How to begin the long journey that has brought me to placing dogs almost weekly on a transport to the cold and distant North?  The first fateful trip was taken by 2 Goldens whose owner was undergoing chemo treatment at St. Jude's and because of an immune issue, had to re-home their beloved  Goldens.  They only asked that this pair of five-year-olds stay together, so that they would, at least, have each other. We just couldn't find a local family who would take two.  A contact I had made from Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue called me about the Anderson Family in Eliot, ME, who wanted 2 Goldens and had previously adopted from YGRR.  She assured me that they were a wonderful family and I even convinced her to promise to be a back-up if the adoption didn't work out.

Board member, Bev Hart, was driving up to visit her family and agreed to allow Sadie and Nash along for the ride.  It was the start of something wonderful on that historic day in 2002!  MAGRR was less than a year old and so began her long and rewarding association with New England.

Not many Goldens made their way north until GRROWLS Board Member, Jenny O'Brien, found her way to Memphis.  MAGRR quickly recruited her to help locally and she became a wonderful addition to our groups here; little did we know that she would also be that catalyst for a great association with the Northeast!  With her contacts, we were on our way.  We have worked with GRROWLS and Peppertree in NY and thus begin the migration in earnest.  Lise Kirk helped us get started in Maine and from there news of our special organization spread across the New England states.  Since that time we have forged a wonderful working relationship with Delaware Valley Golden Rescue in PA. (See Membership Matters Jan 2010)

In 2006, MAGRR New England was born, spreading Golden love across the New England states and even a couple of our Goldens have made it over the border into Canada.  MAGRR New England can now use our own people to perform the on site visit which others graciously did for us in the beginning.  As of January 2010, 262 Southern charmers have gone to their forever homes in the North.

It is with love in our hearts and tears in our eyes that we put these special friends on the transport for their journey to their new families.  The only way that our foster families can say goodbye to them is because they know that they are starting their new and amazing lives.   I am always anxious until I get that phone call saying, "we have him/her and we are in love."  After all, it truly is about the Golden.  MAGRR has always had the attitude that we are here to find the perfect home for our Goldens, and not a Golden for every applicant.  It takes a special love and trust for our applicants to love these Goldens, sight unseen, and trust us to send them their new and special family member.  This is an awesome responsibility that we do not take lightly.  To all of our special and awesome adopters, we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Our Goldens are loved from the very minute that we even know about their need.   Each Foster sends a piece of their heart along with their charge.