Happy Tails

Welcome to WAAGR's "Happy Tails" page for dogs adopted in 2006. If you adopted a golden from WAAGR and would like to share your story, email marketing@waagr.org.

Dogs Adopted in 2006
ANGEL
Angel has been such a wonderful addition to our family. The more comfortable
she gets, the more of a little character she becomes. She has us wrapped around
her paw for sure! She knows when it is walk time just by what we do & is always
ready and waiting by the door. One of her favorite times is when we sit on the patio and throw her ball to the end of the backyard. When she decides she has had enough chasing after it, she goes into my flower bed and tries to find a spot to hide it so we can't get it! She never can seem to find the right spot, but it
is so funny to watch her.

Angel also loves watching for chipmunks and she stalks them like a cat would do. She recently had her fourth trip to the northwoods and she absolutely loves it up there! She loves riding on the boat, playing in the water, chasing her ball into the water and has made two new friends, Raider & Spike. Both being males they think she is beautiful! They all play very nice together. We want to thank WAAGR for allowing us to adopt her and bring her into our family. She has met all eight of the grandchildren and they loved her. Angel has the full run of the house on the few days I work and has not bothered anything. She is very well behaved and listens so well. She loves to play and thrives on attention and hugs! She definitely has brought much joy and excitement into our house and we are so glad we can give her a good home! Angel has certainly won our hearts!!

BABY
It has been about a month now since Baby, whom we call Babe, has come into our lives. What a joy! Thanks WAAGR, and thanks to Joselynn and Jason for the opportunity to adopt such a wonderful girl! She has really warmed up to all of us and has found true love and friendship with Grace, our six year old daughter. Babe follows Grace everywhere she goes and is so gentle and patient with both of our children, we couldn't ask for more. Babe likes to go on long walks, run in the park and play tug-of-war. She has lost a few pounds since she has started walking so much and seems very happy (this dog smiles all the time). Again, we can't thank WAAGR enough for this beautiful, sweet, loving new member of our family.

CHARLIE
Charlie is doing great! He is very active at times, somewhat too active! He loves to run outside, and gets along good with our other dog. He is also very inquisitive and likes to pick up everything. Charlie is getting lots of love. When he first came to us he seemed starved for affection, but now is
starting to fit in nicely and calm down.

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN
Christopher Robin is a dog rescued by WAAGR from a shelter in
southern Ohio. He came to me in Milwaukee with Parvo, worms, fleas - and a gigantic personality. He became the adoptive younger brother of a triplex of Labrador/retrievers mixes, Woody and Zoeie. (Zoeie is also a rescued golden turned therapy dog). With loving care combined with the wonders of modern medicine, Christopher Robin rose above all his maladies to become the towering guy he is. I was told he would be "big" - and a loving, big guy he is.

He shares his affections not only with his siblings, but also with my many friends. He has become part of our card group. We find it hard to put our feet under the table for the array of dog bodies lying
about. According to my friends, Christopher is "cute as hell." When he was very young I had to guard him against theft by my friends. He's a big part of the happiness of my home - and has an amazing dog ability to grin from fluffy ear to ear. He's a joy to my heart and I hope to share him with others when he becomes a therapy dog.

COMET (Now known as CALVIN)
First of all, we want to thank everyone involved with the organization and especially those who helped us find Calvin, formerly known as Comet.

After meeting Calvin, we chose his name from the ever adventurous and fun loving comic character created by Bill Watterson and so far he has lived up to it. In his first week home he spent time at Christmas with 25 people in the house and did just fine. He then went up north for a few days and showed us how fast he can run on the snow-covered lake. Since then he has been at home here and is settling in with the rest of the family which includes two teenagers, three cats and his best friend Amber, our six-year-old Golden.

Calvin and Amber have become more and more playful as time goes on. Each will bring out a toy and tease the other until a tug-of-war or chase game starts. Then it is pure mayhem! They also play with other members of the family, chasing things or just wrestling around. One evening as the two dogs were lying on the floor, they each leaned toward the other and nuzzled noses. So we know he is here to stay.

Our home has become fuller in many ways with Calvin and we are very happy to have him in our lives. He is a real character and makes all of us smile. Thanks again WAAGR!

GRACIE
What a wonderful story we are creating...everyday with Gracie is special because we discover more of who she is going to be. She began her life with us on July 18 after being loved and cared for by Joselynn and Jason - whom we will always be grateful and thankful to for giving us this special girl. In this short time (and it seems like we have had Gracie so much longer) she has lost 5 lbs, learned the couch and bed are wonderful places, has found her sassy side and always carries around a ball in her mouth. She has met so many new people and doggies that will be a part of her life forever and she has her special relationship, as do we, with Joselynn that is such a wonderful bonus for us.

Gracie is a busy girl, along with her sister Hannah (another sweetheart golden), they go to Happy Hounds daycare 3 days a week, they have been to Just Pucci (a doggie store in West Bend) several times to choose some new collars, toys and even to attend an Aromatherapy session. They go swimming and running in their yard daily and they just got back from "The Lake," officially Gracie's first vacation, last weekend. Gracie was not at all hesitant to go into the lake but was not sure when there was a drop off. Tim helped her out further about three times and "POOF" she was a swimmer. She loved it and went for a couple of long ball retrievals, pontoon boat rides and visiting with neighbors that have been hearing all about this sweetie.

Gracie and Hannah were invited to a Golden party (although Brutus couldn't pull it off) at Jason and Joselynn's house - Gracie's other home, and they had a blast playing and meeting so many new friends. Tim and I have had a number of friends and family stop over to meet Gracie - she is just happy, mellow, sweet and so very loved. This is her story since July 18. Thank you to WAAGR!

GUIDO (formerly Max)
We adopted Guide (formerly Max) in August 2006. We already had a 6-month-old Golden named Frankie. We wanted a dog that would play with Frankie. I have to admit I was a little concerned getting a dog that was already 2 years older than Frankie, but they assured me it would be okay.

Guido was a very, very BIG boy upon arrival. He weighed around 120 pounds! He wasn't as playful as I would have liked in the beginning, but he has really become one of the family. Frankie and Guido will play for hours, until Guido finally tells Frankie he has had enough. I am happy to report that Guido now weighs a respectable 100 pounds. He is one of the sweetest and most obedient dogs I know. He definitely isn't much of an outside dog (goes out 2-3 times a day, only if he feels he must). He is protective of our family, especially his mommy and youngest sister. I can't imagine life without him. I want to thank WAAGR for finding him for us.

HONEY (pictured at left)
Honey joined our family in May 2006 - and won over not only our hearts, but the hearts of those she meets. She was a puppy mill dog who is now spoiled rotten and the "princess" of the house (note her spot on the couch at left!) She just wants to be loved and gets along with our other golden just great. We're so glad we're "foster failures" and decided to keep her. Thanks WAAGR for bring Honey into our lives!

JACK (pictured at right)
This dog is my angel. He is the love of my life (sorry Jason). A little discipline and a lot of attention can go a LONG way. I just stinkin' love this dog, THANKS WAAGR!!

If I didn't step up to take a seizure dog he never would've came into my life and boy I am sure glad I did. He's my baby!

JILLIE (pictured at left)

Jillie was WAAGR’s first heartworm positive dog. She was a trooper through the treatments and now can run and jump with the best of them. I call her Jiller My Little Mocha Chiller! Thanks to our good friend Barb down in Indiana for saving her life. Jillie will start her training soon to become a Therapy Dog. We love her and can’t imagine our lives without her.

MATTIE
Mattie began her new life with us in mid-July of this year. She has been a real ble

ssing. It was a case of love at first sight -- the first time WAAGR volunteers stopped by to meet us, they brought a couple of goldens to see how we interacted with them. Generally, these initial visitors aren't necessarily candidates for adoption, but it happened that Mattie was. She's a beautiful Alpine Golden, and even on the first visit she charmed us. Sweet and loving, she quickly made herself at home. Our big concern was how she would get along with our Chihuahua. Amazon, typical of small dogs, put up a real Napoleon display of initial hostility. Mattie was cool and calm, and the two of them are now good friends. Adopting a dog can be a scary experience, but Mattie has demonstrated how easy and rewarding it can be. And kudos to WAAGR, who supported us through the entire process. Mattie has been a God send, and has helped to turn a new house into a home.

PAXTON

Turns out Paxton loves to walk with his forever home! His family reports they walk him 2 - 3 miles at a time! He also has gone running with his dad - what an athletic boy! He does get excited when the Amish go by with their horse and buggy! His family reports that "he's friendly to everyone he meets." So far with his new family, he has taken many car rides, including going to visit his family's daughters at college and to their running events (where a lot of people come up to pet him). His year also has included visits to state parks and his family reports he didn't know what to make of Lake Michigan.

Congratulations to Paxton and his new family! A really great match was made when Paxton found his forever home!

REX (pictured at right)
WAAGR received this report from Rex's family: "I just wanted to let you all know that Rex and I are doing great and I could never thank you all enough for introducing me to the best little boy in town. He gets compliments all the time about what a pretty boy he is! I try to help make him manly by telling everyone that he is handsome not pretty.

Rex loves the city life and is so comfortable with everything! He loves are long walks and jogs. Yesterday we went 5 miles and I don’t think he wanted to stop. (I definitely did!)"

We're so happy for Rex and his new family! This is definitely another "Happy Tail!"

RUSTY (pictured at left)

We were fortunate enough to have adopted Rusty this past April. We jumped at the opportunity to add a dog to our family when Jim began working from home. How lucky are we to have gotten Rusty out of the deal? Rusty is about 7-8 years old and came to WAAGR as a stray earlier this year. Everyday we talk about how unbelievable it is that someone could have let him go! Rusty is still obsessed (seriously) with tennis balls and loves to be pet. He is very affectionate, playful, active, and well behaved... he's also pretty comedic. Even better, he's healthy, and his scar from atop his head has healed and covered very nicely. Thanks WAAGR for our new addition. We're so happy to have him!

SAM
It amazes me how much Sam has changed since November when he came to WAAGR. Sam was rescued from a Puppy Mill in Missouri. Anyone who has witnessed these dogs right out of a puppy mill can understand the transition period and how rough it can be at times. I give all the credit to Sam. He has learned to trust us, knows that he is in a safe place, will be treated well for the rest of his life, and is living the happy life that he deserves.

SIMBA (pictured at right)
Simba was adopted in August and his forever home sent an update on this beautiful member of their family. In this picture, he's resting on the couch before dinner!

As reported by his family: "Talk about a dog’s life! His main objectives in life are to chase butterflies, bark at the birds in the sky, and play red ball. He’s adorable and we love him." Simba's story is another Happy Tail indeed!

TATER (pictured at right)

I was a failed foster with my first foster of a Christmas Pup named Booker. We adopted him in January 2006. We now call him Tater and he thinks he's the boss of everyone. We really didn't want to have three dogs, but I often think how boring our life would be without him. We're still working on that puppy stuff, but he is going to be a really great dog.

Teddy (white dog pictured with his "brother" Curly) is d

oing very well. He and Curly get along great! It took a little while, but he has adjusted to his new home and is comfortable and happy here. He’s eating well (like a horse!), but hasn’t gained much weight. He’s healthy though and I guess that’s what matters most. We are getting an invisible fence put in this week which will allow him and Curly to run around in the yard. Teddy is a runner, a fast one, and we’ve had to chase him down the street (and into the lake) a few times. We decided the fence would be a good option. We absolutely love him and we’re so grateful for all the work you did in order for us to adopt him.

Ty is a beautiful red golden and is almost 11. She was our first foster and attached to us pretty quickly as she was passed around a lot in her lifetime. I really think she was meant to be a fish - she was in the water over vacation the most out of all six dogs that were up there! She is sweet and wonderful. She has a great, great life and I let her get away with a lot more than the others just because she is older. Jason gets upset sometimes when I don't scold her when she is naughty, because all I say is "she is old, she can do what she wants." Yup she is spoiled, but she is now in her glory of her Golden Years!!

WAAGR • 12605 West North Avenue, #285 • Brookfield, WI 53005
phone: 414-517-7725

	*Providing Bright New Beginnings To Displaced Golden Retrievers*