This precious young pup came into our rescue in September and is looking for his forever home. He’s a 6-month-old special needs boy. Junior cannot see and he has an odd gait, both likely due to part of his brain (the cerebellum) not working correctly. Interestingly, two of the major things that make him special needs don’t have as big an impact on his joie de vivre as one might think. He's doing well navigating even though he's blind, and sometimes you’d think he’s participating in the Indy 500 race in the house or backyard, which is pretty amazing. He's started going on leash walks, although those are hit or miss since he can't see where he's going! He enjoys getting out but is frightened by car noises. We’re working on getting him an MRI to have a definitive diagnosis.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear from anyone who might be interested in giving Junior a forever home – he’d be best with an adult home most of the time, ideally a single story home without a pool. He’d love a dog sibling or two to play with and who can show him the ropes. He really enjoys playing with his foster siblings and running around the backyard at the foster’s house and their friend’s house with more goldens. He’s the sweetest snuggler at nighttime, where he melts into your lap for a couple of hours after dark. He doesn’t seem to have complete control of his mouth so bites hard at times, mostly when he's frustrated, so would not be good with young kiddos. We’re happy to support training with the adopting family so they can work with him on the biting and potty training. Junior is being fostered in Walnut Creek and his foster mom would love to tell you more about him! 

Do you have a place for Junior in your home? If you do, please contact us.

As rainy weather approaches, be on the lookout for the Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides). This mushroom is among the most toxic in the world and is common throughout Northern California. It contains potent amatoxins that cause acute liver and kidney failure. A single mushroom contains enough toxin to kill a human, and it is similarly lethal to dogs.

One of our adopting families recently lost their golden girl after she consumed these mushrooms. She was lethargic one morning and spitting up saliva, and after a quick trip to the vet, bloodwork showed very elevated liver values. She was rushed to an emergency vet where another blood test was done that shows whether this particular toxin is present. Unfortunately, it was. The vet said her prognosis was grave and that their experience was that no dog who had eaten the mushrooms had survived. She was given IV fluids and various medicines to give her liver a chance to recover, but after 3 days, she succumbed to the toxins. This was heartbreaking for the family, the veterinarians, and all the other people involved in her care. The family had no idea that these mushrooms were in their backyard but after their dog got sick, eventually found dried up ones under rocks by their oak tree.

We share this story so that you can learn about these mushrooms and be on the lookout for them to help keep your dogs safe. Any curious, off leash, or unsupervised dogs are at risk if they ingest these toxic mushrooms. Since goldens are notorious “I’ll eat anything and everything” dogs, these mushrooms can be a particular hazard. Here are some important things for you to know:

1. Be aware what the mushrooms look like, and know you can find them in your yard under or near certain types of trees, especially oak trees. If you have oak trees in your yard, consider fencing around them so your dog cannot get near or within several feet of the base of the tree.
2. The toxin levels in these mushrooms do not lessen over time and are no different if the mushroom just popped up yesterday or has been under a rock from the last rainy season and is all dried out.
3. Remove these mushrooms from your property and keep an eye out for them when you’re out on hikes in the area (especially on trails with trees where there is a lot of moisture and shade).
4. Keep a close eye on curious dogs when out for walks and hikes, especially if your pup is an avid sniffer or likes to dig. Death Caps in particular emit a pungent smell when they decompose that might appeal to dogs. While keeping your dog on leash will always be safest, if allowed off-leash time, make sure your dog has a solid recall and responds promptly to a “leave it” command.
5. If you think your dog has eaten any of these mushrooms, rush them to the emergency vet and bring the mushroom with you if you can. Ask them to run the blood test to see if the amatoxin from the Death Cap mushrooms is present. If it is, emergency vets may use the Modified Santa Cruz Protocol, which includes serial drainage of the gallbladder to limit the enterohepatic recirculation of amatoxin. Unfortunately, toxicity from these mushrooms carries a very poor prognosis, even with aggressive treatment.

Learn more from UC Davis about mushroom toxicity in dogs.

We're guessing you might enjoy some photos of our Goldens. Here are some of our adopted dogs out on an adventure or resting up afterward.

You may be thinking about buying yourself, or someone else you like, a gift! We have a lot of goodies in our Store – we have a cozy fleece blanket, fleece vests (new colors of red and gray, as well as blue and black), green embroidered hoodies, baseball hats, bandanas, etc. Most importantly, get your 2026 calendar, featuring our adopted dogs and your Feliz Naughty Dog tote bags! 

Penny is another of our pups looking for a new home. She has heart arrythmias and is getting some more testing done before moving to her forever home. Visit us on Facebook and Instagram (links below) to see all our adoptable dogs, and learn how you can help by fostering dogs that come into our program.

Giving Tuesday is December 2 - a great day to donate to Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue!