Nobody knew where Goldie originated from or how he ended up in a rural town in Texas. Upon his arrival, a group of local dogs attacked him, showing him that he was an unwelcome guest.
Goldie was discovered under a mobile home, barely surviving an assault from several dogs, according to Stacey Silverstein, co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC. After the dogs ceased their attack, a terrified Goldie retreated further beneath the mobile home. Arriving at the scene, animal control officers had to extract the scared dog, who was then taken to Corsicana Animal Shelter in Texas.
Unfortunately, Goldie’s predicament required immediate medical attention due to the appalling injuries he sustained from the attack. “His body was riddled with wounds and gashes,” Silverstein recounted. “He was in shock.”
Local volunteers from Rescue Dogs Rock NYC intervened, promptly transporting Goldie to an emergency veterinarian. There, his life was preserved through the administration of high doses of antibiotics and numerous stitches. Following this traumatizing episode, Goldie faced a lengthy and challenging recovery process. He initially spent two weeks at a primary care vet’s office in Texas and another two weeks at a Long Island vet’s office after being transferred to New York City.
Despite his harrowing past, Goldie made a remarkable recovery and transformed into a different dog. His wounds healed beautifully, and his fur regrew, lush and glossy. The next step was finding Goldie a forever home – surprisingly, nobody seemed interested in adopting him initially.
“I remember wondering, ‘How does this dog not have a forever home?’” Silverstein confessed. However, a Facebook post about Goldie resulted in an overwhelming number of adoption applications. Eventually, Goldie found a home with a friend of one of the volunteers.
The volunteer shared on Facebook that, “My girlfriend submitted an adoption application and went to meet him at the vet’s office in Huntington, New York. She instantly knew they were meant to be together, especially as their last golden retriever also came from the same vet’s office in Huntington. They took him home that night.”
Goldie’s new mom already had two other pets – a Havanese dog and a cat. Given his past trauma, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Goldie was afraid of other dogs. However, he quickly developed a strong bond with his new family.
Goldie has a new name now – Dakota (“Dak” for short) – named after the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback, Dak Prescott, due to his new mom being a huge fan. “Dakota is doing amazingly well,” Silverstein reports. “He’s in a wonderful home, he loves everyone – dogs, cats alike. He’s completely healed and his recovery is a true miracle.”
