DALTON HAS BEEN ADOPTED AND HAS A WONDERFUL NEW FAMILY! HIS INCREDIBLE ADOPTION STORY FOLLOWS HIS GOLDEN ANGEL STORY.
If ever there was a Golden Retriever who deserves to be a Golden Angel, it’s 7-year-old Dalton. How clearly I remember our first meeting. During a routine check for possible Goldens on Petharbor, I saw Dalton’s posting. He had been picked up as a stray and was being held at a local shelter. One look at his picture and I knew this poor boy was sick. I immediately called the shelter, but when my call wasn’t returned I drove there to see for myself.
Upon arriving at the shelter, I met with the vet tech who told me Dalton was really sick. He had an eye condition called keratoconjunctivitis sicca (also known as “dry eye” where dryness causes inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva) and was extremely obese. She was thinking she would put him to sleep. I asked if I could visit with him and was taken back to the isolation area.
There I found this enormous boy in the run, his sad eyes full of goo, and his entire coat looked like a solid mat of hair and dirt. He was so fat I wasn’t sure if could he could stand, but he did – very slowly. Like all Goldens, he was craving attention. He had that “please, please pet me” look in his eyes, and as I walked away he literally started crying. I turned around and told this sad looking boy, “Don’t worry, I’m coming back. You will not die here.” I knew Dalton was the “perfect” Golden Angel when I saw him. He was in dire need of medical attention, a bath, a proper diet, some exercise and most of all – love and attention. There was no doubt in my mind that all of the incredible GRRR faithful would rally to save this sweet Golden.
When I told the vet tech that I wanted him, she looked very surprised and began mentioning all of the things that were wrong with him. I asked if he was even neutered, and after she went back to his run to double check him, she came back and announced, “It’s a girl!” When her stray hold was up, I showed up Saturday morning with a beautiful girly collar – just the perfect new “outfit” to begin her life with GRRR. I began contemplating a new feminine name for her. Daphne? Dora?
We went directly to Dr. Carpenter’s office, and after one look at Dalton, Dr. Carpenter knew he had his work cut out for him. He began to carefully examine her. Dalton’s ears were so inflamed that Dr. Carpenter couldn’t even see down her canals. Prednisone was prescribed to address that problem. Her eyes would definitely require medication for the rest of her life, but of more immediate concern were her eyelashes which had been rubbing against her eyes. The constant irritation had caused some scarring on her eyes. Then Dr. Carpenter started to clip the hair on her belly, and just as he turned the clipper on, he said, “It’s a boy!” Dalton looked so comfortable in HIS new collar with the pretty flowers that I decided right then and there he could keep it, well at least for the ride home.
I took Dalton home that night for his first grooming. I’m sure he had never had a comb through his hair before. It took one very long night and a full trash bag to get the matted grime and old hair off of him. Dalton was so grateful – he must have thought he was at a plush spa. The human contact and all the attention made his Golden heart so happy. He wasn’t as enthusiastic about the bath, but still he was such a good boy. It must have felt really good to him to get all clean, and even though he’s too fat to really wiggle, I think I saw a slight movement that resembled a happy Golden wag.
Dalton’s thyroid test came back as low and he was immediately started on Soloxine. Thyroid medicine can make such a difference in facial appearance, so Dr. Carpenter decided to “tack” Dalton’s eyelids away from his eyes until he is stabilized on the new medicine. Within days of starting his new medicine he was already feeling better and even starting to play. Dalton’s facial appearance did change and he had entropianeye surgery. He’s not amused with wearing the E-collar, but I think it’s easier on him than the rest of the fosters that he’s banging into. An X-ray revealed Dalton’s hips are in bad shape and causing him a lot of pain. Pain medication has made a huge difference, and Dalton is gaining a lot more mobility.
Dalton is a Golden to be cherished. He’s so grateful for all we are doing for him, and it has been such an incredible experience watching a smelly, matted, sickly, obese dog emerge into a happy, playful fellow with a twinkle in his eyes. He went from a death sentence at the shelter to joining the GRRR family. It can’t get any better than that!
It’s heartbreaking to think that someone didn’t give this sweet boy basic care and attention. Goldens ask very little from us, but give us so much in return. Dalton now lives to receive the attention and affection he just craves from people. Because of our Golden Angel Fund, Dalton will never have another day of neglect in his life. He will delight in physical activity and play. I really love this boy and can’t believe someone would let him live in the condition he was in. Dalton is a very special boy who deserves life, love and care. Dalton now gets to do what all Goldens do best – be a loving, happy Golden.
Dalton was adopted by Sherri Rosedahl who sent us the following heart-warming story about Dalton's new, wonderful life:
I wasn’t looking for another dog.
The first time I saw Dalton he was featured as a Golden Angel in the November 2008 GRRR newsletter. Reading about the neglect he had suffered and seeing his picture was more than I could handle. It looked like the poor boy had a rough life.
Dalton was picked up as a stray and was being held at a shelter. He was so sick that the shelter personnel were planning on euthanizing him. Thankfully, GRRR's president Mary Kenton talked them into releasing Dalton to her. After a visit to Dr. Carpenter, Dalton was diagnosed with a thyroid problem, chronic ear infections resulting in his ear canals being so swollen that you couldn’t look down them, painful hip dysplasia, and eye lashes that were constantly rubbing his eyes creating a lot of irritation. Oh, and did I mention he also needed to lose over 35 pounds?
Before Dalton found his forever home, he was spoiled in foster care while getting all of the medical attention he needed. Dalton saw Dr. Carpenter many times, because when Dalton first arrived, he was very sick with pneumonia and it took many weeks for him to recover. Dalton was fostered first by Marti Mills and received wonderful love and care from Marti. He learned how to enjoy life, getting exercise and low calorie diet food, ear treatments, attention. He was quite the boy. Marti really loved him, but with working full-time and not being home a lot, she thought he would do better with another foster family.
Enter Cindy Morse who was looking for a long term foster. Cindy was able to dedicate the time and energy Dalton needed to get well and lose weight. Cindy is the champion of getting weight off of fat Goldens. So Dalton moved in with Cindy and stayed there as he continued to lose the weight and get his ears treated.
In the meantime, I had been emailing Mary Kenton for several months about Dalton. There was something about him that I was drawn to the first time I saw him in the newsletter. By now Dalton was ready to move from fat dog to slim dog training center and so Mary asked me if I would be interested in fostering him; it was now January 2009.
Dalton spent time with us recovering; meanwhile, GRRR was trying to find him a forever home. But, when I came home on April 6, 2009, I told Dalton what he already knew—he was home. At this point I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
While Dalton has significantly improved since his initial rescue, he still had a long way to go. He had already lost weight, but he came to us with eyes that required medication every day, ears that required constant cleaning, feet that would get frequent sores on them, and a bag full of medication.
In the beginning, I had to be quick to apply the medicine to his feet and needed some really tasty treats to distract him. The good news is his feet no longer get sores on them and he’s gotten comfortable enough with me messing with his feet that he now falls asleep while I rub the pads. What a life he leads!
Even though Dalton already had two surgeries on his eyelids, we had to have another surgery done. But the third time was the charm and he no longer requires medication for his eyes. His ears have also cleared up and no longer require constant cleaning and medication either.
His hips are some of the worst my vet has seen. The sockets are deformed because of the arthritis he has. In spite of that, he is just amazing. I take him for acupuncture and he gets special supplements and pain medication every day. The pain doesn’t stop him from wanting his daily walk, however, and he continues to move better and better every day. He just wants to be active and to play.
I wasn’t concerned about Dalton and my (then) 12 year-old Cocker, Samantha. Samantha is pretty easy and laid back. My worry was that my year-old puppy, Madison, would be too much for Dalton but I was worried for nothing. They adore one another and I think that Madison has been good for Dalton. And I know that Dalton has been absolutely wonderful for Madison. They like to play bitey face every day and love a fun game of tug. I think his new best friend Madison has helped him be more physically active.
Dalton is the happiest dog I’ve ever known. His tail even wags when he eats! He always wants to be where we are. He comes to work with me on occasion and sleeps next to my chair. He has started to play with toys and he loves to fetch. He knows how to sit and shake. He loves being brushed. He’s got wonderful manners (except for the time that he helped himself to some cookies on the table)!
No matter how long of a walk we take, the very minute that he realizes we are returning home, he slows down from his rather quick pace to the speed of a snail. And knowing that I’ve got treats in my pocket, he’ll stare at me the rest of the way home hoping that I’ll give him a treat to keep him going. As soon as we’re back on our driveway he speeds up because he knows that a treat awaits him. It’s all about the treats!
He’s a sensitive dog. There are still times that he gets scared of loud and unexpected noises in the kitchen. We try to be proactive with that and warn him when something is about to happen. This seems to help. All fears disappear, however, when he realizes that it’s feeding time!
Lately it seems that birds have become the mortal enemy. Robins, doves or crows, it doesn’t matter - if it flies, it needs to be barked at.
It has been so gratifying to be a part of Dalton’s journey. The changes in him physically and also with his personality, have been remarkable. He knows he’s home. He’s a funny dog. He’s a big love and I love him with my whole heart. He completed my world.
I’m so grateful that GRRR found him and got him the medical care that he needed. She saw that sparkle in his eye and knew that it wasn’t his time. He still has a lot of life to live and a tremendous amount of love to give.
I wasn’t looking for another dog, but I’m so thankful that he found me.
