Success story: Max (now Mackie) (#1019)

Adopted April 2004

Is this a sign you'd expect on the gate of a Golden-friendly home?

Probably not, but in the case of recent adopter Linda, you'd be wrong. Any smart intruder would be scared off by a threat as imposing as a 160 lb. Mastiff, but how would the burglar know the dog was blind from birth, and gentle as a lamb?

Linda described Hyacinth as "cut up, diseased and 50 pounds underweight" when she rescued her at age 1 from a Hermiston backyard where she was permanently chained, and scheduled to be euthanized the following day.

After Linda's Rottweiler died, Hyacinth was lonely. Linda tried and returned two other dogs (not Goldens) who pestered Hyacinth to the point of misery.

Three weeks ago Max (Mackie) (#1019) joined Linda and Hyacinth in their South Salem home. "He's so careful around her — if she's blocking his path, he waits for her to move. He's attentive, but respects her space. They play so well together." Mackie was surrendered by an elderly gentleman in southern Oregon who couldn't care for him any longer. He apparently never left a seven foot pen.

Hyacinth's advanced age (5 is old for a Mastiff) and arthritis precludes her from fully partaking in Linda's active lifestyle — she walks 2 miles each morning and 8-10 miles on weekends. Mackie is holding onto his 112 lbs, but progressively longer walks seem to pose no challenge at all. Linda can hardly wait for obedience training to start — "I used a hand signal one time, and he got it right away — this dog is awesome!"

These kinds of endings are what makes Golden Bond's mission a labor of love.

Update: July 9, 2004

I thought I would bring you some good cheer... Macky is down to 96 pounds and he is a different dog. He leaps and jumps for the ball and walks 6 miles with me over at Minto [Park] and then comes back and still wants to play. The trainer I took him to was wonderful and said that he had already been trained for competition! No wonder he listened so well. She said a lot of training had been done already. He continues to be so kind to Hyacinth and she is so happy her tail wags when she hears him near her. They lay together and create quite a huge mat of dog. He stays with me all the time and is just getting relaxed enough to go out in the yard and in the other room. He does so well when I am not here it seems he just stays by the door and waits for me. He is a wonderful companion and I look forward to many years with him by my side. Thank you for your part in this wonderful circle of love.

Linda

Update: October 4, 2004

Macky is just wonderful. We walk 3 miles each day at 5:15 AM and 6 miles on Saturday and also on Sunday. He steps right along beside me and is well behaved with other animals and people. He is soooooooo kind to my blind dog [Hyacinth] and I really appreciate that. He has lost lots of weight and is down to his perfect weight of 95 pounds and he looks like an entirely different dog. People are always saying how beautiful he is. I still need to train a little more on recall but I have no complaints. My dogs are in the house all day when I work and he sits by the door waiting for me to return and is right by my side even now. He is and will be a trusted friend and we will have many a mile together.

I tell people that he is a rescue dog to encourage people to adopt.

Linda

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