Cache is a Keeper!!
I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team here in Fort Collins! “Cache” has joined us most recently from the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) in Arvada, Colorado (a northwestern suburb of Denver). As you can see, he is adorable and has immediately stolen our hearts. He is probably almost a year old, give or take a couple months, has a super mellow and loving demeanor, and is likely a Flat Coat Retriever mix (Flat Coats are basically smaller, all black Golden Retrievers). His name is derived from Cache La Poudre which is the river near our home in the Poudre Canyon where he will be likely spending quite a bit of time splashing and swimming!
He was surrendered to the Denver Dumb Friends League with a severe hip deformity and GRRR saw him as a retriever mix and brought him into their facility. The Veterinarian on retainer for that organization performed a Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) to correct the deformity and Cache was recovering there when a volunteer called us.
In the nearly 27 years my wife Pat and I have been together, we have always had at least one dog in our house (other than me) but when we lost our 16 year old Wheaton last spring to bladder cancer we took some time off from being Companion Animal Guardians (aka Pet Owners). Evidently, nine months was enough time off. Another agent in our office, Donna Winship, has a gorgeous Golden Retriever named Gabe and knew we were between doggies. She volunteers for GRRR (that’s where Gabe came from) and told us about their web-site. We’ve always used rescues and the Larimer Humane Society for our animals so Pat started “straying” to that site regularly and then after a couple of heart-wrenchingly cuddly puppies showed up for adoption on line, we decided to apply as potential adopters and indicated on our application that we would accept puppies, older dogs, or dogs with mild special needs.
When they told us how the FHO procedure worked we were amazed that Cache could even walk! The procedure basically cuts off the femoral head (the portion at the top of the leg bone that looks like a ball) and then scar tissue forms around the end of the bone creating a kind of ‘false’ joint that will allow the dog to live a relatively normal life. We spoke with our own local vets to see what we might be getting ourselves into and they told us we will need to keep him lean and be sure to keep his shoulders strong as he will likely favor his front legs over his rear legs. Other than that, they were very encouraging. Armed with that confidence booster we drove 70 miles south to Arvada and brought Cache to his new home.
He will never be a champion agility course dog or win any sprinting challenges but he will charm your socks off, chew on them, drag them around the house and bring them back to you with a wag of his tail and an expectation for a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears.
But really, who wouldn’t want that?
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