Check me out everybody: I am about to post something that’s not a list of Twitter updates nor a blurry shot of a crappy band!  I’M GONNA TALK ABOUT DOGS!!!!!

I’ve fostered  around fifteen dogs over the last few years, almost every single one of which was awesome.  Even the one that wasn’t entirely awesome was still super fun.  I have had a blast getting to be a fake home for all these dogs over the years.  Seriously.  Unfortunately, my time as a foster parent is ending, and the timing couldn’t be worse. As Good As Gold is the golden retriever rescue group that I volunteer for, and they are inundated with dogs.  There are 45 in foster care right now, plus another five waiting in area shelters for a home they can come into.  Not only that, but I soon have to give up the super amazing dog I’ve had for the last several months because I’m moving.  Totally lame.

Anyhow, the point is that fostering dogs through As Good As Gold is really fun and satisfying, especially after you’ve placed your first dog with it’s new family.  People always ask whether it’s hard for me to give up the dogs after I’ve had them for awhile, and I always say the same thing.  You do get super attached to the dogs, and it’s a little hard to give them up, but that tiny bit of sadness is completely overpowered by the sense of awesomeness you get when you introduce your sweet dog to its forever family, especially when there’re kids involved.

If you’ve ever thought about fostering, I can’t recommend it enough.  It’s really a blast, and it’s a tiny, easy way to make life better for a bunch of really sweet dogs.  If you’re at all interested in being a foster home, or specifically fostering Curtis once I can’t do it any more, please let me know.   Below is a recent e-mail from the As Good As Gold Foster Coordinators, as well as a gallery of some of the dogs I’ve had over the years.  If you don’t live in Illinois or if (somehow) you don’t like golden retrievers, I’m sure there are plenty of other rescue groups that could use the help, but I doubt there are any as great as AGaG!

It has been several years since I have had to send an email like this one.  Because we have developed an outstanding network of foster homes and adoptive home applicants, we have been moving dogs in and out of foster care expeditiously and have had adequate foster home numbers. But this summer has taken its toll on us.  We currently have over 45 dogs in foster care and no end in sight. We have had 5 urgent dogs from shelters just since Friday.  We are quickly running out of foster homes.

Ideally, we would love to hear from anyone who has had a foster home visit or adoptive home visit in the past.  We will be able to use you immediately.  If not, we can arrange a home visit quickly.

Our main objective is to get the dogs out of shelters or bad homes and into foster care as quickly as we can.  Its all about getting the dog safe.  So even if you can only help for a few weeks at a time, you will still be helping.  If we can use your home to get a dog safe and then move them into a permanent foster home, that is a big help.  And we can always use dogsitters.  Summer is upon us and that means vacations.  If we do not have dogsitters for our foster homes, we have to tie up other foster homes with dogistting.

I really do hate to play on your emotions and tug at the heartstrings.  We all do what we can based on what is going on in our lives.  I’m just asking you to take a moment to see if you might be in a place where you can help out.

Thank you for your consideration on this matter and enjoy the rest of the summer.

April Hammer
Kris Hawley
Foster Coordinators
As Good as Gold Golden Retriever Rescue

A few winters ago, my father was helping me do some work around the house, and he suggested, after slipping on what were at the time slippery, snowy stairs, that I re-paint the back stairs and put some cutting-edge anti-slip technology to good use.  Years later, I did it.   PRETTY COOL!!!  They used to be painted this awesome (not actually awesome) teal color, so while I’ve lost the Miami party atmosphere that made my back stairs such a cool party hang out, I’ve gained…  well, very little, now that I think of it.  BUT I DID TAKE PICTURES.

Sorry, but I seriously can’t get enough of this camera.  I did yard work yesterday, then I went to the gym.  I changed the photos to every five minutes, not every minute like on walks.  There are 80 pictures…  I decided to even include the solid black ones to help illustrate..  well, i don’t know…  That sometimes Curtis doesn’t move a lot?

The camera kinda sits funny on Curtis’s collar when’s he got a leash on, so these are a little weirder than usual.  This camera kinda makes my day.

Lisa is leaving tonight.  We just got back from out last walk.  This is what she saw.  Sorta.

What kinda of metal?  Why, gold, of course!

The dressing room

Metal Dog! Look at the Camera!

She doesn't have a very metal expression, but she's still pretty metal.

She won’t sit still for a photo, but she will roll around on the ground.

I don’t know.

I tried to get one showing off our matching jacket/leash/collar combo, but it didn’t work out so well.  Oh well.