Adopted 10/13/12!!!
Stella – A Special Needs, Happy Dog!
Stella is a sweet, happy, 6 year-old Golden/Labbie mix who was dumped at a shelter by her owner. Stella bears no grudges, though! She adores people and wants only to be loved and included. She follows her people everywhere, and is the first one out to the car for an adventure. While Stella needs to be an only pet, she recently stayed at a different foster home for a week, where she settled in beautifully and sent this postcard:
"Greetings from this nice spa in Maine. This morning I had a massage, got brushed, and then went on a one mile hike followed by a very long nap. The staff is nice. This one lady keeps trying to get me to play with toys. I try to be nice and play with her for a couple minutes, but I just don't get it. She did reprimand me once, when she caught me munching on dried apples and oranges. How was I supposed to know it was a decorative wreath? And she left it on the coffee table where it was easy to get to. Otherwise, she likes to pet me and call me "sweetie" and feed me carrots and apple slices. I even stayed by myself in the utility room this afternoon and was very good."
From reading Stella's postcard and watching her, it is not easy to tell that she has an inherited vision problem called Progressive Retinal Atrophy. Her peripheral and night vision is poor, but this is of no concern to Stella; she manages well and compensates with her nose and ears. It is due to her vision problem that Stella needs to be an only pet at home, because she can become frightened by another dog or a small young child surprising her. On her walks, however, she is well behaved except for an occasional bark at a dog walking by on the street. Stella would love to have a home with someone home most of the time, because she gets anxious when alone and shows her mischievous Labbie side by exploring in trash baskets and the like!
Stella's needs are simple:
~ Living in a home with few stairs
~ Having someone home much of the time
~ Being an only and much-loved dog
To meet Stella is to love her. She just wants, so much, to be someone's special dog, and she deserves that! She has been waiting a long time, because humans are unsure about her vision problem -- we ask you to please open your heart and consider Stella, because her vision is a non-issue. Being without a home and wanting to be loved is the only issue she has!
PLEASE APPLY by submitting an application via this online link:
APPLY ON-LINE TO ADOPT through our rescue. Direct questions regarding an application's status to:
SunshineGoldens@gmail.com
About Our Rescue
Before being approved to adopt, all potential adopters need to complete our online application and participate in our pre-adoption review process. The process includes the completion of an online application, a reference from the applicants' vet, a phone interview, and a visit to the applicants' home. The application process helps us determine what type of Golden would be best suited for the applicants' life style. 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 Goldens 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.
A contract is signed the day of adoption. Under the terms of the contract, all adopters are required to bring the rescue to a vet within 7 business days. The dogs receive basic veterinary care prior to adoption. If your vet identifies an illness that an adopter is not willing to treat, then the dog is returned and a full refund is provided.
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.
Many of our dogs are fostered in private homes and we do not have a facility to visit. We are committed to our dogs before, during, and after adoption! The rescue retains title to the dog and can never be released or sold. Should the adopters no longer be able to keep the dog, SGRR must be notified so that we can take the dog back into rescue and place it into another home. We reserve the right to remove a dog at any time should we find the adopter is no longer caring for their Golden in a way we see fit. Adopters then have to agree to follow up visits as needed.
Be a ray of light for this Sunshine dog - make a tax deductible donation toward medical and other expenses. Every cent of your generosity goes directly toward the care of a Sunshine dog.
