Madeline originally found her way to Rescue after being picked up as a stray in Massachusetts. Maddie was in sad shape – she was almost hairless and her skin was bright red and inflamed. She had severe skin and ear infections, lots of scabs, and was covered in fleas. Her teeth were worn and needed work, as well. The shelter staff unsurprisingly reported that this poor girl was depressed, though she had a very sweet personality.

Maddie went directly to one of the vet hospitals YGRR works with and a treatment plan was set in motion for her. She had a complete senior workup including a dentistry, x-rays, bloodwork, and a complete thyroid profile. As we suspected, Madeline was severely hypothyroid. This condition, which is easily remedied by supplementing the underactive thyroid gland with a tiny pill twice daily, causes obesity, skin infections, hair loss, and eventually leads to neurological symptoms. It is very common in Golden Retrievers and is easily and inexpensively managed.

Maddie was put on Soloxine for her underactive thyroid and antibiotics for her skin. During her stay at Riverview, her true personality emerged as she felt better and better. She was a good girl for all her medicated baths and over time she transformed into a happy and outgoing Golden girl with a beautiful, flowing coat!

Madeline was matched up with a long-time volunteer and multi-time repeat adopter. He was absolutely in love with his Maddie-girl, and said she was the best dog he had ever owned. Maddie returned his adoration and they were an inseparable pair. Sadly, after a year-and-a-half together, Maddie’s adopter passed away unexpectedly. YGRR’s safety net was there for Maddie, and she quickly came back into our program.

addie settled right back into life at Riverview and was soon adopted again. Madeline has settled in beautifully in her new home. Her adopter reports that she is just the most perfect girl and she has filled the empty spot in her home and heart left by the passing of her other Golden. Maddie is happy to be back in a home, as well. YGRR is proud that once a dog comes to us, we look out for her for her entire lifetime, and we are sure that Maddie’s original adopter is smiling down on his girl from above.

Nine-year-old Buddy came to Rescue when his owners could no longer afford to care for him. They were on the verge of losing their home and needed to find a stable situation for Buddy, whom they had owned since he was a puppy. Buddy was described as “a love” and, despite his 80-plus pounds, was convinced he was a lapdog. His only bad habits were raiding the bathroom trash so he could tear apart tissues, stealing socks, and chasing squirrels.

Buddy was given a complete senior work-up and was found to be a healthy boy except for a touch of hip dysplasia. He had a couple of benign lumps removed and was soon ready to be adopted. While he was waiting for his new family, Buddy loved to hang out in the home simulation room where he could get pats and belly rubs. He loved the toy box, but was a shredder of stuffed animals! He also enjoyed the large play yards where he could gallop like a horse!

Repeat adopters were invited to meet Buddy and they loved his sweet and affectionate personality. Since going home, Buddy has lived up to his lapdog reputation. He has also met his adopters’ grandchildren and been for a visit to his new vet. So far he is taking his new life all in stride.

Amazingly, Buddy has decided to pay it forward and turned into a rescuer himself! Very early one morning, while it was still dark, Buddy went for a walk with his adopter. There had been a storm the night before. Buddy kept pulling toward a nearby marsh creek. His adopter looked, but didn’t see anything, so he continued his walk with Buddy. On the way back, Buddy again insisted on going over to the creek. Using a flashlight, his adopter took one more look to see what Buddy was so worked up about. There, in a pool within the creek, was a dolphin stranded by the ebbing tide! Together with a neighbor and a stranding network already at work nearby, they were able to get the dolphin into a large trailer already holding two of its comrades. If not for Buddy, no one may ever have found the dolphin until it was too late. Thanks to Buddy, however, the dolphin was able to be released back into the ocean that same day! Good boy, Buddy!

Meggie was surrendered to Rescue when one of her owners experienced a health crisis. The family had to travel from Maine to Boston frequently for treatment, and Meggie was not getting the attention a one-year-old Golden Retriever requires.

Meggie quickly came to Riverview where she settled in and was soon having a great time. She loved to play with the other dogs or go for walks. She also loved toys and enjoyed pulling them out of the toy box in the adoption room. She needed some work on manners, especially walking politely on a leash and learning not to use her mouth on people when she got excited. Overall, she was a typical Golden for her age.

Adopters who had a young male Golden named Jacob were invited to meet Meggie. Jacob wanted a playmate, and he got more than he bargained for with little Meggie! Although Jacob outweighs his new sister by about 20 pounds, Meggie rules the roost. The two dogs wrestle and play, occasionally needing separate time-outs when they get carried away in the house. Meggie loves her new brother and gives him kisses.

Jacob has shown Meggie where to stand when their owners are making salad so they can wait for some of the veggies. They also love bananas and peanut butter. The dogs go for daily walks through the woods and on the beach when weather permits. Meggie also gets massages from her adopter, which she adores. She especially likes to have her face massaged. When she is being silly, her adopters lovingly call her “Nut-Meg”!

Meggie’s original owners can rest assured that their girl is very happy and well-cared for with her adoptive family. Meggie’s family is able to give her the time and attention she needs. They love their little peanut with the big personality!

Holly came to Rescue because her owner was moving out of the country. Because her new schedule would not permit her to spend much time with Holly, she decided it was in Holly’s best interest to go to a new home where she could continue to get the attention she needed. She knew that we would find the perfect new home for her pretty girl, which helped ease the pain of giving her up.

Holly had been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, though she never acted as if she were in pain. Other than this, Holly was a healthy and happy 6-year-old girl. Because Holly’s dysplasia didn’t appear to cause her discomfort, it was decided to manage it by keeping her at a healthy weight and putting her on a nutritional supplement for her joints, reassessing her treatment plan in the future if necessary.

At Riverview, Holly fit into her new routine very well. She was a very sweet, loving, and wonderful girl. She loved to go for a walk or chase a tennis ball, though she might not want to share with another dog. She would get very excited whenever meeting someone new, and would sometimes jump up on them. Holly assumed everyone she met was there just to visit her. This girl was a charmer, and we knew she would make a new family very happy.

A wonderful couple who had owned 4 Goldens over the years was invited to meet Holly. When they met this frisky girl, they knew she would help to fill the void created by the passing of their 11-year-old Golden, Brooke. Brooke had left a big hole not only in their hearts, but in their community, as well, since she had been a trained therapy dog. Holly had some big paws to measure up to!

Holly is now flourishing in her new home. Although Holly was not allowed on the furniture in her previous home, she now sleeps on the bed. Her new owners adore her! They started working on her training immediately. The hardest task for Miss Holly was learning to contain her enthusiasm when interacting with people. Thanks to some patient guidance, Holly is learning that if she is calm, even more people will say hello to her.