Year in Review - 2016

2016 was a year of significant change within GRCGLAR. We successfully achieved several of our goals established at the beginning of the year and are looking to 2017 as a continuation of these efforts. Our strategic outreach program has been very successful and we have grown our volunteer ranks substantially throughout our 7 county service area, primarily in the Inland Empire and San Diego.

Our Speakers Bureau continues its outreach and had a very successful year. GRCGLAR spoke 12 times to civic and philanthropic organizations around Greater Southern California, reaching 5 different groups and spreading the importance message of animal rescue.

During 2016, we placed 94 goldens, a 4% increase over 2015 with our largest number of placements being in Orange and Los Angeles Counties with 38 and 36 placements respectively. We also saw a large percentage increase in placements in San Diego (75% increase) and Orange (80% increase) and our first placement in Santa Barbara in some time.

Traditionally, our placements increase during early summer and early fall. These are periods of time where families have lots of leisure time or when school is in session. This past year was no different as we saw our peak monthly placement rate in October, with our second highest month in June. Events are playing a larger role in placements as we saw a large increase in placements after the OC Pet Fair (April) and the Irvine Home for the Holidays (December) events.


This year our Shamrock Circle Fund celebrated it's 15th year anniversary in its mission to help rehabilitate medically challenged golden retrievers. We had fewer dogs enter the program this year however their care required more intensive treatment compared to years passed. We'd like to thank all of our special donors who participate in this program for their generosity. Without their support, this valuable program would not exist.


Shamrock Retrievers 2016
Merry, Casey, Beau, Baldwin, Carissa Anne, Marisa, and Dixie.


Finally, GRCGLAR celebrated its 15th year of operation in 2016 and proudly released its revamped website earlier this year, providing all the pertinent information about our organization in a much more readable format. In addition, we added the Petchella event in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles to our schedule. More exciting changes are in store in the coming year so please become part of the GRCGLAR family by donating here.

As we progress into 2017, we in the Rescue are constantly reminded of why are in business. There is a strong need to advocate for these beautiful canines and GRCGLAR is dedicated to be part of the social fabric of our communities. Thank you for your continued support throughout the years and we look forward to the next 15 years throughout the Southland.

Statement from GRCGLAR President - Time to be Thankful

GRCGLAR is thriving.   As we close 2015, we look back on our successes and continue in our mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home Golden Retrievers in the Greater Los Angeles area.  The Golden Retriever is the most beloved canine breed in North America if not the world. Often, this popularity also poses a different set of challenges and quite often GRCGLAR is called on to remedy a difficult situation.  2015 proved that we are always ready for that challenge.

I'm appreciative of our volunteers who provide endless hours of commitment to the Goldens we help. I'm appreciative of our foster families who, while behind the scenes, provide a very valuable service to the community. They bring dogs into their homes to facilitate rehabilitation so they can be successful in their new adoptive homes.

I'm appreciative of all of our permanent foster families for the love and care they continuously give to our most challenging Goldens.  I'm appreciative of our adopters for the commitment to welcome into their home a rescue Golden Retriever. And finally, I'm appreciative for the opportunity to serve our communities and raise awareness of animal rescue.

2016 is becoming a stronger economic time for Southern California and GRCGLAR is excited to face the challenges of the new year.  Our rescue outreach program is expanding through our Speakers Bureau around the region, increasing the visibility and awareness of golden retriever rescue. We have also seen our volunteer base grow in regions like San Diego, and the Inland Empire due to our event participation. And we have seen larger grassroots efforts at the local level interested in helping the pet rescue community in an ongoing basis. Looking forward, we hope these trends continue as our Rescue grows and succeed in its mission.

In the coming year, we are committed towards the goal of making our rescue financially strong and stable and continue to serve the most needy rescue Golden Retrievers who are often neglected by all. On behalf of the Board and all of our volunteers, we thank you for your continued support of GRCGLAR.

Warmest Regards,

Gerri Monohan
President, GRCGLA Rescue

Strut Your Mutt 2015

A special thank you goes out to ALL who participated and donated to our fundraising effort at Strut Your Mutt last week. We had many people walk with their favorite pets during the hotter than normal temperatures in Downtown LA. Exposition Park was the perfect backdrop as these pictures show.

GRCGLAR also was called into action in rescuing a Labradoodle during the event as well.  A visiting family to the event was unaware of their canine going into heat distress. Luckily our volunteers noticed the situation, stepped in and took the necessary action to cool down the dog. Well done, GRCGLAR!

Overall, We are still one of the leading rescue organizations at this event as GRCGLAR raised over $15000 dollars during the event and was the FIFTH highest fundraising group of all the partner groups in attendance. Combined with our tremendous effort last year, GRCGLAR has raised an astonishing $84000 in two years for GRCGLAR and Best Friends.

Special recognition goes to Jo Anne, who diligiently organizes the event annually. Without her leadership, GRCGLAR would not be as successful. Other attendees included Elaine, Nancy, and Kathy (who helped rescue the dog in heat distress).

In case you missed the event, you can still donate for the next few weeks.

http://support.bestfriends.org/site/TR/Events/General?team_id=1400&pg=team&fr_id=1126

Thank you again for your support. We will see YOU at next years event!

Dogtoberfest '14 - Gold Rush!

Dogtoberfest '14 was held Saturday October 11 and was a huge success! With over 130 people in attendance and over 95 golden retrievers, it was a sight to behold. After a brief setup, the day started off with well over 20 dogs barreling around the two pool, frolicking with tennis balls galore. Often owners had to double take to make sure their dog was their dog.

After hours of playing, it was clear many a dog was tired and there were scenes of dog naps everywhere.

An excellent taco bar was available for lunch and the aroma brought over many a golden to check out the food.  We were also very lucky to have Rita Kao, one of our executive partners in our Project Taiwan program. Rita took time out of her US trip to visit with many of our volunteers and the adopters of the dogs we have rescued from Taiwan. To date, we have saved over 110 golden retrievers from Taiwan. We thank Rita for her continued support from across the Pacific.

A special thanks goes out to Gerri Monohan, Barbara Davis, Joanne Delle, and Nancy Wright, our pack leaders who championed the event from start to finish. Additional thanks goes out to the entire Board of Directors and volunteers whose support and dedication ensured a smooth event for all in attendance. Hopefully, we'll see you next year at Dogtoberfest!

More pictures from the various volunteers can be found at the following links:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/euanc/sets/72157648650945572

https://www.flickr.com/photos/timbers_c/sets/72157648291170009/

Marvin says "See you next year!"

Shamrock Updates - Vanna Adopted, Updates on Sonny Delight, Winston, and Betti.

We have several Shamrock updates from the summer so keep your seat belt fastened....

Sonny Delight

We have a few youngsters in Rescue named Sonny Delight and Bobby who entered Shamrock in mid-July with some medical issues which have been resolved. Luckily, Bobby has found his forever home a few weeks ago but Sonny Delight is fully recuperated and looking for a wonderful home. Sonny D is about 13 weeks old now but has a face to melt your heart. Read more about Sonny D here.

Winston came to us in early July and we're happy to report he is headed up north to Homeward Bound, our partner in Northern California. We wish him well and are looking forward to updates from Homeward Bound. Read more here.

Betti underwent successful eye surgery while in foster care and is recuperating well.

Vanna (left)

Finally, Vanna, our beloved 4-5 year old female from Devore, has made a complete recovery and we're happy to report she has been adopted by one of our dedicated volunteers from the Inland Empire, Patty. As a failed foster parent she joins an elite group of GRCGLAR volunteers who continue to answer the bell and make a difference in the goldens we save.

To find out more information on the Shamrock Circle Fund, click here.
To donate to the Shamrock fund through JustGive, click here.

If you would like more information on how to become a foster parent, please click here.

And if you would like to be a failed foster, it just takes a little time and love.  Just ask Patty...

Social Media Update

Social Media Anyone? 

Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue is on plenty of social media avenues now. With plenty of information to share with our communities, you can choose the "app" of your choice to get the latest information on GRCGLAR. 

Whether you fancy quarterly newsletters containing interesting articles about our Rescue, weblogs highlighting interesting news about goldens from around the world, periodic updates from our successful Shamrock and Project Taiwan programs, OR photos of our beloved Golden Ambassadors around the region, GRCGLAR has YOU COVERED.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GRCGLA_Rescue

Like us on Facebook: 

       Group Page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/grcglarescue/

       Community Page: http://www.facebook.com/grcglarescue

See us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/grcglar

Pin us on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/grcglar/

Read about us (RSS) at:

       Golden Times: http://rescueagolden.blogspot.com

       Shamrock Circle Fund: http://shamrockcirclefund.blogspot.com

       Project Taiwan: http://projecttaiwan.blogspot.com

Review us on Yelp:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-retriever-club-of-greater-los-angeles-rescue-los-angeles

Email us at info@grcglarescue.org

WoofTrax

GRCGLAR has a new innovative fundraising vehicle and all it takes is a simple FREE app! We have partnered with Wooftrax to help raise money for GRCGLAR.  By simply walking your dog and enabling the Wooftrax app on your smartphone, you can help raise money for our Rescue.

Wooftrax

To get started, simply follow these simple directions:

1). Simply download the app Wooftrax to your iPhone or Android device. You can download the version of your smartphone here.

2) Once downloaded, you simply open up your Wooftrax app and enroll in the program. Your name and email address is required. 

3) Select "Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles" as the rescue you will be walking for.

4) Press the "Enroll"

5) You will be sent a validation email with a link to click to complete your enrollment. 

Once enrollment is completed, you can configure the Wooftrax app with the particulars of your lovable dog. You can then begin walking your dog on walks of any length. Wooftrax tracks the numbers of miles you have walked. 

Best of all, GRCGLAR receives funds several times a year based on the numbers of miles walked as well as the number of walkers. We'll provide ongoing updates as to how our Walkers and Golden Ambassadors are doing all year long.

So the call is out for the Friends of GRCGLAR to download Wooftrax and enjoy your favorite pastime with your dog: STAY FIT and WALK with Wooftrax!

Mid-Year Adoption Update

We've had a very successful year placing dogs and here is our mid-year report on all the dogs we've placed throughout Southern California.  We've had 66 dogs placed since the beginning of the year and while summer is generally the slow time of the year, we still take in a large amount of dogs. Geographically, half our goldens were placed in Los Angeles County with second place going to Orange County. 10% of our dogs went to the outlying counties (Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino).

To all those NEW families who have welcomed a rescued golden into their family, we welcome you into the 3000+ adoptive families of GRCGLAR.  Our family grows each month thanks to your support and interest in saving golden retrievers.

On behalf of the entire volunteer corps at GRCGLAR, we thank you!



July

Chia was adopted by the "F" family in San Dimas

Monty was adopted by the "S" family in Garden Grove

TJ Buddy was adopted by the "B" family in Northridge

Carter was adopted by the "W" family in Long Beach

Rollie was adopted by the "W" family in Los Angeles

Maks was adopted by the "Z" family in Costa Mesa

Jerry was adopted by the "T" family in Studio City

June

Stewart was adopted by the "W" family in Tustin

Cruiser was adopted by the "B"family in Fullerton

MacDuff was adopted by the "V" family in Thousand Oaks

McKinley was adopted by the "E" family in Los Angeles

Honey Bear was adopted by the "M" family in San Clemente

Rita’s Hunter was adopted by the "D" family in Torrance

Roxee was adopted by the "H" family in Manhattan Beach

Spud was adopted by the "D" family in Alpine

Rango was adopted by the "P" family in Laguna Hills

May

Sonny was adopted by the "W" family in Hollywood


Dex was adopted by the "T" family in Buena Park


Rita’s Captain was adopted by the "P" family in San Clemente


Bittersweet was adopted by the "D" family in Santa Clarita


Ernie was adopted by the "S" family in Tustin

Jackie was adopted by the "L" family in Agua Dulce

Caleb was adopted by the "D" family in Burbank

James was adopted by the "M" family in Studio City

Andie was adopted by the "N" family in Pomona

Ciara was adopted by the "C" family in Long Beach

Oliver was adopted by the "H" family in Ontario

Nolan was adopted by the "R" family in Stevenson Ranch

Quiana was adopted by the "S" family in Ladera Ranch

Bebe was adopted by the "S" family in Diamond Bar

Trixie was adopted by the "E" family in Laguna Beach

Chewey was adopted by the "S" family in Rancho Palos Verdes

 Lacey and Lamont were adopted by the "L" family in Tustin (A bonded pair kept together...woohoo)

April

Feather was adopted by the "W" family in Burbank

Gingerella was adopted by the "S" family in San Gabriel

Margie was adopted by the "R" family in Yorba Linda

Tucker was adopted by the "L" family in Coto de Caza

Hailey was adopted by the "S" family in Westchester

Ethan was adopted by the "M" family in Calabasas

Printz was adopted by the "L" family in Del Mar

January-March

Rosaleen was adopted by the "C" family in Laguna Beach

Lisbeth was adopted by the "M" family in Claremont

Keno was adopted by the "T" family in Studio City

Crockett was adopted by the "T" family in Mission Viejo

Kringle was adopted by the "E" family in Yorba Linda

Duncan was adopted by the "C" family in La Jolla

Diesel was adopted by the "F" family in Moorpark

Maggie’s Hero was adopted by the "C" family in Claremont

Arlette was adopted by the "M" family in Tustin

Aaron was adopted by the "S" family in Los Angeles

Rita’s Ye-Zi was adopted by the "H" family in Aliso Viejo

Rita’s Lime was adopted by the "W" family in Playa del Rey

Frazier was adopted by the "H" family

Honey Boo Boo was adopted by the "B" family in Laguna Niguel

Cisco was adopted by the "M" family in Valencia

Spring was adopted by the "M family

Vicki was adopted by the "D" family in Santa Clarita

Luke 13 was adopted by the "L" family

Bradey was adopted by the "M" family in Tustin

Dexter and Didi were adopted by the "H" family in Glendale

Rita's Honey was adopted by the "T" family in Orange

Clare was adopted by the "J" family in La Canada

Molasses was adopted by the "C" family in Orange

Rufus 14 was adopted by the "S" family in Topanga

Eddie was adopted by the "S" family in Los Angeles

*For privacy purposes, the family name has been omitted.

#grcglar #rescueagolden

New Community Page on Facebook

Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue has a NEW Community Page on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/grcglarescue

Here you be able to join the ever-expanding community of GRCGLAR, check in with our dog placements, post pictures of your own dogs, and talk all things golden retriever. We'll be keeping our communities aware of events we will be holding and attending, as well as keeping you up-to-date on all our wonderful goldens and the new lives they lead. 

Join the conversation and "like us" at our GRCGLA Rescue Community Page

Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue has a Group Page too!

If you want to join our official Facebook group and have access to additional information about our rescue, get exclusive content, you can join us at our GRCGLA Rescue Group Page.

Like us or Join us! Either way, the goldens will love you for it.