Animal Rescue of Fresno: Goldie and Louis

Jun 8, 2024 | 2024 Articles, Animal Rescue Adventures, Pets

by Wendy Hunter

The rainbow, “the bridge of the gods,” proved to be the bridge to our understanding of light; much more important. ~Isaac Asimov

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ~ Winnie the Pooh

A million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, my mother retired from Bank of America after over three decades of service. Her co-workers decided to gift her with an adorable bulldog puppy, and our family chipped in for what would be the best present she ever received. We named her Maggie, and she was a roly-poly bundle of wrinkles and happiness. She was tan and white, with milk chocolate-colored eyes, and soon became my parent’s fourth daughter. Maggie enjoyed going on long walks with mom, splashing in her water bowl, battling with the garden hose, and popping out silent but deadly farts. I remember us watching TV, and when we least expected it, our eyes began to water, and we found ourselves laughing while gasping for air. Maggie would nonchalantly turn and stare at us, as if to say, “Wait, what happened?”

Louis (See is his story below)

Maggie became a celebrity in her own right because when she came to us, my parents were fanatical supporters of the Fresno State Women’s Softball Team. She attended some of the games, took pictures with all the players, and even graced the cover of their calendar one year. My parents went to every single game, rain or shine, always dressed in their crimson attire. They had matching T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, hats, blankets, and chairs. Their ice chest was red. Their shoes were red. Heck, my mom even has red hair.

Maggie went on camping trips to Huntington and loved roaming the lakeside and all the dusty trails. She lived a good long life, and everyone loved her; she never knew a stranger. But like all dogs, she had only one bad trait; she just couldn’t live long enough. I remember my dad taking her to the vet’s office, and I was so mad he went alone. Later, when I thought about it, I realized he knew my mother couldn’t handle it. It broke my parents’ hearts, and I don’t think they ever really got over losing their beloved girl. My dad didn’t cry a lot, but tears welled in his eyes whenever he spoke about Maggie. She was the epitome of the best dog ever.

It is the most unselfish act in all of life to let one go that we have found beloved. ~ Kate McGahan

Goldie

For many of us dog owners, making the decision to let them go is one of the hardest we’ve ever known. I have said goodbye to four dogs myself, and it never gets any easier. For some people, they just don’t understand how others can decide to end the life of their beloved pet. For those of us, it comes down to many factors, and is not taken lightly. In all my cases, the most important thing I had to think about was quality of life. If I’m miserable watching my dog being miserable, then I was going to end that misery…for both of us. Is it worth having your pet suffer in pain, just because you want another forty-eight hours with them? For me, watching my tripod dog lose her eyesight, have seizures, and just stand and stare at a corner of the fence was too much. And mind you, this all happened very quickly, within just a couple of weeks. It seemed like overnight she completely forgot where she was and couldn’t navigate the yard at all. I even brought her into my room, and she just wandered around until she found a corner and stood like a statue. It was too much for me. Maybe a braver person could have handled that behavior, but it just made me weep. And so “Hap” now finds a home in one of the four tin canisters in my closet, with her name on it. It was hard, but I feel I did right by her. I hope she felt the same way.

Dear. I hope that when you are very, very old you can look back and say “Heavens. That was a lovely life.” ~Pam Brown

At Animal Rescue of Fresno, we are sometimes forced to make life decisions regarding our dogs. Especially if that dog has many health issues and is elderly. These dogs may be unadoptable because of their declining health and how old they are. If even the best of veterinary care cannot provide them with the quality of life they deserve, then we have to determine what’s in their best interest. I can recall a few times when I was out in one of our yards enjoying the dogs and taking in the fresh air when a senior volunteer came by with one of my favorite elderly residents, asking if I would like to say goodbye. I had been warned, but it was still agonizing to give that sweet thing a last pet on the head. I was usually rewarded with a sloppy kiss on my nose. Later on, I would return to the yard and bury my head into somebody else’s fuzzy neck, their fur absorbing my tears.

Goldie (see story below)

This week was a particularly tough one for our organization, as we had to make the heartbreaking decision to help two of our oldest and most beloved residents cross the Rainbow Bridge. I have written about both these lovelies before, so it’s particularly sad that I have to write about Goldie and Louis again, only under more sorrowful circumstances. However, their stories must be shared, so the public has a better understanding of what animal rescues and their volunteers go through. It’s not all sunshine and playing in the pools; it’s also reality at its finest. Even if we don’t like it.

~ It’s wonderful to know you’re aging, because that means you’re still on the planet, right?
Goldie Hawn

Louis

For the twelve readers who follow my articles, you might remember Louis and Goldie, two of our sanctuary dogs. Both Chihuahua mixes, they roamed about on spindly legs, and both had big marble sized eyes. They also both shared an appetite for food and never turned down a meal. “Lucky Louie” was twelve-years old when he arrived in 2019, a stray from another shelter. With his hilarious tongue hanging out sideways from his mouth, he always looked like a silly cartoon to me. He was the kind of dog who picked and chose the people that he liked. He was never a big fan of me; others carried him around the yard like a little baby. Even though he didn’t love everyone, we were never worried about him mistaking our fingers for a sausage; he only had a couple of teeth, and they were well worn down at best.

Goldie

When Goldie showed up at ARF in 2021, she was an owner-surrender to another rescue and found her way to our door. She was sixteen at the time and had a myriad of health problems including bad teeth and several mammary tumors. Goldie’s love of cheeseburgers was well known, and I am positive that the numerous times I was sitting in the McDonald’s drive-thru, she was already at the ARF door waiting. She knew the crack and the crunch of a burger wrapper before I even got into the office. Even though she began to lose her eyesight, she never lost her keen sense of smell and happily accepted pieces of turkey, or cheese, or whatever you had to offer. Unfortunately, her former owners only fed her human food, so that’s what she was used to. I have to admit, all of us volunteers placated her, and if she gained even one little ounce, I would have been worried. But she was always that skinny blonde girl you hated in high school, who could eat four tacos and an ice cream sundae and never put on a pound. Curses!

“For many years I blew my brains out. Hitting notes so high they hurt a dog’s ears. Joe Glaser told me ‘Play and sing pretty. Give the people a show.’” ~ Louis Armstrong

Goldie and Sean

There are some people in this world who amaze and astound you. People who have hearts that swell with so much love, you can’t believe they actually exist. People like this take you by surprise with their humble attitude and actions of kindness. Enter Sean Quinn, and his amazing organization called Pedals4Paws, where he travels the world on a bike with his sweet kids named Gabby and Dogzilla riding shotgun. Sean showed up at ARF in January of 2023 with both dogs. Dogzilla was originally an ARF dog who went to a fabulous rescue in Oregon, where Sean adopted him. In 2023, Sean was taking Dogzilla to Mexico for his fifteenth birthday Quinceanera celebration, and they decided to stop at ARF. They showed up in the early morning with Dogzilla and Gabby, along with 100 cheeseburgers for all the ARF dogs. Sean went around to every yard and hand fed each dog some burger. He even approached some of the new and frightened dogs, offering food and even sitting with them in their kennels. It was astounding to watch.

Some of the best video we have of that day is Sean feeding Goldie little bites of cheeseburger and talking to her, making friends. I wasn’t in Lucky Louie’s yard, but I’m sure he enjoyed some delicious cheeseburger as well. A couple days ago, we received a huge bouquet of flowers from Sean and Gabby, his new biking partner, to honor Lucky Louie and Goldie. What a beautiful gesture, from such a lovely man. Thank you, Sean and Gabby We hope to see you soon. Keep doing what you do!

Side Note: After 861 days at ARF, we volunteers officially adopted Goldie in December of 2023. She will fondly be remembered as the official “Office Mascot.” We’ll miss you girl.

Goldie’s adoption

Learn more about Pedals4Paws on their website.

Animal Rescue of Fresno
4545 E Dakota Ave.
Fresno, CA 93726
Website: arf-fresno.com

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section and check back every month for another animal rescue adventure from ARF. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue. We also have a pet Facebook group for KRL and we would love to have you join!

Wendy Hunter has been volunteering with ARF since 2014. She grew up in Fresno and has been an Office Assistant with Fresno County for 7 years. She has been writing all of her life, though never professionally, and currently writes personalized poetry for birthdays, weddings, pet remembrances, etc.