leash. Arthur played with the frisbee but Angela was a little velcro dog and rarely left my side. Then we went to the pet store for some food and a new leash coupler so that we don't tie ourselves in knots when we're walking. Then we got a haircut! Angela's fur was a little uneven from the bald spots, which are now filling in well. We clipped Arthur first and Angela watched intently, noting that he got lots of liver treats for his cooperation. She did great and is ready to go show off her new 'do to the world. Tomorrow we're thinking of going to the beach!

Cookie Monster

Today we exhibited our creativity in counter surfing--there's got to be a way to get those cookies! She caught on pretty quickly to the sound of the timer meaning that good things come out of the oven. We also had a walk to the post office then down by the water. Arthur usually goes off leash there but I'm not ready to let her off yet. It will be interesting to find out if she's a swimmer...perhaps she will go after the errant frisbees that Arthur refuses to retrieve. (that will save me from swimming for them!)

Dog Pile

Angela and Arthur have perfected the dog pile...they curl up together with us in one big heap, paws, ears, arms, legs, all jumbled together. She has a funny little bark, rowr, rowr-rowr-rowr, and she isn't shy about using it. This evening we had halibut for dinner and she just about did back flips...the lemon/garlic/anchovy compound butter was a fave. We're still working on walking on the leash, and pulling is a little problem, especially when we see birds! Seagulls, pigeons, ducks, sparrows, they're all there to be chased, right? It's all good. We are very lucky to share our lives with this little angel.

Day 3 in Forever Home

Angela is settling into her new home quite nicely. She leaps into bed when the alarm sounds and snuggles between us. Today we took the usual 4 mile walk along the water and she sniffed and sniffed: everything is exciting and new to her. She met our friend Mary who has several goldens of her own and always carries the best dog treats with her. (Mary is very popular with the dogs!) Arthur and Angela get into amazing rounds of play--a black and white streak followed by a golden one, racing around the house and yard. Couple of accidents in the house is the only issue to date, but she's still learning the ropes. Sorry if you haven't been able to post; it should be fixed now.

Angela's Story

Angela came to us from the kind-hearted people at Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue. She was found in awful condition, and good people got her the medical care she desperately needed. So many people followed her story through her recovery, and we want to share her happy ending and new beginning.

Unfortunately I recently lost my dad, who was a huge fan of golden retrievers everywhere. Angela was found in a cemetery that very day, and when I read her story of hope and survival it brought me a sense of comfort: my dad was telling me that he was at peace. What began as concern for her welfare led to closely following her progress to inquiring about adoption.

We were able to bring her home yesterday after a bittersweet goodbye at her foster home, where she had been transformed from a scared stray to a happy and playful dog. She slept in the car most of the way and has been exploring the house with tour guide Arthur the Aussie, her new partner in crime. We'll post updates on her progress and photos as she continues to grow in her fur and adjust to her new home. Trips to the beach and other good times are coming.

Thank you, everyone who followed her story and contributed to her care, for bringing her into our lives.

http://www.scgrrescue.org/RRAngela.html