Look at this beautiful face. This is Winston - or Winnie as he’s known to his foster family. Winnie is a sweet and lovable 9 month old AKC Golden Retriever. Winnie is also the victim of a terrible injustice – he was bred by a backyard breeder and was born into what is commonly known as a puppy mill.
Winnie was born in May ’07 and was purchased by a family when he was six months old. Winnie was turned into a kill shelter when he was eight months old.
Even though we’re not certain of the purchaser’s reasons for taking an eight month old purebred pup to a kill shelter – we definitely have a pretty good idea. Sadly, we know a bit about the place where Winnie was born because we obtained another dog from the same kennel. We know that the nutrition, socialization, and veterinary care provided at this place was/is minimal, and we also know that the breeder exhibited no concern or asked any questions about the future care of the dog we obtained. They simply did not care! We know that during Winnie’s time at the puppy mill, he was woefully under-socialized which resulted in a pup that is timid and afraid to try new things.
To make matters worse, uncaring or ignorant breeders pay no attention to breed standards or genetics, and breed dogs just because they have “papers”. As so frequently happens, Winnie’s breeder failed to screen for genetic problems and Winnie has a condition called Ununited Anconeal Process. In a nutshell, this is a form of elbow dysplasia which is thought to be polygenic - caused by a multitude of reasons which could include an inherited developmental anomaly, a metabolic defect, a genetic hormonal problem, environment, or nutritional deficiencies. Likely all of the above played a role in Winnie’s early development.
Winnie has been evaluated by a veterinarian from Auburn University and we received both 
good and bad news. We initially thought that surgery would be needed to repair the elbow; however, the surgeon did not feel that this would be beneficial. Winnie has developed a great deal of arthritis in his elbow joint which will require that he receive special medical care and nutritional therapy throughout his life. In addition, he will need to have daily exercise and maintain a good weight – he will do better if he is on the thin side.
We have started Winnie’s medical protocol and we are hopeful that he can become pain-free in the joint. We are looking for the right adoptive family for Winnie – a home in which he’ll get the proper care. His foster mother writes that anyone interested in adopting Winnie must understand that “...he is a wonderful dog full of love to give. He just needs someone who is patient, kind and understands his limitations. He would make a great therapy dog for patients that have disabilities. They would really connect with him. He loves people and getting him out and about would build up his confidence. We took him for a walk in the neighborhood today and it took me 10 minutes to get him away from the front door, but then he was thrilled to walk and visit with a very little girl who adored him!! He kissed her and sat for her to pet him. He knew not to jump up on her. He has a great personality!!”
If you are considering adding a Golden Retriever to your family, please consider rescue. If you think that you might be able to provide Winston with the home he needs, please complete an adoption application. Should you be unable to adopt at the present time, please consider making a donation to help us continue our work to save these wonderful dogs.
