And then there were three…the story of Moby.

On 4/13/24, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Moby. Moby was 12 years old and two months when he left us.  He first came to GRRR when he was found as a stray in Utah. He and his little doggy friend were found on the side of the highway not once but twice. When his owners didn’t come to get them the second time they were picked up, one of our volunteers saw him on the shelter’s website and contacted us. As soon as Mary and I saw that beautiful Landseer Newfoundland of course we said yes. He truly could have been a show dog if it wasn’t for his jack o ’lantern teeth.  At the time of his arrival to GRRR he was 10 years old. I remember praying and asking for just 1 year with him and 1 turned into two and then I prayed for 2 more years. I have to say I am very happy that Moby’s previous owners didn’t care enough about him to come and get him because that meant that Wade and I were blessed to have him in our lives.

Moby was such a wonderful guy. Everyone loved him and he loved everyone. He loved coming to work with me every day and getting so much love and attention from the volunteers. Some of his favorite volunteers included the cheese lady a.k.a. Cindy, Simone, who gave him lots of love and a special good luck charm when he was having some medical problems in the Summer of 2023 and of course Dr. Allen Harris, who used to have Newfies himself.

Moby was definitely a fighter. In the Summer of 2023, he stopped wanting to eat and after many vet visits he was diagnosed with two heart conditions. Once he got on his meds, he was a new man. He did so great for almost a year and then he stopped wanting to eat again. We went to the vet many times and specialists and we couldn’t find anything wrong with him. His ultrasound was good. His heart was even better and his blood work was great for an old man. I had a hard time accepting the fact that old age was finally catching up to him.

Moby truly was one of the most wonderful dogs we have ever had. Our house now has a little too much room, the bedrooms are a little too quiet without him and Fang having snoring competitions, there’s a little less slobber, and my heart is a little less full in his absence.

I know Moby knows how much he was loved. That boy got more kisses than any dog in the world and every time I would give him kisses he would tolerate it for a couple of minutes and then he would give me the side eye and say “enough, mom stop being a smother”.

I know we gave him the best life we could, but my heart is still broken. He truly made this world I better place and me a better dog mom. I’m grateful that we had him for two years, but I truly wish we would’ve had him from the beginning. He was such an amazing guy and we will miss him so very much. Until we meet again, buddy. Have fun with your fur siblings and your grandma in heaven. Your mom, dad, Fang, Jackson and even little Princess Ivy, love you more than you could possibly know.

Frankie was named for her beautiful blue eyes, like Frank Sinatra.  Jackie lost her after rescuing her from New Mexico and caring for her for 14 years. She was scared at first, but became a beloved friend for Jackie.  She will always be loved and her name should be carried on.

I adopted waffles in 2020 from GRRR, he was a turkey dog so he was in really rough shape from prior abuse when I adopted him. He was scared of me and everything around him.  Fortunately with time waffles allowed himself to trust me and people again. He became the sweetest dog I have ever met.  His personality came out and he was completely confident to show who he really was. He was not afraid of life anymore. Waffles was a special needs dog, so for the three years I had him I devoted myself completely to giving him the best quality of life. Waffles loved eating my homemade meals, going on our walks, and especially cuddle time before bed and after waking up. Waffles accompanied me in Colorado and in my move to Germany. Waffles changed my life because even though I was the one who rescued him, he also in a way rescued me and made me who I am today. I am forever grateful to GRRR for being the organization that brought our destinies together to heal each other.  Waffles will always live in my heart and in all of the hearts he touched along the way. He will always be remembered by family, friends and community members as a hero who was able to push through all the challenges in his life.  Waffles I will always love you, thank you for being the best friend I always prayed for.

Until we see each other again, 

Love you. 

Your mom and best friend 

Andrea  

Willow was 4 years old when she got cancer. For the almost five years we had her she ran like the wind, swam with all her might, chased bunnies, squirrels and chipmunks, hunted pheasants every year in South Dakota and ran wildly after her two brothers, playing and retrieving and living such a very good retriever life. Sh  loved every human and dog she met as if they were her best friend and family. She was so deeply loved and will be forever. 

Bruce would have been 13 in October of 2023. He stole our hearts the moment we saw him in the kennels at GRRR. He was a beautiful red boy with a firey personality and a heart of Gold. His absence leaves a huge hole in all of our hearts. He was our protector, hunter, running buddy and watch dog. He protected me from any stranger who tried to approach me on our walks. He kept the dirty birds off our fence and hunted the bunnies. He absolutely loved swimming, even though he wasn’t great at it, he loved car rides and pup cups and loved going to work with me because he just knew there would be a party there and most times he was right. He was one of Wade’s best buddies and would always wake up early with him to snuggle on the couch. Brucey sure loved his dad and his dad sure loved him. We are all heartbroken but know he is happy to see his brother Casey, his sisters, Nala, Sadie and Daisy, even if she mostly just growled at him when he got anywhere near her and I can assure you that his Grandma Barb was so happy to see him. He and Daisy were always her favorites! Until we meet again sweet boy.

Dusty is greatly missed.

Sadie was our very first (of many) foster fails. She came home shortly after Daisy passed away and I knew there was no way we would adopt another girl right away…turns out I was wrong. Sadie was our little athlete. She loved nothing more than to play fetch or go for a run. She was also a huge daddy’s girl. She leaves another huge hole in our hearts. There is now way too much room on the bed at night and it saddens me to say that our counters are 100% safe from any counter surfing. I know she, Casey and Nala are all reunited and living it up. Until we meet again baby girl!

Casey fought a good fight with his cancer and did amazing until the end.

Casey truly was a special boy and everyone who met him said so. He was a fan favorite at Fox Hollow & VRCC. He made an impression anywhere he went. Escaping the vets office, stealing Grandma Mary’s sliced pork sandwich in one gulp, stealing toys and blankets from Roberta’s adoption bags, stealing a jar of bag balm for his baby sister to eat and the list goes on. Casey was always the life of the party, but also one of the sweetest, kindest dogs we have ever had. He was our sour patch kid. He would do something naughty and then follow it up with the best hug by wrapping his little nub paw around your waist. He absolutely loved all little kids and was the daddy dog anytime we brought a foster puppy home. Of course he would first roll the puppy to make sure the puppy understood he was in charge, but then he was all play and snuggles with them.

Our world is way to quiet without him. No more Casey proofing the house or the office. No one to steal food from the counters or open doors to steal your clothes and put them in front of the sliding glass door. No one to steal my shoes the second I take them off. No one to open the door to the office b/c he wants to be outside where all the action is.

To say there is a HUGE hole left in my heart is an understatement. This dog truly was my heart dog. We were fortunate enough to have him for 6 years, but no matter how long you have them it is never long enough. Looking forward to seeing you at the bridge buddy, but until then “Mischief Managed”.

Here is a link for a memorial tribute video for Casey.

Dave & Stephanie had Brinkley for 12 wonderful years.  He was simply the best friend, partner, traveling companion, work associate and buddy we ever had.  He was truly a life enhancer that enriched our lives and the lives of everyone that he touched. Sweetness is a word defined by our Brinkley. There will never be another Brinkley.  We miss him dearly, but know that heaven is a much kinder, gentler and sweeter place with Brinkley taking walks, chasing balls, burrowing in the snow and getting his 5 to 20 minutes of fame every day there.

We lost our sweet Midas on October 31.  He came to GRRR eight years ago kind of chunky and partially blind, but an otherwise happy guy. Midas was a tough little cupcake.  He loved everyone-in 8 years he never growled, barked or even rolled his eyes at anyone or any other dog.  He wasn’t shy—you may have met him at a GRRR event where we walked up to you and pushed his head into your hand demanding scratches.  He fought through blindness, obesity, high blood pressure, arthritis, vestibular disease, appendicitis and 3 rounds of cancer without any indication that he didn’t feel well.  He never missed a meal and would nag incessantly (starting about 2 hours before meal time) until you got up to feed him.  We think there may have been kids in his before-life because he desperately wanted neighbor kids to pet him and would sit very patiently while they loved on him. Midas was a special boy and we miss him terribly.  Midas would be a wonderful name for another Velcro-golden.

In memory of Daisy Strickland. From George, Matt & Julia McLemore.

Jake was simply the best and I miss him every day. Robin Reed

On behalf of your lovely Callie (Susan Gross), to help other Goldens find their forever families. From your CHCO family

Gussy’s GRRR sponsors

Eventually, we found the GRRR website, and I saw the picture of a dog for adoption who was a Golden Retriever mix, medium size and of predominantly white color. We decided to have a look at the dog, and I set up my mind that we should adopt him. I called the listed number and left a message a couple of times but nothing happened. The more obstacles that were in my way, the more persistent I became. Then on September 30, 2007, when I tried to call again, suddenly my call went through to a live person. It was Mary, and she thought I was someone else, since she said she was waiting for an important call at that moment. I explained the situation and we agreed with Mary that Tom and I would come over in a couple of hours to see the male dog we found on their website.

When we arrived at the GRRR facility, the one that existed before Phoebe’s Place, we saw a lady walking three dogs towards a van. All three dogs looked like Golden Retrievers and were different colors–black, brown and tan. Looking at the tan-colored one, I thought to myself: “Oh, that’s exactly the doggie I wanted.” But my mind was already set–we came to see the dog we saw on the website and I did not want to be distracted.

When we met Mary afterwards, we realized she was the lady who had walked those three dogs to that van a few minutes before. We talked and told Mary about our previous experience with dogs, but she started dissuading us from adopting the dog we came to see. She told us he had escaped a couple of times from his foster families digging holes under the fence, and judging by the stories about our former pets and our disposition, she wasn’t recommending that dog. My husband agreed with Mary’s judgment, but we did see the dog and said hi to him anyway. His name was Tongo, and he was very cute looking Golden Retreiver mix. I was very disappointed that we couldn’t adopt him. And then all of a sudden Tom said to Mary: “We saw you walking a couple dogs towards the van and, I noticed a smaller tan colored Golden. Is it adoptable?” I added: “I noticed that doggie as well. Can we have a look?”

Mary brought the doggie whose name on the papers was Goldie, about 5-7 months old, and we took her for a short walk. She was very friendly and lively, and she was so happy to be walking with us and was wagging her tail! It hit me right away that this was a doggie I always hoped we could find–a good disposition, medium size, and a tan-colored Golden Retriever! Although she looked like she could be a bit of a mix, maybe with border collie, but it didn’t matter. It was love at first sight!

It turned out Mary had just rescued the dog from the shelter which was on the news as the one that had mistreated their animals, and we were so glad that the doggie was saved. We decided to adopt her right away. I still felt a bit guilty that we came for Tongo, so I went to say good-buy to him hoping that he would also find his forever home.

We called our puppy “Nika” after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory! The name is pronounced “neeka”. She was a very beautiful, sweet and happy dog! While on everyday walks in the local parks, she would get a lot of compliments. Nika became everything to us–our baby, our friend and companion, and even our “doctor”. Our puppy was very lively and vibrant when she was young. She liked to explore and chase squirrels in her back yard and rabbits in the front one, and she also loved playing ball. With passing years, she turned into a calmer dog, who still played with her toys and us, and enjoyed her morning massage.
Nika was very smart. Besides English, she understood some Ukrainian and Russian (mom Lolita is originally from Ukraine), and she could “talk”! She had her own special language for scolding us and a happy talk when she was riding in the car. Her favorite words were “cookie”, “go” and “car.”

We always went together as a family anywhere where we could take her with us, and she was never stubborn and would happily follow everywhere–for everyday walks, rides to the stores and parks, summer festivals, gatherings with friends, and restaurants that allowed dogs. Especially she liked our trips to the mountains always asking to sit in my lap. Our doggie did quite a lot of hiking with us, and she loved swimming in those beautiful alpine lakes. She never missed a creek either, and she would do a funny backward moonwalk dance trying to dig out crawfish from the bottom. When Nika was not on the go, she loved to spend time on the deck or in the back yard and watch the world go by. Once a little girl saw Nika swimming in the local lake, fetching a stick and successfully bringing it back to us. The girl shouted excitedly: “What an awesome doggie!” And that’s what Nika was, an awesome dog!

Nika passed away on January 14, 2020, after almost 12.5 years with us, and two weeks after showing first symptoms and being diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. A couple months before that she was still hiking a 1.5 mile trail near Silverthorne and swimming in Dillon Lake.

We miss her tremendously, and love for her will stay forever in our hearts!

Lolita and Tom Clouser

Our beloved therapy dog, Jaxx passed away in October of 2019. We still miss him dearly.  He knew many tricks and never failed to amuse his assisted living friends. He was a good stealer and once his hips got bad he was no longer able to help himself meat loaf, roast beef, lamb or whatever was for dinner.  He caused us to eat out on a few occasions. We were lucky to get such a stunning and smart boy.  Judy & Randy Whitcomb

There was probably never a better name chosen for any single Golden Retriever than Hope for our Hope Sabin. She came to GRRR, pregnant with eleven puppies and no one to claim her.  She accepted the kindness and care offered to her and as far as we can tell, she never looked back.

Hope was a loving and gentle soul and through one of her puppies she brought hope to my life when I didn’t have very much left.  She herself joined our little pack just a few months later.  As mellow as she was, Hope was definitely in charge of the house, especially when it came to sharing her favorite treats or continuing to parent her often naughty pup.

Anybody who met Hope fell in love with her.  Who could resist those soulful eyes and long eyelashes?  

We are sure that there will be another sweet girl who arrives at GRRR full of hope for her future and needing a name who will wear the name proudly in honor of our Hope.  

ATLAS — by Emily and Brent Drinkut. “Mazel and Elli Atlas were both rescued as puppies in Indiana. They later moved to Colorado and lived their golden years to the fullest with a new appreciation for the great outdoors. They caused mischief and laughter like all good sisters, but above all looked out for one another and provided unconditional love to their family. In their memory, a future GRRR dog will be named Atlas to carry on their spirit of adventure.”

Charlie, who seemed to go more by one of his many nicknames: Chowder, Mimi-Siku, Meems, Cheese Poof, The Goob, Charleston, was born August 12, 2006 in Mattawa, Washington. In October 2006, he met and chose (read: threw up on) his human and went to his furever home just outside Seattle. This was a Golden with a unique personality: one who loved his photo being taken; who hated sticking his head out the window because he detested wind; who loved to swim but hated rain; who enjoyed a spa day and watching cartoons. A dog that emulated all that was good in this world – and knew it, too. He made the big move to Denver in Summer 2017 in order to work on his Instagram influencing (but mainly to be with his human). He accomplished his first 5K (for the pumpkin pie), made friends with his four-legged neighbors, learned to love his snow boots only after a group of people cheered him on, and literally brightened the day of anyone who met him on the street. But, in the words of Lao Tzu, “The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long”, and on June 25, 2018, Charlie crossed the Rainbow Bridge, naturally in his sleep, next to some of his favorite people. As all dogs deserve, he was well loved and is very missed.  

HANK — by Christian & Tara Todd. “We had Hank from the time he was a puppy and the amount of happiness and joy he brought to our lives was immeasurable. Hank was the happiest dog we’ve ever know. His tail wagged constantly until his last breath. Hank’s life was cut short by an inoperable tumor in his snout but we are so grateful for the 11-1/2 years we had with him. There will never be another Hank but thank you for honoring his memory by giving his name to a future rescue or puppy.”

Honoring the memory of your loved one, while helping us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life. With your donation of $100 or more, one of GRRR’s rescued Goldens will be named after your dog. Your donation will honor the memory of your loved one and will help us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life

Honoring the memory of your loved one, while helping us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life. With your donation of $100 or more, one of GRRR’s rescued Goldens will be named after your dog. Your donation will honor the memory of your loved one and will help us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life.

Honoring the memory of your loved one, while helping us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life. With your donation of $100 or more, one of GRRR’s rescued Goldens will be named after your dog. Your donation will honor the memory of your loved one and will help us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life.

Honoring the memory of your loved one, while helping us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life. With your donation of $100 or more, one of GRRR’s rescued Goldens will be named after your dog. Your donation will honor the memory of your loved one and will help us give a rescued dog a new start to a better life.