He's an 8-year-old, 24 Karat Gold guy!  Robbie was found by the police wandering the streets in LaCrosse.  Sadly it appeared that this sweet lovable guy had been passed from owner to owner, with nobody interested in coming to pick him up from the Humane Society.  WAAGR to the rescue!

Robbie was immediately picked up and transported to a comfortable foster home, with a doggie spa date and a veterinary appointment.  Under all the dirt, nasty smell of cigarettes, and horrid long toenails was a shiny new Golden!

Sadly the vet appointment revealed more serious news.  The reason for Robbie's painful limp was quickly discovered.  A large tumor was found on the bottom of his rear right foot between Robbie's pads.  The tumor had continued to grow upwards through two toes, and was now visible on top of his foot.  How long has this dear Golden has been limping and in pain?  Our vet showed us the muscle wasting in his leg and by the size of the mass, thinks that this has been going on for at least a year.  Imagine, an entire year or more of trying to walk with a painful tumor on your foot!

Robbie is already scheduled for surgery, and we have been advised that this invasive mass will be difficult to remove, with an extended rehabilitation ahead.  We will be with him every step of the way!  Stay tuned for more news about our Robbie.

Aug. 20
Robbie has had an amazing summer and we have some good news:  Robbie's foot is now officially healed!  We are now treating him for some seasonal allergies, and he is responding quickly.  Robbie is dog friendly, cat friendly, loves kids, men, women..........everyone!  His beautiful curly coat is growing back in nicely.  Robbie will continue to build muscle back up in his rear legs now that he is no longer limping because of the tumor.  He loves to go on rides, but is uninterested in swimming at this time.  Robbie pulls hard on a leash, but his foster mom is going to start him on a Gentle Leader.  His perfect home is with an older couple, and a fenced yard. This very affectionate guy could adapt to just about any environment!  Go Robbie!

July 15
The surgery was difficult as expected, but the doctor and staff did a great job taking care of our Robbie.  His foster mom reports:  We finally got the pathology report back yesterday afternoon. Very interesting!  It appears that a large organic object had been driven through his foot some time ago, a year maybe?  His body was working hard to get rid of it, and when it couldn't, tried to encapsulate the object, forming several large keratin filled cysts, some of which had ruptured.  It is amazing that considering the size, he didn't loose the entire foot to infection or gangrene back when the injury first occurred. I t took the better part of an hour to get most of it out in surgery, almost had to split his foot in half.  Robbie is a wonderful dog!  He has figured out how to use his "range hood" (e-collar) as a battering ram to get what he wants!  If Robbie has his eye on something, he lowers his head and runs, using the "snow plow" method, eliminating the competition in his path.  The other dogs in his foster home really scoot to get out of his way, as they are tired of getting rammed by "Robbie-hood."