Chloe | 
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Chloe's Story |
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Chloe was the product of a puppy mill located in San Jose. When she was still a small puppy, she was attacked and bitten in the face by an adult dog. Chloe suffered a fractured lower jaw as a result of this vicious attack. She must have experienced considerable pain and suffering during this stage of her life. The puppy mill operators did not seek medical attention for Chloe, instead opting to sell her through a dog broker that deals in dogs that the puppy mills cannot sell directly. |
Luckily, a good Samaritan discovered Chloe at a dog broker's kennels. She tried to get the puppy mill operators to give her Chloe since expensive treatments and surgeries would be required to recontruct Chloe's jaws. The puppy mill operators demanded that she pay $150 for Chloe or they would breed her for a couple of years and then have her destroyed. The Good Samaritan paid the $150, but soon discovered that she could not afford to pay for the surgery that Chloe required. |
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A Good Samaritan |
| The Good Samaritan contacted NGRR in Sacramento and turned the dog over to NORCAL on March 19, 1999. At this point, one could see that not everything was right with this wonderful puppy. Her lower jaw was grotesquely twisted to the right. She had difficulty chewing - her lower teeth would get stuck in the roof of her mouth. Because her jaw and teeth were misaligned, her tongue hung out of the side of her mouth and was restricted in its range of movement. She was forced to drink from the side of her mouth, something that was not easy for any dog. |
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NGRR Raises Money for Surgery |
| Within days, NGRR's Board of Directors approved the expenditure of the necessary funds to repair Chloe's jaw, a veterinarian was found to perform the surgery, and a date for the surgery was set. Dr. Richardson, a very experienced surgeon, was willing to do anything he could to correct her physical deformity. He operated on Chloe's jaw on March 23, 1999. The surgery required that he re-break both her lower jawbones in order to realign her mouth. Her jawbones were realigned and held in place during the healing process with screws and metal plates. Gauze covered her cheeks and jaws to prevent further injury. |
The NGRR agent was required to spoon feed Chloe a mushy mixture of water and dog food for a week or two. Chloe improved steadily and was soon able to eat canned dog food on her own. It was several more weeks before she mastered the techniques to drink water from a bowl. During this entire process Chloe was very courageous, never crying from the obvious pain she was experiencing, never fussing with her bandages, and never losing the spirit of a true Golden. Due to the efforts of several wonderful people, the puppy that was born into a life of pain and suffering was given a second chance and is now a happy and active puppy. |
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The story continues... as told by her adoptive family |
We fell in love with Chloe when we first met her at the Folsom PetCo gathering in July. She is an amazing dog. Even after all she has been through, she is very sweet and gentle. We decided to foster Chloe to be sure that she would get along with our cats and fit into our lifestyle. Mike and Jody Jones, the Sacramento agents, brought Chloe up to our home in Foresthill on July 29, 1999. From the moment she arrived, Chloe and our Golden, Sierra, hit it off! They started playing before we could get the leashes off. Chloe and Sierra are 8 months apart in age. There is nothing like having two big, energetic puppies in the house to keep things crazy! Sometimes they sound like a herd of wild elephants as they race from one end of the house to the other while playing keep away with a favorite toy. Chloe has perfected an amazing body slam technique that she uses quite effectively on poor Sierra. Chloe also loves long walks, going on hikes, chasing kitties, cross country skiing and especially swimming in the lake. Chloe and Sierra are very attached to each other. They often sleep together like kitties with their bodies touching and they use each other as pillows. |
| It took Chloe a little while to get adjusted to our routine, but pretty soon she was doing great. The only setback happened on August 11th, when she broke her little toe while wrestling with Sierra. Chloe had to wear a splint for 4 weeks and she didn't get to play as much, which, I might add, was quite a challenge, but now she is as good as new. We are working on socializing her and she gets to visit with the children I tutor at our home. Andy, Sierra and I adopted Chloe on August 23rd. We look forward to many happy years with her. Chloe won the “Best Golden Smile” contest at the (Sacramento) NORCAL picnic this past summer and she graduated first in her class from her basic obedience course on September 30th. |
Andy and I both believe that the investment NORCAL made to have Chloe's jaw repaired was well worth it. The only lasting effect we can see is that her tongue hangs out the left side of her mouth, because she is missing her lower left canine. It would have been a shame to let this delightful dog spend her life in pain or to have euthanized her. She is a true delight. Chloe is always happy, playful and loving. She shows us, as well as Sierra, a lot of affection and a true enthusiasm for life. |
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NGRR Needs Financial Help |
 NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue is always in need of financial help to care for dogs like Chloe. Find out more about these special dogs and what you can do to help on our Special Needs Goldens and Donations Page. |
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Read about Emma |
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Emma, a stray mother dog from San Francisco with bad hips. |
We fell in love with Chloe when we first met her at the Folsom PetCo gathering in July. She is an amazing dog. Even after all she has been through, she is very sweet and gentle. We decided to foster Chloe to be sure that she would get along with our cats and fit into our lifestyle. Mike and Jody Jones, the Sacramento agents, brought Chloe up to our home in Foresthill on July 29, 1999. From the moment she arrived, Chloe and our Golden, Sierra, hit it off! They started playing before we could get the leashes off. Chloe and Sierra are 8 months apart in age. There is nothing like having two big, energetic puppies in the house to keep things crazy! Sometimes they sound like a herd of wild elephants as they race from one end of the house to the other while playing keep away with a favorite toy. Chloe has perfected an amazing body slam technique that she uses quite effectively on poor Sierra. Chloe also loves long walks, going on hikes, chasing kitties, cross country skiing and especially swimming in the lake. Chloe and Sierra are very attached to each other. They often sleep together like kitties with their bodies touching and they use each other as pillows.