Cassie

#12-115 Cassie,  update 4/15

Age: 12

AVAILABLE

See all my pretty toys?  When my Foster Dad goes to work in his upstairs home office, I’m there with him in case he needs a “consult.”  So, of course, I carry my toys up to the office so I can pile them in my arms, until my opinion is needed.  I really like being an only dog with 100 toys on hand—a girl can never have enough.  My dream home is one where I’d be spoiled by a nice, probably retired, man who will take me on car rides (love those), take me to meet and greet at Big Box lumber stores (lots of shopping and compliments) and on other  outings (every day would be great!).  My previous owner said I liked men more than women, and why not -- he walked me four miles per day. Don’t think I could quite manage that distance nowadays, but a gentle circuit of the block would be fantastic.

Foster Mom says Cassie has come a long way in her recovery from an attack and injuries caused by several Pit Bulls.  At first she was defensive/protective of herself; now she gets along with other dogs, sometimes cuddling with another Golden at bedtime. (She sleeps on a dog bed in a room with six other dogs.)  She will boss dogs who aren’t polite or who don’t respect her, however, especially if the dogs are rude enough to try to steal her food!  Cassie patiently waits in line with the other dogs to receive her treats, which she gently takes. She would love to be an only dog, but she says that well-mannered male dogs would probably be OK as housemates! She would not fit in well with children, but she might be OK with a cat that ignores her.

Cassie takes medication for her arthritic hips, and it must be helping, because she goes up & down the 18 carpeted stairs to her Foster Dad’s office five times daily.  She is calm, relaxed, and content with her Dad; and she can be tough when needed (she is, after all, a survivor). Cassie likes her routine and loves being spoiled.  She is housebroken, only rarely needing to go out in the middle of the night—and when she does, she completes her business efficiently and trots right back inside. Cassie is left free in the house and she has never destroyed anything. 

Pretty Cassie is ready for a good home with a Best Beau who will provide her with lots of love and toys and with whom, in turn, she can continue her consulting!

#12-115 Cassie, age 12

AVAILABLE NOW

What’s next for Super Senior Cassie? Scaling Mt Everest? White-water rafting? Opening a toy store? Or best of all, finding her own forever family? Whatever her goals, we know she’ll reach them – because this is a Golden who can conquer just about anything! Read on…

The story begins just about five months ago, when GRR received an emergency SOS from the shelter. They’d taken in an elderly Golden with severe dog-bite injuries. “We’ve provided morphine and cleaned up the wounds, but can you take her right away?” When we picked the old girl up, we got more details: on the afternoon of August 27th, Cassie (on leash) and her owner were outside their apartment when the upstairs neighbor opened the door and two pit bulls barrelled out. One of them went for Cassie, and it took three people to pry him off—leaving Cassie slipping into shock, with puncture wounds in her neck and chunks of flesh bitten off one front leg. Cassie’s owner, with no transportation and no funds to cover the cost of treating her beloved Golden’s severe injuries, relinquished Cassie to the shelter—who then contacted GRR.

 Cassie’s first few weeks in foster care were rough, no doubt about it. Besides her painful bite wounds, she was suffering from bad teeth and a bladder infection. Still disoriented from the dog attack and move to a new home, she found the other six Goldens in the family overwhelming—and she couldn’t sleep through the night unless cuddled right up against a human.

 Well, as the saying goes, “Nothing cures like time and love” – and Cassie has come SO far, both emotionally and physically, since those early days! She’s ready now for adoption to the right home. Given her history, she may start out a bit defensive toward other dogs,  but she now gets along swimmingly with  the her six Golden partners. They sleep in the same room at night, and she even puts up with puppy Bijou’s taunting and barking. And when it’s time to load up for the 5:00 Dog Drive, there she is front and center, jostling with all the other pups & squeezing into her preferred spot behind the passenger seat!

 Cassie loves men in particular, and her favorite thing to do is hang out with her adored Dad in his upstairs office. However, a certain amount of preliminary prep is required! ”Cassie looooves to play with toys &  nothing pleases her more than having a dozen toys piled under her, so that no one else can play with them.  She gathers as many as she can and carries them upstairs so the other dogs can't play with them. It is hysterically funny. Sometimes she'll waltz over to another dog &  take a toy right out of their arms!  The other dogs don't do a thing. Cassie is a tough bird, and everyone knows it.” When Cassie has her toys at hand and Dad to keep her company, she is a very happy girl!

 Cassie takes Rimadyl for her slightly stiff joints and Proin for her slightly leaky bladder, and both meds work a treat. She has no accidents, and she loves her walks and strolls along like the perfect lady on leash.

Fine-boned Cassie is close to her ideal weight of 50 pounds. And for a 12-year-old, she’s in great shape and has good energy. She’s a no-nonsense girl who likes her schedule and likes to know what’s coming next. She wants what every dog wants – to feel safe, secure, and loved. And to have companionship and interest in life! She needs a person who will enjoy having Cassie’s help & company during work and play—and who will appreciate her for the strong survivor she is. She would love to be an only dog & the apple of her person’s eye, but she’d be fine with another nice, easy-going, laidback dog, too.

  Foster mom says, “Cassie has done a great job, getting her health back and adjusting to all the other pups, especially after last summer’s trauma. I am proud of her progress!”