(An update from Daisy's family follows her Golden Angel story)  

 The Before Picture

The After Picture

What could be cheerier than a bouquet of delicate daisies with their little smiling faces and their sunny dispositions?  But not all daisies get the TLC they need to be beautiful and healthy.  Our little Golden Angel Daisy had been struggling alone for survival in a high-kill Wyoming shelter, abandoned because her family was moving and they thought she had allergies.  Seven-month old Daisy looked like a flower in a garden that had endured a severe hail storm.  A wonderful rescuer, Jan Dodson, spotted Daisy in the shelter and realized immediately she was suffering from something much worse than allergies.  Jan knew she desperately needed help and contacted GRRR.  It wasn’t long before Bill and Gail Korin were “driving Miss Daisy” across the highways of Colorado.  They traveled a long distance to pick this little wilted Daisy and bring her to Denver where the many GRRR “gardeners” could help her grow and thrive.

Bill and Gail took Daisy straight to Dr. Carpenter’s office where he was waiting for our little angel to arrive.  Everyone’s heart went out to this sweet puppy who was missing a great deal of her hair and was itching so bad she was in absolute misery.  Dr. Carpenter diagnosed her with demodex mange and said she had the worse case of mites he had ever seen.  In spite of her serious condition, it didn’t stop Daisy from flashing that delightful little grin of hers to everyone she met while simultaneously wagging her practically hairless tail like crazy.  What was it that had caused such a compromise of her immune system?  Could she have been the product of a puppy mill or was it the extreme stress of a pet store?  How could her family have abandoned this wonderful little girl?  The harsh reality that not all pups can survive such an infestation was in the back of our minds as Daisy’s new “gardeners” went swiftly to work on her.  That very day Daisy received her first chemical “dip” to try and stop the mange from spreading.  The chemicals used are so strong that the person administering them must wear rubber gloves to protect their skin.  Little Daisy needed to air dry overnight – away from other dogs and people – before she could be moved to her new foster home.

The following morning Daisy moved to Mary Kenton’s house.  She came supplied with enough antibiotics, skin supplements, immune system supplements and vitamins to fill a medicine chest.  As soon as Daisy arrived at Mary’s house, the spoiling began.  When Mary gave her a couple of toys to play with, Daisy acted like she had received the gift of a lifetime!  Was it possible that she had never had a squeaky toy or a stuffed baby to carry around?  She discovered there was yummy food to eat and all kinds of furry friends to play with in her new foster home.  Although timid at first, it didn’t take Daisy long to find out that doggie games are great fun!  This was most likely the first time Daisy had the luxury of being indoors and those scary slippery tile floors took some getting used to.  Snuggled up in Mary’s bed that first night with her head resting on Mary’s neck, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief.  Her life was finally turning around.

We are happy to report that after three chemical dips (and another one scheduled soon) Daisy’s soft little fur is beginning to grow in again.  Her skin is now a pretty pink with no more scabs.  Soon she should have a beautiful coat to match her beautiful heart and spirit.  Daisy is such a perfect name for our very special Golden Angel.  Her loving “gardeners” have enjoyed watching this once wilted little Daisy bloom and grow right before our very eyes.  The dictionary also defines a daisy as “someone held in high esteem.”  How true that is for sweet Daisy!

It is through your support that the Golden Angels get a second chance.  Daisy’s treatments and medications have been very expensive but how could we ever say no?  If you would like to share in her recovery she would be very grateful for any donations on her behalf, and she will thank you every day for the rest of her life for your love and kindness. 

Daisy's Success Story

What is a ball of flying fur that looks like two dogs vying for a world wrestling championship?  That would be Sam and Daisy, who regularly act like they are top candidates for the WWF.  These two are constantly playing chase around the house and in the backyard.  Sam likes to be chased and Daisy likes to chase, so they are perfect partners in high-energy crime.  We were fortunate enough to adopt sweet Daisy in early October and she and Sam (our other “child’) became immediate best friends.

Since then, Daisy’s health has improved tremendously.  We now visit Dr. Carpenter about once every two months for a checkup.  Daisy looks absolutely gorgeous these days – she’s gained about 25 pounds and her hair looks beautiful.  Plus, she is as happy as can be.

Daisy has the sweetest disposition ever!  She loves cuddling and always wants to be around other people.  While Sam will hang out upstairs and watch the world go by, Daisy will be downstairs with us craving more and more attention.  We don’t know who had her last, but we figure she is making up for lost time.

Occasionally, she’ll get into trouble.  She really likes tearing up quilts and chewing up stuffed toys and electrical cords.  When we catch her, she immediately runs over to us, sits down and puts her head up in the air and smiles at us.  She knows she made a mistake and it is so hard to tell her “no” when she looks so sweetly at us.  We think her guilty conscious gives her more reprimands than we ever could.

Daisy is very, very attached to my husband, Chester.  Every night I go to bed early followed by Sam, while Daisy hangs out with Chester until he goes to bed.  Sometimes if it’s real late, she’ll pout or paw at him and say, “Isn’t it time to go to bed?”  Daisy also likes to wake us up first thing in the morning.  If she feels one of us roll over in bed, she starts thumping her tail against the bed.  If we pat the bed, she’ll come lie down next to us as tightly as she can for her special cuddle time.  She is very good at “spooning.”  And kissing is her favorite thing.

Daisy loves to go for rides in the car, especially when she can stick her head out the window.  I’ve considered getting doggles for her because I’m afraid she is going to get debris in her eyes one of these days.  Daisy loves driving up to Montana to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  She gets to go on lots and lots of walks and run free in the park up there.  This past Christmas she and Sam drove to Chicago with us.  Unfortunately, Daisy doesn’t like going potty when she is on the leash.  In fact, unless she is off leash, she won’t go potty.  We were a little nervous about the long car ride and how she would do.  On day one, she didn’t go at all and we were afraid we were going to have to find a vet for her.  On the second day she FINALLY went.  What a huge milestone for her!  We were proud of her!  For the rest of the trip she would look up at us and smile her precious smile every time she went potty on the leash.

We are also expecting another addition to our family soon – a human one – so we’ve been training Daisy to give little kisses and not paw so much.  Daisy and Sam both like to hang out in the new baby’s room.  Daisy has been an incredible addition to our home.  We were newlyweds when we got her and we had been mulling the idea over and over in our heads about getting another dog.  We knew we wanted a companion for Sam, and we had recently moved into a house with a fenced backyard.  One day when I was talking to my friend, Lisa Harness, about getting another dog, she told me about her wonderful dog, Tucker, who she adopted from GRRR.  I went home and talked it over with Chester and we decided to call Mary Kenton and put in an adoption application.  We brought Daisy home a couple weeks later, after hearing about her sad and difficult start in life. 

Tragically, my friend Lisa was killed in a car accident and her dog, Tucker, who was with her at the time of the accident, passed away a few weeks later from the injuries he sustained in the accident.  You may recall that Tucker was also a Golden Angel in need just after the accident.  We wouldn’t have Daisy if it weren’t for Lisa and Tucker and I was lucky to see Tucker at Dr. Carpenter’s before he passed away so I could thank him.

Thanks to all the kind and generous Angel Fund contributions, Daisy is now a healthy Golden living a dream life in her forever home.  She truly is our special angel.