GRR Number: 16-056
Type of Surrender: Owner Surrender
Status: Available
Age: 7-8
Weight: 54 (goal weight 60-62)
Sunshine's Background : It’s a familiar story in rescue. Person A leaves his dog with Person B “for a while”— to find a job, or rent a new house, or take a long business trip. “A while” then stretches out to weeks, months, even years, and Person A never returns, leaving the dog in the middle as an unwelcome long-term houseguest. In Sunshine’s case, Person B admitted that “I’ve never really been comfortable with big dogs” – and the former family house pet now found herself isolated outdoors in any & all weather. She had food and water, but in almost three long years, not one single bath, not one pass with a hairbrush, no vet care… and nobody who really wanted her around.
One hot June day, Sunshine’s luck changed again. Her owner had decided to move out of state on a very short timeline; she called the local shelter for help; the shelter called GRR; we called the owner; and by that very evening, the 8-year-old Golden was sitting in the backseat of an air-conditioned car, watching the past disappear out the rear-view mirror. Next stop: rehab! “She looks terrible,” was the vet’s concerned comment. Sunshine’s ears were in awful shape, infected and angry and painful. Her skin was red, irritated, and crusty, with a pungent odor from bacterial infection, and she had raw sores at the bases of both ears from scratching. Her teeth desperately needed a good cleaning, and several of them were cracked; and to top it all off, she had an umbilical hernia and an abdominal mass, which made us worry about mammary cancer.
Wow. We set to work. Sunshine had a soothing medicated bath right off the bat, and soon began to look brighter; and next day, she headed home with a vast assortment of lotions, potions, shampoos, pills, creams… in short, everything to promote the body beautiful, inside and out. Is it working? Yes!—one step at a time. It’s been six weeks, and her skin and ears are on the mend. Her most recent hurdle: a lengthy surgery for spay, hernia repair, and removal of the suspicious mammary mass. Good news there! The tumor was a benign adenoma, and should not recur. Stitches come out soon, and then we’ll move on to address her dental problems.
Through it all, Sunshine has been such a trouper. Well, everything’s easier to take when you have cheerleaders galore, a team of medical consultants, an on-site chef & resident beautician, a comfy indoor life, and lots of love! “She loves to be scratched and petted and told what a sweet girl she is. She will give kisses, and when she’s extra happy, she’ll stand up and gently put her front paws on your chest to be closer to you. She sleeps by the bed, sometimes curled up at my feet. She loves her meals and eats with great enthusiasm, and she never says no to treats! She’s fine with my three dogs, but she’s not really interested in playing & not that into toys, either—though sometimes she wants to play Chase the Golden when I try to get her to come up the back steps! Bear in mind, though, that she’s still on pain meds and still getting back up to speed after years of neglect.” We already know that Sunshine is a sweetheart—and she’ll only continue to blossom as she feels better and better.
Personality: As they say, "time heals all wounds," whether they be physical or mental. Sunshine has turned out to be a sweet, calm and loving girl. She's totally housebroken and trustworthy in that way and every way and can be left free to roam the house. No crate for her! Once she gets to know you, she may greet you by standing on her back legs to award you with a big old smooch. She's fine with car rides and loves to take a walk. But be diligent, because she does want to pull on that leash for a while! Thunderstorms make her want to cuddle close to her humans, but she doesn't panic or run and hide. Throw a ball and she'll bring it back and drop it for you and, boy, does she love to be groomed!
Sunshine loves to give her fosters a big kiss in the morning. She's quite Ninja like, sneaking up behind without a sound, so her foster is careful while still half asleep and going for that first cup of coffee. Sunshine likes to be outside as well as inside and always carefully sniffs out any area new to her to get to know her surroundings. Sunshine gets along well with her foster's other pups.
Ideal Family: Sunshine would do best in a home where someone is home most of time. She's a very independent girl and her forever family should understand that and let her go with it. She has no experience with cats or children, so that should be taken into consideration by any family wishing to give her a home.
To learn about the adoption process and complete an application, click here. We do not guarantee the availability of the dog that you have expressed interest in as it may be matched to another waiting family. However, there are always new dogs available as rescue is dynamic. We appreciate your interest in adopting a rescued golden.
