Welcome to Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta

DeDe What the heart has once owned and had, it shall never lose.

--Henry Ward

Passed away in loving foster care.

DeDe In his short life he received a lifetime worth of love.

DeDe Cold nose, Warm heart, Always smiling, Always in our hearts. We'll miss you!

DeDe Solomon passed away from Heartworm complications; he's now with Hugs.

DeDe You were there every time I came home to greet me. You slept by my side and was guardian over me. You were my friend and companion by day, and my protector at night. We grew together, we lived together, we learned to trust together. We went through good and sad times together. We were more than just a Mom and a dog. We were companions. You were my friend. You got sick suddenly and without warning but it seemed like no matter what, you were still there for me. You stood by my bedside these last weeks’- never wavering in your loyalty to me as I recovered from my back surgery - Never letting on how very sick you were; as if to protect me. All of a sudden you didn’t want ALL of your favorite things… All of a sudden your beautiful body seemed weak and wobbly, and your eyes looked sad… I took you to the vet. There was no cure. I had to let you go Go above the clouds and beyond my angel… I cannot understand why this happened to you, you were so young, and we only had four very short years’ together; not long enough – but I know your time had come. I hugged you and sang to you with tears in my eyes, trying to be brave while a piece of me was dying inside. Until we meet again be brave and please don’t ever forget me. Daughter, friend and companion . “Always’ and forever until eternity. I love you bunches - This I promise you.”

Now you have left me My Girl and are no longer in my hands. You are in God’s hands,’ I know He will take very good care of you. I still feel your presence in the house when I see a picture of you, your beds’, your toys’… Like you are standing beside me, wagging your tail and smiling I know that I have a guardian angel watching over me. You will always be my guardian angel, my sweet girl, my “Sydsy”

DeDe The silence was deafening - no dog toenails clacking across the kitchen
floor, no wagging tails, no panting. We were lonely Golden owners after
the death of our elderly Golden, Shadow. A friend who had been involved
with GRRA recommended that we check out the rescue dogs as many were in
need of a loving home and we needed to share our love. We contacted GRRA, completed the paperwork, passed the home visit and were advised about prospective dogs. After a couple of visits with no connection, GRRA recommended a dog who had seen rough times. She had been rescued after a hurricane in North Carolina and adopted out, but returned due to some unfortunate issues.
We went to visit Casey at her foster parent's home ,and needless to say, she went home with us. Her age was estimated to be 2 years old at the time of adoption. She had health issues, broken teeth, anxieties and was afraid of boxes. She also would not willingly go through doorways!??? We worked with her and welcomed her into our home. She was a dear dog with a great spirit. Definitely a survivor with a strong will to live. Her buddy, Gunner, our other dog who came to us as a puppy a few months after Casey's adoption, loved her and deviled her from the time he was old enough to walk. Casey had physically failed over the past few months with progressive arthritis, deafness & eyesight problems. Even at the end she would struggle to nuzzle up against our legs and rest her head on our chests asking to be petted as we lay on the sofa watching tv. The vet said she had a brain tumor which probably caused a stroke. She was 13 years old. Goodbye dear friend! Happy tail wagging & pain free days.
Love, Phillilp, Cindi, Stephanie & Gunner

Gus came to us through the rescue on September 21, 2002 and was named by the person who found him when he was most in need. Gus stands for "God's Unexpected Surprise." We picked him up at Debbie Glover's house in Rutledge that Saturday after first meeting him the weekend before. Debbie would say that Gus picked us. Whether that's true or not, we don't know, but we wanted him the moment we laid eyes on him. Gus lived up to his name.

Gus had been a stray dog in Madison for some period of time and was malnourished and in need of surgery. He had been hit by a car and needed to have a hernia fixed. When that procedure was over, his doctor noticed a lump on his spine. After a biopsy, it was thought that he had inflammatory tissue, possibly cancer, where he had been shot by someone in the past. We went over to Auburn for that surgery and I can still remember the look on his face when I went to pick him up - Gus never stopped smiling. We got in the car and drove back to Atlanta where my wife was waiting for him. She slept on the floor with him for days until Gus got over the pain of his ordeal. Even though he was hurting, he still wagged his tail for us.

And so our life with Gus began. We went everywhere together, as Gus knew he belonged in the car. He hurdled though the window of my wife's car once when she rolled it down just long enough to wave. Gus was never one to hang his head out the window though - he'd just lounge in the backseat and enjoy the ride. Gus loved tennis balls and any fluffy toy. He loved napping on couches and, in the summer, sleeping in cold bathtubs. Gus loved us as only a Golden can. He would show us with eyes full of laughter and a cold nose nuzzling us whenever we needed it most. Gus helped glue our family together.

He got sick again a couple of years ago. He had a mast cell tumor on his back leg and his vet raised serious questions about whether Gus, who must have been at least 7 years old at the time, might be sick elsewhere in places we couldn't see. We didn't care - Gus was our family and he needed surgery, so Gus got what he needed. He came back home with a clean bill of health just in time for Halloween. He had the stitches to make any costume authentic and sat on the porch between the pumpkins to hand out candy that year.

We decided to adopt a brother for Gus not long after that surgery. Nash also joined our family through Debbie Glover's help and promptly reminded Gus that he had a lot of living left to do. Gus and Nash were inseparable and Gus taught Nash everything he knew about the good life. Thanks to Gus' mentoring, Nash now can spot a comfy couch or overstuffed chair and makes proper use of bed pillows. Nash also recognizes that he is entitled to the last bite of anything a human consumes in his presence. Such is the Divine Privilege afforded all Goldens. Gus knew all these things by instinct and passed them on to his younger brother.

Gus and Nash together were the prototypical example of boys being boys. When alarm clocks were ignored, they'd wrestle to wake us up. They also knew which days were weekends and would make sure to display the full extent of their rambunctious behavior on those mornings. Gus in particular would mischievously smile on weekend mornings and would instigate the activity while still managing to appear as an innocent bystander when enough was enough. He apparently elected not to teach Nash either discretion or politicking. Gus had wisdom and street smarts.

Gus slowly transitioned into the quiet period of his life. Naps grew longer and his dreams were more vivid. Though he was running less outside, he jogged miles and miles in his sleep with all four legs going and the occasional barks to keep cadence. Eventually, we added a baby to our family and Gus served with pride as her gentle, furry jungle gym. Our daughter learned to feed Gus table scraps before she learned to feed herself. She would point at him and try to say "dog" while holding out a soggy cheddar goldfish. She always cried when we would tidy her up after dinner with a paper towel, but squealed with glee when Gus did the honors. Gus knew the right way to do everything.

He got sick on Friday but tried to hide it. He was moving very slowly and didn't want breakfast. We went to the vet and he got under the chair in the waiting room - Gus had grown weary of medical offices. It took a little while to figure out what was happening. In retrospect, Gus' eyes told the true tale. Goldens always know more than we do. Nash knew too. Once we got home from the vet on Friday, Nash would not leave Gus' side. He napped with Gus and did not try to play or wrestle.

We had to go back to the vet on Saturday afternoon. We had been hoping against hope that Gus was just under the weather and would bounce back. He'd dodged a number of bullets in years past and had gotten good at it. Unfortunately, we found out that Gus was bleeding into his belly from more cancer, the liver this time. He wagged his tail hardest when we had to make the choice no one wants to make. He licked us and we snuggled. We tried to tell him we were sorry, but as Goldens always do, he apologized first. We had to let him go.

Gus was larger than life. He had cunning and wit and quiet dignity. He had understanding and intelligence. He had humor and empathy. He was a teacher of humans and animals. He never failed to extract smiles from everyone he saw. Gus gave us unconditional love. We hope we honored him with a home and family. There will not ever be another Gus. We do miss him so.

--Jeff and Tracy Braintwain

Cash came to our foster home as an owner turn-in on Bastille Day in 2001 with a tennis ball in his mouth and a personality all his own. He melted our hearts and even captured the love and affection of our other adopted Golden. Looking back, it probably did not take more than an hour to know he would become part of our family and would not even make it to Adoption Day. The expression, ‘A Dog for the People’ sums up Cash. He was so popular that he became the star guest at neighborhood sleepovers. His beautiful face, his expressive eyes, and gentle manner appealed to everyone who met him. Unlike our other darling Golden, he was never naughty and did not know how to misbehave. Cash loved adventure, but was a little timid so his younger ‘sister’ Casey was always there to protect him and escort him through any potential uncertain situations. They moved with us to London where they were soon recognized as the ‘American Goldens’ because of their coat and color. Cash’s puppy face, despite his middle age, melted both the young and old passers-by who always asked if they could pet him. We moved to Switzerland over the summer where he loved our alpine walks and crystal clear lake swimming sessions. Sadly and almost overnight our darling puppyish Cash became an old man. X-rays showed a mass that was squeezing his organs and in three short weeks he was taken from our lives. The despair and grief over his loss will be ongoing, but we will always remember the sunshine, happiness and joy that Cash bought to our lives and all those he touched.

---Debbie Salivar Leimgruber