Grover is not an original import but he was one of the first litters of Clumbers born here in the US from original imports.  His mother is an original import from Slovakia and his father is an original import from Czech Republic.

Grover was owned by the same puppy miller who owned Emmie.  Emmie was an original import, but since Grover wasn’t, I was on the fence about rescuing him as my main focus is rescuing the original imports. A sad fact about rescue is that you can’t “save” them all; however, after much soul searching, I decided that I couldn’t leave him behind.  Grover  is the same age as many of the original imports and he has also spent his entire life living in puppy mills.  I felt he had paid his dues.

The minute I met Grover I knew I had made the right decision as this boy is full of life and has so much to offer. Edward told me his tail never stopped wagging from the minute he picked him up.  His demeanor is that of a big puppy and reminds me of a bull in a china shop. With Grover comes a wonderful burst of excitement – it is obvious that he can’t wait to catch up on all that he missed out on while “making a living” for others.

Grover has a lot to learn and experience. The first time he saw the creek, he was scared to death of it and stopped dead in his tracks.  He would go no further. No Clumber should ever be afraid of water and that alone is a terrible thing. His first grooming session was also very traumatic for him as apparently he’d never had a bath. He cried for the first few minutes but he was very patient with me and let me do what I needed to do. His paws and pads were a mess and the mats were awful, but once I got them cut away and combed out I found a very handsome clumber underneath.  He has a coat of “hair” any woman would envy. His “full” tail completes the package as it is breathtaking.

Even though he has never had anyone love and adore him, his spirit has remained intact and he is a joy to watch. He “gaits” around the yard and loves to retrieve and carry toys around in his mouth. To my delight he loves to play ball and is overjoyed that he has someone who will play with him.

There’s no way to know how many puppy mills Grover has been in since he was born, but those days are over and I am grateful I reconsidered and added him to my agenda. This young man has many years left and he is going to bring smiles to all who are lucky enough to meet him.

He has already brought smiles to McLendon Land.