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It was big, it was hairy, it was great!
RAGOM extends a gigantic “Thank you!” to everyone who attended, donated, participated, or volunteered to make Goldzilla 2019 a success. Despite the rain it was a wonderful day and we are thrilled that so many people and dogs braved the weather to join the fun.
Goldzilla is our biggest fundraiser and a significant portion of our annual budget. We’re adding up walk pledges, sponsorships, raffle ticket and silent auction sales, merchandise and concessions sales, and other donations. Not only did we meet our $87,000 goal, we exceeded it—preliminary results show we raised more than $90,000!
On behalf of all the dogs who count on RAGOM for help, thank you. You’ll make many dogs smile.
Audi photo contest results
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Audi Golden Opportunity Photo Contest and to our wonderful sponsor Audi Minneapolis/Audi St. Paul for their support. This year’s winners are Carmen, Henry, Hector, Chloe, and Dozer!
2019 Goldzilla raffle prize winners
And the 2019 winners are…
$500 Visa Gift Card: Sara Kluck
$250 Visa Gift Card: Mark Crellin
$250 Visa Gift Card: Sue Flannery
$250 Visa Gift Card: Marcia Rowe
Save the date!
We hope to see you at Goldzilla next year—Sunday, September 13, 2020!
Originally posted on August 21, 2019
Join us Sunday, September 8, at Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, Minnesota for the 10th Annual Goldzilla, RAGOM’s Fun Fair and Walk for Rescue—and one of the biggest Golden Retriever events in America!
All funds raised at this event support our mission of rescuing and rehoming Golden Retrievers and Golden mixes of all ages. Admission is free!
There is so much to see and do—for both you and your dog:
- Raffle prizes—including a $500 Visa gift card
- Silent auction—with online/mobile bidding so you can enjoy more of what Goldzilla has to offer!
- Wine pull and great shopping in the vendor village
- Ears & Tails game ($200 grand prize)
- Lure course, agility, off-leash play, and swimming
- Audi Golden Opportunity Photo Contest
- RAGOM foster dog parade and RAGOM dog reunions
- and more!
Walk for Rescue
But perhaps the most fun is the Walk for Rescue. Register for the walk and collect pledges to earn fabulous prizes.
Volunteer at Goldzilla
We still need volunteers to make it a great day! Sign up to volunteer.
A good cause. A great day. Goldzilla—it’s GIGANTIC! For more information, visit the Goldzilla website.
Difficult beginnings—then a second chance
While some RAGOM dogs come from loving homes, that due to unforeseen circumstances must surrender their Golden, most come from challenging situations.
A growing number of our Goldens are former commercial breeder dogs. Others come from animal hoarding situations. They may have lived on the street or been abused, neglected, or over-bred. They may be under-socialized and lack training, and many have never seen a vet.
What do these dogs need?
Many of these dogs need foster homes with another confident, medium- to large-sized dog to act as a mentor. All of them need love, patience, training, and sometimes the expertise of behaviorists. Our RAGOM fosters step up every day to prepare these dogs for their new Golden life. Learn more about becoming a RAGOM foster home.
What help do foster homes receive?
RAGOM supports a network of foster volunteers who provide homes to this rapidly growing group of Goldens. But we don’t have enough foster homes to meet the need!
Our foster parents aren’t alone in working through challenges. While a dog is in foster care RAGOM provides veterinary care, transportation, mentoring, and other services to help our foster families provide safe and loving homes to these special dogs.
Learn more about becoming a RAGOM foster
Give a great dog a second chance. Learn more about becoming a RAGOM foster.
Keep your dog safe in the days before and after the July 4th holiday
Fireworks are no longer limited to the July 4th holiday. Now many cities include fireworks in their summer celebrations. Many dogs are deathly afraid of fireworks and will panic and run away when confronted with the noise and flashes of light.
Please follow these guidelines from the Retrievers Volunteer Lost Dog team to reduce stress and keep your dog safe:
- Don’t take dogs on outings where fireworks will be displayed—even sparklers, firecrackers and bottle rockets.
- Stay home with your dog during fireworks shows and let him hide inside where he feels most secure.
- Keep all windows and doors closed. Be very careful when people are coming and going from the house so your dog doesn’t slip out an open door.
- Draw the curtains to block scary flashes of light, and cover the noise of fireworks with TV or music.
- Distract your dog with a frozen Kong or other safe chew toy.
- Wrap your dog in a Thundershirt and/or give him over-the-counter calming treats at least 30 minutes before the noise begins.
- When outside during summer holiday seasons, keep your dog on a leash, preferably two—one attached to a martingale collar and one attached to a harness.
- Make sure your dog is always wearing ID with your current contact info.
- If you know your dog is fireworks-phobic, talk to your vet in advance about canine noise aversion therapies.
- Even if you don’t own a dog, please give your dog-owning neighbors advance warning if you plan to set off fireworks in your yard.
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable summer!
The Retrievers Volunteer Lost Dog team
It’s a good idea to have a plan in the event your dog runs off for any reason. To learn how RAGOM handles the situation when a RAGOM dog goes missing, review our Lost RAGOM Dogs page.
Donors, volunteers, fosters, and partners are all crucial to RAGOM’s mission
The RAGOM community has been ecstatic with the KARE11 feature about RAGOM International Outreach (RIO) efforts in China.
Since the story aired in late May, media outlets across the U.S. have picked up and shared the story. A recent people.com feature also highlighted RAGOM’s efforts to rescue dogs from China’s illegal dog meat trade.
RAGOM is extremely grateful for the media awareness around these rescue efforts, led by RAGOM’s marketing and public relations partner, Evans Larson, a Minneapolis-based strategic marketing agency.
“Mama’s story has touched so many lives, both in the ‘RAGOM Village’ as well as dog lovers around the world. We’re so grateful to our dedicated volunteers and donors that make this rewarding work possible,” remarked Patty Larson, Director of Operations.
The support of donors, volunteers, and foster families are the lifeblood of RAGOM’s ability to grow and thrive—and rescue more Goldens in need.
Our capacity to rescue dogs is directly dependent on the number of available foster homes. We continually need new foster homes, even those that can accommodate only one or two dogs per year or temporary foster care.
Interested in fostering? Learn more about Foster Care.
Update
Once rescued, Marty was deeply loved and received the best care possible. However, it was not enough to save his kidneys from the damage caused by Lyme disease. He recently passed peacefully in his foster mom’s arms. Read his final update (and please, protect your pets from flea- and tick-borne diseases).
Originally posted on April 11, 2019
Marty’s story—a Golden boy in trouble
Marty 19-003 doesn’t think he’s special. In his mind, he’s just one of the boys in his happy, dog household.
He loves his foster mom, Gretchen August, and her whole family. When he first arrived at Gretchen’s house, however, he didn’t react well to the resident dogs. But now he genuinely likes them. They don’t attack and try to kill him like the dogs he grew up with in northern Minnesota.
While he moves like a much older dog, he loves to play outside barking at chipmunks, digging in the snow, messing with his pals. Inside, he’s a mischievous guy, hiding slippers and playing with every squeaky toy—every day. He spends hours at his front door window spot, basking in the sun.
Marty is in pain it seems, but otherwise acts like a normal seven-year-old Golden boy. Except he will never reach eight.
A rough start
Gretchen took Marty to the vet right away when he joined her family, because he’d obviously been through a lot. He was skinny, weak, and pretty beaten up from fighting for his life or even for scraps of food.
He walked painfully, like he was a much older dog. When his test results came in, his humans knew he was seriously ill.
Marty has Lyme disease and anaplasmosis—blood diseases spread by deer ticks, which are common throughout the Midwest. If his condition had been caught earlier, he might have had a chance for recovery.
Instead, Marty is now in the advanced stages of kidney failure as a result of these diseases. He will live out his remaining days receiving loving attention and hospice care in his foster home. Whenever Gretchen thinks about Marty’s plight, she gets upset.
“Marty doesn’t have a rare or unusual condition,” she said. “The diseases he is suffering from are 100% preventable with the regular application of flea and tick treatments. But we are going to lose a beautiful Golden boy, years too soon, because he did not receive these meds. It is just heartbreaking.”
Dangerous—but preventable and treatable
Conditions such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are dangerous. But they are treatable if caught early and totally preventable through vigilant use of flea and tick prevention techniques. At a minimum, every time your dog has been outside (even in an urban area) you should give your dog a quick once-over, looking for signs of fleas and ticks.
Preventive measures range from repellent collars to medications that make a “host,” such as a dog or human, unappetizing to fleas and ticks. Talk to your vet about recommended flea and tick prevention products and procedures.
Now is the time to begin flea and tick prevention
Flea and tick season has begun! For detailed discussion of flea- and tick-borne diseases, as well as proven preventive measures, RAGOM recommends that you seek the advice of professional and trusted resources such as your vet, as opposed to internet chat rooms or word of mouth.
The following resources are good places to start. Search these websites for “Fleas and Ticks”:
American Veterinary Medical Association
To read more about Marty and follow his story, visit his RAGOM web page.
Generous donors and volunteers save Mama and four more dogs from China
In March we posted a story about the dogs we rescued from China—as well as the dogs we had to leave behind. One of those dogs was Mama. She’d recently had puppies and her eyes held intense sadness. We never stopped thinking about her.
After reading about Mama, the RAGOM village sprang into action and donated funds towards her rescue. Then a wonderful volunteer family offered to travel to China to help her, and other volunteers handled the complicated logistics.
Last night, Mama arrived safely in America and into RAGOM’s care, along with four other dogs rescued from the Chinese meat trade. Mama 19-117C, Georgia 19-118C, Sissy 19-119C, Jovi 19-120C, and Mosby 19-121C are settling into their foster homes. Their rescuers report that they all crave human attention.
Adjusting to a new life
Mama has already enjoyed running and playing in the yard, and she’s trying to figure out what tennis balls are all about. She loves the affection of her foster family but flinches around sudden movements.
Georgia is soaking up as much affection as she can, as if making up for lost time. She delicately nudged volunteers’ hands, hoping for a little more love. Jovi suffered a bite wound in China, so he will receive veterinary care immediately. He loves food and treats and craves attention.
Mosby is mellow boy who will need to gain some weight. Sissy is the spitfire of the group. She entertained our volunteers with her goofy antics and generous kisses. She would probably enjoy agility.
These dogs have been through unimaginable stress and will need time to adjust to their new lives in their foster homes, as well as receive any necessary veterinary care. As each is ready, he or she will be available for adoption and posted on the Adoptable Dogs page. (Please note that we cannot accept inquiries or applications until they are posted.)
Because these dogs have touched so many hearts, we expect to receive several inquiries from wonderful and deserving applicants. Although it will be difficult to choose just one family for each dog, we have to trust our proven adoption process and our fosters to find appropriate forever homes for these dogs and ensure they will live the Golden life they deserve.
Every dog deserves a Golden life
Rescues such as these are challenging and costly, but we believe these dogs matter and deserve to have a good life. We will continue to do all that we can to help more dogs like Mama, who crave the love of a family.
We hope to rescue more dogs in June. Your donation to RAGOM International Outreach will help us rescue up to five more dogs from China’s meat trade slaughterhouses.
Read more about our International Outreach and previous articles featuring our efforts to rescue dogs from China’s meat trade:
Remember Mama in China?
RAGOM Rescues Golden Retrievers from China’s Meat Trade
A chance to rescue Mama and four more dogs
In March 2019, we posted a story about five dogs we saved from China’s meat trade and brought to the United States—and the dogs we left behind.
One of those dogs was Mama. She’d recently had puppies and her eyes held intense sadness. Mama sat very politely to greet rescue volunteers, as if she desperately hoped to be chosen for rescue.
We now have the chance to return to China and bring Mama back with us, along with four other dogs. But we need your help. To raise the necessary funds, supporters Jill and John C. have generously offered to match donations.
In China, volunteers are overwhelmed with Golden Retrievers rescued from Chinese meat trucks and slaughterhouses. Those that are saved are housed in makeshift shelters. But the facilities are incredibly full and adoption of larger breeds, which are still banned in many areas of China, is not likely.
International rescue is their only hope
The dogs’ only hope is to find homes in other countries. Rescue groups around the world are answering the call to save these dogs, and RAGOM continues to support this effort.
In a couple weeks, RAGOM volunteers will travel to China with hopes of rescuing Mama and four other dogs. They all likely had a family at one time before being stolen for the meat trade. The total cost to rescue all five dogs is approximately $7,000. With your support, we can bring all five dogs home with us.
Volunteer Nicole visited one of the safe havens for these dogs in February. They have clean water and food, but are generally filthy and matted. Many have scratches and wounds from scuffles with other dogs. Because there are so many dogs, they receive very little human interaction.
“You can tell that many had been family dogs who were loved. They just die for human attention.”
Help us bring them home
Nicole’s trip was a success—as reported earlier, we were able to rescue five dogs from China’s meat trade in March. Now we have the opportunity to return for five more. And if we raise more funds than needed for this trip, we’ll be able to save more dogs in June.
RAGOM rescues Golden Retrievers and Golden mixes in the Upper Midwest, but we can also help other dogs in dire circumstances. And for these dogs in China, international rescue is their only hope. Help us bring them home.
Ten puppies born in RAGOM’s care bring Oklahoma total to 23 dogs
Ava 19-026 came into RAGOM’s care when her owner realized that his 13 dogs were just too much for him. He cared deeply for his dogs, but because they were not spayed or neutered, their numbers grew until he was no longer able to care for them. He lovingly surrendered all of his dogs to a group in Oklahoma who then contacted RAGOM.
Shortly after entering RAGOM’s care, Ava’s foster mom noticed some changes in Ava’s behavior and appearance. Surprise!—Ava was pregnant. She gave birth to 10 mixed breed puppies on March 25, 2019. We’ve often been asked, “What are they mixed with?” That seems to be the million dollar question and we just can’t be certain.
Possible daddies are the four males who were rescued with the Oklahoma group: Benny 19-021, Sooner 19-025, Loki (Landon) 19-027, and Cooper 19-028. With four intact males in the home, one or more of them could be the father (one litter can have multiple dads), or possibly a neighbor dog. Look at the puppies and take a guess!
What we do know is that they are growing like little weeds and getting sweeter and cuter by the minute. A very curious bunch from the start, they were able to climb out of their whelping pool at 2 weeks old. So foster mom and dad moved them to a plastic kiddie pool with higher walls to better contain them.
That lasted a week. Then they positioned a board about 1½ feet high across the entrance to the crate. That lasted less than a week and over they went. At that point foster mom improvised by weaving cardboard through the slats of the pen and used duct tape and a wire shelf from her freezer—quite a “MacGyver” setup—but it has since kept them safe.
Ava’s rambunctious brood includes: Chester 19-070, Wanda 19-071, Leroy 19-072, Betty 19-073, Murray 19-074, Harriet 19-075, Frank 19-076, Edith 19-077, Earl 19-078, Erwin 19-079.
If you have considered adopting a puppy—and all the fun, energy, work, and patience that entails—please visit our Adoptable Dogs page to determine which puppies are still taking applications!
Ava will be available for adoption once her puppies have moved to their adoptive homes. According to her foster mom, “If you are the lucky person to win her affection, she is totally devoted to you. She’s all in to be your sidekick or snuggle up on the couch or under the desk while you work.”
Ava walks nicely on a leash and she is very smart! She is housebroken, has free reign, and shows no tendencies to chew or get into things she shouldn’t. “Although she probably had a rough start in life, she’s ready for a home of her own where she will be treated like a princess.”
Follow Ava’s updates and watch for her status to change to “Adopt Me.”
Although RAGOM will find forever homes for these adorable puppies, we cannot overstate the importance of spaying and neutering your dogs. Most shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals. Spay and neuter programs are the only humane solution to pet overpopulation.
Learn tips for stress-free application of eye drops and ointment
If your dog develops an eye infection or injury, or has eye surgery, your veterinarian will prescribe eye drops and/or ointment that you will need to administer at home until treatment is complete or the problem is resolved. Some treatments are required several times each day.
Applying eye medication can be stressful for both you and your dog, especially if your dog has never been treated for an eye problem.
To make eye treatment a positive experience and less of a struggle for both you and your pet, watch a helpful video entitled Fear-Free Eye Treatment (permission generously granted by #thankstomaddie).
Please note that although the Maddie’s Fund website supports rescue leadership and volunteers, much of its content is also very helpful for pet owners. Take advantage of this excellent tutorial!
See also:
Clean Your Dog’s Ears Weekly to Prevent Ear Infections
Regular At-Home Teeth Cleaning Can Help Prevent Health Issues
RAGOM rescues nine Turkish dogs—including Caddy, who is blind
This is a follow-up to the article published on April 23, 2019: Help Keep Blind Dog Caddy off the Streets.
Caddy is a blind senior dog that RAGOM hoped to save from the streets of Turkey. With the support of many RAGOM donors, we were able to rescue Caddy—as well as eight additional Turkish Goldens.
Chevy, Ford, Sierra, Camry, Kia, and Bentley arrived via a cargo plane late Sunday night. To say it was challenging to get these dogs to the U.S. would be an understatement. It was a very long weekend for the dogs, as well as for the volunteers handling logistics and transport.
After almost 48 hours in limbo at the Istanbul airport, the first six dogs finally boarded the plane. Our fellow rescuers in Turkey took amazing care of them while they waited, ensuring the dogs were able to walk around, play, and relax at the airport. We’re so grateful for their help.
And on Monday night, a flight volunteer from Turkey escorted sweet Caddy, along with Malibu and Yukon.
Caddy has settled in with his foster family and he’s made himself right at home. His foster reported, “He is the sweetest, gentlest boy. He did a lot of exploring in the backyard. Of course then he chose the yuckiest part of our yard to take a nap. Later he cuddled on a thick memory foam bed and slept once again.”
RAGOM has now rescued more than 100 dogs from Turkey, where thousands of dogs struggle to survive on their own in forests and on the streets of cities like Istanbul. Municipal shelters are overcrowded, and few people are interested in adopting.
The dogs from this latest group have all settled into their foster homes. They will be available for adoption when their foster families have determined the type of family and home situation that best suits each dog. Watch our Adoptable Dogs page for their individual web pages and requirements to be posted.
RAGOM thanks everyone involved in saving these dogs:
- The volunteers who spent countless hours on both sides of the world ensuring the dogs were comfortable, safe, and well-cared for
- Everyone who donated or sent good thoughts or prayers
- And the foster families who are welcoming these dogs into their homes
We are so grateful. Where there is a will, there is a way, and together we have transformed the lives of these nine special dogs.
To learn more about the Golden Retrievers in Turkey and RAGOM’s efforts to rescue them, see our International Outreach Dogs page.