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 THE GOLDEN GAZETTE
Golden Retriever Rescue
Southern Nevada |
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Comic Gilbert Gottfried
at Pet-a-Palooza |
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Hello Golden Retriever People,
This spring is shaping up to be one of our busiest event seasons ever. The good news - we have lots of volunteer activities for you AND YOUR DOG! Do you like a party, music, hanging with celebrities? Try Pet-a-Palooza or Bark in the Park. Does your dog appreciate a great driving experience? How about representing GRRSN at the Gaudin Charity Car Show? See, something for everyone, ain't life grand?!!!
Speaking of life, ever thought about what might happen to your dog if you were suddenly not around? Yikes! Better give our "Planning for Your Pets" article a read. Written by GRRSN's own Jeff Steffen, an attorney and a Golden Retriever's Dad. Now there are some credentials!!
You'll meet Kathy Ford and her pack in the last installment of our series: Meet the Board. This issue's pack life story, "The Puppy Chronicles," is a lesson in choosing your words as well as choosing a dog. We can all relate to that one.
We hope to hear from you soon,
Your friends at GRRSN |
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 WE WANT YOU!!!!
AND YOUR DOG TOO!
We need to win the war on homeless Goldens. Our most powerful weapon? Public Awareness of Our Organization. That's why we need you and your Golden to join our volunteer ranks NOW! Here are the upcoming events that help us get the word out and find forever homes for rescued Retrievers. Contacts are listed for more information or to sign up now!
Petsmart Summerlin Adoptathon
9775 W. Charleston (Charleston and Hualapai), Las Vegas, NV
February 23-24, 2013 10 am - 2 pm
Volunteers can contact Robin Reardon at 702 688 0777 or at
[email protected] Goldens Needed Too!
Bark in the Park
 Cornerstone Park, 1600 Wigwam Pkwy., Henderson
March 2, 2013 10 am - 3 pm
Please contact Cindy Warren at 702 326 0972
or clwarren100@gmail.com Goldens Needed Too!
Gaudin Charity Car Show
March 16, 2013 from 10 am - 2 pm
6625 Roy Horn Way, Las Vegas, NV (215 and S.Rainbow)
Volunteers please contact Robin Reardon at [email protected] or 702 688 0777.
Goldens Needed Too!
 Pet-a-Palooza
Tentative Date April 13 from 10 am to 6 pm
Star Nursery Field at Sam Boyd Stadium
Volunteers can contact Robin Reardon at [email protected] or 702 688 0777
Petsmart Summerlin Adoptathon
9775 W. Charleston (Charleston and Hualapai), Las Vegas, NV
April 27-28, 2013 10 am - 2 pm
Volunteers please contact Robin Reardon at [email protected]
or 702 688 0777. Goldens Needed Too!
HELP WANTED!!!!!!!!!
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GRRSN thanks outgoing Treasurer, Pam
Oberschelp, for her outstanding work. Pam is resigning her post as Treasurer to concentrate on a new job. We appreciate what you have done for us, Pam - you will be missed! |
GRRSN is looking for a Treasurer to serve on the Board. The position requires accounting and tax knowledge. Please contact our President, Deb Pietro, at [email protected] for more information on this crucial position in our rescue.
We are also looking for folks who can help us in the following areas:
Transport - Be a Golden Retriever Chauffeur; help a rescue dog get from Point A to Point B.
Application Processing Assistant - Help follow up on applications to adopt and get hopeful families ready for their home visit.
Home Visit Volunteer -Visit with prospective adoptive families at their homes. Help create a happy ending for a homeless Golden Retriever; you'll make some humans very happy, too!
For more information or to volunteer, contact Robin at [email protected] |
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MEET THE BOARD - IT'S KATHY FORD!
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Board Member Kathy Ford
and her happy pack! |
This is the final interview in our 5-part series, "Meet the Board". We hope these articles have been informative and have given our readers insight into the personalities of our hard-working Board members. Our closing conversation is with long-time member Kathy Ford, who started volunteering with GRRSN in 2005.
Tell us about your first adoption through our Rescue. My first foster for GRRSN was a sweet senior named Charlie. He was 11 years old and the most beautiful cream-colored Golden Retriever I had ever seen.
I had no intentions of keeping him; I already had 3 dogs. He went to two different homes, both potential adopters; they both returned him because of his age. I was so excited to see him back, I thought, "There is no way I'm giving this sweet old guy up!" He lived to be 16 years old. Charles was an amazing old man; he could say I love you... I miss him every day!
What is your primary responsibility in the Rescue? I place the dogs in their new homes. I say I'm like Match.com for Golden Retrievers. I really do try and place them in a home that suits them and not just the next name on the list. I don't want the dogs to fail in their new home because the least amount of times they change homes the better!
What do you like best about volunteering with GRRSN? At the end of the year when I see that hundreds of Goldens are re-homed, living an incredible new life because of this organization. The hard work and determination of this rescue group is incredible.
So how many Goldens have been yours over the years? Kelly, Kelsey, Daisy, Charlie, Motley, Nick, & Dash..... There's nothing better!!!!
Do you have a favorite moment that has come up while you've been volunteering with the Rescue? I guess the best thing that ever happened to me because of GRRSN is my 10-year-old Retriever, Motley. He was rescued from Lied when he was 3 years old. A woman had dumped him at Lied with a note on his cage that said, "If you want a big dumb dog take me." Jennifer (Hetterscheidt) did the intake and asked me to foster him; it was love at first sight. I wish I had the woman's name that dumped him off so I could send her a thank you card for giving me the most amazing dog in the world! One man's trash is another man's treasure. For that reason alone, and Charles, Nick, and now Dash, there's not a better volunteer job in the world!
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THINKING ABOUT YOUR ESTATE PLAN?
DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR PETS!
By Jeffrey Steffen
 Many people believe that estate planning is only for the "wealthy" - but in reality, almost everyone can benefit from some estate planning. Do you have a car? A home? Bank accounts, investments, life insurance, furniture, personal possessions...? No matter how large or how modest, everyone has an estate. Many people plan the disposition of their estate because they want to make sure their family is taken care of when they are gone. More and more, people look at their pets as members of their family. In fact, a new book about demographics in the United States shows that pets now outnumber children 4 to 1! [1]
While your pets can't inherit your property or your money, that does not mean you can't provide for them with a little advance thought and planning. Proper planning for your furry friend will address not only the long-term care of your pet after your death, but also the short-term care of your pet in the event of your disability and/or hospitalization. One effective vehicle for such planning is the "pet trust."
The use of pet trusts is becoming commonplace throughout the United States. As of July 2012, 46 states recognize some form of trust for the benefit of pets, including Nevada. Nevada's law allows the creation of a trust for the care of one or more animals that are alive at the time of the trust creator's death. This trust will terminate upon the death of all the animals covered by the trust. However, in Nevada, there is a limit to what can be left to care for the animals. If a court determines that the value of the trust exceeds the amount required to care for the animals, the excess amount will be distributed to the person who would have taken the property had the trust been terminated on the date of distribution.[2]
The pet trust can be a standalone document, or you can include the terms of your pet trust in your personal (or family) revocable living trust. In either event, you will need to select a trustee for the pet trust - this could be the person whom you would like to care for your pet, or it could be someone whom you trust to handle the distribution of the trust assets benefiting your pet, while you name another person to act as guardian for your pet. The trust will also contain your instructions to the trustee as to how your pet is to be provided for, and any other wishes you have (for example, if you have multiple pets, you may require that they not be separated).
The two most likely scenarios where your pet trust will come into play are (i) in the event of your disability, or (ii) your death. In the event of disability, your trustee will have your instructions about the use of your assets to care for your pets. This is significant, as if you were to become disabled and did not have a trust (or some other vehicle to express your wishes), it is possible that your assets would come under the control of a court or court appointed guardian. If that were to happen, it is possible that your pets may not be looked at as a financial priority. For many of us, that would be squarely against our wishes.
After your death, there are a couple options as to how to treat your pet - which, under Nevada law, is considered personal property. The first would be for the trust to maintain ownership of your pet, and appoint a guardian to care for your pet. The guardian can be someone you have selected ahead of time. A quick word on that - you should probably make sure your selected guardian is on board with your plan! The second option would be to "distribute" your pet to someone else - often times with some money to defray the costs of caring for your pet (either a lump sum, or periodic payments for so long as your pet lives).
As long as the pet is "owned" by the trust, the trustee would be responsible for ensuring the trust assets take care of your pet's financial needs. The trustee would have an obligation to ensure that your instructions are followed, and the pet is properly cared for. If the pet is "distributed" outright, it would no longer be owned by the trust, and the trustee may not be able to effectively ensure the pet is being properly cared for. However, one way to maintain some control/oversight for the trustee would be for the trust to provide for some contingent gift(s) to the new pet owner only if he or she can establish that the pet is receiving proper care.
 One other thing to consider - updating your power of attorney. Many times people who have established a living trust are not as diligent at funding the trust with their assets as they should be. So, in the event of your disability or incapacity, the provisions providing for the care of your pet may be ineffective, as there may not be any assets in the trust to use for the care of your pet. Therefore, as an additional safeguard, it would be a good idea to also update your durable power of attorney, specifically authorizing your agent to pay for any pet expenses, such as food, grooming costs, vet expenses, etc.
This article was only meant to be a short primer on the subject of estate planning for your pets. There are certainly many other strategies and options for you to consider. If you do have questions, or are interested in updating (or creating) an estate plan, please talk to your estate planning attorney about what options may be best for you and your pet.
[1] Jonathan V. Last, What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster (New York: Encounter Books, 2013) Jeffrey Steffen is an active member of GRRSN. He is also an attorney in the Las Vegas office of Lewis and Roca LLP. He practices in their Business Transactions group in the areas of Construction, Corporate and Securities, Real Estate and Trusts and Estates. His Golden, Candy, and her two sisters, Daisy and Coco, are pictured.
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THE PUPPY CHRONICLES
by Lorilynn Bowles
One possible side effect of being active in the Rescue is that, over time, you may become a bit of a fanatic. It's not quite like joining a cult or having a mystical experience that you have to "share" with everyone, but you can become very opinionated about how people acquire their dogs and who should be allowed to breed them. Basically, one can become entrenched in the belief that everyone should adopt their furry child through a rescue. So, last spring when my youngest sister-in-law told me they were considering getting a puppy - from a breeder - I caught myself starting to sermonize.
Background is necessary: our darling sister and her husband live just outside of London (England) across the road from a very famous park. She has a beautiful house, a large garden and two wonderful young children - and she has never had a dog before! You can see why I was apprehensive when she said "puppy." It so happens that just a few days after we had this discussion, I started "puppy-sitting" a friend's very young and energetic Retriever for eleven days. I decided I would keep an email journal and send it to Emma just to subtly let her know what she might be in for. It seemed a much better response than going into full-fledged evangelical mode. The correspondence went as follows:
Sent: Fri, Apr 27, 2012 8:55 am
Subject: puppy stuff
Dearest Em,
I'm going to make notes to you about what puppies do, so that you will be prepared...We are on day 7 with Buddy, the puppy, 4 more days to go....
1) The puppy will pee when excited. Lots of things excite puppies...carry paper towels with you.
2) The back of your legs will be scratched raw by incredibly sharp little claws. HELPFUL NOTE: get your puppy in the winter when you're wearing heavy jeans and long-sleeved shirts. It will literally save your skin.
3) The puppy WILL wake you up at 2 in the morning to go outside, or just to say "Hi," this will go on for some time.
4) Your garden will be somewhat destroyed. This will include large trees whose trunks are being chewed on.
5) No matter how vigilant you are, some of your laundry will be stolen out of the basket and be partially eaten - underpants and socks are favorite prey.
6) Furniture will be chewed. Corners of coffee tables seem to be first choice.
7) Holes will be dug - not just outside. Puppies seem to think that carpeting is just fancy dirt.
8) You will still be saying, "Oh, how cute!" but mostly when puppy is sleeping.
More to come I'm sure. Love you, LL
Sent: Sun, Apr 29, 2012 5:52 am
 Subject: Re: puppy stuff
Dear LL,... thank you, I love the puppy update. I know it will be tricky for the first year or so. Buddy does sound like a very interesting house guest! It will seem very quiet after he has gone! It has not stopped raining here for nearly 10 days. It's beginning to feel quite strange not to mention claustrophobic!!
Love you, Em
Sent: Sun, Apr 29, 2012 8:37 am
Subject: day 10
Day 10..... the puppy chronicles continue...
9) Do not spend a lot of time with new puppy on your lap. He will continue to launch himself at you when you are in a sitting position and he's 5 months old and 42 lbs.
10) Your wood floor will never be the same after puppy. Choose to find the floor  charmingly "distressed." After all, manufacturers charge extra for this look.
11) Any object at eye level, paw level, or stand-on-your-hind-legs level, is considered a possible toy by puppy. Remember this when you leave your Coach handbag on the kitchen table.
12) Puppy will find the Dyson vacuum amusing. You will find puppy's antics, leaping around the Dyson while you are vacuuming, also amusing. At some point, puppy will jump away from the Dyson and knock your decorative glass bowl off the coffee table (the one with the chewed corners) and onto the newly distressed wood floor. This is not as amusing. Still, puppy is pretty cute. One more day to go!!!!!
Sorry to hear about all the rain. We'd love to have some here. It's almost May, so hopefully, your precipitation situation will improve!
Sent: Mon, Apr 30, 2012 9:13 am
Subject: Chronicles and puppy goes home
13) Puppy does not walk down the stairs; he tumbles. Walk behind puppy when you are on the stairs; otherwise you are merely a pin awaiting the inevitable strike. You have twice as many stairs as I do, therefore you'll have to be twice as vigilant!
(Later in the day)
Buddy has gone home...time to wash the floor and fill in the holes in the garden! In all honesty, he is a particularly energetic puppy. Having him did remind me of the naughty things our one and only puppy did: the peeing, chewing, etc. (remember how he ate the baby Jesus in my Mom's nativity display?). That's all pretty normal,
; it's stuff you forget about when they've grown and you have such a lovely dog. I'm sure your puppy will be much better! It was fun keeping you posted! Picture of Buddy attached. Love you so much, LL
Sent: Tues, Apr 31, 2012 11:38 am
Subject: Re: day 10
What a gorgeous picture! I can't believe that puppy could ever be naughty! Seriously though, now you are starting to scare me! My friend who has had the two Labrador puppies from the breeder we are using has never really had any problems. I think there was an incident with one slipper. I really hope we get a good one, too!
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Come on Sis, get these kids a DOG! |
Epilogue: Emma and the kids recently spent two wonderful weeks with us and our three rescued Goldens. The Labrador puppy idea has been put on hold. The breeder, a very reputable lady in Ireland, is giving the mom-dog time off. There may be a litter towards the end of the year. That gives me time to work on my "rescue dog campaign." Either way, puppy or full-grown rescue dog, this will be a lucky canine with a charmed life - because my sister has a gift for loving. |
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