ADOPTED

Bridget was turned in to the shelter by her owners in late July. She’s been with her foster family for about three weeks now, and here’s what they have to say:

My wife and I have fostered many dogs. It’s always hard to give them up to their new families, but you quickly learn that the real gift of fostering is being able to see each dog off to his “forever” home—and to see how happy that new home is to find such a wonderful Golden! Typically, we create a cute story from the dog’s point of view, to get your attention and tug at your heart strings.

With Bridget, we’re taking a new direction … because she has so successfully pulled on our heart strings! After getting Bridget well again (more on that below) and falling head over heels in love with her, my wife and I are dedicated to finding her the best possible home, one that’s suitable for such a superb dog.

What do we mean when we say she’s “superb”? Well, we aren’t talking so much about training, stature, or behavior. In fact, in many ways she’s a typical dog – she acts like any other sweet puppy. What makes Bridget so special is her ability to give so much love, even with a history that would shake most dogs’ faith in people.

Just 9 months old, little Bridget came to GRR on her final day at the animal shelter. Reason for surrender? Her family considered her a nuisance, accusing her of unforgivable things like always wanting attention and jumping up on people. She was alone 12 hours a day, and when the owners were around, they complained that “she demands attention all the time,” “she’s too hyper,” and so on. She had bad infections in both ears, and worst of all, she had a large wound covering a quarter of her back, something that our vets decided was a chemical burn – it definitely looks as though something caustic was poured on her. The wound was really hard to look at—my wife was so alarmed when she saw it that she took Bridget straight from the shelter to the vet! (Incidentally, Bridget rode in the car like a lady – her original owners said, "pees, poops, and vomits in car.") Later on, Bridget had to have the injury thoroughly cleaned under anesthesia, so all the dead tissue could be trimmed away and healthy new skin could grow. It was a mess!

The healing process has gone extremely well, but it hasn’t been easy. Poor Bridget itched so severely as a new scab formed that she had to be sedated lightly to keep her from rubbing the sore spot against the wall, the carpet, or anything else. She even had to wear an E-collar, poor girl! But it’s all paid off, because today, the burn is 90% healed. All that is left is a small scab, and the hair is growing back. She should be 100% very soon.

What has really amazed us is that in the midst of all this discomfort, and coming from somebody who obviously didn’t treat her well, her spirit has stayed so loving. She has dimples and the cutest smile! She has been nothing but a pleasure for us. She is still a puppy, of course, so she needs lots of attention and training—but she is our very favorite foster dog in several years of fostering. If we did not already have two dogs, we’d keep her in a minute! She makes fostering even more worth it than the others—it’s unthinkable that she might have died at the pound.

Bridget could be described as the runt of the litter—she is small compared to most Goldens (just 40 to 45 pounds), and it looks like she’ll stay that way. She has an extremely calm and loving disposition, but she’s still playful and energetic. She is very smart, so she learns quickly. She knows commands like sit, down, and shake. She gets along great with our two older male Goldens and our cat—she tries to play with them and gladly takes the submissive role. I have not seen her around children, but I can’t imagine she would be anything but wonderful.

This special one deserves a home that will give her the proper attention. As any Golden owner will tell you, your dog must be part of the family, and Bridget deserves a home who will feel an instant connection to her and make her the best-loved member of the family. The lucky folks that get her will have one of those dogs that will be always be remembered as “the special one”. It will be hard for us to let go of this special girl, that is for sure—but if we kept her, we wouldn't be able to help the next one who needs us.

P.S. And just one more thing—foster families are always needed! If you would like to foster as well as adopt, if you would like to help save the lives of dogs like Bridget, please contact GRR. Speaking from the point of view of a foster home, we can tell you the work is very rewarding. We constantly get grateful—and gratifying!—e-mails from families who have adopted our foster dogs, telling us how well they are doing in their new lives. It’s great being the first step on the way to that wonderful new life.


 

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