My dog recently died on September 6, 2024, and left a missing piece within my family. We adopted him in 2014, from Second Chance, a rescue organization located out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My dog, Hudson was listed with his sister, Brooklyn — the surviving two members from their litter. They were found in the streets and given a “second chance” at life.
The void Hudson’s death left behind is felt heavily both in our hearts and our home, this pushed us to start looking for a new dog — not to replace him but to honor him instead.
My family wanted a golden retriever mix so we started the hunt in local rescue organizations. Many people go to Saving Grace as their first option to look for a new furry family member. Saving Grace is a unique rescue that has a farm-style retreat for the dogs that they rescue. The dogs (and cats) are from kill-shelters, surrendered by owners, or brought in by people who find them in the wild.
Saving Grace offers a great option for people who want to find the perfect dog in a nontraditional way. They have host-a-dog weekends which benefit both the animal and the person looking to adopt. These weekends give the dogs a “sleepover” allowing them to decompress, exercise more, and socialize with other animals outside of the rescue. The hosts can connect and build a bond with the dog increasing their chances of adopting it permanently.
Similar local rescue organizations to Saving Grace include: Second Chance, Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue, Cause for Paws, Paws for Life, ASPCA, and many more.
Kill-shelters are also available to adopt a dog from, this directly saves them from being euthanized. This is what my family did.
We recently adopted a golden retriever mix, Ivy, from the Franklin County Animal Shelter. Which is a kill-shelter that faces the harsh reality of having to euthanize dogs that don’t get adopted quickly enough. Sometimes adopting direct from the shelter can be better so room can be cleared out faster for new animals. Some people may hold the misconception that kill-shelters are inhumane but they are still doing their best to give animals another chance at life. Most are government funded so they are usually low on resources, staff, and funds, sometimes they can even be solely reliant on donations as well.
This was the perfect option for us, Ivy fits perfectly into our family and fills the missing piece Hudson left behind.
Leave a Reply