THE HAPPY TAIL OF GOLDIE

            Goldie, a little golden retriever mix puppy, was found three weeks ago wandering in the middle of a busy street.  She looked at us with those big, brown eyes and we immediately stopped and whisked her into the car, just as a truck whizzed by.  She acknowledged our help with sweet kisses and settled in for the ride to the shelter.  She had lots of fleas and ticks, but otherwise was very healthy and adorable.A Wells Fargo representative contacted us about getting a credit card machine for adoptions/donations and, in the course of the conversation, asked if we had any cute puppies (do we have cute puppies!?!).  We immediately sent her a photo of Goldie and, when she came to see her (and bring us the machine), she and her husband fell in love with her at first sight.  We do love happing endings and wish all our dogs and cats could be so lucky!

            Thank you for making a difference in the lives of animals and children.

Love,
Diane and Mark and all the Volunteer Kids and Adults at DAWGS

P.S. We just got an email about Goldie, she now has a new name, “Daisy” and is doing great in her new home!

 

HAPPY TAILS FOR BUDDY AND JERRY

On Sunday, a vintage United States Marine Corps plane flew into the Dalhart Airport from Houston, armed with doggie treats, bandannas and doggie beds for two of the great dogs from DAWGS. Skip, his wife Sally, and flying friend Jim, had decided to help transport Buddy to the wonderful home of Jerome and Bertie. Along the way, Skip and Sally adopted Jerry for their own home. The two dogs, both beautiful golden retrievers, came from different beginnings and have been at the shelter for a long time. They are both now in loving homes in Houston, TX.

Buddy was one of the first dogs to come to the shelter, in March of 2003. He was adopted during the summer to a local family and became a hero. An early article written in the Dalhart Texan tells his story….”Buddy had never known what it was like to have a family-- to belong to someone. He had grown up at the animal rescue and was no longer a cute, cuddly puppy. He was less likely to find a home, but fate had other plans. One afternoon someone picked Buddy out of the crowd and loaded him into a car. He watched his kennel mates disappear in the distance. Buddy’s new home was in the country and his mistress, Margaret, was a quiet, soft spoken lady in her seventies. Her family had decided that she needed a companion, but she was less than thrilled to see the dog. She put the dog in her large back yard and set out food and water. For his part, Buddy thought he had died and gone to heaven. He loved the grass and would run the length of the yard before zipping back the other direction. When he soon became bored with this game he looked for other distractions. Margaret came home one afternoon to find her garden hose in shreds. The crime was repeated the next day. She was so angry, she called the animal rescue, intent upon taking him back. At the urging of her family she opened the gate to her yard, encouraging him to go with her and gave him another chance. That was all Buddy needed. The place became his. He never strayed or ran away, and when Margaret would go outside to do her gardening, Buddy always went with her. He liked the sound of her voice when she talked to him. She brought him a couple of toys and he stopped chewing up her hoses. They became best friends. One evening Margaret was finishing up some chores in her back yard when she noticed some trash behind the air conditioning unit. When she bent down to pick it up, she lost her balance and fell, somehow wedging her head between the unit and the brick of the house. She fell at an awkward angle and could not get hold of anything to right herself. Immediately Buddy sprang into action. He ran to the front door and began to bark furiously. Margaret’s husband, Ben, went to the door because it was so unusual for Buddy to bark. The dog loved everyone. As he stepped out onto the porch, Buddy began to spin around, still barking. Then he trotted to the end of the porch, looking back over his shoulder at Ben. Seeing that Ben had not followed him, Buddy ran back to Ben and barked again before once more trotting across the porch. This time he kept going, toward the back yard and Ben followed. Ben found his wife and helped her back into the house. She turned out to be fine and Buddy turned out to be the hero.”

After a while, Margaret decided she wanted a pond and was worried that Buddy would disturb the wildlife. In December 2004, she brought Buddy back to DAWGS. She reminded us of Buddy saving her life and what a great dog he was. As she drove away, Buddy watched with sad eyes, not understanding what had gone wrong but seemingly happy to be back. He quickly settled in and became best friends with his roommate, Maddie.

A wonderful couple, Jerome and Bertie, had been following the shelter progress and were ardent supporters. One day they read the story about Buddy on the DAWGS website (www.dawgsntexas.com) and decided they wanted to give him a home. They had lost their beloved golden retriever, Beau, a few years before and wanted to find someone else to be part of their lives. For months and months, they worried on how to get Buddy to Houston.

Weather was always an obstacle, either too cold or too hot to ride in the cargo compartment of a commercial flight, and the drive was too far. Then in April they came out to see Buddy. It was the second visit and Buddy was so happy to see them again. While they were here, they found Jerry, another beautiful golden retriever. Jerry had come to the shelter in December of 2006. A gorgeous boy that loves people and loves to chase after the ball, or the birds, or the waving grass….he just loves life. Jerome and Bertie were torn as they had promised Buddy a home but they were so impressed with Jerry and knew they couldn’t take both. When they got back to Houston, Jerome shared the tale of the two golden retrievers with his doctor, a fellow animal lover. Within a few weeks, plans were made to fly a private plane to Dalhart and deliver the two boys to Houston. Jerry was going to go to a Golden Retriever Rescue and Buddy was headed to Jerome’s and Bertie’s.

When the plane arrived, the boys were ready for their grand adventure. Skip and Sally fell in love with Jerry when they saw him and decided, on the spot, they would take him home with them. Both boys waited patiently to board and when the time came they eagerly climbed up the stairs and into their roomy spots for the flight.
The flight was uneventful as if Buddy and Jerry had always flown. Jerome and Bertie were waiting for them at the airport and it was a tearful, dogs yapping, tail wagging greeting. The boys were happy and safely transported to a new beginning: a new home and new life in Houston.