Success Stories

We LOVE to get updates on our adopted dogs and hear about their new lives! Below are some stories from adopters who were kind enough to share their experiences with their adopted Golden.

If you have a story you'd like to include, please use the submission form at the bottom of this page.


Romeo Rocks

by John Melone

I first met Romeo (12-214) at a Meet and Greet last month (January 2013). DVGRR contacted us and told us that my background as a former police canine handler would be perfect for Romeo because he had some trust issues and was slow to warm up to strangers. He had very little obedience training and was a toy hoarder of the first order. The only issue was that he did not like other dogs, and we have a yellow Lab, Maisey, who is 12. Romeo was full of personality, and we loved him the moment we met him. He is everything we were looking for when I submitted the application.

Everyone who meets him loves him, and he is happy and loves everyone back. His on-leash obedience is amazing now, and he sits, downs, stays, shakes hands, and gives hugs on voice and hand commands. He also relieves himself on command now. He plays fetch like a gentleman and spits a tennis ball at your feet. Romeo has learned that it is much more fun to play with someone than it is to hoard his toys. He LOVES to be groomed and will sit still for as long as you want to brush him. He gets a bit angry and grumbles if you stop too soon.

My wife is a gymnastics coach, and Romeo enjoys visiting her team every day as part of our walk. He loves Maisey but has issues with every other dog he meets. He brings Maisey toys every now and then and even loves to sleep snuggled next to her. Romeo has become a trusted and respected member of our family because he was brave enough to love and trust us. He has also shown incredible respect for our home because he knows it is his home now. I will never be able to trust him around strange dogs, but if that is his only issue, I couldn’t care less. You couldn't get him away from us with a sack of gold! The day we picked up Romeo was a great day for our family, and I am pretty sure he feels the same.


OUR BELOVED MONTY

By Dan Roberts and BJ Titus

We first met Monty at the Meet and Greet session on August 4, 2012 in the kitchen of the DVGRR facility where he was surrounded by about a dozen tennis balls. It was his habit to shove the balls under cabinets, counters, and other fixtures in the kitchen and then try to retrieve them, and if he couldn’t, pester nearby humans to retrieve them for him. He even had worn spots on the tops of his front legs from habitual rubbing of the fixtures as he tried to “paw” the tennis balls out from their hiding places. Well, it wasn’t long before Monty warmed our hearts, and, one week later, on August 18, we officially adopted him, and he came home to live with us.

Monty (short for Montesquieu, but don’t call him that) is about 6 years old and was evaluated as playful and fun but anxious, loves to play ball, loyal, and also capable of settling down and being a “love bug.” After 10 weeks of living with him, he is all these things and then some. He LOVES his tennis balls, so much so that we had to ban them from indoors due to potential disaster with fragile items in the house. But don’t pity poor Monty for this restriction – we play “fetch and bring” with his tennis balls outside in his fenced-in area. (He proudly carries two tennis balls in his mouth at one time and keeps trying for three!).

He is trained to sit and drop the ball(s) until we give the command to fetch. And he has dozens of other toys inside, including antler bones, kongs, and a multitude of soft animal toys. We play with him and his toys every day, but he also has the ability to play contentedly with them by himself when we’re busy doing other things. Most evenings while we watch TV he performs for us by rolling on his back from side to side while excitedly kicking his legs in the air. We lovingly refer to this time of the evening as “Monty’s show time.” Also, did we mention that he is incredibly smart, and anxious to please? That’s our Monty.

With amazingly little effort, we were able to almost immediately curb him of his habit of “counter-surfing,” and he now sits and lays down on command. He is a voracious eater, but he has learned to sit and wait in front of his bowl of kibble until we give the command to eat. He also now sits in a designated spot and waits for the command to move, even if he loses eye contact with us for awhile when we go to another room in the house. He still has problems on the leash and jumping up on people out of sheer happiness, but the three of us are working with Dennis on these areas in Obedience Training.

In the very short time Monty has lived with us, we have come to love him as much as we loved our previous two Goldens, Marley and Baxter (a DVGRR dog). Monty is already incredibly affectionate and loyal to both of us. In fact, he sometimes has a dilemma when Dan is downstairs on the computer and BJ is upstairs in her quilting studio which he solves by taking up residence at the top of the stairs, midway between the two of us. He shares in our happiness and comforts us when we are not feeling up to snuff. He loves to curl up with us and have his ears or tummy rubbed, and we love this “quality time’ with him. In short, we love him dearly, he loves us right back, and we are so lucky to be blessed with his love, companionship, and loyalty. 


Oscar



We adopted Oscar 13 years ago, and now at age 14, he is still going strong! He's certainly slowed down a bit, but he still enjoys the occasional swim in the pool, chasing the tennis ball (a little slower now) and lounging in the yard. Oscar may technically be a senior citizen, but he doesn't seem to know it. He's still active, healthy and full of life. He was a perfect fit for our family from day one, and we have DVGRR to thank!!

Calli (06-079) 

Calli was rescued before she was born. Her mother was brought to DVGRR from a puppy mill, and Calli and her siblings were born safe and healthy.  Now, Calli is the one doing the rescuing.   

Calli is a deep-red Golden Retriever and star member of PAWS for People, a  mid-Atlantic pet-assisted therapy organization that oversees 250 therapy teams providing individualized therapeutic visits to those in need.  

Calli has been a natural visitor from the start.  She began by bringing smiles to elderly patients and Easter Seals clients, but her true talent flourished when she started working with children who have autism and other disabilities. Calli was the pilot dog for the University of Delaware Mobility Project, which helps very young children who are not independently mobile. 

During the Mobility Project, Calli worked weekly with Andrew, a 2-year-old with spina bifida, to encourage him to use his walker so he could "walk" her and to play hide and seek to motivate him to move toward her.  Calli was often a swift diversion for Andrew when his muscles tired and he wanted to stop working.  Now, two years later, Andrew walks independently with crutches and loves to play catch with his four-footed friend. 

Calli has been featured in both the Wilmington News Journal and the UDaily for her work with children who have autism.  She has aided children in learning how to take turns brushing her, to be gentle by petting her softly, and to communicate using her as a bridge. Her work with the Asperger's Sports Camp is part of a study examining the effects of therapy pets on children who resist physical exercise. 

Calli offers her own form of rescue to hundreds of people needing her - just as DVGRR was there to rescue Calli when she was a puppy.  

—Lynne Robinson

 



Darcy

(10-212)

Darcy (foreground) came to us with a past clouded in mystery. She was found as a stray and even though she wanted to trust us, she still wasn't sure she could count on people to be kind all the time. Well, we showed her! Nine months later, she plays with toys, does daily walks with impeccable leash manners, glides up and down the stairs confidently, sleeps in bed with us, loves road trips, and best of all, comes over, rests her head in our laps, and gazes up at us. It's almost as if she's saying, "So, where have you been all my life?" We can't take all the credit for this turnaround – Benson, our gregarious Golden, helped show her the ropes (and really is the one who taught her how to do stairs). To anyone who is a little shaky about taking in a dog with an uncertain past who bears signs of being mistreated – take the plunge. Open your heart, give generous scoops of love, be patient, and know that the wonderful people at DVGRR have your back.

Suzanne & Mitchell Nelson

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Molly

#37 (11-030)

This is a picture of Molly (right) with her little sister, Daisy. We brought Molly home on February 27, 2011. She walked into our house, found one of Daisy's toys, and proceeded to play. She was totally comfortable with her new family and surroundings. She is an absolute angel. Molly and Daisy are great together and we have seen Molly's energy improve. She has lost a few pounds and is always smiling. I can't say enough about the amazing efforts of DVGRR. From the medical and behavioral evaluations to the premium food fed to all the dogs, it is an outstanding organization. Molly came with thyroid disease, which had been undiagnosed before she arrived at the Golden Gateway. Her recent bloodwork shows that her thyroid is now functioning normally. We were also told that she had seizures and we are tracking those to determine if she will need medication. So far, she has had three, but returns to normal soon after the episode. Molly was a gift. We are grateful to give such a deserving girl a happy life. Thank you DVGRR! You definitely found the right match for our family.

Dawn & Jay Karlyn

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Olivia

My original intention was to pick up my Yankee Candle order from DVGRR, not another dog! But what the heck, while I was there I might as well check out the inventory.

Olivia is a 7-year-old puppy mill breeder dog, and will be the third Golden we have been fortunate enough to bring into our home via DVGRR. The other two are Buddy Bear 06-093, now "Woody," and Sebastian a WONDERFUL 14-year-old we had in hospice care for a year. In addition to Woody, we have two other canine members ofthe family: Carmen a beautiful 7-year-old Golden, and Sunny, a 5-year-old Labrador, who is also a "rescue." We call them the "three blondes."'. Now there will be a fourth!

We were diligent in doing our "breeder dog" homework, so were well prepared for any behaviors Olivia might exhibit. She was clearly terrified on the drive home, even though I had brought beautiful Carmen along to keep her company....poor Carmen, she's so well adjusted, and just could not understand why Olivia didn't want to look out the windows and wave at everyone going by! I stopped at the bank "drive thru" and there was one horrifying moment when I thought Olivia was going to escape through my window. I had to act fast! Carmen was questioning the delinquent arrival of her biscuit from the mysterious bank tube, while Olivia was thrashing around behind my seat….the bank teller wanted to know if I wanted more biscuits? Not today, thank you!

Needless to say, we made it home and Olivia's behaviors have been no worse then expected, and perhaps actually better than expected. I give the DVGRR so much credit for the nurturing and preparation given to this darling Golden so her introduction into the real world could be a success! I also credit my husband Scott, and our three other wonderful dogs that all form part of the family unit. They have willingly accepted Oliva as one of their own the moment she placed her first paw inside our house. Yes, there have been a few "spats," but they are short lived and no one seems to hold a grudge. She's been with us a little over a month now, and celebrated her first Christmas as a liberated, free spirit…joyful and triumphant! Happy New Year Olivia, and many more to follow!

Mary Grace

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Jack

#8 (05-129)

I don't think it gets any sweeter than our Golden Retriever, Jack. I don't know the full story of where Jack came from, or how he ended up at the wonderful DVGRR, but we are so happy that he did, because it paved the path to him adopting us!! We love him more than anything. He is a fantastic boy. The best words to describe Jack are loving, caring, sweet, and FUN! When he walked into our home on that October day almost five years ago, it was as if he had lived with us all of his life. He loves his older fur sister Abbey and his little fur brother Elvis. You can often find Jack curled up with one of his favorite stuffed animals or chasing Elvis around the house. Jack has a way of bringing happiness wherever he goes. Children love him, and he loves them. There is nothing more wonderful than seeing Jack's face light up when he gets a new stuffed animal, a "cookie", or when one of us comes home from work. Thank you to everyone who made it possible for Jack to come home to us!

Sarah McKilip & Russ Curtier

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Max

Max (04-152)

"You don't throw away a whole life just 'cause he's banged up a little."
-from the movie Seabiscuit 2005

A message from Max:

Hey!...My name is Max (#04-152) and that picture of me was taken at a softball complex with some of my new friends - players, parents, umpires, and especially the people who work in the food stand. (Thanks for the hot dog, guys!) They all seem to want to come over and pet me. Life is pretty good.

Of course, it wasn't always this way. I had a family before this, but after a hurricane in Florida, I found myself in a couple of different shelters. That was a tough few months. The folks that took care of us were nice, but it's not like having your own family. Then one day some folks came to see me at DVGRR, and I knew this would be great from the first minute we met. The people were nice and they introduced me to my (soon-to be) younger brother Harley. We played chase the tennis ball, tug-o-war, and 'bitey-face" for almost an hour before going home together.

...and an update from his Humans:

It's been almost six years now since Max adopted us in 2004. Described as a "3H Dog" (Healthy, Happy and High-Energy), Max has been keeping himself busy. He loves to run next to me on my bike several times a week and also enjoys camping, swimming and running in the snow. He has earned his Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog certifications and is a member of the "Paw Partners" program at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. Max has made over 150 Pet Therapy visits since he was certified and is still going strong! I think we'll keep him!

Steve & Bonnie Jackson

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Katie

DVGRR Golden 08-201

How do you spend your entire life in a cage and come out 4 years later loving people?  I have no idea, you’ll have to ask Katie that question. She won’t answer you though, she’ll just look at you with those deep, brown eyes, asking why you haven’t started petting her yet!

Katie had a rough time of it in October of 2008 - seized by Animal Control in the “Almost Heaven” raid (a large puppy-mill) on 10/01/2008. Emaciated, matted and covered in feces, Katie went from never being out of a cage to being poked, prodded, given all her shots, spayed, had a non-malignant lump removed, teeth cleaned, and shaved down - all this in just her first few days of “freedom”!

This former breeder dog is now an integral member of our pack (Max 04-152 and Harley). She’s soooo smart-in the first 2 days Katie learned how to “heel” nearly flawlessly!  And, of course, once you learn how to heel on a walk, it a cinch to learn to heel next to a bike! I’ll never forget the look of surprise and joy on her face when she realized that she was allowed to run as fast as she could - she just started running faster and faster while looking up at me with a huge “golden” grin!

Although Katie did not know how to run so well in a straight line at first (she was better at running in small circles), she quickly learned to run next to my bike with Max (2004-152) for trips as long as 5 miles!

Katie was able to pass the Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests only 103 days after her adoption! She also passed her advances course and was certified to be a volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia along with Max.

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Success Stories Submission Form

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