We have been involved with dogs one way or another for many years. We have been guide dog puppy raisers, 4-H dog trainers, enjoyed doing Canine Freestyle Dance with our pets and we are pet sitters. Fostering for GRRMF is something we have always wanted to do and our first foster was Scramble August, ( Scramble’s story )
As fosters we checked the website to make sure our pup’s bio is up to date for prospective families and one day we saw HER. 
Fifteen year old Cinnamon Sunny had the most beautiful face and eyes. Most people think 15 is too old to be adopted because you won’t have them very long. But we couldn’t resist her charm. We drove to her foster home and made her a part of our family. She and Scramble and our other two golden girls, Sarah and Holly, meshed together right from the beginning. We lost our Holly a few days later (cancer) and having Cinnamon and Scramble helped us through the loss.
Scramble likes to take all the toys, but Cinnamon and Sarah steal them back, but sometimes the bones mysteriously find their way back again under his bed. Sometimes there is a three way wrestling match in the living room but the “kids” never get into fights. At dinner time, Cinnamon sits and stares at us and especially if we have pizza she has even tried to steal it off the plate. She likes to roll around on the rug and Scramble rolls on his bed and barks and woofs. They share all their toys and beds but we feed them separately so they don’t eat each other’s food, although once they are done eating, they clean each other’s dishes.
Cinnamon likes to hang out in Scramble’s crate. She takes her chew bone in with her and sleeps with it. Her hearing isn’t as sharp as it was but her eyes and nose still work very well. She has some arthritis but still gets up on her own. Her first day with us we tried to make sure she didn’t go up the stairs but she followed the other dogs up and looked very pleased with herself. Our vet told us to stay with her on the stairs but that it was good for her heart and arthritic legs to get the exercise and we would know when to stop her. She still climbs the stairs. One of her favorite outdoor activities is to roll in the grass and get dirt in her nose and ears. She knows she will get extra attention when we go back inside. She likes to make sure we are doing the cooking right so lays in the kitchen to make sure.
We have always taken our dogs on rides in the car. Sometimes to get groceries, sometimes for a trip to Arby’s but their most favorite place is to the bank because they get dog treats from the tellers at the drive through. They have been to three GRRMF reunions and love to see the other dogs and people. Both have been camping or walking in nearby state parks. We also take them on picnics. Although it sounds like they get people food we only give them appropriate dog treats and food and green beans & pumpkin.
A funny family group activity is when we put the drops in Scramble’s eyes. Alarms one hour apart are on our cell phones and when Scramble hears them he gets up and goes to the kitchen island where his medicine is and sits straight and tall and puts his face up for his eye drops. When we are done we give him a small treat as a reward. Cinnamon and Sarah also hear the alarms and come to sit on either side of Scramble to get treats too. They now have us very well trained!
