Erin Nelson
Pauline Scott pets her dog Giselle, a 3-year-old golden retriever mix, in the front yard of her home in Crestline on March 4. Giselle was adopted by the Scott family through Adopt-a-Golden Birmingham, a local organization dedicated to helping golden retrievers that are placed in their care find safe and loving homes.
A local nonprofit organization hit a significant milestone last summer.
Adopt a Golden Birmingham made its 1,000th rescue with Happy, who at the time was a 6-month-old, 34-pound pup with “a sunny disposition,” one press release said.
With more than 1,000 golden retrievers finding a home in the Birmingham area, many of those adoptive families live in Mountain Brook. One local success story happened with Pauline Scott and her rescue, Giselle.
The Scott family had lost their previous dog, a yellow lab and golden retriever mix, the year before. Scott said she took some time to grieve, but she knew the next time she got a dog that she wanted it to be a golden retriever.
“They’re super sweet, and they’re good family pets,” she said about the breed. “I’m partial to labs and golden retrievers.”
She went to the humane society first, but she couldn’t find the right fit there, she said. She contacted Adopt a Golden, an organization she heard about from her friend, and the Adopt a Golden staff came by for a home inspection. Not everyone is qualified to adopt from the organization, said the organization’s adoption director, Ruth Henry.
“Adopt a Golden takes extreme care to place the dog in the very best home possible for the dog, putting it’s needs first,” Henry said. “Golden retrievers have the wonderful reputation of being a perfect family dog, but they don’t raise themselves. They need training, love and guidance, so all homes are not ideal.”
Depending on a dog’s background, that specific dog might not thrive in a home with children or other pets. If a house has children aged 8 or younger, the organization requires that there is a fenced-in yard — children have a tendency to leave the door open, Henry said.
The process can seem like a lot, but it helps ensure the adoption is successful. It can be stressful for both the dog and the adoptive family if a dog needs to be returned to the organization.
After the Scotts passed the home inspection, the staff at Adopt a Golden immediately started sending Scott photos of dogs in need of adoption. Scott forwarded some of the photos to the rest of the family, and 1.5-year-old Giselle was the one who won out.
“She’s pretty — she’s got these beautiful dark eyes, and it’s like they’re rimmed in dark eyeliner,” she said. “She just looks so sweet.”
Giselle was living with a foster family in Ross Bridge at the time, so the entire Scott family went for a visit so Giselle could meet the whole family. They observed Giselle’s body language and noticed she wasn’t turning her back to any of the Scott family — a good sign.
By the end of the day, it was clear that the Scott family was a good fit, and they were able to take Giselle home
Scott said she enjoyed the entire adoption process.
“It was nice because we got to see her with the foster family, and they were so sweet,” she said. “I like the fact that they told us up front that if we got there and the dog didn’t seem to bond with us, they would help us find a different dog who did bond with us. I like how they don’t just give the dog to the first person who calls. They really do research the potential owner of the dog they have.”
Giselle was named by her foster family, and although the Scotts originally had a new name picked out for her, they realized once they got home that the name fit. It’s been two years now since they adopted Giselle. She’s got unconditional love for her adopted family, Scott said.
“She wants to be wherever I am, so she follows me around the house and is usually laying behind me in whatever room I’m in,” Scott said. “Every day is a fun memory with her.”
Adopt a Golden’s mission is to find safe, loving, lifelong homes for golden retrievers throughout the metro Birmingham region, the organization said in a release. No golden retriever will be turned away, regardless of medical needs or age.
“When you adopt a dog through this organization, it becomes family,” Scott said.
Visit adoptagoldenbirmingham.com for more information.
