Meet our alumni, like Frosty.  We're so proud to be a part of their new lives. If you'd like to submit your own NORCAL success story, please send it to us - we'd love it share it!

Buddy

Buddy has been with us now for 5 months and boy has he changed! When we first adopted Buddy from NORCAL he was a bit overweight and not very trusting. He actually lunged at me on several occasions due to his lack of trust. After spending some quality time helping to get him back in shape and feeling safe, he has come along and now is our best friend.

I had no idea how a 4 year old would act with a new home and owners. He really had his own way of doing things and was not about to let us show him anything new. He liked to sleep in the garage and did not want to be left outside for any long period of time except to go to the bathroom. After he was with us a couple of days we were sure that he had not been treated very well by his original owners. He was the boss and he was in charge, that was it. Anything we tried to get him to do would cause him to growl or lunge at us, though he never bit us, he sure acted like he wanted to.

Buddy has really taught me alot. My old habit of yelling at him when he made me angry slowly ceased when I saw that it made him all the more angry. Now, when he misbehaves all I have to do is say "no" and he slowly comes over to apologize with a gently rub on my leg. He doesn't want to make us mad and so he tries to please. He is smart and a fast learner. Buddy has a small problem with his ears at times and now he allows me to clean them without any fuss. I think that from giving him close care, he has learned that he can trust us and for once in his life he can relax and enjoy being loved and cared for. Thank you NORCAL for bringing us together. Our Buddy is OUR baby and we love him.

Ken & Jay

Buddy

When we applied to NGRR, we had in our minds an older Golden (at least not a puppy), who was mellow and would be a "buddy” to our 6 year old Golden, Farley, and to our 5 year old cat, Samantha. We thought maybe a good age would be between 5 & 7. However, there was an older golden available, named “Baba Rhum”, who was being fostered by a lovely couple with two other Goldens ( one of them a “special needs” guy).

When we went to see Baba Rhum, we thought he was 10……..a little old but that’s ok. He was rescued from a very neglectful environment, and was being nursed back to health by his foster parents from a horrible ear infection and flea infestation left untreated for who knows how long. The pictures I saw of him said it all. He was in pretty bad shape.

Well, what we saw was a little old dog, kind of scrappy and small. Our other Golden, Farley, is absolutely gorgeous and huge. Baba Rhum was about 30 pounds lighter and much smaller with a scraggly tail and a coat kind of curly & mish mashed all over with a graying muzzle and a droopy tummy. But he was the sweetest, most loving dog anyone could imagine. I was hooked from the first time I looked into his eyes and that was that.

We took him home, took him to our vet and found out that he was probably closer to 12 or 13 than 10, but overall, he was in good shape. My husband and I decided that we would adopt Baba Rhum and give him the very best life we could for whatever time is left. That’s all that mattered.

We now call him Buddy, since he is such a buddy to all of us. He sleeps with Farley & Samantha, right beside our bed, and he plays ball and romps like a puppy with Farley when they’re outside. Just in the three weeks that he’s been with us, he’s become a very happy fellow with a lot of life and spunk in him after all! He gives us so much love and affection that we consider ourselves blessed to have him in our lives. He is one of the family now and we love him dearly.

Thank you Shirlee Thomas, Patricia, Eve & Koichi ( who took such wonderful care of him and truly brought him back to health). Thank you to all of you and to NGRR for bringing “Buddy” into our lives.

Paulette Marshall

Chase

To Everyone Involved With NorCal,

I needed to tell you all what has happened during the first week of having Chase. First, I have to tell you that I think how you come to the home for an interview is really important. Carol, who came, was informative as well as inquisitive. She asked excellent questions and helped us to understand how we could succeed with a new member of our family. She was wonderful with her hopefulness and her encouraging words; that some day soon we would get the dog that would be such a special member of our family.

Then their was Jill, who could not have been more helpful. She had wonderful advice and seemed to not mind that I would call her. She is a gem. She set up everything with the adoption and made sure that it would all go smoothly.

Foster Dad, Doug, who met us for the first time, allowed us in his home and shared so much of himself with us. My daughter and I were so impressed with his love for his family, which included our new dog to be, "Chase". Thank you, each and every one of you for making this transition so perfect!

You were right that Chase, who is huge, would be a handful, and I wondered if we could really control him. On the way home (a three hour drive), he was starving and I pulled over and thought I could feed him. He nearly ran me over he was so ravenous. Walking into our home he ran for his food which I had set out before we left. He then ran for the laundry, up on the couch, and up on the dining table. What were we getting into!

Turned out he also had a severe infection from his neutering. His testicle sack was the size of a tennis ball. We had to take him to the emergency Vet hospital. Guess what? They wanted to keep him for surgery the next day and as a family we decided we would try to give him antibiotics and warm compresses. All of us were so kind to him. This really bonded us. Within this week, he has become an angel.

He finished his antibiotics, he can "sit", "lie down",and almost ,"stay". He can walk on the leash now with minimal pulling, and he poops in one spot. He listens to us when we say"leave it" and we always praise him when he does. He sits under the table when we eat, and we have taken him to the dog park to learn to play with other dogs. He loves it and he looks like he knows he is "home".

I do think that Doug, the foster dad, was right that the only thing that was wrong with him was that he needed to learn some manners and be paid attention to. I feel very privileged to have gotten to know each and everyone of you that make up this wonderful organization. Please know that I will help with this organization as soon as I can. Please send this to Jill, Doug, and
Carol. I would love for them to know what they have done for our family! Their support got us through the rough beginning.

Love to you all and Happy New Year!

Mary DiLillo

Cinnamon

Cinnamon was a lonely four-year-old who had already had two owners when a Gold Country volunteer came upon her. Shy and small, she could never be the aggressive watch dog her most recent owner wanted. And the cigarette butts and beer cans she was given as toys in her outdoor pen weren't doing her any good. Cinnamon was adopted by a family with two little boys who dote on her, an at-home mom who is her constant companion, and a dad who lets her relax on the master bed.

George

Dear Rescue Friends:

I recently adopted George, a 4 1/2 year old golden with the help of Liz Berry, Pat Lynch and George's foster parents Jeff and Sio Wilson. I'm sure most people wait months before they send in their success story but when you have a dog as wonderful as George, you can't wait to brag about him! When I went to meet George at Jeff and Sio's house a few weeks ago, I couldn't understand why Sio was so upset to let him go to a new home. Sio and Jeff had only been fostering George for 1 week yet her eyes were welling up with tears as we loaded George into my car. Not even 24 hours into owning George, it became very clear to me why it was so hard for Sio to let him go.

George is the most wonderful golden in the world (I know, everyone says that about their Golden!). He's got it all: Looks, personality and attitude. He's a charmer! I lost my last Golden to cancer in January 2002 and thought that no dog could ever replace him. Although Rusty cannot be replaced, George has replaced that emptiness in my heart. I call George my "co-pilot". He and I go everywhere together. When I work at home, George lays beside me. When I go out to run errands, George comes too. When friends call and invite me over, they invite George as well. When my mom calls, she first asks, "How is George?" before asking anything else. Are you sensing that George is my life? He is!

In a matter of owning him for 3 weeks, we have done it all. I taught him how to swim last weekend and now he can't get enough of it! We had our 1st obedience lesson at Mt. Diablo Dog Training Club last Saturday. He spent 1/2 of yesterday at the groomers in Lodi. We go for 2 walks a day everyday. George was about 20 pounds overweight when I adopted him. He has lost about 10 pounds and has 10 more to go. I'll tell you, this is one busy dog.

I am writing to you for two reasons. One, to tell you how fantastic George is and how lucky I am to consider myself his new owner. Second, to let anyone that is considering adopting a Golden know what a wonderful group of people Rescue is made up of and how rewarding this experience has been. This is my first experience with Rescue...my first of many.

George and I both thank everyone at Rescue from the bottom of our hearts and hope that other "adoptees" find the same happiness that we have found.

Sincerely,

Carollyn Vogler

Goldie Jean

I am just visiting your web site for the first time and have to send this note. Our family adopted 'Goldie Jean' (my husband and I thought we surely had to change her name--too common for a golden--but our kids would have none of it!) a 3 1/2 year old female in Sept of 1997.

We are sure that we were so lucky to get the worlds best dog and don't know how we ever got along without her. She is sweet and affectionate and we love to tell people about her nighttime antics...true to her 'retriever' status, Goldie gathers assorted items in everyone's room during the night--a stuffed animal from our daughters room is delivered to mom and dad, one brothers shoes are delivered to sisters bed etc.! Sometimes we place favored items strategically to see if she finds them and where she takes them.

Goldens are the best, and the kids and dad are seriously trying to talk mom into getting another...now that I've visited your site I'm almost ready to say 'Yes.'

Maureen Nissen

Lady

Our family has waited for so long for the opportunity to add a new member to our family-not a two-legged one mind you but a four-legged one. Upon waiting for breeders to answer our emails and phone calls we tried Norcal, understanding that our chances of getting a younger golden would take forever. Thanks to Jill Morgan our coordinator we now have "Lady", our 1 1/2 year old little girl. Her name says it all - as she is quite the little lady and what a love!!!!

She cuddles, kisses, follows all of us wherever we go, and brings so much joy and happiness to our lives. Our family can't wait to get home to see her after a day of work and school, and she is equally as excited to see us to. Her toys line their way to the door reminding us that it is time to throw one of those tennis balls or her bright frisbees. Sure we throw those toys alright, and yes she even brings them back....we just don't get them to throw again. She loves any attention she can get including wanting to show a young group of 4 year olds on a T-Ball baseball team that she too can catch the ball, and hold it for a long time before remembering to give it back.

Our little girl is truly one in a million and we want to take this time to say thank you to Norcal and the dedicated people in this organization for making her part of our lives!!!!

To our new little girl...Welcome to your home, and don't worry we will make sure that Michael stops stealing your toys.

Sincerely,
Mike,Julie, Deanna and Michael

Madison

A few years ago I did some volunteer work for golden retriever rescue. As the mother of three young boys and one 7 year old golden, Riley, I am very busy. Yet, I have always kept Norcal close to my heart and checked the available dogs page regularly. Last year I was interested in a special needs golden puppy and contacted Golden rescue. Needless to say, that dog was already placed in a wonderful home and I was put in contact with Jill Morgan, a very special golden coordinator and special person!

We spoke a few times and one of her fosters told me about “Madison” the week before Christmas. I was told that she was a surrender and she was used as a breeder and was about 10 years old. I drove up to Lodi that Saturday and took her home! I was a little nervous as to how she would feel around my three very young boys and two cats but she was GREAT.

She has been seen by two vets, who swear she is between 6 and 8 years old. She is adorable and has fit into our family like she has been with us her entire life. She lets my 1 year old climb on her and cuddle her. She makes my spoiled golden , Riley, look really naughty because she has such good manners!! I even caught my husband hugging her one night and telling her how happy he was to have her!!

Everyone who comes into contact with her is amazed at how well behaved and friendly (not to mention beautiful) she is! The funny thing is that I was told that she was “outdoors” for the last two years, but she sure seems at home sleeping on my couch at night! The only thing I notice is that she is leary of going into the backyard unless I go with her. I keep telling her that she doesn’t have to worry, she is an indoor family dog who is very loved and will be with us for the rest of her days!! We love her so much and are so happy to have adopted her!

Sincerely,
Vicki, Eddie , Connor Christopher and Nicholas Cook

Maizey

Maizey and I started a new life together on New Year's Day, 2000. I had lost my mixed terrier after 15 years in September, and was ready for a new love in my life. Maizey was the answer to my prayers. She is the sweetest, gentlest, most affectionate creature I have ever known. When I learned that she had had SEVEN prior owners, I was dumbfounded. I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting and loving this dog. Maizey's only problem (if you can even call it that) is that she kisses too much! We both look forward to our long walks everyday (part of our New Year's resolutions for exercise!) and spending time at the beach. Maizey 'sings' to me and does a little dance when I come home from work. She loves to hold soft toys in her mouth, and plays a 'retriever' game with them. She is my golden girl who loves me and protects me, and has filled the hole that was in my heart! Thanks to Laura and everyone at NGRR!

Val Steinberg

Sadie

We got Sadie from the NORCAL GRR in 1989. At first, I didn't know if we really wanted to get a dog or not, but after talking about it with my wife we decided to move forward. She has been a blessing ever since we picked her up so long ago!

She was about 1 years old when we got her, and apparently was an abandoned show dog (how sad). But she was already trained; in fact, we had to teach ourselves what the hand signals were to get her to do the "normal" things, like sit, shake hands, lie down, etc. That was a fun challenge, and she remained patient while we figured it all out. I think she still knows how to do things that we haven't determined yet! She loves to play tug with a rope, or her comfort rug, and going for walks.

She is now 14 years old, and starting to slow down. Long ago, a vet said she has hip dysplasia (sp?), but we've recently had x-rays done to see why she is getting up slowly. It turns out that her hips are perfectly fine, but she has a tumor on her spleen; after further testing, it seems that she has has advanced hemangiosarcoma, and does not have much longer to live.

We are enjoying our last times with her, and feel blessed she has been part of our family for so long. She has been great with the children and their friends, always showing a loving disposition and happy demeanor. She has had her episodes of mischeviousness (typically sneaking food) when she gets mad. But, most of the time, she has been happy, and even though she has had all opportunities to ransack the garage, she never has. We love Sadie, and continue to enjoy her company while she is still with us.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of Sadie's life. She has been a lady all her life, and continues to live with dignity and grace!

Glenn

Sammy

2003 Update: It is with a very heavy heart that I write this update to an earlier 1999 "success" post. Sammy, at just over five years of age, is dying of lymphoma. He was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago and is now undergoing chemotherapy. The illness is terminal and it's just a matter of how much time we have left together.

Sammy, as I noted in the first post, was my first Golden and what a wonderful representative of his breed. He is a "dream dog" - no trouble, kind, intelligent, fun, loving, extremely handsome, and all the positive adjectives you can think of. When he was 2, he tore his cruciate ligament just playing - I had his vet perform repair surgery on it, but seven months later he was still limping. I took him to U.C. Davis where he had a second surgery - a TPLO (major reshaping of the knee bone, steel plate, etc) which
fixed him up. So we got through that. He recovered nicely and continued to enjoy our camping and river excursions, loving to swim and even going on the kayak with my daughter in the Monterey Bay and Tomales Bay. He loves being by the water but always looks so worried in case someone out there might be in difficulty - he would keep swimming out to kids in the water thinking they might be in need of his assistance....... what a guy.

So now I am unsuccessfully trying to prepare myself to say goodbye to him. I manage to keep myself together most of the time but then it all wells up and the thought of having to lose him is devastating. He has a big piece of my heart, and I his. Thanks to the Norcal Rescue for giving me the opportunity to have the privilege of his company.

Thanks to NORCAL GRR, we now have the sweetest, gentlest, kindest dog I have ever known as part of our family.  Sam is now just over a year old and was given up by his owners who moved into an apartment.  He is a loving, lively boy, a great camper and swimmer, whose greatest joy is being with us.   His biggest friend is our African Grey parrot, Nelson, which whom he has a love-hate relationship.  Sam enjoys teasing Nelson in his cage, and Nelson angrily shouts "STOP IT!" at Sam.  He is our first Golden, and we're thrilled we found such a wonderful companion.

Elaine - Benicia

Savannah

Two years ago, I adopted a Golden Retriever through the rescue. She had been a stray found running in the fields. The local pound picked her up, and after holding her for the required amount of time, the pound contacted the NGRR. A month after that, we became companions. I remember when she was first brought to my house. I felt guilty because she wasn't what I had envisioned. She was thin and timid, but with time, Savannah grew into her own personality and put on some weight which made her look healthy.

She has been such a wonderful addition to my life. She is always there to greet me, and forgives me when I work late. She howls when she is happy and loves everyone.

I am grateful to the rescue for finding me such a great dog, and providing others like her with loving homes.

Tracey

Shawna

Shawna was caught in the middle of an ugly divorce and left at the house when her owners moved and went their separate ways. The woman returned to feed her daily, but she was otherwise left alone. When the ex-husband brought the dog to us, her coat was so matted that her tail was attached to her leg! A volunteer groomer cut off most of her coat and gently bathed the sweet, trusting dog. A few days later, Shawna went to a couple whose five-year-old son she follows everywhere. She was raised with a child the same age. It was a perfect match.

Teddy

We'd been wanting to get a dog for our family for a long, long time. Finally, the kids were old enough to be responsible, we had a house with a fenced yard - it was the right time. Over the years, we had done a lot of research on what type of dog we wanted and the first choice was a Golden Retriever.

Surfing the internet late one Saturday night, I stumbled on this website and browsed through the photos of available dogs (fell in love with all of them) and decided that I would fill out the application and see what happened. I didn't expect a call back until later in the week; I didn't think that we'd get a dog for a few weeks.

Yet, the next day - Easter Sunday no less, the phone rang at around 10:00 a.m. It was Kathy, the coordinator for Monterey Bay area. They received my application and they had a dog - would I be interested in meeting him? We didn't have a preference - male, female, old, young ... age and sex didn't matter - but owning two cats, the dog would have to like cats. Arrangements were made for a visit the next day after work. Kathy emailed me a photo of Teddy (named because when he walked he looked like a big polar bear! Still does!) during the day - I couldn't wait to see him!

Kathy was waiting outside with her two dogs and Teddy. Teddy was such a big, loveable dog ... we couldn't help but want him. But, more than wanting a dog, we didn't want to "rush" into this and make a mistake - wanting to do the right thing was the first and foremost thought in our minds. We went home that night, without Teddy - to contemplate the reality of owning a dog.

The next day, I called Kathy and said, yes, we wanted Teddy to join our family. Immediately after work, I drove by PetSmart, picked up a leash, bowl, and food and picked him up and took him home! The cats were a bit disgruntled, but have since warmed up a bit. Luckily, Teddy could care less about the cats. He loves to be held and even though he's 92 pounds of dog ... loves to sit down in your lap to be cuddled.

I'm so thankful for him - he was the perfect addition to the family. He's more responsibility for the kids, but for a first dog, he's perfect. He's older - vet estimated between 7 and 10 years old but in excellent health - it's so cool cause he's real laid back. Although many have said he was very lucky to have us adopt him - I feel like the lucky one. Kathy had told me that he was found wandering around Watsonville, picked up by Santa Cruz humane society and brought into the pound. Someone called NORCALGRR and the rest is history. I can't believe that someone would not want this beautiful, sweet, boy! He's very gentle and tolerant ... plays gently, doesn't jump on people, furniture or chase the cats!

Thank you, NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue!

Valerie Llanos

Wiley

My wife Penny and I have had two retrievers at a time in our family. Over the years we had five great dogs, the most special was Theo who had been a part of our family for 8 years. He was the love of our lives. We were devastated when he was diagnosed with cancer one evening after we returned from a three hour walk in the forest where he ran non-stop the whole time.

When we got home he could not catch his breath, so we went to the vet and got the bad news. We cried like babies the whole way home. The next morning Theo could not stand on his own and we knew we had to put him to sleep. We had a vet come to our home because we wanted Theo to be comfortable when he died. When the vet she told us Tess our one year old puppy should go outside because she would understand what was happening. I took Tess outside, then our daughter, Penny and I all kissed Theo good bye and then he was gone. We all cried ourselves to sleep that night.

In the morning when we woke up and I took Tess out, she just walked out to the edge of our deck, lay down and sulked. She stayed there all day except when she would get up walk around the yard and look for her buddy. She missed Theo at least as much as we did. As sad as we were, I knew we needed another golden for Tess to be with, she had never been alone and it broke our hearts even more to see her this way.

We knew of NorCal Golden Rescue and thought we would give it a try. We filled out the adoption form and read about all the dogs that were available. Trying to decide was so hard. Every one of the dogs had a story and deserved a good home, but we just could not make a choice. Then one day I got a call from Pat, the Alameda county coordinator. She told me about a few dogs, and then she mentioned a guy named Wiley. He was a big male, full coat, big head, ran kind of hot and was 1 year old. I had to smile. It could have been Theo that she was describing. When Penny got home that evening I told her about Pat's call. She thought I was kidding when I described Wiley.

The next day we drove across the bay to Alameda County to see Wiley. Wiley had been kept in the garage because he would dig up the landscaping when left in the back yard. He received almost no attention from the family, and when the husband said he was getting Wiley a 4 x 6 kennel, his wife did the right thing and said I'll find him a good home. We knocked on the door, were invited in and Wiley was lead from the garage to the back yard to meet us. He went straight to Penny, sat at her feet and looked up with the most
loving look either of us had seen. That was all it took for Wiley to steal Penny's heart. We headed home wit Wiley.

When we near the house I took Wiley to the park near our house and Penny went and got Tess. Tess went bananas. She ran around Wiley and all over the place. Wiley was so fat and out of shape, he waddled back and forth but was no match for Tess who was the same age. When we went to walk home, Wiley could not do it. He had to take several rests. Wiley would not come in the house. He was terrified. We slowly coaxed him in. He could not relax and refused to go down stairs to sleep with us. We spent the first night with Wiley in sleeping bags out in the yard. (I know some people would think we were nuts, but I figure they aren't reading this page). We finally got him to go down stairs, and slowly he became more comfortable around the house.

The next day our neighbor came over with his little girl and Wiley ran over sat down at their feet and look up at them with his adoring look. I think for a minute Penny felt cheated. Our neighbors fell in love, and so does every one that meets him. I mean it. Everyone flips over him, unlike any other dog we have had. And Wiley loves every body. I don't understand what caused Wiley's old family to ignore him, I but he isn't ignored anymore.

It's been three years now and Wiley has lost 15 pounds and can run for hours on end. Wiley and Tess are the best of friends and he has filed a big whole in our hearts.

I am trying to convince Penny to try fostering a Golden. She isn't sure she could give one up if we bring one into our home. That's o.k. with me.

We'll see.

Thank you to everyone for Wiley and your loving work.

Tod and Penny