Well it is hard to believe that one year has gone by since we welcomed 11 yr old Trooper into our lives. He was found in Mount Morris as a stray and when his time was up at the animal control office, GRROWLS stepped in – and boy are we glad they did! He was first called Morrie, since he was found in Mt Morris, and then named Ben by his foster Mom. When we took the 4 hour drive to meet him, we were expecting to see a small scaled Golden Retriever. We were told that he was around 10 years old and weighed only 76 pounds. When I first laid eyes on him I almost cried. He was a tall, skeletal frame of a Golden with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. He had an ear infection, eye infections, and an ulcerated elbow, was very underweight and had absolutely no muscle in his hind legs. Right there his new name came to me – he was certainly a Trooper! It was found that his thyroid was all out of whack, but now that it is under control he is doing great. The vet determined that the loss of muscle in his legs was probably due to being kept in a cage where he was not able to stand or walk around. After walking and swimming (which he loves) Trooper now has muscles! He is up to a healthy weight for his size and has fur as soft as a baby chick. He loves to have a ball in his mouth at all times, and his favorite playmates are his 1 year old Great Dane sister Duchess, and Golden/Saint mix brother Dusty. He is looking forward to this year’s GRROWLS picnic so he can show everyone how great he is doing! For anyone who thinks that 10 years old is too late to adopt a Golden please think again. Trooper is at my side every minute of the day possible and he has completed our family like no other Golden could have.
