(An update and new photo has been added below Riley's Golden Angel story.)
Hello to all the wonderful people out there who love Golden Retrievers. My name is Riley and I’m the newest Golden Angel. I consider it quite an honor to be able to share my story with such special, caring people. I’m only ten months old, but my life might have ended without help from all of you. Two months ago I was surrendered to GRRR when my family discovered I have very bad knees. They couldn’t afford the expensive surgery I needed, and that’s how I came to be a GRRR Golden.
I was brought into GRRR by Mary Fischbeck who was so kind and gentle to me. Mary couldn't understand how anyone could leave me in their backyard, and even more, not to see the pain I was in and do nothing. Mary Fischbeck drove me down to Mary Kenton for foster care. When Mary Fischbeck took me out of her car, Mary Kenton's heart broke seeing so much pain in my eyes. Mary couldn't wait for an appointment, so she immediately called Dr. Carpenter to get me started on pain medication. Dr. Carpenter put me on two kinds, Rimadyl and Tramadol. Finally, my little body was going to get some relief. I had learned to deal with the pain by taking a few steps, and then I would have to slump down on the floor until my knees popped back into place. After having a chance to regroup, I could walk a few more steps. Even stairs were impossible for me to manage on my own. There’s a fancy name for my deformity called luxating patellas. Because it affected both knees, it caused my entire posture to change. I’d have to stand with my back all hunched up and my legs stiff.
I stayed with Mary for a few days, and it was the beginning of a new and wonderful life for me. Instead of living outside by myself, I actually got to stay in a warm house! In fact, at night I would cuddle up in bed with Mary and I thought I was in heaven! I remember wrapping my paws around her and holding on as tight as I could because I was afraid she might leave me and it would all end. Mary has told me many times I’m the sweetest little boy she has ever met.
After I stabilized on my new medicine, I moved in with my wonderful foster family. They describe me as such a sweet, loving, trusting and caring little fellow. They have six dogs of their own and I get along great with them. I wanted so much to play with the other Goldens, but just didn’t have the stamina. Instead I would amble along a few feet and then would have to sit. Sometimes when they would run by I would grab a tail and go for a ride on my bottom with one of my friends pulling me along. Here I have all this puppy energy and a joyful, playful heart, but my knees just wouldn’t cooperate. I’ve missed out on a lot of puppy fun already, but thanks to GRRR and all of you I just had my knee surgery! My recovery and therapy are a long process, but I’m doing great and I hope to soon be enjoying life as a Golden puppy with real, working knees!
Oh, there’s one other thing I need to tell you about. Because my back end was so sore before my surgery, I spent most of my time lying on my side, and anything I did to entertain myself was usually in that position. When I was outside but couldn’t play with the rest of the gang, I nibbled on a few rocks just to occupy my time. My fosters noticed me getting sick to my tummy and being lethargic and rushed me into Dr. Carpenter’s office. To make a long story short, I had emergency surgery to remove about ten rocks from my tummy. Once again, the Golden Angel Fund saved my life.
I’m a very happy, optimistic boy with so much love in my heart for people – especially all the incredible GRRR people who have come to my rescue. I might be the newest Golden Angel, but you are the ULTIMATE ANGELS for making my surgery possible. Just knowing that some day soon I’ll be able to romp and play with other Goldens keeps me focused and excited. I hear there’s an amazing game called “fetch” that I plan to play! My tail is wagging a huge thank you. You’ve given me my life back twice, and you make me feel like the most special, luckiest little Golden boy on the planet.
