Hooch is a
3 year old Golden Retriever who I adopted from Golden
Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin in 2003. He was surrendered
to GRROW at the age of 10 months because he was having
problems walking. Turns out he had OCD - Osteochondritis
Dissecans - a bone disease that causes a separation in
the cartilage & bone joint. Initially it was thought
only to be in his right shoulder, however it was so severe
in that shoulder that he overcompensated on his left side
that it developed in his left shoulder as well.
As a foster
home for GRROW I had successfully fostered & adopted
out over 20 dogs in the few years I was fostering. With
two golden retrievers of my own, it was never my intention
to adopt a foster dog. That was until I met Hooch. At
his assessment, the owner was 'showing off' how bad his
shoulder was by tossing a ball in the air & Hooch
would catch it & then collapse from the pain in his
shoulder. The GRROW volunteer who did the assessment immediately
offered to take him with her & bring him to his new
foster home - which was my home.
Hooch came
to live with us in December of 2003. He had his first
surgery a month later & his second surgery 6 weeks
after that. He came through surgery like a trooper. After
a few months of recuperation, it became apparent that
Hooch had found his forever home. He was accepted easily
by his canine brother & sister - Denver & Bailey.
If there ever
was a dog that was happy 100% of the time - it's Hooch.
He embodies all that is good in a golden retriever. He's
full of life & has tons of love to give. While life
isn't perfect for Hooch, he will still walk with a gimp
after a hard day at play, it's obvious that arthritis
has set in already. We do all we can to manage his pain
and make life as easy & carefree for him as we can.
In case you
hadn't noticed, Hooch also has the honor & distinction
of being part of DogVetCare.com's logo. While all my dogs
are special, Hooch has a special place in my heart.
