Golden Light #14 is Angel Forman.
Angel Forman is a Golden Retriever from Boston Bar, British Columbia, Canada. In 2010, she saved Austin Forman from an attack by a cougar. At the time Angel was 1 1/2 and Austin was 11 years old. A cougar had went after Austin and Angel got in the middle and fought with the cougar. She sustained non life-threatening injuries in a dual with the wild cougar that lasted about 20 minutes.
Here is a video from the CBC of the news story of Angel saving Austin from the cougar.
After the incident, Austin Forman said of Angel, "She's more than a best friend now, she's my guardian angel."
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Golden Light #13 is a Golden Retriever Puppy Comforting an Older Dog Having a Nightmare.
The following video captures an adorable Golden Retriever puppy comforting an older dog who appears to be asleep and having a nightmare. This amazing puppy senses the feelings of the older dog and cuddles up next to him/her to comfort them.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
This is a film produced by Scott Melanson that was uploaded in YouTube on June 8, 2010. Wogan is the older light dog and Matsi is the darker colored young dog. Tammy Melanson was the trainer. In the film the young dog tries to get the old dog to play with him.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Liberty Ford was the dog of the former President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty. Her registered name was Honor's Foxfire Liberty Hume. Liberty was born on February 8, 1974 and given to President Ford as a birthday present in the fall of 1974. Ann (Avis) Friberg was Liberty's breeder. Liberty died in 1984.
President Gerald Ford mentioned Liberty in a speech honoring William W. Scranton in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 9, 1974.
As some of you might have seen in the last few days, either through the newspapers or television, the White House has a new addition. My daughter, Susan, and Dave Kennerly, our new White House photographer, got together a few days ago and surprised Betty and me with an 8-month-old golden retriever.
This puppy has really taken over the White House. In fact, you may have seen some of us laughing up here during dinner. As I reached in my pocket to get a match to light my pipe, look what I pulled out of the pocket--some dog biscuits! [Laughter]
Let me tell you the story about Susan and Dave and how they bought this dog. I first should preface that the Fords had had two previous golden retrievers. One lived 13 years and unfortunately died, and then another one died a year ago in August after 9 years. So we are fairly partial, I would say, to golden retrievers.
Well, Dave and Susan called up a very highly recommended individual who had contacts with the people who raise golden retrievers all over the country. And Dave, as I understand it--who is communicating with the individual up in Minneapolis who happened to have a golden retriever about this age--Dave asked the individual if they had a dog and was it available, and the owner said that they had this 8-month-old golden retriever, but the proprietor or the owner was a little cautious--they're very possessive about these dogs-- and he asked in a very nice way who the dog's owner would be.
And they said, Dave and Susan, that they had to keep it a secret. Well, the kennel owner said that they don't sell dogs that way. He would have to know who the dog's owner would be, and he wanted to know would the dog have a good home.
So, Dave and Susan very specifically assured the dog owner that it would have a good home. They explained that the parents were friendly and middle-aged and they had four children. The kennel owner said, "That sounds fine. What kind of a house do they live in?"
Susan and Dave said, "Well, it is a big white house with a fence around it." The kennel owner said, "This is a big dog. Will it have enough to eat? Does the father have a steady job?" Well, on that question, they were stuck a bit. [Laughter]
Needless to say they got the dog and, in the appropriate spirit of the city of Philadelphia, we have named her "Liberty." One of those inquisitive reporters that we have in Washington asked Susan who is going to take care of Liberty; who is going to feed her and groom her and take her out each night or every morning? And Susan did not hesitate one minute. She said, "Of course, it will be Dad." So, I have this feeling--this is one Liberty that is going to cost me some of mine. [Laughter]
But in a very broader sense, that is the true nature of liberty. It comes with both privileges and obligations. Freedom, we all know, is seldom free. (Source)
Liberty Ford is a Golden Light because of the awareness she raised of the positive traits of the Golden Retriever when she was photographed hundreds of times in her role as the Presidential pet. Liberty has been gone almost 30 years, but her well-known owners make her one of the most recognized Golden Retrievers in the United States.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Golden Light #10 is Molly Crying in Airport During Reunion with Owner. The following YouTube video features a soldier returning home for Christmas from Afghanistan and being greeted by her loyal Golden Retriever Dog named Molly who cries when seeing her. The video embeded here of the reunion has received over 6 million views since being uploaded a year ago and there are multiple accounts that are sharing this touching video.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Carly is a 9 year old Golden Retriever who works as a member of the pain management team at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto, California. Carly is owned by Sandy Sentiveny-Collins who is an RN. Carly is a Golden Light for the way she helps children cope with their pain in the hospital.
Here is a video about Carly's work at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital.
Carly works about ten hours a day at the hospital. Hospital physicians can write Carly Consults when patients need to visit with Carly, and then Carly fulfills those visits when she is at work. Sandy Sentiveny-Collins describes Carly's work in the above video this way,
Carly gets working in the hospital. I am not sure how she gets it. I didn't teach it to her. When we are outside she is much more athletic and active. As soon as we walk through the doors she slows down her pace. She walks pretty slowly throughout the hospital. She'll stop whenever children approach her and want to pet her. She'll let them do pretty much whatever they wan to do.
Special thanks to Carly for all her hard work in the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. Many children are blessed to get a Carly Consult.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Ruby Tingum is a Golden Retriever who lives with Bruce and Caroline Tingum's family in Encinitas, California (part of San Diego County). She is an autism service dog who is very gentle around children and received her training from Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs, Inc. Ruby's role is to protect Garrett Tingum, a 10 year old boy with severe autism. Ruby Tingum is a Golden Light for the help she provides to the Tingum family and Garrett Tingum as he navigates through life.
In addition to autism, Garrett Tingum has mild cerebral palsy, apraxia (motor planning disorder), and pica (eats non-edible items). Garrett's most dangerous behavior is his tendency to escape his home and run into the street or go into people's homes. Ruby has been especially trained to find Garrett when he goes missing. Here is a video on Ruby's story of comforting the Tingum family.
Caroline Tingum described Ruby and Garrett's friendship in the above video, "Garrett has a friend. He's never had a real friend before. You know you don't think of children with autism as being lonely just because they can't express it. Ruby has filled that void I think."
Special thanks to Ruby and all the talented and loving dogs who are making a difference around the world for autism. If you liked this post you may like to read about other Golden Lights with the label "Autism". Ruby Tingum has also been featured on our Autism Light blog as Autism Light #288.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Golden Light #7 is the Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dog Ministry
The Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dog Ministry is based in Addison, Illinois. The ministry's Golden Retriever dogs are frequently deployed to scenes of disasters to comfort people. They have comforted people, especially children, at the site of recent disasters including, the Boston Marathon disaster, Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, Hurricane Sandy, Indiana flooding, and the Joplin, Missouri tornado. Most recently they have been invited to Prescott, Arizona where 19 firefighters perished on July 1, 2013. The Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dog Ministry is a Golden Light because of the way it has helped the Golden Retrievers to spread comfort by the hard work they put in to train and facilitate travel trips around the United States for the dogs in the Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dog Ministry to do their ministry.
Here is a video of the news story when the Golden Retrievers of the Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dog Ministry came to Newton, Connecticut to comfort those impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in December, 2012.
In the above CNN news story, Tim Hetzner, Lutheran Church Charities President, said about the impact of the dogs, "To some people and we've seen this with children, it brings a sense of calmness in times of confusion for them during this period. To some it helps them process their grief, they'll start crying and they'll hug the dog, and to some children they'll come up sad and they'll walk away happy."
The following is a video where Tim Hetzner explains more about the Christian theology behind this ministry of the Lutheran Church.
In the above video Tim Hetzner notes that all the Comfort Dogs have their own business cards and Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and email for people to be able to continue to interact with a specific Golden Retriever in the future. Golden Light hopes to spotlight some of the specific Comfort Dogs and their social media presence in the future.If you would like to nominate a specific Comfort Dog please leave a comment with the dog's name and the reason why you feel they are a Golden Light.
You can follow more about the work of Lutheran Church Charities K9 Comfort Dogs at the following social media pages.
Tuesday is a Golden Retriever owned by Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan. Luis Carlos Montalvan is a 17 year veteran in the United States military who sustained serious injuries in the Iraq war. Capt. Montalvan suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like many veterans. Part of what helps Luis in his journey through life is the presence of a faithful Golden Retriever wherever he goes. Tuesday is a Golden Light for being a service dog for Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan.
Some of the services that Tuesday does for Luis Carlos Montalvan is he senses when he becomes anxious and calms his nerves, helps him walk when he has vertigo, and reminds him to take his medicine on schedule. CBN did an interview with Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan about how Tuesday has changed his life.
The following is a video of David Letterman interviewing Luis Carlos Montalvan with his dog Tuesday.
Luis Carlos Montalvan wrote his memoirs in the book called Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever that Saved Him. Published in the Summer of 2011 it is available to be purchased at Amazon. The book won the 2012 USA Best Book Award in the Autobiography/Memoir and Audiobook Non-fiction categories (Source). The following is a video of the trailer to the book Until Tuesday.
You can follow Tuesday's ongoing Golden Light adventures in the future through Luis Carlos Montalvan's website at www.luiscarlosmontalvan.com or on his Facebook page.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Henry Gardner was a Golden Retriever from Scotland. He developed a healing relationship with an autistic boy named Dale Gardner. Henry Gardner is a Golden Light for his contribution to the life of a boy with autism.
Jim and Nuala Gardner had a lot of problems with their son Dale's self-destructive behavior. As they struggled with what they should do, they acquired Henry for Dale, and the dog changed everything. They were able to create a voice for Henry the Golden Retriever to facilitate their communication with Dale and other positive effects poured in over time.
Nuala Gardner wrote the book, A Friend Like Henry(2008) to document the dramatic change in her son Dale (now in his early 20's) as he developed a relationship with their Golden Retriever named Henry. The book is evidence of the positive effect that a dog can have on some children with autism. In Dale's case his dog Henry helped improve his behavior, communication, and self-concept. The following is the YouTube video made to give a brief glimpse at the story of Henry and Dale.
After Thomas was a movie based on the Golden Retriever Henry and Dale's relationship. Henry is called Thomas in the movie because of Dale's love for the Thomas the Engine character.
The dog in this story called Henry died in 2006, but his legacy of having changed Dale's life lives on. Dale said, "He was my dog and I loved him. He died in April this year (2006) and even though I love our new dog (also called Henry) it was terrible for me. The first Henry was special (Source)."
Dale Gardner's parents are very proud of what he is accomplishing as a well adjusted young adult. After Henry arrived into their life, Jim and Nuala Gardner had a daughter Amy who also developed autism. More information on their family can be found in an article written by Daphne Lockyer.
Special thanks to Henry Gardner for being a Golden Light. The help he gave a boy with autism was a life-changer. Jim and Nuala Gardner were featured on the Autism Light blog. You may read their feature at their page at the Autism Light blog.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Autumn Moser is a 9 year old Golden Retriever from Ellsworth, Wisconsin. She is owned by Jason and Melissa Moser. In July, 2012, when Autumn was 8 years old, she was instrumental in finding a missing boy named Scotty (Scott) who has autism. Autumn Moser is a Golden Light because she was able to find a missing boy with autism even though she had no special search and rescue training.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 3, 2012, a little boy named Scott Meyer went missing from his Pierce County, Minnesota home. Scott Meyer was 5 years old at that time and is nonverbal because of his autism. The community searched for 20 hours to find the boy and were concerned because of the hot weather at the time. Jason Moser had his Golden Retriever Autumn come with him as he searched for Scott. At about 8am on July 4, 2012, Autumn led his owner Jason to an area hidden under a tree near a small slope where they found Scott Meyer about a half a mile from his home but near a dangerous body of water (Source).
The following is a news story on the rescue of Scott Meyer by Autumn and her owner Jason Moser.
The Two Little Cavaliers blog praised Autumn's efforts in this way.
After 20 hours of the community searching for the lost little boy it was an 8 year old Golden Retriever with no special search and rescue or other service dog training that eventually helped to find the little boy. A dog that was almost left home because of the heat and no special training. Jason Moser who is Autumn the Golden Retriever’s owner said he decided to bring her in the end because she loves kids and loves giving them kisses (Source).
Read more information on Autumn finding Scott Meyer at the following blogs and news websites.
Blair is a black lab and is the first non Golden Retriever to be honored on Golden Light. Blair is a Golden Light because she is acting as a Guide Dog to Tanner, a blind Golden Retriever.
Tanner is a Golden Retriever who is blind and has seizures. These physical problems put him in a difficult spot to enjoy life. His life was dramatically improved when Blair stepped into be his own seeing eye dog. Tanner is a Golden Light because of how he shows that despite physical obstacles Golden's can live good lives with some special help.
Here is a CNN video of this heartwarming story of Blair and Tanner.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
Sophie Perlzweig is a 5 year old Golden Retriever that is a trained autism therapy dog. Sophie visits Floral Park Memorial High School in Floral Park, New York every other Tuesday to interact with autism students who are in the after-school program called Promoting Academics through Life Skills (PALS). Sophie is a Golden Light for the contribution she makes in the lives of PALS students with autism.
Sophie is owned by Roni Perlzweig of Bayside, Queens in New York City. Roni Perlzweig is a math teacher at Floral Park Memorial High School and she has been bringing Sophie to the PALS program at her school since January, 2011 (Source). The following is a video of Sophie's interaction with the autistic students.
Special thanks to Sophie for being a Golden Light. Sophie is a fine example of how autism therapy dogs can help in temporary school settings.
Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.
This post on Sophie Perlzweig originally appeared on the Autism Light blog on July 10, 2012 and was modified slightly for Golden Light.
Golden Light #1 is Shalom's Benjamin Jacob (1999-2009).
Circa 2002, B.J. and Alan
Shalom's Benjamin Jacob (B.J.) was born on January 17, 1999. Alan and Anne Stokes purchased him from Diane & Joseph Cudo who were breeders who lived in Elk River, Minnesota at the time. He died on December 16, 2009 after a mouth cancer diagnosis. His illness was diagnosed by the caring professionals at Patterson Veterinary Hospital in Mason, Michigan. B.J.'s remains are buried in the Heavenly Acres Pet Cemetery in Howell, Michigan in their unmarked field.
B.J. was a mascot at the former Salvation Army Silver Lake Camp in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 5 years. Longtime Golden Retriever enthusiast and camp physician, Dr. William Carr, expressed disappointment one day that B.J. was neutered and wouldn't be reproducing because of the superior personality that B.J. had in representing the breed.
B.J. was a very gentle dog although he weighed in at 110 pounds. He moved with his family wherever duty called and despite his size didn't complain about spending a year in a one bedroom apartment. He was the first Golden Retriever that the blogger of the "Light Blog" Series owned and in tribute to him, he is being named the first Golden Light.
