Miss (angel) Shelley

Those of you that know me know that I would have to be the one to tell my story.  My life began as an “old” lady probably around 13 or 14 years old.  This is when I was brought into a shelter.  Now the shelter people, rescue, and vets thought I was too old and sick to live.  Along comes Miss Pauline of Heartland Golden Retriever Rescue in Knoxville, TN (www.heartlandgoldenrescue.org)  and she said that she was going to give me a chance to have a good life.  She took me to DR Brad and he said they have saved some worse than me.  You see I needed eye surgery, my skin was a mess, I was very overweight, had a thyroid problem and to top it off I was heartworm positive.  In other words I was a total mess and I do not like going to Veterinarians but to get well I needed a lot of care.  In enters my foster mom Jean who nursed me back to health.  She was great and I was with her almost 16 months before my forever home came along.  My mom and dad would jokingly say it was because I was so stubborn.  Anyway my mom runs the Montana’s Precious Gold Golden Retriever Rescue in Montana (www.mtgrr.com) . They happen to be in New Hampshire because of business  They picked me and four other dogs up in VA all going to new homes in the New England area.  I was the first out of the van because I had to ride “shotgun” (did I tell you I was stubborn?) and mom and dad looked at me and mom said “Do you think she will make it to Goldstock (http://www.goldstock2006.org) ?  Dad being the nice guy he is said “Do you think she will make it to next week?”  Well, I made it to three Goldstocks where I helped raise money for rescue.  It also took no time to wrap mom and dad around my paw.  I got to do so many things, drive all the way to MT, dad got me a boat because I love the water, he also got me my own camper so I could rest when I am tired, we would go on walks, to the beach and do all the good stuff I had missed my whole life.  I had two “suck” up brothers and a sister who I was very close to because she got in trouble all the time like me.  I was with mom and dad almost 4 years before my heart gave out.  I am now at the bridge watching over everyone and teaching classes on “how not to be a suck dog”. 

Miss Shelley out

Rusty's Story

About a month ago Rusty's owner past away and he had nowhere to go. He ended up at a shelter and was in pretty bad health. He may not have survived because given his health considerations and his age (12 years old), finding a home for him would be difficult. Thanks to the Golden Retriever rescue group in Montana (MTGRR), Rusty was taken into a foster home. He was diagnosed as being overweight (125lbs), a thyroid condition, hip dysplasia and 11 benign tumors all over his body. On the positive side, Rusty had a great personality, was gentle and very easy going. It was obvious that someone had loved Rusty and taken time to train him and care for him. The rescue group arranged to have all the tumors removed, put on thyroid medication and a healthy diet to help him loose weight. Within 2 weeks of recovery and receiving his medication for thyroid and arthritis, Rusty is a "new" dog. He is spry and playful (as much as a 12 year old can be) and has permanently been placed in a home where he has fit right in. As soon as Rusty is at his normal weight (100 lbs) he will be evaluated for hip surgery. In the meantime, Rusty will be able to lead a very normal life until the end of his days. He will not only be able to live a quality life but will provide much happiness to the family with whom he lives.