Rosie was our cover dog for the February 2012 issue of The Golden Paw. On Christmas Eve, we received a call about a 6-year-old Golden that had been rushed to an emergency vet clinic with bloat, a very serious and life-threatening condition. Due to an illness in the family, Rosie had been staying in a kennel, and we are glad the kennel folks caught this condition early. However, because the surgery and aftercare was to cost about $5000, Rosie’s owner, a young soldier returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, sadly relinquished her to us. We quickly agreed to assume the costs of her medical care, and Rosie made it through the surgery with a good prognosis. AGR’s Board of Directors agreed that the best home for Rosie would be back with her original family, who had not only experienced a serious illness in the family but also had lost their home to foreclosure. With an adoption fee of only $1 and no medical bills to pay off, the family were overjoyed at having their Rosie returned to them as a little belated, but much loved, Christmas gift.