Special Stories

The Lost Golden and How He Found His Way Home — Arlo's Diary

Teamwork is the success of Golden Bond Rescue of Oregon, Inc. It is the teamwork with our volunteers, other agencies, other rescue groups and specialty organizations that make such a difference for the dogs that are rescued. It is all about the dog, and one of our May rescues, lost and alone, found his way home through the efforts of many volunteers. This is the story of Arlo aka Junior.

Saturday evening: It was 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night when one of our volunteers got the call of a lost golden in Vancouver, Washington.

A very concerned citizen at a local dog park watched as a man took a golden from his black Mercedes and threw the ball for him. As the dog took off to play, she was alarmed to see the man return to his car and drive away — without the dog. She immediately took it upon herself to rescue this bewildered golden retriever. She took him home, but was unable to keep him. She knew of Golden Bond Rescue and immediately made the call to a volunteer to see if we could take him in. Within 30 minutes, he was safe in the home of another Golden Bond Rescue volunteer in Vancouver, with a full sack of toys and treats from his guardian angel of the park.

Sunday Morning-Tuesday afternoon: The Vancouver volunteer, as an emergency placement, is unable to keep the lost golden because of his aggressive nature with cats. Another volunteer is enlisted, and the lost golden is safe in the arms of his foster family. This foster family names him Arlo. He is brushed and brushed (two grocery bags full), and given a lot of love, attention and biscuits.

The family is bewildered by his behavior — he is so quiet and sedate, unlike any golden they had had before. They assumed that he was depressed due to his circumstances. They tried to engage him in play, petting, and, general, spoiling, but he was happy and content to lie quietly at their feet. He loved to go on walks, and was good as gold walking in his harness (another happy surprise).

Tuesday Afternoon: Arlo's visit to the vet is very enlightening. The Vet, too, notices his behavior and also assumes that Arlo is depressed. While out of the room the Golden Bond volunteers take a look at Arlo's ears for possible yeast; but to their surprise, they notice a blue coloring on his ears. His ears are so hairy though, they are unable to make out what the blue marks are. The Vet comes back in and quickly gets out the clippers to remove the hair. We discover tattoos in both ears! What a happy surprise! Although the numbers meant nothing to us, one of the Vet Techs used to work with Guide Dogs for the Blind and thought that Arlo could be a service dog. (That certainly enlightens us to his good behavior and excellent walking skills). We make a quick call to Guide Dogs, and, yes, Arlo whose name is really Junior (tail wagging starts immediately when we discover his name) was trained as a service dog. Because he was not able to graduate due to aggressive behavior with cats, he was adopted to a loving home. We also found out that he was 11 years old. Guide Dogs for the Blind would be coming tomorrow to pick him up. As with Golden Bond Rescue, Guide Dogs for the Blind are responsible for their dogs for their entire life. They would keep him safe until his owner was contacted.

Junior went home with the volunteer that accompanied the foster volunteer because he was still a little sedated from his medical tests.

Wednesday Morning: Guide Dogs call the Golden Bond volunteer with good news. They were able to locate his adoptive family, and he would be picked up by his owner that morning. To our Volunteer's surprise, she knew the owner! Junior's owner had contacted Golden Bond, and dealt with this volunteer one year ago regarding different circumstances.

It turns out that the family was moving. While they were busy taking things to their new house, the movers were also busy working. Unfortunately, the movers left the front door open when they left and Junior escaped from his Portland, Oregon, neighborhood. In four short hours, he was kidnapped, his collar and tags removed, and he was transported to Vancouver, Washington, and dumped in a Vancouver, Washington, Park. Thankfully, his guardian angel was there to set the wheels in motion to bring him safely home. His owner was so happy to see him! They were very grateful to Golden Bond, and all of the volunteers that made his rescue and return a success!

This story is a real example of teamwork, and how successful we are when we all work together. It is also a reminder that tags and collars are not enough. Please have your pet micro-chipped to ensure a safe return. In Junior's case the tattoos were enough to get him safely home.

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