Tuesday Montalvan

Golden Light #6 is Tuesday Montalvan.

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.

Cinnamon Goes on a Road Trip

Cinnamon Roll #1.

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, I left my home in Pittsburgh and said goodbye to the "Mommy" who rescued me after I was abandoned and left wandering the streets as a little guy. She gave me such a good start in life and I will always remember her. I met my new family and went on a long and fun road trip.

I got to ride in the back seat of a car next to my new brother. I didn't understand some of the energy and anxiety my new brother with autism was expressing in the car, but I didn't bark and let him touch me if he wanted too. I tried to remain calm.

I barked just once on the trip, when I saw a mean looking Rottweiler outside of our car at a rest stop on the highway. I heard an ambulance go by and didn't bark. I also heard fireworks in the neighborhood of my new home and didn't bark. People walking on the sidewalk near our house after midnight bother me though until my parents tell me it is okay.

The trip took all day because of frequent stops and the sunset was beautiful when we were getting close to my new home. When we pulled off the highway into the city where I will live, I stood up in the back seat and looked out the window to see all the new surroundings. When I got to my new home this little cat ran into hiding. She ran so fast I don't know what color she is. I stayed up past midnight and got up at 7am. I can already see I'm going to have to grab cat naps during the day when the family is out doing things without me. Did I say cat naps? I mean dog naps. Until next time.

Cinnamon Roll chronicles special days in the life of the Golden Retriever Cinnamon.

So God Made a Dog

Golden Retriever lovers will enjoy this video called "So God Made a Dog". It's a parody of the 2013 Super Bowl Ad called So God Made a Farmer. 


Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.

Henry Gardner

Golden Light #5 is Henry Gardner

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

Golden Light #4 is Autumn Moser.

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.

• Two Little Cavaliers Blog
• The Daily Golden Blog
• The Star Tribune
• The Huffington Post

Special thanks to Autumn and all the talented and loving dogs who are making a difference around the world for autism. 

Golden Light Honors the Lives of Golden Retrievers.

This post on Autumn Moser originally appeared on the Autism Light blog on June 18, 2013 and was modified slightly for Golden Light.

Dog, My Friend

When God had made the earth and sky, the flowers and the trees. He then made all the animals and all the birds and bees. And when his work was finished, and not one was quite the same. He said "I'll walk this Earth of mine and give each one a name". And so he traveled land and sea, and everywhere he went, a little creature followed him, until it's strength was spent. When all were named upon the earth, and in the sky and sea, the little creature said, "Dear Lord, there's not one left for me." The Father smiled, and softly said, "I've left you to the end, I've turned my own name back to front, and called you, "Dog, my friend".

Author Unknown  (Source).

Dean Koontz Quote

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"Golden retrievers are not bred to be guard dogs, and considering the size of their hearts and their irrepressible joy in life, they are less likely to bite than to bark, less likely to bark than to lick a hand in greeting. In spite of their size, they think they are lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at many moment, cry, "Let's go!" and lead them on a great adventure" (Dean Koontz-Source).

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Note: Author Dean Koontz is an owner of a Golden Retriever.

For other quotes go to the links on the Golden Light Quote Blog.