Ginger - Angel

(Be sure to check out Ginger's (nka Haley) update form her loving family following her Golden Angel story.) This picture says more than words can ever convey. It is four-year-old Ginger being carried away after she was sold in a farm auction. Luckily for Ginger, she was purchased by some wonderful dog rescuers who had seen three Goldens listed—along with the chickens and roosters -- in the farm auction brochure. Ginger and two other Goldens had lived their entire lives in a small mud pen. They were frightened, filthy and starved for love, yet they would flatten themselves down in the mud in fear when a human approached. They had never seen grass or chased a ball or known the carefree life of being a beloved family member. The day Ginger was purchased and taken into rescue was the second best day of her life. The very best day of her life was yet to come – when she would be adopted by a new family and taken to her forever home.

Although Ginger was quiet and shy, that seemed to be her nature. Considering the life she had lived (if you can even call it a life), we weren’t at all surprised that she was reserved. There were so many new sights and sounds, and even positive changes can be stressful for a little gal who had lived in a pen with no human contact. Ginger was given a complete physical and was determined to be ready for adoption. Almost immediately a wonderful new family fell in love with her, and we knew her life with them would be a true paradise. The day she got in their car to go to her new forever home we had no idea something was wrong. Within hours of arriving in her new home, Ginger became terribly ill and was rushed to the veterinarian emergency room. She has been there for over a week fighting for her life as she struggles for every breath. Ginger has canine influenza, an often fatal illness. Here she is, on the brink of happiness and the life she couldn’t even imagine existed outside of her mud pen – and now this. With the help of the Golden Angel Fund, GRRR has pledged to do everything possible to make sure Ginger continues to get the very best care. Our goal is to reunite her with her new family who already love her dearly and are waiting anxiously to welcome her home. As this article is being written, Ginger has shown signs of improvement and we are hopeful she will make a full recovery. She's been through too much and come to far not to be able to follow her dream. Your donations to the Golden Angel Fund will give Ginger another much deserved chance at a happy new life.

Haley's update written by her loving family Ron, Kelly & Kodi Kandcer: We adopted Ginger, who is now named Haley, in November of 2008. Unfortunately, GRRR did not know she was sick when we adopted her. Later in the evening after bringing her home, we noticed a green substance coming from her nose. I took her to the vet the next morning and they ran some tests. Haley had also developed a very bad cough and difficulty with breathing. We ended up taking her to the 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital in Fort Collins. She was diagnosed with a severe case of Canine Influenza and Pneumonia. She was in there for three days fighting for her life. We were concerned that she had given up, but then she made a turn for the better. Although we were ready to cover the expense, GRRR stepped in and covered her medical costs at the emergency veterinary hospital. After a few more weeks, she was almost healthy again; we noticed a large lump on her side. She had developed an abscess the size of a grapefruit. Since she had been on the two strongest antibiotics possible while being treated for Canine Influenza and Pneumonia, our vet was shocked that this even happened. They had to lance the abscess and insert tubes to drain it. Poor Haley just could not get a break. It is now April 2009 and Haley is a very healthy Golden Retriever. She is at a healthy weight, her coat is beautiful and she is no longer the shy and afraid dog she was when we brought her home. She is what we call a “morning dog.” Every morning she is up early and ready to wrestle with our 5-year-old Golden Retriever, Kodi. Initially she was a little nervous playing with him because he is very vocal when he plays. She is over that and cannot wait to play with him. We are so happy they get along so well. Kodi very suddenly lost his 21/2 year-old brother, Beau, almost 3 years ago. Beau was my husband Ron’s “big boy.” Now Haley has become his “little girl.” Haley now moves around all levels of the house with confidence, knowing that she is safe and that no one will hurt her. She is even exploring the huge park-like backyard that we have. She loves to go for walks and hikes. We are still working with the pulling on the leash and learning commands, but she will get there. Because Haley had been so sick, and we spent a lot of time at our vet for follow up X-rays and checkups, Haley had become the focus of everyone at our vet. Now when we come in, she is the most popular dog in there. All of the techs and vets come in to see her. It is amazing to see how many people they can squeeze into an exam room! They cannot believe how far she has come and how beautiful she is now. We are so happy that we rescued a Golden instead of starting with a puppy again, even though Golden puppies are the cutest little things. It was a tough road to start, but well worth the effort. We are very happy to have Haley as a part of our family. She is a sweetheart. Thank you GRRR, and generous GRRR supporters!