Here is Monti’s story: An emergency call was received from a shelter in New England. A backyard breeder was shutting down and 21 goldens, from puppies to breeding aged dogs, needed to be surrendered. Local shelters were already either overwhelmed or had no foster placements. Because of what we do and who we are, Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue stepped up to help these dogs in need. The first five dogs were brought to a local veterinarian for examination. They needed to be carried from our Yankee van, as they refused to walk having never been on a leash before. Malnourished, and covered with hotspots, fleas, and pressure sores from sleeping on concrete, they huddled together, lost and forlorn. Four were medically cleared to travel to Yankee, but would need lots of time to get used to life outside of their breeding kennels. However, one of the five dogs was not cleared to travel. A sweet one and a half year old puppy. His gums were the sheen of a ghost and he could not hold himself up. His blood sample was the color of water. As he arrived with no name, everyone called him “Golden Boy.”

The vet worked feverishly for two days to stabilize Golden Boy, but little progress was made. A transfusion was essential to keep Golden Boy alive. A Yankee Board member transported him to a specialty referral hospital the following morning. After three days in the ICU, he was stable enough to be discharged. Total cost of his stay and treatment, $9000. He moved to a local volunteer’s home for a temporary foster placement, followed by a trip to Massachusetts and a comfy foster home closer to Yankee.

He has been given the name, “Monti.” In the span of a week, under the nurturing care of his two foster families (both YGRR adopters), Monti’s blood count was stable, his gums were as pink as bubble gum, he was bonding with the foster family’s other golden, eating like a horse, walking a mile, and even fetching tennis balls and destroying squeaky toys!

Monti will continue to heal and will find his way to his forever home because of the care and support Yankee was able to provide for him; because of donations from SUPPORTERS LIKE YOU!

Dogs like Monti are often overlooked by shelters and rescues due to the major medical costs required for just that ONE dog. But this is where Yankee is different. This is where Yankee thrives. This is where Yankee steps up. And this is where we wholeheartedly believe in the saying:

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.”