In May of 2013, Kris got a call from a contractor she had out to the house for a quote on a back patio cover. During the visit, they talked both patio and dogs (rescues). He told her that his dog was a rescue and asked for advice on some things for his dog’s care. He left that day after establishing that the quote was more than the Barber’s were looking to spend. Kris didn’t expect to hear back from him, yet, a few weeks later he called out of the blue. He was concerned about a mama dog and her puppies that were living around the construction area at his workplace. He didn’t know what to do so he called Kris. He was fearful for their safety as the kids in the area were throwing rocks at the puppies. He was also afraid the puppies would get separated from their mom as she’d leave them safely inside the gated construction site to stay cool in the shade during the hot August days, but the gate was locked up each night. The situation seemed very unsafe for the mama and her puppies so Kris and Hailey jumped in the car and went to collect the little family.

Without an actual plan, other than Kris knowing that she had found homes for several puppies in the years prior, she was sure she could find homes for these pups too. The dogs were all picked up and taken to the Barber’s house. They were energetic little guys, maybe 3-4 months old, too old to still be nursing on Goldie so they were separated to begin the weaning process of eating solid food. Goldie’s belly was in bad shape with all of those sharp teeth trying to nurse on her – she was just a young dog herself. The puppies were separated by a three rail fence with critter wire so they could see each other, but Goldie had the freedom to move around without her kids under foot. It took some getting used to, but they all thrived and the puppies learned their manners, were house broken and appeared to be permanent fixtures at the Barbers.

Fast forward to the end of 2014, Goldie is about 12-13 years old and her puppies are around 11. One of the puppies found a home with one of the construction men that was building the pool at the same time they came to live with the Barbers. He was able to see the puppies everyday during the building process and fell in love with Dougie. He spent his breaks playing with him until he finally asked his wife and it was a done deal! They wanted their son to grow up with a dog & Dougie was such a sweet pup! The rest of the puppies are still with the Barbers & we still refer to them as “the puppies, even though they are elderly now! Muffin & Louie live in the gameroom and have managed the sibling relationship of Muffin being in charge! Rascal lives in the mudroom/laundry room after a terrible fight between he and Louie – they could not mend fences so we separated them. Goldie lives in the kitchen by herself since her buddy, Teddie, passed away in 2023. The Barbers believe that Goldie and Stitch might be good partners but will be consulting a trainer to help with the introductions in the coming months. Goldie can’t be around other females but she seems eager to play with other males, Bear in particular. Its like a puzzle with all of the dogs in the Barber’s care – who gets along with whom & can they be in a space next to other dogs that might get triggered. Peace is the goal LOL!

Enjoy the photos of Goldie and her puppies over the years. They were a challenge for sure, but the Barbers wouldn’t change a thing!