Rescue group passionate about golden retrievers
BY CATHY COTTRILL
For a group of Southwest Florida dog lovers, it’s all about the golden ones. Retrievers, that is.
Four years ago, a group of golden retriever devotees banded together to start a rescue organization to save homeless goldens. Their efforts have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, with 399 dogs rescued so far, a network of dozens of volunteers and a Facebook page that is followed by nearly 3,000 fans.
“We are so proud of our rescue and of the work we have done,” said Alesia Mata of Naples, president of Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida. “Our volunteers, our vets and our foster homes work so hard for these dogs. It is so rewarding to be able to help them have a second chance at life.”
GRRSWF is based in Lee and Collier counties, but serves Charlotte, Sarasota, DeSoto, Hendry, Glades, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Orange and Polk counties as well. The organization is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit and relies on donations and fundraisers like its upcoming golf tournament in Lehigh Acres to help its dogs.
The organization takes in homeless golden retrievers and golden mixes from shelters and from owners who can no longer keep them, and finds them new homes. Many dogs come to the rescue with medical problems, including heartworms or hip dysplasia, and require veterinary treatment before they can be adopted.
Veterinary fees are the rescue’s biggest expense, even with sizable discounts given by veterinarians including Pegah Gillette of Bonita’s Angel Animal Hospital. It can cost from $300 to more than $1,000 to bring a dog into the rescue, once spaying/neutering, microchipping and vaccinations are done. If a dog is heartworm positive, which is frequently the case with dogs from shelters, the cost can be even higher.
The cost to adopt a dog from GRRSWF starts at $200 for mixes and goes up to $500 for young purebreds.
Meet the rescuers
For GRRSWF President Alesia Mata of Naples and Vice President Dennis Guyitt of Bonita Springs, rescuing goldens is a labor of love.
Guyitt is a professional photographer who has owned goldens for more 30 years. He and his wife, Kathy, currently have five dogs of their own.
“There are just too many dogs that need help,” he said. “They will be put to sleep if good people don’t step forward and help them. The thought of that haunts me. I want to save them all and I know I can’t personally, but through an organization like GRRSWF perhaps I can help others to help and thereby save more than would have been saved otherwise.”
Mata has had goldens for a decade and has been saving dogs for nearly that long.
“I love dogs and always have,” she said. “I was raised with dogs and feel they are a blessing in our lives and deserve the best.
Guyitt and Mata agree on one thing: They are committed to saving as many golden retrievers as possible.
Difficult cases
While some goldens come into rescue healthy, well-trained and ready for adoption, others face serious hurdles. Surgery for hip dysplasia and treatment for heartworms are two of the steepest costs for rescue dogs.
Rescue officials look back with pride at several cases where dogs were rehabilitated despite the odds
Mata shared the bittersweet saga of Ruby, a senior golden who was saved from a kill shelter and arrived at the rescue’s vet on a stretcher because she was too weak to walk. Abandoned in the twilight of her life, Ruby had an invincible spirit that touched people’s hearts. As her story unfolded, the rescue’s Facebook fans heard about Ruby’s efforts to walk again, cheered as she perked up after getting free acupuncture treatments, and rejoiced when she went to a loving foster home. Even though Ruby only lived for two more months, rescue officials believe they gave her the best two months of her life.
“We have no regrets with Ruby,” said Guyitt.. “We took away her pain, gave her a home, and didn’t care what it cost. We will do the same for any senior dog that we save.”
A memoriam on Facebook drew dozens of responses when Ruby died of kidney failure.
Via Facebook, fans also followed the story of Brooke, a young dog who was abandoned by her owners and subsequently suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed. Via Facebook and ChipIn, the rescue raised thousands of dollars for Brooke’s neurological workup and veterinary care. Fans cheered as the plucky dog rallied and regained her ability to walk. Many wept at the news that Brooke had found her forever home with a retired school teacher .
For Guyitt, a dog named Hunter will never be forgotten.
“He came to us as a frightened, injured owner-surrendered dog,” said Guyitt. “On the day of his surrender, he escaped and ran terrified through the neighborhood, seriously injuring his paws. I’ll never forget that scared little boy with bandaged paws in my living room, refusing to move for two days. I had to pick him up and carry him outside to do his business. He was afraid of everything. The slightest sound caused panic.
Guyitt credits his own dogs with helping Hunter in ways Guyitt and his wife could not.
“We got him to come out to our lanai where he saw my dogs enjoying the pool. He came over and tested the water and in no time he was in the pool with them and having the time of his life. They played with him and made him one of the gang. The shell was broken and he was suddenly a fun-loving puppy again,” he said. “He was adopted by a wonderful couple and has never looked back. His is the story of what rescue is all about.”
And by the way, his new family renamed Hunter. His new name is Denny, in honor of the man who saved him.
The future
The rescue will celebrate its fourth birthday with a “rescue reunion” for volunteers, adopters and foster homes on May 4 in Charlotte County.
As far as Mata is concerned, the organization’s future is bright, with money being its biggest obstacle. That’s why fundraisers such as the upcoming golf tournament in Lehigh Acres are vital to the group’s success.
“We want to continue rescuing as many as possible each year and getting them into loving forever homes,” said Mata. “I also hope for a great public awareness of the importance of heartworm preventative and regular vaccinations through GRRSWF.”
Guyitt hopes spreading the word will get more people in Southwest Florida to open up their hearts and homes to needy goldens.
“I also hope we can find more generous souls to help underwrite the costs of caring for the dogs that come through our organization,” he said. “It is a never-ending struggle to find the resources to keep our efforts going.”
The group’s greatest need is for donations and volunteers.
“We don’t have offices, or facilities where we can board and keep our intakes,” said Guyitt. “We have to rely on foster homes to nurture and care for our dogs during medical treatments and until forever homes can be found. Without them, we simply can’t take in all the dogs who need our help.”
Benefit event
The third annual golf tournament benefitting GRRSWF will be held at the Mirror Lakes Golf Course in Lehigh Acres on Saturday, April 13. The Suzanne Hewitt Memorial Golf Tournament honors a rescue volunteer who gave an enormous amount of her time and talents to rescuing golden retrievers.
The event will tee off at 8:30 a.m. at the Mirror Lakes Golf Course, 670 Milwaukee Blvd., Lehigh Acres. Reservations can be made by calling 369-1322. The event includes cash prizes, hot dogs and hamburgers, raffles and door prizes.
“We thank the Mirror Lakes Golf Course for holding this great event that honors Suzanne Hewitt, one of our most dedicated volunteers. She had an incredible passion for golden retrievers,” said Mark Dahlberg, a GRRSWFL board member and owner of three golden retrievers. “This is a fundraiser for our rescue which not only rescues goldens and golden mixes, it provides veterinary care for sick, abused and abandoned dogs. This is a large expense and the golf tournament will help us care for them and find forever homes for them.”
“This rescue meant everything to Sue,” said her husband Bob Hewitt, of Lehigh Acres, who helped organize the first two tournaments when his wife was still living. “She lived and breathed it every minute of the time from when we formed it until she was stricken with cancer. She was all about the dogs. They came first in her order of priority.”
Even when she was no longer able to play golf, Suzanne Hewitt still hoped to have another tournament to benefit the dogs, her husband said. “Combining two of the things she loved best — GRRSWF and golf — was Sue’s greatest pleasure. For this tournament to be in her memory makes me very proud — proud to be a member of such a wonderful organization, and proud to have known and loved Suzanne,” he said.
How to help
- Phone: (239) 369-0415
- E-mail: info@GRRSWF.org
- Website: www.GRRSWF.org
