It’s a Dog’s Life at Tropical Palms Resort and Campground
We sat down with some of the dogs here at Tropical Palms to get their point of view on what life is like for them at the Resort. We had to bribe them with some biscuits and belly rubs to get them to talk, but once they got started they had plenty to say, starting with Lee and Helen Gelderman’s eldest, Kokomo.
Kokomo & Morgan Gelderman
“I’m almost nine and my brother Morgan is a year younger, though he acts like a pup. He’s always showing off, rolling onto his back and getting rubs from everyone. But we get along real well; we even share our bones. Life is good when you’ve got a bone to jaw on.
“Pop takes us for rides in his golf cart all the time. Every morning, we jump in the cart and wait for him to take us down to the Bark Park so we can run around and hang with our buds for a while.
“Then it’s over to the office where we get cookies and loving from Karen who works there. She’s a total pushover. Can’t resist us. Of course, when you’re retired show dogs and as good looking as we are, you get used to people making a fuss. And we love it when they do.
“Now, I wouldn’t want you to think it’s all fun and games for us. We have a serious side. Both Morgan and I are certified to visit nursing homes, hospices and hospitals. It makes the people we visit feel better and that’s what we’re all about – making people feel good.
“Morgan’s half-brother, River, lives at Tropical with the Biales, but I’ll let him tell you about himself and his kid brother Piper.”
River & Piper Biale
“We love it here,” River told us. “There’s so much to do, there’s hardly enough time in the day to do it all. We go out every morning with our Dad, Richard Biale, to get the paper and then it’s out to feed the ducks. Watching them is a real kick because they let us get up real close. I guess they know they’re going to get treats.
“The best part of the day for me and Piper is having Dad chauffer us around in the golf cart. We love going to the dog bath station and getting groomed afterwards. Mom used to be the President of the Garden State Golden Retriever Club and ran lots of shows, so she knows all about grooming. I think it’s because we look so good that everyone loves making a fuss over us. In fact Piper’s birth Mom, Smooch, was the number one Golden in the country.
“Piper on the other hand, was voted the worst behaved dog out of three thousand in the show. I don’t even want to tell you what he did, but there’s one judge who never, ever wants to see him again. Here, we can all go down to the Bark Park and run around and work off some of that energy playing together and chasing balls. Then we like to head over to the office because they keep a big bowl of biscuits and, like my buddy Kokomo said, Karen’s always ready to give us one.
“But the highlight of our time at Tropical is getting dressed up for the golf cart parades. What a blast! We’ve worn blinking lights at Halloween, Santa hats at Christmas and red, white and blue bandanas on the Fourth of July. And, of course, it’s a chance to ride in the golf cart, show off and make new friends, like that cute little Muttigree, Chloe.”
Chloe Fitzgerald
“Thanks for the compliment, River. Now I don’t want to disappoint you guys cause I like you all a lot, but Buster’s my boyfriend. He went home for the summer, but I’m just counting the days ’til he gets back. Until then, I guess I’ll just content myself with chasing you all over the Bark Park and showing you who’s boss. I might only weigh seventeen pounds but I got a big dog attitude.
“Just like all you fellas, I like riding in golf carts with my Mom, Sasha Fitzgerald. But I like walking around the resort more and I’m lucky because my Mom takes me for, like, six walks a day. We go over to the lake together and check out the gator. That’s the first thing I do everyday. And I like feeding the ducks; that’s always fun. Then, when Mom goes to work in the office, I like to visit ’cause so many people come in and pet me – I feel like I’m the official mascot of Tropical Palms. In fact, I’m thinking of asking for the job.
“What I really like best about Tropical Palms is that it gives me a safe, comfortable lifestyle, with lots of love from everybody here. Isn’t it great how many people stop everyday to give us some love, whether it’s petting, or biscuits or a belly rub? That’s what makes Tropical such a special place for all of us.”
When Chloe said that, there was lots of yelping and tail wagging in agreement.
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Hey Chloe, I thought I was your boyfriend? Thats OK. I understand you need company while I’m gone. I’ll be back in February and looking forward to seeing you again. Oh Yeah…Say Hi to Sasha for me. She took really good care of me while my owner was gone. Especially enjoyed the walks together!! Until we meet again….BooBoo