Sweet Rosie lived with her elderly owner and a myriad of other animals. After her owner suffered her tenth stroke, seven-year-old Rosie was taken in by relatives who intended to give her a loving home. When they brought her to the vet, however, they found that Rosie’s medical needs had been neglected for quite some time. She had ear infections, worms, and, most devastating and expensive to treat, heartworm. Rosie’s new family realized that they were not in a financial position to give her the treatment she needed and deserved. Although Rosie had quickly become a much loved part of the family, they had no choice but to surrender her to Rescue so she would have a chance for a longer and healthier life.

Rosie was immediately admitted to one of the vet hospitals that YGRR works with. Her ears were scarred and had hematomas from years of untreated ear infections. She was given medication both to resolve her current infections and to make her more comfortable. She was treated for Lyme disease and spayed, as well. An x-ray showed that the heartworms were causing complications with both her heart and lungs. She was brought back to Riverview to recuperate and she was scheduled to begin her heartworm treatment.

At Riverview, the staff found Rosie to be as sweet as could be. Her manners, however, were somewhat lacking. Insecure, she jumped on everyone she met and needed some work on leash manners, as well. Our top priority, however, was getting her healthy, and this required months of restricted exercise to lessen the chance of a pulmonary embolism as the worms died off.

Finally the day came when Rosie was declared healthy and ready to find the perfect home. A very caring couple was called to come meet Rosie, and they fell in love with this beautiful and charming girl! Now Rosie goes for three walks a day and loves to meet new friends, both two and four-legged. She greets her adopters with a “hug” and a wagging tail whenever they get home. She loves to go for car rides and to play with her tennis balls. Rosie makes her adopters laugh each day by dragging a pillow from the bed downstairs and laying on it! Rosie’s adopters say that she has made them so happy. In return, Rosie will live the rest of her life being loved and cared for as every should be!

Bella was turned in to Rescue because her owner could no longer afford to care for her dogs after a recent divorce. Bella lived with five children ages nine and up, as well as two other Goldens. Despite growing up in such a busy household, however, we found that Bella was easily overwhelmed and really preferred a quieter lifestyle.

Upon arrival, Bella was given her vaccinations, tested for heartworm and several tick illnesses, spayed and tattooed. She was skinny and needed to be fattened up, as well. Bella had received little training and was an active little girl (weighing in at only 55 pounds). She would check out countertops for food, bark if left alone, and chew things she shouldn’t. She also jumped (gently) on people for attention. Unlike most dogs, Bella did not enjoy car rides and would still get carsick, as well. Despite this lack of training, however, Bella was a very sweet girl who was just craving attention and wanted to do the right thing.

Bella waited at Riverview for just the right home to come along. She loved to go for walks or hang out in the home simulation room, where Miss Bella loved to be petted and was quite the snuggle bug. Her favorite toy, or course, was a tennis ball, though she could not be left unsupervised or she would chew it up! A couple who had owned many dogs over the years was looking for a young dog to share their home with, and Bella was the perfect match! Now Bella no longer has to compete for attention and is a cherished member of her new family. She plays with her toy until she is tired, then she brings it over to lie at her owners’ feet, using the toy as a pillow. Other times, Bella sees nothing wrong with being a 55 pound lapdog! She even gets to sleep on her owners’ bed at night. Bella spends little time alone, as she enjoys the company of her human grandpa during the workday, as well. Little Bella has thrived with the consistency and patience of her new family, and she now has a life that any Golden would envy!

Jasper was found as a stray in Connecticut in the early spring of this year. When no one claimed this approximately 3-year-old boy, the shelter sought to place Jasper in a loving family. Jasper, however, was terrified by his ordeal and would back up as far into his run as possible and avoid being leashed. This made it impossible to show him to potential adopters. Realizing that Jasper would require a long time to get comfortable and therefore place, the shelter called YGRR.

Jasper was picked up and transported to our vet hospital in Massachusetts. He was given a rabies vaccination and then brought back to Riverview. Because he was so afraid, we didn’t want to overwhelm him by doing too many medical procedures all at once. Once at Riverview, we introduced Jasper to our small staff and let him have time to get used to his new surroundings. Although at first he would push himself into the corner of his run whenever it was time to bring him outside, we could see that Jasper desperately wanted to put his trust in people and that there was a sweet dog inside this fearful boy. With calm and consistent handling and attention, Jasper began to emerge from his shell. After a few weeks, we scheduled him to be neutered and tattooed.

Once he recovered, Jasper really began to come out of his shell. In fact, Jasper went from shy wallflower to life of the party! He would greet the staff with exuberance and had a great time playing with toys and racing around in the playyards. He enjoyed walking on the pathways in the woods, as well. We felt that Jasper was ready to make the transition into his forever home, but it had to be the right situation for him. An adopter was called who was ready to share his home again after losing his 16-year-old Golden the previous summer. We knew his calm and patient demeanor would be perfect for Jasper, who might revert back to his fearful behavior in a new situation.

When Jasper entered the adoption room, he initially tried to hide behind the person he knew, but his adopter did not mind at all. After spending a very short time together and going for a walk, Jasper decided that this new person was pretty neat, as well, and he was glued to his side, where he has stayed ever since. Jasper was fairly quiet for the first couple of days, then he started to test the waters to see if this was truly his forever home. He chewed some pillows and his new owner’s phone (which he managed to turn on first so that no other phone would work, either). He also became overexcited on walks and would immediately begin jumping and grabbing the leash. Despite this uncivilized behavior, Jasper’s adopter stayed patient and worked with a trainer to teach him some manners. With lots of positive reinforcement for good behavior and a healthy dose of humor, this Golden boy and his adopter are now an inseparable pair. Jasper has thrived with the consistency and attention, and is now a comfortable, confident, and relaxed dog. He walks like a good boy and enjoys playing in the yard. No longer shy, he is a hit with everyone he meets. Jasper has truly transformed from a diamond-in-the-rough to a real treasure!

Pride’s owner turned him over to YGRR when financial hardship made it impossible for her to properly care for him. Pride had been a gift from a relative as a puppy, and he had lived with his owner for his entire seven years. He loved to be hugged and to cuddle on the couch and watch Scooby-Doo. Then his owner lost her job. When she ran out of dog food she had no money to buy more. She rummaged through her cabinets and tried feeding him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but noticed he was starting to lose weight. Because she loved her sweet and friendly boy, she made the difficult decision to surrender him to rescue.

Pride was picked up by volunteers and driven to one of the vet hospitals that we work with. He had a complete physical exam and was neutered. He then came back to Riverview to settle in. Pride was a happy boy who enjoyed going for walks and playing outside. He loved tennis balls, but was not content to have an ordinary one - no, Pride had to have the jumbo tennis balls that he could barely fit in his mouth!

Pride didn’t have to wait long for the perfect adoptive home. His adopter reports that he is perfect, wonderful, and she absolutely loves him. Pride, now “Riley,” enjoys plenty of attention, walks, and playtime. He is well-behaved and gentle, and wants nothing more than to please. He knows where all his canine friends live in the neighborhood, and if they are not out, he stops and looks around for them. He also makes everyone in the neighborhood laugh because of his fascination with two scarecrows down the road – he stops to gaze in wonder at them each time he passes! Riley’s new owner says she doesn’t know who rescued whom – she is very thankful to have him. As for Riley, he is very spoiled and is, well, living the life of Riley!