J.D. and Snickers are a beautiful pair of "golden girls," say Russ and Sandy, the proud humans of the household. The dogs, both Golden Retrievers, were rescued when their first families could not keep them. Snickers (left) came to live with Russ and Sandy nine years ago, through the NorCal Golden Retriever Rescue. Later, Russ and Sandy adopted J.D. (her initials stand for "Just Dog"), who used to live in southern California with a family that was just too busy to pay attention to her. Now, they all live together in beautiful Los Gatos and enjoy nice long walks around their neighborhood. The golden girls love to make friends wherever they go...and the girls  go to a LOT of places, because they are both official ambassadors of Furry Friends Pet-Assisted Therapy, which visits care facilities and hospitals, retirement homes, community centers, and libraries. When the Furry Friends visit the Willow Glen Library, you might see one or both golden girls listening to young readers and hoping for tummy rubs between books. 

One question I've heard is, "How does reading to dogs help kids?" Bay Area Parent has a great article about how much pets give back to people in its March, 2011, issue.

Golden Retrievers have long been one of the most popular breeds, ranking in the top five favorite breeds in America (according to the AKC) and in the top ten in the UK and Australia. This breed is known for its intelligence and sweet nature and has been featured in many popular books and movies, as well as quite a few television shows. Interested in movies? Try the Air Bud series , Bailey's Billions, The Gold Retrievers, A Golden Christmas, and many more. Read or watch Homeward Bound, a novel about three lost pets that was turned into two successful movies by Disney. Kids may enjoy the Boomer picture books and the Buddy files, a series of chapter books. Adults can find Koontz's The Watchers and The Darkest Evening of the Year in book, audio, or electronic formats.  For nonfiction about this beloved breed, type "Golden Retriever" in the SJPL catalog search. You'll end up with 63 results, and those are just the tip of the iceberg.