Help Heal Our Golden Girl

Strap in, we’ve got a puppy story to tell.

A few weeks ago, a Golden Retriever puppy called Dug entered the rescue.

Like many puppies, he had originally been sold to a family excited to welcome a new best friend into their home. Not long after being with his new family, Dug started having seizures.

The family did what any loving owner would do. They sought veterinary advice, began investigating what was happening, and were suddenly faced with the emotional and financial reality of caring for a puppy with significant medical needs.

Eventually, Dug was returned to his breeder, which was well within the rights of the purchaser and a decision we are sure they did not take lightly.

Dug then made his way into the care of The Dog Rescue Project, but his full history was not disclosed, and we were led to believe he was a healthy puppy who was simply too much for his “new owner” to handle.

Then, nine days after he arrived, his foster parents (who had already decided to adopt him) were woken in the middle of the night to Dug having a full Grand Mal seizure. Safe to say, it was a terrifying experience for everyone.

Since then, Dug has undergone extensive veterinary investigations, started anti-seizure medication, and we are currently raising funds for an MRI to help determine what is causing his condition.

We genuinely believed his situation was a tragic one-off.

Then this week, another Golden Retriever puppy entered rescue.

Meet "no name yet".

She is younger than Dug, but she looks remarkably similar to him, right down to the distinctive white stripe on her nose. And she has her own serious medical challenges.

Our vets suspect she may have a congenital urinary tract abnormality that is causing her to leak urine. She is now beginning her own diagnostic journey to determine exactly what is wrong and what treatment she may need, which could in future include surgery once she’s big enough to handle it.

As we learned more about her background, alarm bells started ringing. Two puppies who have been effectively “dumped” on two different agencies in the same geographic area ("No name yet" was handed to Auckland Council who we work closely with).

Suddenly what appeared to be one unfortunate puppy no longer feels quite so isolated.

To be clear, investigations are ongoing and our focus remains firmly on helping the dogs in front of us. We are working alongside the appropriate organisations to ensure all relevant information is passed on and properly assessed, as we won’t stand for breeders getting away with unethical breeding practices.

But there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.

Over the coming weeks we'll be sharing more of Dug's story, No name yet's story, updates on both puppies, and educational information about responsible breeding, health testing, and the questions every puppy buyer should be asking before bringing a puppy home.

For now, our priority is making sure these two puppies get the care they need.

Because none of this is their fault.

We still have over $5,000 to raise before Dug can get his MRI, and No name yet’s costs are still an unknown, but if surgery is required, it’s likely to be in the ballpark of $5,000 too. Already, that’s potentially $10,000 just for these two puppies!

If you would like to support Dug and No Name Yet, and the many other dogs who enter rescue through circumstances beyond their control, please consider donating!