Disaster Search & Rescue Dog Woody

Five years ago, when our television screens were filled with images at ground zero, we Golden-obsessed folks searched for images and tales of the wonderful Disaster Urban Search & Rescue Goldens. One of the dogs that I highlighted at my site’s page on these highly trained working dogs was Golden Woody.

In a recent article, firefigher Lt. Terry Trepanier talked about the 10 days that he spent on the pile with his guy Woody. I just love this passage:

The firefighter also recalled light-hearted moments. “I’ll never forget one member of our team who, during a rest period, asked, ‘Can’t you put that dog on Ritalin?’ ” Trepanier said.Woody, in Trepanier’s words, was bouncing off the walls. Energy is an asset in search and rescue dogs.

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There’s Gold in Them There Waves

There’s Gold in Them There Waves: Dog Lovers Gather in Jupiter Beach
By Michelle Sheldone, TCPalm

Beachgoers this weekend are to discover “gold” when a group of “parents” from throughout the region gather in Jupiter for a play date that gives an all new meaning to the dog days of summer.The men and women, all proud owners of golden retrievers, are part of a “meetup” group that has been holding regular get-togethers like this since June.

On Saturday morning, they high tail it over to Jupiter Beach at access marker 18.

“It’s a good social thing,” Beth Scanlon of Palm Beach Gardens said. “They get to go to the beach, where they love water and to exercise and run and play.”

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Raising Puppies to Help Others is an Enjoyable Challenge

Raising Puppies to Help Others is an Enjoyable Challenge
By Denise Goodman, MaineCoastNow.com

Dogs are a lot like humans, Belfast’s Pat Webber says. Some develop confidence to handle difficult or complicated situations while some others get really stressed out when assigned too much responsibility.Webber, Maine coordinator for Puppy Raisers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, has been training potential guide dog puppies for 14 years and points to Big Ray, her golden retriever as an example. “He did really well when being told what to do, but he began to stress out when it was his job to make decisions.”

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Boy to Receive Help with Disability

Boy to Receive Help with Disability
By Denise Wahlquist, Cedar City Review

Woody Brinkerhoff holds his new service dog, Kira.Being an 11 year-old boy can be challenging enough with Cub Scouts, school, and all the prospects of life weighing down on you, but for Woody Brinkerhoff, things are quite a bit more difficult. Woody has a rare disease called Fibromuscular Dysplasia with secondary moya-moya.

In layman’s terms, the disease basically fills the surrounding muscles of the arteries with fibrous tissue that won’t stretch. As Woody grows, his arteries cannot stretch out and grow, so they just get thicker. His circulation becomes worse because there is no room inside the walls of the blood vessels for the blood to move freely. Usually FMD affects the kidneys, but with Woody, it affects him all over. Woody’s story is simple and somewhat heartbreaking, but this resilient young man responds with a hardy attitude and a passion for living life to its fullest. One would never know at first glance that he has to deal with so much.

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