We got Ginger from the Mound City, Missouri animal shelter in 2005. My wife, Joni, accompanied a friend and coworker who was looking for a young male golden. Ginger had come into the shelter along with an about 1 year old female and male, so the assumption was she was the mother. When Joni was told that Ginger was going to be put down the next day, she couldn’t resist bringing her home. Ginger was about 6-7 years old at the time. She was very under-weight, her coat was terrible, she had infection in both ears and her teeth were in bad shape. When Joni arrived home with Ginger, it became immediately apparent that she was not an “inside dog”. She had no idea how to climb stairs and knew no commands. Luckily, with lots of time and patience, Ginger settled into living inside and she mastered the basic commands (sit, down, stay, etc.) fairly quickly. Ginger loved to go on walks and spend time running around the backyard. Her favorite thing was to run as fast as she could in a large circle, come sliding up to you, then flop onto her back and squirm around for a long belly rub. About a month ago, Ginger had surgery to remove a large malignant tumor. Even though it left her with a wound that did not fully heal, her sunny personality never left her. Our wonderful vet, Dr. J. D. Fink, came to our home yesterday to help Ginger cross the rainbow bridge. She even managed to stand and wag her tail to greet him one last time. She passed peacefully in the backyard she loved so much. We will miss her greatly.
