Macie

MACIE and MAX were adopted together by a family who reports: I'm not quite sure there's a whole lot to say as far as a success story. From the day my partner and I picked them up and brought them home almost everything about having them has been relatively easy and natural, almost like they've always been here (even though its only been a year). I think because they were both adults that had already been trained, the whole process of them adapting to and fitting in to our household went very smoothly. Its amazing how different they are personality wise. Macie is cool, calm, and collected with a mind of her own and Max is a huge love muffin goofball who thinks he's a 70lb lap dog. As a friend of mine likes to say, "when these two adopted you, they won the doggy lottery". We definitely don't spoil them but to say that they want for absolutely nothing, including love and affection and a variety of treats that rivals Petco's, would probably be a fair statement.

Murray

Meet Murray! Murray was adopted in May of 2004 through what is now the Golden Gate Basset Rescue. While he was never actually taken into the rescue, his former owner was about to turn him in when we contacted the rescue looking for a basset. The rescue put us in contact with the owner who we talked with over the phone. It sounded like Murray would fit in well with our family. We drove from Hollister to Stockton to meet him and his family who were driving from Pioneer. We couldn’t believe how BIG he was! He was lovable and calm and interacted well with our baby, toddler, and 14 year-old American Eskimo who were all along for the trip. We adopted him on the spot and took him into our home. Murray does have a deformity in his front legs that prevents him from walking or running for very long. He enjoys short walks immediately followed by a long nap. Murray loves to sleep and will drown out the TV with his snoring! He is not shy about stretching out on his back and going deep into dreamland. After searching for the perfect homeless basset for months, I knew we had the right one when I noticed my one year-old son stepping on Murray’s hip to help climb up onto a chair. Murray was watching the baby as if to say, “Be careful! Is there anything else I can do to help you?” He also welcomed our newest family member, Becky (American Eskimo), with open paws. We adopted her in January 2005 after our older Eskimo passed away in December. Murray has been THE perfect addition to our family. Thank you GGBR!

Madden

We started Fostering Kahlua on June 7th, 2007. She was SO petite, weighing in at 38 pounds!! Teddi, Casper and I picked her up after work and we went for a long walk so that everyone could get acquainted and I asked my girls if she could come to our house and stay for a while. She was SO shy! She would hide behind me if a strange dog came up to her and she did the same when people tried to pet her. She didn’t like the dog park much at all and would not leave my side!! Shawn told her after the first night that she could stay with us if SHE wanted to!! Kahlua was renamed Madden to keep with our Raider theme and she picked up on her new name fairly quickly, and everything was going good for the first month, or so I thought. However, since she had been an only dog in her previous home, she didn’t know about waiting her turn and letting the “senior” dogs go first, and since I wasn’t doing anything to “teach” Madden the correct way to do things, Casper took it upon herself to show Madden who’s the boss!! I realized the error in my ways and started making sure that Teddi and Casper got petted first and left the house before Madden and things have calmed down a LOT!! At the end of September, Madden grabbed her first toy EVER!! Her previous family said that she never liked toys, so we were VERY thrilled!! We praised her and praised her and told her what a good girl she was!! And then 2 days before Madden’s 6th birthday in October, she started chasing after Teddi and Casper as they ran through the house!! What a sight that was!! She’s still not sure what to do with them once she catches them, but at least she’s joining in and trying!! Madden is letting her personality show more and more and she is a LOVE!! She loves to snuggle. She loves going on hikes, either on-leash or off-leash!! She’s got to meet some cows and horses up in Garin Park and has become quite a bird dog, loving to chase after birds of all sizes!! Oh, and she’s up to 48 pounds at the last vet check!! The girl LOVES her treats (as long as they’re not green beans!!)!! J Adopting Madden has been such a blessing and we look forward to many, many years together!! ~Gwen & Shawn Dossey- Slave to Teddi, Casper and Madden~