2021 End Of Year Letter
Dear Golden Bond Rescue Supporter,
With the COVID pandemic emerging in 2020, we were certain, or at least hoped, that 2021 would prove to be less challenging and dog rescue would begin to return to normal. After all, according to Edgar Allen Poe, “False hope is better than no hope at all.” While clinging to what turned out to be false hope, we were hit by two rescue related “catastrophes” that were piled on top of the challenges of rescuing during a pandemic.
Because of COVID in early 2020, the USA and China placed bans on air travel, meaning we could no longer fly to China, stay a few days and bring dogs back as our baggage. GBR was forced to begin shipping dogs into LAX via China Air Cargo and Air China Cargo. Although this process raised the per dog rescue costs by more than double, we had the funds because of the generosity of our supporters. It was working very well, and then…
The Floor Fell Out From Under Us
The first bombshell involved two American rescues attempting to import puppies under the age of four months into LAX. All dogs imported for resale or adoption are required to be no less than six months old, unless being imported by their owners, in which case they can be as young as four months old. The dogs seized in LAX were two months old and younger! The USDA filed a complaint with the Chinese government, which resulted in China placing a total ban on exporting rescue dogs to the United States. Our planned work-around to this ban was to fly the dogs into Vancouver, BC, then transport them via bonded transporter across the USA/Canadian border into Washington. Before this plan could be implemented, the second “catastrophe” hit.
This was the CDC’s ban on importing dogs from countries rated high in cases of rabies. Over the past four years, there had been several rescue dogs brought into the USA by American rescues which were diagnosed with rabies. None of these dogs came from China and none were associated with GBR! The CDC’s ban announcement came just before the Fourth of July holiday; their ban would begin July 14, 2021. After July 14th, any dog transported into Canada or Mexico would first be required to stay in those countries for six months before entering the United States. Thus, GBR had eight days to transport as many dogs as possible. With the aid of very dedicated volunteers, foster families, past adopters and our tireless rescuer in China, we managed to save 64 dogs before the ban took effect!
A Change in Our Mission
In late July, GBR’s Board of Directors voted to change our mission statement from “rescuing golden retrievers and golden mixes…” to “rescuing retrievers and retriever mixes…” With our major source (China) of international goldens cut off and the need to help other retrievers great, we decided to open our arms and embrace all breeds under the “retriever” umbrella: goldens, Labs, flat-coats, curly-coats, Chesapeake Bay retrievers and Nova Scotia duck tollers. Our hope is to fill the rescue niche of the other retriever breeds needing help while continuing to rescue goldens.
Our Featured Dogs
With all the challenges we faced in 2021, we still managed to rescue 138 international dogs plus 27 local dogs. Sprinkled among the typical medical procedures required by our rescue dogs (vaccinations, neutering, deworming, etc.), we had some very serious health issues to address, including congenital liver shunts, ectopic ureters, cancer, seizures, broken bones, severe skin problems, and a host of orthopedic problems.
We want you to meet this year’s “Featured Dogs”: Kenzo (broken shoulder and tibia), Annie (ectopic ureter), and Halo (severe hip dysplasia).
Kenzo
When Kenzo was rescued in South Korea, he was known as Terry. His foster mom, now forever mom, decided he needed a stronger name so she changed it to a Japanese name meaning “healthy and strong.” His Korean rescuer believes Kenzo was likely hit by a car, resulting in several severely broken bones, which were repaired in South Korea. Before GBR claimed him, Kenzo was placed in a shelter and then eventually moved to a hospital where he was completely shaved. Along with being filthy, he had multiple bruises, abrasions, a broken rear leg and broken scapula. The Korean hospital repaired his shoulder and leg and cared for him until he was able to travel to the USA. Upon arriving in the US, he became unable to put weight on his back leg. 
Through x-rays, it was discovered that the metal plate broke in half at the fracture site, plus there had been little healing of the bone in the six weeks since his surgery in Korea. His rear leg was repaired at the Oregon State University Small Animal Hospital. His Forever Mom says that with all that he has been through, “he has remained sweet, gentle, loving and obviously grateful.”
Annie
Annie is a local rescue who came to GBR when she was around three months of age. She was diagnosed with a condition called ectopic ureter. This congenital condition is where one or both of the ureters (the structures that attach the kidneys to the bladder) do not enter the bladder nor attach in the correct place. This leads to ongoing urinary issues such as urinary tract infections. Even after Annie’s ectopic ureters were surgically corrected, she still leaked urine because the sphincter or valve that keeps urine in the bladder was also leaky. The next step for Annie is to have silicone injections around the sphincter to help control the leaking of urine, which cannot be done until she has gone through her first heat cycle at around 8-10 months of age. Without our intervention, Annie was destined to spend her life living outside and dealing with urine scald on her hind legs.
Halo is a nine-month-old female whose owner in South Korea committed suicide. She was then placed in boarding for several months until the wonderful folks at Nana’s Haven found her and asked GBR to take over her care. The future outlook for such a young dog to have her level of hip dysplasia is very grim. Without surgery, she would soon not be able to walk. She is now living with her foster family and is waiting for the day she can begin her hip surgery. Because 
of her young age, we need to wait for her to get a month or two older. If you compare her hip sockets and femoral heads with that of a normal dog, you can see how damaged and painful hers must be. Each hip surgery will take about 12 weeks of recovery but once completed, stand back and watch her run!!!
Bra$$ Tack$ Time
Now is the time we have an intimate talk about how you fit into all this. Without your financial help this year none of the 165 dogs we rescued would be alive. Kenzo would not have survived without surgery in South Korea nor would he have had access to a top-notch American surgeon. Annie, although a local golden, would have spent the rest of her life living outdoors and fighting urinary tract infections until the bacteria became resistant to all antibiotics. Like Kenzo, Halo would not have been able to come to the USA and have access to a surgeon who could fix her hips. Whatever life lay before Halo would have been filled with pain. These are all facts!
2022 is just around the corner and we find ourselves once again hoping that China will open to tourists and the CDC will have a new import procedure in place and lift the ban. Even if this does not happen, we still have our South Korean partners helping to pull dogs from high-kill shelters and from dog meat markets. Rescuing local AND International dogs is work that never ends; however, it will end without you helping us by donating. As you know, GBR is run 100% by volunteers. The money you donate goes directly to our dogs’ care, not our pockets!
Can’t decide how much to donate? How about giving a dollar for every time your dog turned a horrible day into a better one by giving you a simple, big browned-eyed look? How about giving a dollar for every time your best buddy gave you a kiss? How about donating a dollar for every time your boy or girl crawled up onto the sofa next to you, curled up and gave a huge sigh of contentment? How about five dollars for every time your dog proudly drug your underwear out when you’re entertaining guests? How about giving ten dollars for every time he or she snatched something off the kitchen counter or table? Just sayin’…
Once you make your End of Year donation, Golden Bond Rescue, like other non-profits, would love it if you would become an ongoing monthly donor. We even have a suggestion for you: Think about how much you spend on a guilty pleasure, such as Starbucks coffee or fast-food meals, and make that amount your monthly donation. If you’re surprised by how small this number is, we have another suggestion for you: round it up — way up!! Just as a guideline, let’s say the number you came up with is $7.45; go ahead round it on up to $10! Or, if the number is $13.59, round that baby on up to a nice even $20! (Have you noticed how we’re trying to make the math easy for you?!)
Seriously, we would be most appreciative if you would begin making monthly contributions. You can do this in a couple of ways:
- Most banks have free automatic bill paying. This can be done online or by asking your bank for help. Just tell them the amount you want sent monthly and provide our mailing address: Golden Bond Rescue, PO Box 25391, Portland, OR 97298.
- Use the Donate Now button located on our Home page, select “PayPal/Credit Card” payment, enter the amount you want to donate monthly, check the “make this a monthly donation” box, and finally click either the “donate with debit or credit card” or “Pay Pal” button.
- Payroll deductions: You can ask your employer or retirement institution to deduct a certain amount every month and automatically send it to GBR. If you do this, please check to see if your employer has a matching donation program.
And Bob’s your uncle, you no longer have to think about it!
How to Donate Now
Below are several methods of making your End of Year donation. Choose the one that best fits your donation “style” – better yet – try them all!
- Send a check to: Golden Bond Rescue, PO Box 25391, Portland, OR 97298
- Donate via a credit card: Click on the “Donate Now” bone button on our Home page and click on PayPal/Credit Card and follow the instructions.
- Donate via Venmo (@goldenbondrescue): Click on the “Donate Now” bone button on our Home page and click on Venmo or use the Venmo app on your phone.
In Closing
As always, we truly appreciate every one of you who have donated, volunteered, and supported GBR over the past three-plus decades. Without all of you, GBR would not be where it is today and, more importantly, the 3,600+ dogs you’ve helped us rescue over the years would not have found their forever homes.
Here’s wishing you a happy and safe holiday season.
Golden Bond Rescue
