‘Gentle’ dog struggled in Florida shelter — then came ‘love at first sight’
A “gentle” dog struggled at a shelter — then came a heartwarming adoption.
The Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida said Luna the pup was pulled from the shelter and met John Schwartz, who fell for her right away.
“It was truly love at first sight, and it brought tears to my eyes to see her give her new dad that first hug,” Cathy Cottrill, intake coordinator for the rescue, told McClatchy News in an April 16 email.
The emotional moments unfolded after Luna went through a rough patch. Her previous owner loved her but had major health problems himself and couldn’t keep her anymore, rescuers wrote in a Facebook post.
Luna landed at a Florida shelter, which was “short on vets and wanted her to get immediate care for her major skin issues. She was in poor condition physically, suffering from serious skin issues that caused massive hair loss on her hindquarters. She was wearing a ‘cone of shame’ to keep her from frantically biting herself and drawing blood,” Cottrill wrote.
The rescue saw past Luna’s skin condition and stepped in to help find her a new home.
“She was otherwise a perfect, classic golden: gentle, friendly, happy, sweet and docile,” Cottrill wrote. “We knew she was a keeper!”
Luna left the county shelter, and her luck soon took another turn for the better. Schwartz adopted the 1-year-old pup, who has since been to a vet. Now, she feels more comfortable as she adjusts to her new home and canine sibling.
“Sometimes in rescue we get to see magic happen,” the animal organization wrote.
The Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida has a presence in Bonita Springs, a roughly 150-mile drive south from Tampa.
