Home > Out of the Cage! > October 2005 > Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action: Goldie with the Heart of Gold

Picasso Veterinary Fund in Action

Goldie with the Heart of Gold

by Liz Keller, Glen Wild Animal Rescue

Several months back when I was working as the Animal Care & Control Manhattan shelter supervisor, I remember NYPD officers coming in with a dog. It was nearly 9 pm and Nikole, our vet tech, was getting ready to leave.

One of the officers said that a Good Samaritan had discovered the dog lying in an alleyway. She was bleeding from the neck, and her skin and the whites of her eyes were a heavy shade of yellow. We carried her back to the medical area to be examined as soon as possible.

My phone rang — it was the man who had found the dog in the alley. He was so shaken by her condition — he couldn't believe someone could have harmed this sweet dog and then left her for dead. After a brief conversation, I rushed back to medical to check on her condition. I'll never forget what I saw: Nikole was sitting on the floor with tears in her eyes. The dog was all curled up on her lap, loving the caring attention she was receiving. Nikole had stopped the bleeding but told me that the jaundice-like condition needed immediate emergency treatment.

I contacted the Mayor's Alliance and asked for help to give this tale a happy ending. Fortunately, thanks to the Picasso Veterinary Fund of the Mayor's Alliance, it became a possibility. We transported the injured dog to Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists and hoped for the best.

Next day, Mayor's Alliance president Jane Hoffman called to say that the dog, who was named "Goldie" by the staff at Fifth Avenue Veterinary Specialists, had been diagnosed with leptospirosis. The hospital was treating her aggressively, and we would just have to wait and see the outcome.

Finally, good news arrived — Goldie had made it! She needed to go into a foster home for follow-up treatment before she could be adopted, so I gladly agreed to take her with me to Glen Wild.

When I arrived at the hospital to pick up Goldie, she was so happy!…tail wagging and kisses for all. Since I would be passing near the Manhattan AC&C shelter, I decided to stop by on the chance that Nikole would be there. As luck would have it, she was. So I asked her to come outside to see an old friend. As soon as she saw Goldie, tears welled up in her eyes. She was so glad Goldie had made it …and she asked me to please find her a good home. Goldie seemed to remember Nikole's kindness, and she rewarded her with tail wags and licks.

Once Goldie settled in at Glen Wild, we put her up for adoption. Her photo was on the Internet, and we took her to adoption events. A month went by. And another. Then another. It surprised me that she didn't get adopted because she's such a great dog.

Then the phone call came: "I saw Goldie on Petfinder and something about her reminds me of my Golden Retriever who we recently lost to cancer." It was then that I understood why Goldie was still with me at Glen Wild — she was waiting for this particular adopter.

Darlene Maizer and her family came in the next day and it was love at first sight. Goldie looked at them with those big brown eyes of hers and the family was hooked.

They filled out the adoption application and then left to go shopping at PetSmart. Goldie followed them with her eyes all the way down the driveway from the kennel front window. I told her, "It's OK, Goldie, they'll be back."

And of course, they were — the next day they took her home. Darlene said she had never been so excited about adopting a dog. "I can't explain the feeling," she said, and her eyes welled up with tears. "I never thought I would ever feel this way about another dog."

At that moment I knew that Goldie would help this family heal from their loss and show them how to love again.

Thanks to everyone who helped Goldie on her journey to her new home…and a happy ending.

Liz Keller founded Glen Wild Animal Rescue, an Alliance Participating Organization, in 1999. She also owns and operates Top Dog Kennels in Glen Wild, NY, and has a background in pet grooming and animal behavior. As a high school student, Liz volunteered with the ASPCA, and later attended the SUNY of Farmingdale Veterinary Science Program. She managed a purebred Afghan Hound show kennel in Glen Cove, NY, and worked as a dog contol officer in Upstate NY for six years. Liz also worked with Animal Care & Control of NYC, managing its Manhattan shelter.

If you'd like to help more animals like Goldie who require extraordinary medical care before being adopted into loving homes, support the Picasso Veterinary Fund. To make a convenient online donation, click here.