By Joy Viola
Women in evening gowns and Golden Retrievers on leashes strolled beneath vintage aircraft and around World War 11 tanks at the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue (YGRR) 40th Anniversary Winter Gala Saturday, March 22 at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson. Guests shared dog stories and photos of the 6,462 Golden Retrievers adopted through YGRR since its founding in 1985. One local adopter, Susan Pope of Wayland, has adopted three Goldens from YGRR, Sally, Lily and Marly, all older dogs. Marly was adopted at age 12 and had given birth to four litters. “I only had her one and a half years, but she was just the sweetest dog ever,” Pope said, “and my cat adored her. I can’t say enough about the organization,” she added. “They really do check out the homes into which they place the dogs. It was such a pleasure meeting them, having them find out what my house was like, my lifestyle, and even inquiring where the dog would sleep.”
Today, YGRR is recognized as one of the nation’s outstanding breed-specific rescue organizations, but it had humble beginnings. Volunteers cooked hamburgers and hot dogs at dog and horse shows to raise funds to pay veterinarian bills. The Wayland Community Yard Sale of 1987 yielded $800 in profits to pay for dog food that summer. Wayland Golden owners responded to an appeal for donations and an assortment of merchandise was donated including the proverbial kitchen sink. But this year’s fund-raising gala brought in a much larger sum.
A puppy mill puppy became part of the Soule family in Wayland, after being shipped from a Golden Rescue in Ohio that had more dogs than they could handle. Little Kelly was only four months old when they adopted her and now at 14 months still has lots of puppy energy. “She’s a love”, said Meghan Soule, “and she hasn’t met another dog or cat she doesn’t want to be friends with. She and our cats are still working things out, however.”
People often ask, why do sweet dogs like Golden retrievers need a rescue organization? The reasons are many. Sometimes a new baby takes up too much of the family’s time, a family member develops dog allergies, economic circumstances preclude dog care, family members die, and people buy puppies thinking Goldens come pre-trained and ready to be quiet members of the household. That’s not the case. Many dogs come into YGRR because they’ve had no training and are undisciplined canines. It’s seldom that the dog is the cause of the turn-in. People are primarily to blame.
Joy Viola of Wayland adopted four YGRR dogs, all with different stories. Her first YGRR dog was picked up by the dog officer of Munson, MA so frequently that the owner simply said, “take him, I don’t want to pay all his fees.”
Another came from a family moving to another state. Two were imported from Turkey, where euthanasia is prohibited by law and street dogs roam in abundance. Working with a Turkish shelter, the Goldens are collected and sent to YGRR, and other Golden Rescue groups throughout the United States, who pay the transportation and medical costs of the dogs. In 1996, Yankee Rescue became the first Golden Retriever Rescue organization in the US to have its own physical facility. Riverview, is a 22-acre site located on the Assabet River in Hudson. In addition to kennel facilities, an isolation unit, grooming and interview rooms, Riverview has a swimming pool for the dogs’ recreational use as well as canine physical therapy when needed. There is also a training building.
