Charity's

Charity was one of those lucky girls who was saved from a life of living in a kennel. When Charity came to As Good as Gold in January, 2017, she was horribly shut down and wouldn’t leave her safe place. She saw our veterinary behaviorist and was put on medication to help her with her fears. She spent a year in her foster home, but still had so many fears and mainly stayed in her safe spot in the bedroom on a dog bed. Only occasionally did she venture out to check out the house. In the beginning she needed to be carried outside, but once outside seemed like a different dog. She watched the two dogs in her foster home and would learn from their lead that things they did were what she should do as well! After eight months, she finally decided it was safe to try the short flight of stairs to be with her foster mom in her office. That was a really big deal for Charity! With the love and patience of her foster parents, she improved to the point that she was ready to move on to her forever home.

Charity has a special adoptive mom who has had experience with breeder dogs and who was eager to welcome Charity into her home almost three months ago. Her new mom had this to say about Charity’s current life in her adoptive home:

“Charity is such a love. She is living with two golden brothers, Beau and Teddy. Teddy is a mill survivor, too, and he has many of the same fears as Charity. But, Beau is the leader and he is my secret weapon with fearful dogs. He has taught Charity to come in the house with some encouragement and he will run around in the back yard with her. I set up her “room” in a guest room across from my bedroom so she can retreat if she’d like, but at the same time she can keep us in sight. More often than not, she ends up sleeping with the boys and me in my room at night.

She has become a licker! She loves to lick my hands and feet so gently. (I don’t know if she did that before, but Beau is a licker and may have taught her that skill.) Charity is always where my boys and I are in the house, which most of the time is in the family room. She has taken as her own one of the orthopedic beds in the family room, and she will hang out there as we watch TV and I work on the computer. She is also getting VERY close to learning how to play with Beau, my initiator of all things play related. We’ve had some play bows and a start of playing, but … I am sure this will evolve!

She may never be a snuggly girl but she is certainly loving and wants to trust. She is an important member of my pack and we all love her very much.”

We will never know what Charity’s life was like before coming to AGaG; we can only speculate by her behaviors. But what we do know is she is never going to have to worry about that life ever again. Charity’s new life has begun thanks to As Good as Gold, her foster family, and a wonderful new mom who was willing to give her a chance.