The Day of Atonement

Entitled, The Tree of Life, the piece shown here was created by Rebecca Shore. I just love it and thought it was perfect to set off this post about the holiday (be sure to click on it to see a larger version). At sunset last night began the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar, [...]

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Why am I not surprised? (Updated)

Hard to believe that I have 35 postings already in my ‘Scott Shields Fraud’ Category. For those unfamiliar with this scam artist, just go here (Trading in on Tragedy for Fame: Succumbing to the Lure of Truthiness) to get the original story. Scott is no longer behind bars, and surprisingly, it took him no time [...]

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Fields of Gold

The Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue (GRCGLAR) is the oldest Golden Retriever rescue organization in continuous operation in southern California. They have taken in over 2,000 Golden Retrievers since 2003 with an all-volunteer force numbers, over 120 strong in six southern California counties. Although ready to help any Golden in need, the [...]

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Love Golden Retriever Leo in this commercial

This is Golden Retriever Leo acting just for a second in a family commercial. We love it as it reminds us of one of Alfie’s favorite begging positions. Of course, the ad would have been greatly improved if his part was larger.

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Meet the 1st Golden to win AKC’s Law Enforcement ACE Award

ROBIN IS THE FIRST GOLDEN RETRIEVER IN HISTORY to win the American Kennel Club Humane Fund Award for Canine Excellence (ACE) in Law Enforcement [2009]. This is an incredible feat and we are so proud that Mary MacQueen and her Golden Robin are the recipients. We came to know about Mary’s exceptional work in 2002 [...]

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Comparative Veterinary Oncology: Studying Canine Cancers = New Cancer Treatments for both Humans & Dogs

Our Golden Oliver led the way when our site came online in 1997. And, his valiant struggle and loss to lymphoma helped us channel our efforts in more healthful and holistic ways. Yet, even with reduced vaccinations, filtered water, a chemically-clean environment, organic foods, and more, we did not escape a fibrosarcoma diagnosis with our [...]

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Meet our Grand Prize *Golden* Winner!

“Keller and Golden Tally (Goldiva’s Tangled Up In Blue CGC) are the world’s best playmates. All they need is a simple stick to have a blast as long as they’re together.” — Photographer Laura Jill Simmons. It doesn’t get much sweeter than this. Come check out all the winners in our prize-packed contest.

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So happy to help Service Dog Gadget

Meet Sharon Wachsler and her Bouvier des Flandres Service Dog, Gadget [9/2009]. Gadget, who is with his partner 24/7, was trained by Sharon to do the following: Open and shut doors Turn lights on and off Retrieve items Carry necessities Answer the phone (getting the phone when it rings) Brace on command, stiffening body to [...]

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Protect Insurance Companies: Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm Speak Out Against The Public Option

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Sunbear Squad Watch Tip of the Week: Sept 21st

The Sunbear Squad has resolved to make a difference for neglected and abused companion animals. They are transforming animal lovers into animal welfare defenders — with knowledge, tools, and inspiration. Watch Tip: Watch for pets without fresh water as warm breezy fall days cause dehydration. Pets without shade are more vulnerable to heat stroke. Be [...]

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Yes . . . You Raise Me Up

I just love this song by Josh Groban, but this version is truly special. The fact that it is being sung by a young man with Asperger’s, an autism spectrum disorder, after shutting himself in his home for 7 years out of fear, is simply amazing. As a school psychologist and private clinician, I have [...]

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Wishing a Sweet, Happy & Golden Jewish New Year!

Twittelah: Twitter for Jewish Mothers. With Twitteleh, you can update your Jewish mother in a flash. Actually calling your Jewish mother takes hours, and drains you of energy. With Twitteleh, you can update your Jewish mother in an instant. Use all of your extra time for kvetching, kibbutzing, and schtupping.

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Al Franken’s *Golden Retriever* inspiration – Update

I’ve posted about Al Franken here, here & here, and continue to be so impressed by what he is trying to do in truly making a difference for his constituents. He is a dog lover, of course, as one would expect him to be. A Labrador Retriever guy, in fact. Contributing Editor Warren Kalbacker squared [...]

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Sure needed Golden Burt’s story to brighten this sad day

I just received a funny, quite doggy tale from Scotty Richardson. Scotty actually submitted a prize-winning entry, Goldens ─ Behind Bars, in our very first contest here at the Land of PureGold.  Scotty currently [9/2009] has four Golden Retrievers, and they have all worked up a storm, doing some mighty fine therapy dog work. You [...]

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2 Goldens who survived: A 9-11 Story … & Update

Eight years ago I featured a story at my site about two Golden Retrievers who survived very traumatic beginnings, and then were met again with tragedy. But, thankfully special love from some truly Golden folks continued to follow them wherever they went. Nan Schramm told the tale and brought it full circle today with a [...]

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Golden Retriever, Bloodhound & Otter unlikely best friends

A little black 18-month old otter named Ottie was hit by a car. He was taken to the Sanctuary on the Sapelo in Pine Harbour, Georgia, a wildlife sanctuary caring for injured animals, where he made a full recovery. During Ottie’s rehab, which took several weeks, he became friends with Donor, an 11-month-old female bloodhound [...]

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Don’t know who is funnier: Golden Porkchop or her Dad

I just added the funniest tale to my Foundation site’s Golden Oldies section. The author, Scotty Richardson, who has done much therapy dog work, actually submitted a prize-winning entry, Goldens ─ Behind Bars, in our very first contest here at the Land of PureGold. Here is the beginning of Golden Retriever Porkchop’s story: No, this [...]

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Dr. Wolfelt’s Companioning vs. Treating – Updated

Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., C.T. is an internationally noted author, educator and grief counselor. He serves as Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition and is on the faculty at the University of Colorado Medical School’s Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Wolfelt is the author of When Your Pet Dies: A Guide to [...]

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From Mika, We Are Golden

Unfortunately, not as in Golden Retriever. I do love Mika’s last album, but am not so sure what the new one will be all about. This song is the first to come out from his latest CD, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. A year and a half ago we blogged about Mika and his [...]

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Veterinary Hospice or End-of-Life Care: An Evolving Field

A fabulous 2009 article, Veterinary Hospice: Ways to nurture our pets at the end of life, speaks well to the delicate issues in this emergent area. As animal guardians, we must make choices for our pets, but on the whole, the veterinary profession – while excellent at offering medically oriented solutions – is not well [...]

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Sunbear Squad Watch Tip of the Week: September 6th

The Sunbear Squad has resolved to make a difference for neglected and abused companion animals. They are transforming animal lovers into animal welfare defenders — with knowledge, tools, and inspiration. Watch Tip: Watch for pets along rural highways that have been injured by farm machinery during the harvest season. Be prepared to act quickly. Be [...]

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I bet your pets are unprotected from toxic chemicals.

Learn more about BPA, phthalates, the Dirty Dozen, and so much more. And, then get tons of help with my 22 tips to lowering your companion animals’ exposure to toxins. Just click here.

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Missing my sweet Golden Darcy

Friendship Darcy Makena AX AXJ CGC—or Darcy Girl as I often called her—is no longer by my side. She lost her battle to fibrosarcoma on February 12, 2006, and honestly, I haven’t been the same since. This is the adorable image that fills the screens of two 21-inch flat screen computer monitors that sit on [...]

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Golden Retriever Kitty Pals

Gabriel and Stanley, Golden Retriever & Tuxedo Cat, are best buddies. Here’s examples of how they keep each other company.

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Tedicare . . . Golden Retriever Style

I saw Phoenix Woman’s blog post, Public Option: Tedicare for All, and knew I wanted to create a compelling image to go with the idea. So, now that we’ve established that what Max Baucus and his insurance-industry buddies want is not what Teddy Kennedy wanted, the question is: What did Teddy Want? We’ve already established [...]

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