Turning the “guard dog” into a companion 

      Her area was so small that she knew every inch of it by heart.  Every tuft of grass, every mound of dirt, every little thing.  Her chain kept her confined to just her small world.  In her world, there was a water bowl, a food bowl, (sometimes with food in it, sometimes not) and always the chain.  It rustled through the leaves in the fall and slid through the mud when it rained.  It kept her from being the dog she knew she could be.

      Little Goldy was brought to us by a rescue in Northern California.  They had been working with the people who had Goldy for a year or so, trying to convince them to turn her over.  The rescue group had been given one of Goldy’s litters but the people would not give her up.  She was a guard dog, they said.  Hard to believe the little 17 pound Chihuahua/Dachshund blend would be used as a guard dog, but the people were adamant about keeping her.

      Finally the authorities intervened and Goldy was free.  The rescue group brought her down on one of their trips to us and we immediately fell in love with this sweet little girl.  She was a little shy of us at first and we went slowly with her, knowing her background.  But by the end of the visit she was much more comfortable.

      She was in fairly good shape in spite of her previous life.  The rescue group had already spayed her.  The only obvious physical signs of her past were worn fur under her neck from the collar and chain constantly rubbing there, and two old notches in her ears. 

      We put her available and gave her another dog friend in her kennel to keep her company.  She became a favorite with the volunteers and when the staff that had checked her in came out to the kennels she always remembered them and excitedly came up to the gate to be petted. 

      She was here a little over 3 weeks when her forever person came to the Center.  We were so happy to see her go, but sad that we would not see her happy face every day.  We are so grateful to the rescue group who brought her to us for their constant efforts to free Goldy.  Those efforts certainly paid off. Goldy is in a real home and will be able to share all the love that she has with someone who loves her back.