Hardy AD 10/24/09

Adopted 10/24/09 Hardy - Early one Saturday morning, our Southern Intake received an e-mail about an elderly woman who had "taken in" a lost dog during a "GULLY WASH OF A STORM" in downtown Mobile, Alabama. There were pictures attached to this e-mail, and the fear in this dog's eyes was readily apparent. Still, his tenderness spoke more loudly than anything. Clearly, he was a Golden Retriever, heavily matted, ragged, and quite lost and dazed-looking. Still, he was affectionate and appreciative when this lovely older woman opened her car door, in the middle of the pouring rain and relentless thunder and lightening, and gave him the refuge he was so desperately seeking. The Golden hopped right into her car and once home scooted immediately into her house. She generously offered him food and water and shelter for the night in her utility room. Having three dogs of her own, she was wise to keep the Golden Boy separated from her other animals as she knew nothing of his history and vaccination record. And yet, we were so pleased she had the rescuer's spirit to get a dog in need to safety. This Golden Boy slept comfortably through the night. But when she let him out early the next morning, after the storm had passed, she was unable to cajole him back out from underneath the shrubbery and bushes in her fenced yard. Needless to say, he had no collar on, so that didn't make things easy. And to make matters worse, she could see that his dew claw, on one of his paws, was actually so long it was growing into his leg. She didn't want this already distressed dog to endure any more trauma or harm and could see he needed veterinary care. Despite most veterinary offices being closed on Saturday, the vet in our rescue kennel in Loxley, AL, agreed to see this dog, whom we have since named HARDY (meaning BRAVE). Two of our prized southern volunteers and fosters, Elodie and Dennis, willingly rearranged their entire schedule and spent nearly an hour helping the woman coax him from the shrubs and into their car so he could be transported for veterinary attention several towns over. It's that kind of stellar compasion and dedication that saved HARDY'S life, and it's what rescue is all about. Not only did Elodie and Dennis take the time to help the dog, they helped this woman who helped the dog! And it was appreciated tenfold and of course, well worth it. Hardy's rescue story begins with love, and we are confident it will end with love. During his transport to the vet, HARDY'S rescuers detected a horrific odor typical of a severe ear infection which is quite common in rescue. His exam revealed that he had a double ear infection. Because his past is unknown, it's hard to know how long he suffered this way, but it's clear his hearing is impaired. This sweet and affectionate old Golden, estimated to be between 8-9 years old, is now neutered, up to date on shots and under treatment for heartworm. It has also been determined that HARDY is quite sight challenged, although not blind. Our Southern trainer, Randy, explains that he normally uses a 25-foot confidence leash with all of our rescue dogs. Doing so with Hardy only caused him to fight the lead because he was not able to see clearly from that distance and thus became frightened. At that distance, probably all he sees are shadows and outlines. However, when Randy uses a short leash while working with HARDY, he does just fine and his apprehension evaporates because he can sense you are near and visually make contact with you. He walks exceedingly well on a lead while he's heeling beside you and can feel his body against yours. Randy tenderly offers that HARDY is looking for his "seeing eye person", a special someone or family to care for this special dog who LOVES TO LOVE and wants to curl up on the couch and be petted endlessly. According to Randy, "HARDY IS A FUZZBALL OF LOVE." He imagines that in time Hardy will play more as he begins to trust and the people who interact with him understand his limitations and accept that if they stay close he will flourish. "He doesn't bounce up and down because he doesn't know where he's landing when he does. If he did, we'd see more of that from him." Randy also shares that keeping the fur on the bottoms of his paws trimmed will allow HARDY to navigate his environment much better as he has to rely on all of his senses. In an understanding and patient environment, he expects HARDY to thrive. HARDY eats well, and is friendly with other dogs of all sizes as long as they are close enough for him to see. His disposition is sweet and attentive, and he is not seemingly bothered by cats. HARDY is looking for a home where he can be loved for WHO HE IS. HARDY will easily learn things like stairs if he is shown how to navigate them by his SEEING EYE PERSON. DO YOU HAVE ROOM IN YOUR HEART FOR THIS PRECIOUS DOG WHO IS DESCRIBED BY RANDY AS, "A LOVE MUFFIN WHO WANTS TO BE PETTED AND ADORED, JUST LIKE ANY SMART DOG WOULD"? HARDY IS A TRULY AFFECTIONATE DOG WHO DESERVES TO HAVE A HOME WHERE HE CAN BE CHERISHED FOREVER! COULD THAT HOME BE YOURS? All potential adopters need to complete our online application and participate in our pre-adoption review process, including a home visit, before being approved. In some cases, the specific dog you are interested in may have found a home before this process is complete or further assessment may find that this dog is not the right match for your family. We are regularly getting new Golden’s in need of a home, so we encourage you to apply and get approved so that when the right dog comes along you will be ready. The information provided on each dog is based on observations of our vets, volunteers, fosters and when available, trainers. While we do our best to report any and all issues, SGRR does not make any guarantees as to the health or temperament of any dog. Dogs evolve differently in different environments and we cannot predict with any certainty how the dog you adopt will act in your home.

Our dogs are fostered in private homes. WE DO NOT HAVE A FACILITY TO VISIT.


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In order to be considered for one of our wonderful dogs you MUST fill out an application on our website in order to be considered.