By Sarah Kuper
The Night of Golden Opportunities benefit for Adopt-a-Golden Birmingham will be Sept. 15 at Iron City Birmingham.
The event, now in its fifth year, is an opportunity for golden retriever lovers to gather and enjoy food and a silent and live auction while raising money and awareness for golden retriever rescue.
The volunteer-based nonprofit works to rescue golden retrievers from bad situations. It is part of a larger network of breed-specific rescue nonprofits around the country and world.
Lorraine Donald is the founder and president of Adopt-a-Golden Birmingham. She said volunteers will take in the dogs no matter what.
“We never refuse a golden – ever. Even if they are older or require a lot of work. We get some that are in pretty bad shape.”
Veterinary professionals and dog trainers administer medical treatment, including vaccines, and evaluate the dog’s temperament.
“We do whatever it takes – orthopedic surgery, send them to a behaviorist. Our goal is to get them back to medical and emotional fitness,” Donald said.
Volunteers are committed to taking care of the retrievers until a proper home can be found.
A family wishing to adopt a golden retriever from the organization must go through a thorough screening process that includes phone interviews and a home evaluation.
“People may criticize us for being over the top with home checks but we are following breed-specific guidelines to make sure the dog goes to its perfect forever home,” Donald said.
Should a golden owner find he or she can no longer care for the pet, Donald hopes they won’t think twice about surrendering the dog to Adopt-a-Golden.
“Quite often people aren’t 100 percent honest with why they are surrendering the golden, but we can only guess,” she said. “We don’t judge at all because we want to care for that dog.”
Night of Golden Opportunities begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased online at adoptagoldenbirmingham.com or through the organization’s Facebook page.
