This is Martha – a sweet, clever 6 year old purebred female Golden Retriever. She is married to George. They came from a Missouri Puppy Mill where she gave birth to litter after litter every year of her life. We got a call about these two and one of our terrific volunteers went to get them. When our volunteer was in Missouri waiting for the breeders to bring their dogs, the breeder who had George and Martha only brought George. When ask why Martha was left behind, he said he had bred her a few weeks ago and she could be with puppies so he was going to keep her. After several phone calls to Atlanta and some high finance dealings, we got Martha. Upon Martha’s arrival in Atlanta we immediately gave her a sonogram and ‘bingo’, we saw pups! Martha stayed comfortably at the vet with George by her side. One day, her vet called and was quite concerned. It seemed Martha had a blockage – it looked like she had eaten a rag or towel and it had been in her stomach for sometime. We had no time to waste. If that rag went into her intestine, invasive surgery would have to be done which would compromise the lives of all the puppies. Off to GVS for an emergency endoscopic procedure. Yes, she would have to have anesthesia and it was risky but we had no choice. Needless to say, it worked and all the pups were just fine. Then, we found a wonderful, reputable breeder who has been a friend and supporter of AGA’s since our inception, DARMA GOLDENS. They took Martha and waited for the pups to arrive. Three days later, Martha went into labor! She was having difficulty and after an emergency C-section Martha had 6 healthy puppies: 4 girls and 2 boys. Whew! We named them the PATRIOTIC PUPS and they have all been adopted. Martha was reunited with her husband George and now they’ll never be apart again. They have been adopted by their foster family. Mom and dad spent many hours socializing these two. Now they actually seek out human contact. Mom looked at several adoption candidates but always had that little feeling that no one could give these two what she and her husband could. They are coming along great and the mom and dad look forward to continuing to love and protect this fabulous pair all their lives. Their future will now be filled with constant companionship, understanding, caring, long walks and wonderful parenting. They also have a doggie sister named Daisy, who also makes sure they feel right at home.