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Andy, Bentley, Copper, Toby, and Tripp - the Outstanding Rescued Goldens of 2007!
2007 G.R.A.C.E. Award Winners
The Golden Rescue And Community Excellence (G.R.A.C.E.) Awards are presented annually to rescued Golden Retrievers that have excelled in any one of these areas: Animal-Assisted Therapy/Service, Education, Heroism and Law Enforcement. One nominee is designated Outstanding Rescued Golden of the Year. Winners are presented with a $100 check for the 501(c) (3) Golden Retriever Rescue organization of their choice, a gorgeous trophy designed and donated by Ida Marino and a lovely rosette. Honorable Mentions receive a $50 check for their designated Rescue, a plaque, and a rosette. Each year, the presentation takes place after the Parade of Rescue at the Golden Retriever Club of America's National Specialty. In 2007, the date was September 20 at Harvey Airfield in Snohomish, WA.
RAGofAZ would like to thank the judges of the 2007 nominees: Joyce Hubler, Founder of Rescue A Golden of Arizona; Dr. Deb Orwig, RAGofAZ President; Judy Smith, RAGofAZ 2nd Vice-President; Robin Adams, President of Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue; Deb Haggerty, Western Regional Representative from the Golden Retriever Club of America's National Rescue Committee; and Jan and Ray Knoche, owners of the 2006 Outstanding Rescued Golden, Taz. RAGofAZ would also like to thank Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue and Deb & Larry Orwig for their generous financial contributions in support of the G.R.A.C.E. Awards.
THE WINNERS
ANDY: In 1998, Andy's family surrendered their 8-month-old Golden to the Nebraska Humane Society because they were moving and could not
Andy getting into a tight spot
in a rubble search
take him with them. The NHS then turned Andy over to Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska (GRRIN). His first foster family discovered that Andy had severe separation anxiety, which caused him to whine uncontrollably and be destructive if left alone. He would not tolerate being crated. Medications and behavioral modification techniques proved to be ineffective. When euthanasia was being considered, another GRRIN member, Andrew Pitcher, offered to foster the dog to see if he could help make a difference. For months, Andrew and his resident dogs worked with Andy to help the dog overcome his separation anxiety. He took Andy to obedience and agility classes, and he helped Andy learn that his crate was a haven rather than a prison. GRRIN then adopted Andy out to a local family, but the resident dog was unable to accept him. When Andy came back into Rescue, Andrew knew that he and Andy were meant to stay together. After Andy qualified for his AKC Companion Dog and Agility titles, Andrew decided to offer Andy the challenge of search and rescue work. The intense and difficult training took two years, but Andy and Andrew eventually became one of four dog/handler teams that are part of Nebraska Task Force One.
Andy in harness repelling
below Andrew
Andy Pitcher with Andy
Such teams are trained to respond to any sort of natural disaster or terrorist attack and have been deployed in federally-declared disasters. In 2005, Andy and Andrew helped with search work following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf area and helped locate victims of the disaster. They also provided much needed furapy to the rescue teams and survivors of the disaster. Andy, now 10 years old, is still ready for deployment at a moment's notice. He keeps busy with team trainings and demonstrations to help educate other dogs and handlers, as well as the general public, about search and rescue work. And he is a beloved member of Andrew's entire family, which now includesa wife and young son. For all his many accomplishments, Andy was chosen as the Outstanding Rescued Golden of 2007.
BENTLEY: In 2004, Bentley was born with a congenital deformity in his hips and rear legs. Unwilling to get him the required surgeries and participate in the necessary long rehabilitation process, his owners
Bentley at work
surrendered him to the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue. Over the next several months with support and assistance by a dedicated and loving foster family and medical staff, Bentley had his hips and rear leg joints virtually rebuilt. He literally had to be taught to walk again. After his successful rehabilitation, he was adopted by Ginny & Larry Mills. Ginny, who had been involved in pet therapy with another dog, recognized Bentley's potential for such work and provided the extensive training needed for him to qualify as pet therapy dog through Therapy Dogs, Inc. He has received his Canine Good Citizen Certificate from the AKC, as well as many letters of commendation from medical staff and individuals he has helped. In his short three years of life, he has already accomplished over 1,000 individual therapy visits mainly at Holy Cross Hospital, Brighton Garden Nursing Home and Northridge Hospital Medical
Bentley and Ginny Mills
Center. His nominator provided many examples of the positive effects Bentley has had on the successful rehabilitation of hospital patients. She said, "What goes around comes around. By helping others, Bentley has gone full circle, paying forward acts of kindness and caring. Bentley is a marvelous dog, performing meaningful work and truly worthy of recognition." The G.R.A.C.E. Award judges agreed and honored Bentley as the 2007 G.R.A.C.E. Award Winner in the Animal Assisted Therapy/Service category.
COPPER: In 2005, Copper was found abandoned in a rural area south of Seattle. The finder had a baby at home, cats and another dog, but the
resident dog did not accept the newcomer, so Copper was surrendered to Evergreen Golden Retriever Rescue, our host club for this year's National Parade of Rescue in Washington. During his veterinary workup, Copper was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis, a condition which gave him a raspy bark and which might need corrective surgery in the future, but otherwise he was a healthy 2-3-year-old Golden.
Deputy Miller and Copper
EGRR had an approved adopter who was looking for a dog to train for the Sheriff's K-9 unit. He met Copper and was instantly smitten, claiming he would adopt Copper even if it turned out that the dog could not manage the necessary training. The concern about Copper's potential was unfounded - he excelled in his training. He is now a full-time member of the Sheriff's K-9 corps and has become an outstanding narcotics detection dog. He has completed over 1200 "sniffs" of buildings, vehicles, packages, bags and other items. He is credited with over 250 narcotics arrests and the seizure of 2.5 million dollars in cash and property related to narcotics trafficking. In 2006, the results and importance of his activities with the Sheriff's Office led to Copper being named K-9 of the Year for King County. In 2007, we presented Copper and his owner handler, Deputy M. R. Miller, without whose faith and diligence in training Copper would not be the fabulous working dog he is today, with the G.R.A.C.E. Award in the area of Law Enforcement.
TOBY: Rescued by Rescue A Golden of Arizona, Toby was a shy, abused, and abandoned Golden originally taken in by the Arizona Humane
Society. They were about to euthanize Toby when he was pulled out by a RAGofAZ Shelter Walker. He had dog bite injuries, some broken teeth, and came with the label "destructive." Along with other "baggage", he did not have a clue about how to play with toys, and he still has an aversion to water, especially when it is coming out of a hose. He was in and out of more than one foster home, before he was finally placed with Sharon Steigmann and Mary Ellen Baker. With patience and training, they helped Toby not only qualify for his Canine Good Citizen certificate, but also for certification by Therapy Dogs International. Sharon and Toby did do some therapy work in an Alzheimer's facility, but due to the development of some disabilities which include balance problems, Sharon could not continue with that. However, she has now trained and certified Toby as her personal service dog. He physically supports her and provides stability for her when she walks.
Sharon Steigmann, Toby, and Mary Ellen Baker
They have made a truly significant contribution in developing the "Children Reading to Dogs" program at a local elementary school. Toby has not only helped many children improve their reading skills, but is now considered the school mascot! Not only do Sharon and Toby, themselves, act as reading mentors, they have also encouraged other adults in their community to participate as reading mentors. In addition, they have presented many educational programs at the school and to other groups about various topics having to do with dogs, such as pet therapy, Rescue, and the use of dogs as service dogs. They have also participated in many events where RAGofAZ has had an information booth, helping the Rescue educate the public about its needs and programs. The G.R.A.C.E. Award judges were pleased to recognize Toby as the 2007 winner of the Education category.
TRIPP: In October of 2005, 1 ½-year-old Tripp was picked up as a stray and taken to a shelter in Chattanooga, TN, after he had been hit by a car.
He was adopted out by the shelter but was returned when the adopter found out that the necessary leg amputation would be expensive. He was then taken by an independent rescuer, who saw to it that he was neutered and had the leg surgery. After the surgery, Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue took over Tripp's care and found him a foster home. He had to have a second surgery and a drain installed to reduce swelling and hemorrhaging from the original surgery. After four months in foster care, Tripp was adopted by Ellen Franklin of Marietta, GA, who saw his picture on Petfinders.com. In the middle of the night on January
Ellen Franklin and Tripp
12th of this year, Tripp started barking frantically in Ellen's bedroom. When she didn't wake up, he grabbed her hand in his teeth and tried to pull her out of bed. Finally awake, Ellen found the bedroom filled with smoke. Tripp then ran to Ellen's daughter Sara's room and woke her up, too. Ellen called 911 and she, Sara and Tripp were all able to get out of the house before the wall and floor of the bedroom burst into flames. Ellen's husband, Gary, was already at work for an Atlanta NBC-TV affiliate when he heard the 911 call go out for his home address. There was a smoke detector in the home, but it was non-functional even with a replacement battery. Earlier this year, Tripp was given a "Life Saving Award" by Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services. Tripp is now working on his CGC and will soon undertake training to become a therapy dog. Despite having only 3 legs, he loves to chase chipmunks and squirrels in the yard and frolic at the local dog park. The G.R.A.C.E. Award judges honored Tripp as the 2007 Winner of the Heroism category.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
In February 2006, 6-year-old Calli was surrendered to Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue by an owner who was moving and couldn't keep her. She was adopted by Susie and Tim Stooksbury. Susie was involved in the Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee program. She recognized Calli's potential to be a wonderful therapy dog and saw to it that Calli got the proper training. Susie and Calli regularly visit a local nursing home, as well as the Children's Room of the Oak Ridge Public Library. Although she is a wonderful therapy dog, Calli's real skills lie in her patience with the children at the library. She participates in the library's "Ruff Reading" program, where children visit and read to the dogs. She has also assisted in a 4th-grade program to teach children how to behave around dogs they don't know. For her activities, Calli was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Education category.
Five-year-old Kelly was surrendered to Inland Empire Golden Retriever Rescue in 2004 by an owner who had gone through a divorce and was keeping the dog chained up in the backyard. Kelly had horrible allergies, was fearful of such odd things as ceiling moldings, ceiling fans and airplane plumes, and was quite overweight. IEGRR adopted Kelly out to Cheryl Van Denburg of Missoula, MT. During the last 3 years, Cheryl has gotten Kelly's allergies under control, taken 25 pounds off her, and helped her get her Delta Society Pet Therapy certification. Kelly now accompanies Cheryl to work at her University of Montana job and participates in therapy sessions at the Counseling and Psychological Service. She also volunteers at an Alzheimer's ward at a local nursing home. With her incredible Golden spirit, Kelly has also had a paw in helping Cheryl realize that it's what's inside that counts. The G.R.A.C.E. Award judges agreed and gave Kelly an Honorable Mention in the Animal Assisted Therapy category.
Molly was turned in to Arizona Golden Retriever Connection in October of 2005 by an owner who was moving. She was 4 ½ years old. She was adopted out to Amy and Joe Barrett. The Barretts' property has a dangerously steep embankment on one side. While trying to place a rock border in front of the embankment, Amy lost her balance and fell down the cliff. Molly, who was waiting beneath a nearby tree, saw Amy fall, and although she had always been afraid of the steep hiss, rushed down it to Amy's side and helped her get back up to the top. As a result of the fall, Amy had a broken breastbone, four broken ribs and two other fractured ribs. Molly stayed by her side until help arrived. For her efforts, Molly was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Heroism category.
Tansy was also rescued by Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue in 2006. She was about 6 years old when she was adopted by Louise McCord of Ancram, NY, who had just lost to cancer another Rescue she had adopted from HGRR. Louise helped Tansy earn her CD, CGS and TDI certifications! Tansy participates in a "Reading with Rover" program and is on her way to accomplishing her TDIA with almost 50 therapy visits. She has tremendous people skills and is very popular wherever she goes. For her wonderful work, the 2007 G.R.A.C.E. Award judges gave Tansy an Honorable Mention in the Animal Assisted Therapy category..