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My basic info
Breed
Golden Retriever
Color
Red/Golden/Orange/Chestnut
Age
Adult
Size
Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)
Weight
–
Sex
Female
Pet ID
–
My details
Good with dogs
Good with cats
Purebred
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Housetrained
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Adopted 12/15/12!!!
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true,
to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-unknown
Sadly, Willow’s former owner did not achieve such worthiness.
Adoption Pending!!!
Willow is a 2-3 year-old purebred Golden Retriever who has survived a horrifying experience. She lived with a family in a nice big house, but the family lost their home due to foreclosure. The people moved away and left Willow behind in the house. It took quite some time before she was discovered by a real estate agent. By that time, poor Willow was nearly starved and in terrible shape. When she was first found, Willow’s belly was swollen and her rescuer was sure she was carrying a litter of puppies. However, it turned out that Willow’s belly was distended from near starvation. She had even eaten a decorative cow skull, just trying to survive and seeking out any form of nutrition. She had also gotten into the small amount of food left behind and had eaten uncooked pasta. This struggle to survive must have been a nightmare we cannot bear to imagine. Willow had scabs all over her ears, bite marks on her face, hair loss, and worn incisors and missing teeth. But through it all, her sweet soul stood up to all the adversity she endured and her spirit was still filled with love.
In true Golden fashion, Willow bears no grudges. She is just about as sweet and affectionate as a Golden can be. The kind woman who found Willow has been fostering her and is showing Willow lots of tender-loving-care. She is providing wonderful nutrition and is helping her put on some weight. Willow is getting her through her heartworm treatment well too. She is a red-headed beauty who is great with other dogs as well as people. She has learned that people love her and she’s a joy to be around. Foster mom, Kaci, tells us, “Willow likes to jump up and hug in pure delight when she sees you, but this is something I have been working on with her. She is very tall - I am 5'4" and when she jumps up to give me hugs her paws are on my shoulders. Willow will speak when she wants you to pay attention to her and she just craves human affection. She had some separation anxiety when I first found her but now Willow stays in her own room when I am gone during the day and is a good girl. She is known to leak a little when she jumps up to hug if she is really excited to see you and she is scared when you go to put a collar and leash on her and will drop to the floor expose her belly. I try to simply comfort her and pet her while doing this so she knows I am not going to hurt her. She just needs time, consistency, and trust to develop and I am sure she will grow out of these submissive behaviors.
In my opinion, she would do best with someone who is home more often than not and able to give her the extra time and attention it will take to build her confidence. I see her as being perfect for a couple or individual that just wants a dog to love on. She doesn’t just crave love, she NEEDS it. Willow is honestly one of the most amazingly sweet dogs I have ever met. She knows sit, down, leave it (most of the time), and strives to please you. She has been through basic obedience training and some service dog training and knows how to "touch." Before reaching out to SGRR, I was previously attempting to train her to become a service dog, but decided Willow so needed a regular dog's life full of love, as opposed to a job.” She wants to just lie at your feet and relax and to be near someone. She's a beautiful, sweet girl that gives very soft kisses.”
SGRR would like to find Willow a home where she will receive an overdose of kindness and love and where she can play happily and with a carefree spirit that you can see emerging in her video. This girl is the epitome of sweetness in fur! If your specialty is TLC, apply for Willow. She promises to be your life-long, devoted companion -- which is more than her former owners promised Willow.
PLEASE APPLY by submitting an application via this online link: APPLY ON-LINE TO ADOPT through 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.
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