The Adoption Option

By Dr Katrina Warren on July 12, 2011 in Other

Since my beloved Border Collie Toby passed away last year, my house just hasn’t felt like a home. I miss Toby’s company terribly and it has been really difficult adjusting to life without his smiling face and wagging tail by my side. I found myself desperately craving some canine company but knew that I wasn’t yet ready to open my heart to a new dog, so I decided to volunteer to foster a dog through Golden Retriever Rescue – a wonderful rescue group that finds ‘forever homes’ for hundreds of abandoned Goldies around NSW each year.

I had a long list of prerequisites for any canine to come into my house – he/she needed to be great with children, other dogs and cats, compatible to living in a high-density area, and it was important that the dog didn’t bark.

Along came Riley. He was found dumped outside Griffith pound and was collected by Golden Retriever Rescue. Riley was covered in fleas, emaciated and had horrific wounds where he had been tied up by all four legs. He was all skin and bones and had the saddest, blackest eyes that I have ever seen – they just stared through me to the core. I can only imagine what he had been through and I will never understand how anyone could treat an animal this way. I brought him into my home and shed many tears for him as we started the journey to his recovery.

It has given me enormous satisfaction to help Riley get back on track. He has put on ten kilograms and his awful wounds have healed well. He now looks like a happy young Golden Retriever as he’s always wagging his tail and smiling at everyone he meets. I swear he is grateful for the opportunity to be safe and loved. My daughter adores him and my cat, Mr Fox, is obsessed with him – grooming him and snuggling up to sleep with him every night.

Riley isn’t going anywhere. I’m officially a ‘foster failure’ and have offered Riley a permanent home with me. It was a huge decision and following the footsteps of Toby the Wonderdog was never going to be easy. I realise that he is never going to be Toby but he is Riley, a wonderful family dog who suits where I am at in my life right now.

People often assume that pets that are available for adoption must have some sort of problem but there are many reasons why a pet may need a new home. Their owner may be moving overseas or be unable to care for the pet due to illness. Sometimes the owner is moving to rental accommodation that doesn’t allow pets or their circumstances may have changed and they are no longer able to afford to keep a pet. Adopting a pet can be a great way to experience all the benefits of pet ownership, with the extra ‘feel-good factor’.

For more information about Golden Retriever Rescue please visit www.grr.org.au. They are always looking for temporary and permanent homes for Golden Retrievers in need. I highly recommend the experience!

You can now follow Dr Katrina on Facebook. Just search for ‘Toby the Wonderdog’ and be sure to click ‘Like’!