Gracie - #8101
If dogs could talk, Gracie (formerly Princess) would have a very interesting story to tell.  Gracie first came to WAAGR in Fall of 2008.  Here is her story.

Gracie spent her first three years of life in a puppy mill, never knowing any human kindness or freedom to enjoy life the way a Golden should.  She and many other dogs were rescued when the Wisconsin Humane Society bought out Puppy Haven in western Wisconsin.  WAAGR took the Goldens to give them the start of their new lives, and Gracie was one of them.  A short time after she came to WAAGR, Gracie escaped from her foster home in Eagle, Wis.  Rescue members searched the surrounding areas and distributed flyers, hoping to track her down.  Gracie was spotted a few times after her initial escape, but then disappeared.

In July 2010, WAAGR received a call on the hotline from the Water Safety Patrol in Williams Bay, which is located in southeastern Wisconsin.  The man said they had a dog with a WAAGR tag on it.  We got the number from the WAAGR tag and said we would track down the owners.  In checking our our records, we were shocked to find out the dog was Gracie.

Our volunteers went to pick up Gracie and when they arrived, she was hiding under a table in the building.  The people who found her told us that someone had spotted her and called the Water Safety Patrol.  The patrol team went into Lake Geneva where she was swimming, got her into the boat and took her back to shore.  We will probably never know where she had been for almost two years, how she survived, or how she got more than 30 miles from where she was last seen.

Gracie is in foster care with WAAGR.  We took her to the vet right away and found out she was not malnourished, which was a relief.  Unfortunately, we also found out at the vet that she is heartworm positive, has Lyme disease, and anaplasmosis.  The vet got her started on an antibiotic right away, and the heartworm treatment will follow.

Gracie has had a very long journey, but she's safe with WAAGR now.  It's going to take some time, patience and love to help Gracie learn what it's like to live the Golden life.  Stay tuned to watch her progress!

September 2010
From her foster home:  Gracie is making gains socially and her health is improving.  She weighs 54 pounds, is working on a shiny new coat (Fromm food and fish oil) and is close to being house trained!  According to Gracie's blood work, her counts are normal, but HW+. Gracie shows a low stage of HW & is being treated for this.  Gracie is on a lead at all times even in a fenced yard, because her desire to flee the scene is still there.  However, she is learning everyday from the other dogs and joining the group on her own at times. She is not aggressive to humans; just very shy and fearful of movements and has no trust in us yet.  I have been pairing a label with my actions, such as "leash" when grabbing the leash and "pet" when giving her attention.  I'm seeing results!  Gracie Jane will need time and patience, but is changing her life around.
PS- She hates peas