During the 24 hours of giving, Omaha Gives raises millions of dollars for the community and over 900 participating non-profits. The Omaha Community Foundation has brought this outstanding opportunity to the metro for seven years.

This year’s donations will help us cover medical care needed for GRRIN foster dogs. In 2018, the average vet expenses for each of the 29 dogs we rescued was just under $500. We were extremely grateful to have the resources to care for six Golden oldies with loving foster homes and the ability to pay for all of their medical expenses so they can live comfortably.

As of May 1, you can schedule your donation for Omaha Gives! Just click here to go directly to our Omaha Gives donation page.

Or, make your donation on Wednesday the 22nd. The giving begins at midnight with a minimum $10 donation and hourly drawings and prizes make your donations go further. So start gathering your circles and get ready for another great big give-together!

Follow all of the action for Omaha’s 7th day of giving on May 22nd on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Pups on the Patio!

Make sure to come celebrate on the 22nd with our volunteers and supporters at Pizza West in La Vista from 4-8pm. We’ll be on the patio and friendly pups are invited!

12040 McDermott Plz., La Vista

Click here for a map.

Hi GRRIN members and friends,

GRRIN needs your help. We are in desperate need of foster families! Unfortunately, I can’t tell you this is as easy as babysitting. We’ve been getting requests to take some very young dogs (4-6 months), still puppies who need initial training and confidence building, and some former breeding dogs who need love, patience, and socialization.

We need people who are committed enough to take on these challenging dogs and help them get ready for adoption into a forever home. Can you help? Send your name and phone number to info@grrin.org, and I’ll call you so we can chat about this possibility. You can also learn more about our foster program here.

Thanks for your consideration,

Judy Davis

GRRIN Rescue Coordinator

Sunday, April 28, Noon-2pm

Join GRRIN as we celebrate another great year in rescue! Thinking about becoming a volunteer? Own a Golden and want to meet other Golden Retriever fanatics? (Let’s face it, we’re crazy about our dogs.) Everyone is welcome, including your beloved canine family members. We’re serving lunch, conducting a short business meeting, and then we get to visit about – what else – our wonderful Goldens!

We’ll also have a very short business meeting:

• Vote on open board positions
• Review finance and rescue reports
• Pre-planning for Gold Rush will be discussed and GRRIN would love to hear your ideas

To recap:

Fun for dogs and people! Bring your Goldens (or any friendly dog on a leash). Lunch will be served. Shop at the GRRIN store.

RSVP 402-330-6680 or volunteer@grrin.org so we can make sure we have enough goodies to eat!

Saturday, May 18th

You are invited to Capital Humane Society’s biggest party for people and pets, an annual fundraising event. GRRIN will be meeting and greeting, come out and visit with us!

Join us on Saturday, May 19th as we walk, run, eat, play, and have fun with our furry friends. The event will be at the Fallbrook Town Center.

The day includes a half mile and full mile walk, live music, food trucks, our Flea-less Market full of vendors, activities for you and your canine friend, raffle items, a 50/50 raffle, demonstrations, contests, adoption pets, and more! There are many activities for you and your pets including bobbing for hot dogs, human vs. dog peanut butter licking contest, mutt mutt golf, and more!

Everyone is welcome, with or without a pet! Our goal is to raise $50,000!

Registration is $25 for individuals or $35 for families & couples. You can start a fundraising team now, and if you, as an individual, raise $100 in donations you will receive a Tails ‘N Trails t-shirt!

Fallbrook Town Center
570 Fallbrook Blvd
Lincoln, NE 68521

Click here for a map.

GRRIN wants to share a great opportunity for dog lovers to walk their canine family members in a fun new environment! Lauritzen Gardens welcomes pets and their human friends so come on out and take a beautiful walk with your favorite canine.

In Lauritzen’s Words…

May 6 and 13, June 3 and 10, July 1 and 8, August 5 and 12, September 2 and 9, and October 7 and 14, 2019

5 to 8 p.m.

The garden has gone to the dogs! Bring your canine friends to walk the grounds and enjoy the great outdoors together. This is an informal, fun way to enjoy and explore our 100 acres and miles of trails with the family and the family dog. Water and treats will be available at stations throughout the garden. Don’t miss this tail wagging good time!

The following rules and regulations are in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our visitors, their dogs, and the protection of Lauritzen Gardens’ collections:

• This event is exclusively for the listed times and dates. Non-service dogs are not allowed during other hours of operation.
• Two dogs admitted per adult
• Dogs must be up-to-date on all vaccinations and registrations and have a current rabies tag attached to their collars
• Dogs must be on a leash at all times and should stay out of garden beds and water features
• Handlers are responsible for picking up after their dogs and disposing of their waste
• Enter through the visitor and education center

Admission is $10, FREE for garden members

Dog admission is $5, FREE for garden members

For more information, visit Leashes at Lauritzen.

Come visit the GRRIN booth at the I Love My Dog Expo in Lincoln, February 23rd – 24th in Lincoln, NE.

See the event listing on our events calendar for more details:

http://grrin.org/event/love-dog-expo-3/

Thank you to everyone who attended annual training! Laurie Weidinger of Dog Skool U graciously provided a demonstration of dog obedience skills and GRRIN dog Clyde volunteered to help her out.

Sunday, January 27th, 2019
Luncheon 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.
Training 12:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Nebraska Humane Society Auditorium

RSVP to volunteer@grrin.org

New to GRRIN? So are a lot of us! Come out and meet other volunteers and board members. Thinking about volunteering? This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about what we do and how you can help Golden Retrievers in need.

Plan to join us as we socialize and cover hot rescue topics!

• Lunch provided along with snacks and beverages
• Rescue coordinators will highlight their piece of the rescue puzzle
• No dogs, please

The Nebraska Humane Society is located at 8929 Fort Street, Omaha.

We will be in the auditorium (hallway to the right of the main entrance).

In case of inclement weather, we will post cancellation information on our website and Facebook page.

It’s time to join GRRIN or renew your membership! As we wrap up our 27th year of rescue, we ask for your support by renewing your membership or becoming a new member.

The annual membership fee is $15 for one applicant and $10 for each additional applicant. You can also make an end-of-year donation. Just visit our Become a Member web page, fill out the online form, and then click the button that takes you to our PayPal page. Questions? Send us an email – info@grrin.org.

Thanks to Woof & Whiskers for hosting Growl-O-Ween, a huge success! It was so fun and there were a lot of people and dogs in great costumes! Kendra, you and your family did an amazing job! Thank you for having this event. Our rescue had an AMAZING time! Thank you for having us!! Until next year…

Growl-O-Ween is being hosted by Woof & Whiskers on Sunday, October 21, Noon-3pm.

Here is information about the event from Woof & Whiskers. Learn more by visiting their Facebook event page.

Growl-O-Ween 2018 is going to be bigger than ever! $10.00 per dog CASH ONLY PLEASE donated to local charities (This year you get to choose your donation recipient)! Located in the back parking lot of Woof & Whiskers, we will have games, treats, tricks, caricatures and vendors from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM! We will also have our professional pet groomers doing Nail Trims ($10) & Grinds ($12) CASH ONLY PLEASE with profit going 100% to The Goodlife Bulldog Rescue!
Enter our costume contest anytime between 12-2 PM and you could win big prizes! We will be trick or treating around the shopping center at 2:30 with all natural treats provided by yours truly! Please bring a bag from home for your goodies.

Rules:
1) No FLEXI leashes (All dogs must be on a 6 foot or shorter leash)
2) Kids attending must stay with parents at all times and ask before petting any dog. (Not all dogs are kid friendly so please ask!)
3) Dogs must remain on a leash at all times

If your dog is not dog friendly and would like to participate, you may trick or treat on behalf of your dog, just make a donation! Dogs may also enter the costume contest privately by a photo provided the day of event. We understand not all dogs do well in a public environment and they deserve a chance to join the fun as well! Caricatures will also be able to be done for a small fee, if your pet is unable to come, bring a photo and our artist can draw one from your photo!

THANK YOU to everyone who braved the rain on Sunday to attend Gold Rush! We always say the event goes on “rain or shine” but we had to put those words into practice by moving most of the activities indoors. Dogs weren’t allowed in the clubhouse so we set up “pup” tents to keep the dogs and their handlers out of the rain.

Special thanks to the vendors who came out to share dog treats and cool swag:

Follow everything that’s happening today at Gold Rush on our Facebook event page!

We’ll have “Goldens Galore” at our annual Gold Rush reunion!

GRRIN is an all-volunteer organization – we couldn’t rescue Golden Retrievers without dedicated volunteers! People often ask about the different tasks that occur in rescue. Now you can follow volunteer Aaron Barnes on a transport mission to pick up GRRIN dog Charlie, just click here to watch the video.

Have you ever wanted to help out GRRIN by doing almost nothing? If you are an online shopper, you can earn money for GRRIN simply by making purchases on amazon.

Our Amazon Smiles donations were $188.20 in 2017!

How can I do this amazing thing?

When you want to shop on amazon, simply go to smile.amazon.com instead of www.amazon.com. It’s exactly the same as amazon, but a small percentage of your eligible purchases will be donated to GRRIN.

How will amazon know I want to support GRRIN?

To select GRRIN as your organization of choice to receive donations, simply click on this link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-0758414

(Alternatively, you can search for “Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska” on AmazonSmile and select us as your organization.)

You only need to do this once. In the future, amazon will remember that you want your shopping to support GRRIN.

Is it really that easy?

Yes! So go to smile.amazon.com and shop to support GRRIN!

Still have questions?

Go to the AmazonSmile about page to learn more about the program: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about

We need your help!

If you’ve thought about fostering or have fostered for GRRIN in the past, please consider volunteering for this very worthwhile cause. During the summer months we tend to be short on foster homes because school is out or families are traveling. Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to act quickly to get surrendered dogs into GRRIN because we just don’t have enough homes that can take them on short notice.

While the number of dogs coming through our rescue has decreased over the years (a great problem to have, right?), the number of dogs with particular needs has increased. When we get a senior dog who has serious medical problems, GRRIN pays for the veterinary costs, but the foster family is expected to take the dog for treatment(s).   When we get surrenders from a breeder, those dogs have frequently never been indoors and therefore have to be house trained and taught the behaviors involved with living with a family. If a dog comes in that has never walked on a leash, the foster family is tasked with teaching that skill to make him/her more adoptable. If you can offer a home for ANY rescued Golden Retriever, please consider helping GRRIN.

When you foster, the one thing you can count on is that you’ll have an amazing experience inviting a rescue dog into your home and you’ll have GRRIN’s team of rescue volunteers helping you along the way.

Would you like to learn more about fostering for GRRIN?  Send an email to info@grrin.org and include your phone number so we can call you and answer any questions you might have.

Thanks for coming out to support Lincoln Animal Ambassadors at Deer Springs Winery! Check out pictures on their Facebook page.

Wine & Howl brings together all the best parts of summer for a fantastic afternoon event! Bring your dog, a blanket or lawn chair and join us on June 2nd for an afternoon of dogs, food, wine and music. If you are looking for a new companion, many of the area’s rescue organizations will be bringing pets looking for their forever homes.

You won’t want to miss the raffle prizes, featuring pet, wine, and decor gift baskets from all around the area. With just a suggested donation of $8 to attend; there are just too many reasons you have got to be there! The wine will start pouring at 11AM and the bands will play until 5PM.

Visit our calendar page for a map to this event.

Thank you GRRIN supporters for your outstanding participation in Omaha Gives! We raised $6695 with the help of many generous donors. Your donations will help us cover medical care needed for GRRIN foster dogs.

In 2017 the majority of our funds covered veterinary expenses – over $500 for each of the 28 dogs we rescued. Extreme vet care included treating severe dental disease, allergies and ear infections, thyroid imbalance, lump and bump removal, and palliative care. Something as simple as a dental cleaning will cost approximately $500, and even more if teeth need to be extracted. Eight of our foster dogs were eight years of age and older, classified as seniors. We are extremely grateful to have the resources to care for these Golden oldies with loving foster homes and the ability to pay for all of their medical expenses so they can live comfortably in their later years.

During the 24 hours of giving, Omaha Gives! raises millions of dollars for the community and over 900 participating non-profits. The Omaha Community Foundation has brought this outstanding opportunity to the metro for six years.

This year’s donations will help us cover medical care needed for GRRIN foster dogs. In 2017, the average vet expenses for each of the 28 dogs we rescued was over $500. We were extremely grateful to have the resources to care for eight Golden oldies with loving foster homes and the ability to pay for all of their medical expenses so they can live comfortably.

As of May 1, you can schedule your donation for Omaha Gives! Just click here to go directly to our Omaha Gives donation page.

Or, make your donation on Wednesday the 23rd. The giving begins at midnight with a minimum $10 donation and hourly drawings and prizes make your donations go further. So start gathering your circles and get ready for another great big give-together!

Follow all of the action for Omaha’s 6th day of giving on May 23rd on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Pups on the Patio!

Make sure to come celebrate on the 23rd with our volunteers and supporters at Pizza West in La Vista from 5-8pm. We’ll be on the patio and friendly pups are invited!

12040 McDermott Plz., La Vista

Click here for a map.

Congratulations to Rocky and his fur-parents, Jim and Mary Jane Fitch, who just received the 2018 Nebraska Veterinary Medicine Association’s Animal Hall of Fame award in January! Even more exciting, they visited the State Capitol where Lt. Governor Mike Foley presented a proclamation from Governor Pete Ricketts highlighting March 5, 2018 as Animal Hall of Fame Recognition Day in Nebraska.

Rocky, born with a deformed front paw, was adopted by Jim and Mary Jane in 2014. After an incredible journey to get a prosthetic device for Rocky, they had him certified as an Angel Dog at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, where he provides comfort and joy to many patients.

State Capitol Story

Rocky’s Special Journey

Rocky at Madonna Rehabilitation

Are you proficient using Adobe’s InDesign program? GRRIN is looking for a volunteer that can produce four newsletters per year. Our communications chair supplies most of the content and another volunteer is responsible for putting them in the mail. The previous editor estimates it takes about 12 hours to complete each newsletter. If you’d like to learn more about working with GRRIN, please send an email to newsletter@grrin.org!

Thanks to everyone who attended annual training today! Over 35 friends of GRRIN stopped in to enjoy lunch and learn about the rescue process. Special thanks to Marcy Graybill from the Greater Lincoln Obedience Club who shared her knowledge of dog behavior. We hope to see you at our annual meeting on April 22nd!

Sunday, January 28th, 2018
Luncheon 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.
Training 12:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Nebraska Humane Society Auditorium

RSVP to volunteer@grrin.org

New to GRRIN? So are a lot of us! Come out and meet other volunteers and board members. Thinking about volunteering? This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about what we do and how you can help Golden Retrievers in need.

Please plan to join us as we socialize and cover hot rescue topics!

• Lunch provided along with snacks and beverages
• Marcy Graybill from the Greater Lincoln Obedience Club will lead a discussion about dog behaviors
• Rescue coordinators will highlight their piece of the rescue puzzle
• Shop items from the GRRIN store or take part in a raffle

The Nebraska Humane Society is located at 8929 Fort Street, Omaha.

We will be in the auditorium (hallway to the right of the main entrance).

In case of inclement weather, we will post cancellation information on our website and Facebook page.

It’s time to join GRRIN or renew your membership! As we wrap up our 26th year of rescue, we ask for your support by renewing your membership or becoming a new member.

The annual membership fee is $15 for one applicant and $10 for each additional applicant. You can also make an end-of-year donation. Just visit our Become a Member web page, fill out the online form, and then click the button that takes you to our PayPal page. Questions? Send us an email – info@grrin.org.

“Welcome Home” with Golden Retriever Rescue in Nebraska

Despite a rainy and chilly start to the day, Gold Rush was held on Oct. 1, 2017 at Offutt Base Lake Park. An intrepid group of approximately 50-60 volunteers, 10 vendors, and about a dozen students braved the weather and transformed the park into a playground for Goldens and their people. An estimated 75 people and 50 dogs attended – not bad considering the weather.

The games included newcomers Plinko and Spin and Win as well as old favorites such as Pin the Tail on the Cat , the Shell Game, Cake Walk, Costume Contest and a Biscuit Count. One of the new activities this year was the appearance of caricaturist Kirk Kuenzl. Another new activity was the photo booth. GRRIN was well represented by an information booth and the GRRIN Store. Several garden stones were donated for the event and were raffled off.

Vendors included Woof & Whiskers, Ask a Vet (Dr. Kaliff), Nail Trims by Courtney from Papillion Animal Hospital, Nature’s Logic, Doggurt, Nature Dog, Merck Animal Health, Kirk’s Caricatures, and photographer Janet Orcutt.

Thanks to all of the vendors and donors and friends of GRRIN who support our organization – we couldn’t do it without you!

Everyone is “welcome home” at our annual Gold Rush reunion!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated in Kibble ‘n Bids on November 10th. After a four-year hiatus, GRRIN’s Kibble ‘n Bids Yappy Hour & Silent Auction returned as a huge success!

 

Kibble ‘n Bids Yappy Hour & Silent Auction Fundraiser

Friday, November 10, 6-9p.m.

Arbor Hall, 14040 Arbor Street, Omaha, NE 68144

Tickets, $30/person | Heavy hors d’oeuvres and a signature drink!

Please purchase tickets through Eventbrite. Send us an email to kibblenbids@grrin.org if you would like to RSVP and pay at the door.

We’re looking forward to hosting a fun evening that will include yummy food, a signature cocktail and awesome silent auction items. You’ll be able to mingle with other dog lovers and check out the variety of featured auction baskets. Many of the auction items will make wonderful holiday gifts for your pets. All funds raised from this event go to medical bills for our rescued Golden Retrievers.

Special thanks to Molly and Rachel from Arbor Hall for helping us create an amazing event.

If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, you may do so on our website. Click here to donate.

If you’d like to volunteer or donate an item to the silent auction, please send an email to kibblenbids@grrin.org.

This is a humans-only event with a casual dress code. We can’t wait to share this evening with you!

Featured auction items:

• Two round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets
• Gift basket from Woof & Whiskers
• Gift card and items from The Bookworm
• Whiskey basket, coffee basket
• Wine basket from S.M. Stevens and Associates, LLC
• Dog Art & Photo Frames
• Orr’s Golden Hour Photo package
• Dog home decor
• Cat gift basket
• Dog-related Christmas basket
• Gift card from The Green Spot
• Gift certificate and basket from Clearview Pet Care Center
• Gift basket from Nature Dog
• Husker puppy fan poster
• 3 nights stay + bath from Cottonwood Pet Resort
• 2 one-hour, in-home training sessions with Rowden Pet Training
• Lenox Golden Retriever salt and pepper set
• Rainbow Bridge tapestry
• Suellen Ross “Day Dreamer” print with $100 gift card from Ginger’s Hang-Up
• Fred Stone first responders “Partners” framed print from Ginger’s Hang-Up
• Glass art bowl by BBG Artistry
• Market Basket gift card for Happy Hour drinks & appetizers

New GRRIN store items:

• Toys, toys toys!
• Holiday gear for your dog
• GRRIN blankets

We thought you’d like to see York’s latest portrait – he’s turned into one gorgeous Golden. He’s getting ready to spend his second winter in Omaha with his new family after flying in from Istanbul, Turkey in May of 2016. York is one of five dogs that GRRIN rescued as part of a larger rescue mission involving several Midwestern rescues. These missions continue – hundreds of street dogs without families have been brought to the United States in the last three years.

GRRIN is extremely lucky to have amazing volunteers who traveled to pick up the dogs in Chicago, foster families who learned basic Turkish commands so the dogs would understand them, and the “furever” families who adopted them!

Here is York’s original story:

Hi, my name is York and I am a world traveler! I came to Nebraska with 4 other Golden Retrievers who lived on the streets of Turkey. In Turkey, I did not have a home and had to hunt for my own food, but some wonderful people picked me up to care for me and help me find a better life. With some help from GRRIN and its wonderful donors, I was able to travel to Nebraska to find my forever home.

When I arrived, I was very skinny and was struggling with some allergy problems that affected my coat. I also wasn’t sure what it was like to be a family dog. My amazing foster family of Cindy, Steve, Michael, Jason and resident dog, Rosie, worked with me over the last couple of months and helped me learn to be the awesome Golden I am today.

Since I fit in so well with my foster family and they can handle my strong prey drive (I love rabbits and birds), I am staying put and have been adopted by them. The love and affection I have been show by GRRIN and my new family has allowed me to accomplish my destiny in life, loving everyone I see! Thank you all for the opportunity to be a Golden in America!

Don’t miss GRRIN’s annual fundraiser, Kibble ‘n Bids Yappy Hour & Silent Auction on Friday, November 10th! Our co-chairs have been busy putting together a great menu of munchies and awesome silent auction items so everyone can come out and have a fun evening. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased through Eventbrite or on our Donate page. We’re gathering at Arbor Hall in Omaha (140th & Center) from 6-9pm. Questions? Send an email to kibblenbids@grrin.org.

Also, check out these great events posted by Pets in Omaha and Omaha.dog. If you want to spend time with your furry friends there are many things to do in the Omaha area!

UPDATE:

If you want to provide hurricane relief for Golden Retrievers, please read this statement from the Golden Retriever Foundation. All of the dogs living in the sanctuary have safely landed in temporary foster homes while the GRASS staff begin the long process of cleaning and rebuilding. Visit the GRASS Facebook page for more pictures and video clips of their Harvey journey.

As President of the Golden Retriever Foundation, I want to assure you that the GRF is doing everything possible to help with the tragedy of the Hurricane Harvey in Southeast Texas. We are also in contact with the GRCA-National Rescue Committee and the Golden Retriever Club of America in coordinating the efforts to help those in need.

The GRF has already rushed an emergency check of $4000 to GRASS – Golden Retriever Acres Senior Sanctuary to help with their immediate needs.  They are the only rescue organization in Texas with a facility that was flooded.

Today, The Golden Retriever Foundation is setting up a Disaster Relief Collection – Rescue Fund on our website, http://www.goldenretrieverfoundation.org/donate.html. Any rescue organization that helps in this disaster relief effort or is affected by the disaster can submit grant requests for reimbursement of money spent in support of the recovery effort.   The GRF will cover all expenses within our funding that is allowed.

Resist the urge to send food or items.  The senior goldens are on special diets and it is hard to determine exactly what is needed.  So monetary gifts go a long way for them to get the exact items they need.

Donate money to the Golden Retriever Foundation’s Disaster Relief Collection – Rescue Fund or donate funds directly to Golden Retriever Acres Senior Sanctuary (GRASS) (see below) via their website at http://www.grass-tx.org/

If you have not seen the photos of FB of the water damage to GRASS, here are a few photos.  The water has now receded but the damage was done.

Thank you all for your continued support of the Golden Retriever Foundation.

Collette Jaynes – President GRF
Cindy Collins – VP GRF
Shirley Peskie – Treasurer GRF
Dianne Barns – Secretary GRF