"Pure Gold: Adventures with Six Rescued Golden Retrievers"

 

I wanted to pass on the following information to those who might be interested in and available to attend.  Monday, April 16, Holli Pfau will be a Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island from 5-6 PM for a book signing for her book “Pure Gold: Adventures with Six Rescued Golden Retrievers”.

I have read this book and found it to be well written and very enjoyable.  The challenges she faces with her 6 Goldens are similar to what many of us have faced with our dogs and if you have ever done agility or obedience with your dog, you’ll really appreciate her stories.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see a chapter devoted to the National Specialty dog show that was held in Snohomish in 2007 and shocked to see my name in that chapter!

I appreciate Holli’s effort to help Golden Retriever causes including EGRR with the sale of her book.  I’ve been told that EGRR will also benefit from books ordered from them during this event. 

Happy Spring!

Nancy

Nancy Kiesler
President
Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue
serving western Washington state

Holli Pfau, author of Pure Gold: Adventures with Six Rescued Golden Retrievers, will be at Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110, on Monday, April 16, from 5 to 6pm. She'll be discussing and signing her books. A portion of all proceeds will go to Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue, serving Western Washington state.

Holli Pfau started her career in advertising and marketing, and was a success. But she decided to switch career paths, inspired by the lives, antics, and talents of her six rescued or second-hand golden retrievers. Now Pfau has written Pure Gold: Adventures with Six Rescued Golden Retrievers to support the efforts of Golden Retriever Rescue and other dog rescue and adoption programs. Pfau's dogs guided her to a new career in animal-assisted therapy, deeper into wilderness adventures, and to relocation in the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, she added rally obedience and dog agility to her compendium of canine activities. In every case, the dogs led the way. Pure Gold is a tale of unexpected adventures and the richness of life with rescued dogs.

Rainy Day Fun

In the summer time my dogs are outside running, swimming, fetching, etc. But this time of year when it's just wet and muddy, I admit I am not inspired to go out as much. But we do have some fun games for inside the house. The favorite is hide and seek. Once they're in a sit-stay, I take my pocketful of treats, find a hiding place and call them. They are determined, and don't quit until I'm found. 

Then we have a little party and do it again. 

Here's another fun activity that gets them all wound up. These fun treat-hiding toys are gaining popularity and you can find a great selection of them at All The Best pet stores, where you can even take your dogs and try them out. Watch Crosby playing with his favorite....

PS - Not a good idea to leave these games unattended. Also, best played one dog at a time!

Golden Retriever Uveitis

The Evergreen Golden Retriever Club is again sponsoring an annual screening clinic for Pigmentary Uveitis (also known as Golden Retriever Uveitis) at the Animal Eye Clinic on Roosevelt Way in North Seattle. This year's clinic will be held on Saturday, April 28th. The cost is $22 per dog. Registration is limited and can be made by calling the Animal Eye Clinic at 206-524-8822. Call any day except Wednesday and ask to speak to Leah. Once registered, you'll be asked to send in a check 

and they will send you information and directions to the clinic.

Every Golden Retriever from the age of four years should be checked yearly for this condition. This is a serious condition and is thought to be present in as many as 1/3 of all adult Goldens. If left untreated, the dog may develop Glaucoma, resulting in severe pain and blindness. The prognosis for dogs affected with this condition is guarded. With early detection and treatment, some affected dogs will go years without major complications or loss of vision. But more advanced forms of the condition sometimes fail to respond to therapy and vision cannot be saved. 

Please note that this clinic is for pet and rescue dogs, not breeder's dogs or dogs that normally get eye CERFs done.

Happy Ever After

These two lucky dogs were adopted last year at age seven. In this recently received note, it sounds like
their new family feels pretty lucky too....

"Retrieved"

 During the chaos of the 9/11 attacks, where almost 3,000 people died, nearly 100 loyal search and rescue dogs and their brave owners scoured Ground Zero for survivors. Now, ten years on, just 12 of these heroic canines survive, and they have been commemorated in a touching series of portraits entitled 'Retrieved'.  

Moxie, 13, from Winthrop, Massachusetts, arrived with her handler, Mark Aliberti, at the World Trade Center on the evening of September 11 and searched the site for eight days.

Bretagne and his owner Denise Corliss from Cypress, Texas, arrived at the site in New York on September 17, remaining there for ten days

Guinness, 15, from Highland, California, started work at the site with Sheila McKee on the morning of September 13 and was deployed at the site for 11 days

Handler Julie Noyes and Hoke were deployed to the World Trade Center from their home in Denver 

on September 24 and searched for five days

The dogs worked tirelessly to search for anyone trapped alive in the rubble, along with countless emergency service workers and members of the public. Traveling across nine states in the U.S. from Texas to Maryland, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, 34, captured the remaining dogs in their twilight years in their homes where they still live 
with their handlers, a full decade on from 9/11.

Their stories have now been compiled in a book, called Retrieved, which is published on Friday, the tenth anniversary of the attacks. Noted for her touching portraits of animals, especially dogs, Charlotte wanted 'Retrieved' to mark not only the anniversary of the September 2001 attacks, but also as recognition 
for some of the first responders and their dogs.

'I felt this was a turning point, especially for the dogs, who although are not forgotten, are not as prominent as the human stories involved,' explained Charlotte, who splits her time between New York and Amsterdam.

'They speak to us as a different species and animals are greatly important for our sense of empathy and to put things into perspective.'

Summertime

Does this picture really need any explanation? 

Dog Bite Prevention Week

That's right - there's actually a dog bite prevention week. Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year and several hundred thousand require trips to the hospital. Most of these could probably be avoided. 

When I was 7 years old I was bitten in the face - 24 stitches! I didn't have a dog of my own, but I LOVED dogs! I was visiting neighbors (who did not educate me about their dog) and had cornered the dog with a box of dog treats. I was going to feed him. I thought that would fun. He didn't like being in a corner. He didn't like kids. He didn't like that I had the treats. I teased him by pretending I was going to eat his treat. I was right up in his face. The skin on a child's face is very soft and tender. It tears easily. It was a horrible experience. 

I wish someone had told me that my behavior was intrusive and rude, had taught me how to approach a dog politely. It would have been nice if the owners had been paying more attention, especially if he was a fearful dog. Not all dogs want to be touched by strangers. Educate your kids!

Here's a great video on how to approach a dog. And if you want to read more on this or other behavioral stuff, check out the blog of Dr. Sophia Yin, an expert on dog behavior.