There are many homeless dogs in these countries and not enough room in the shelters for all of them. Because there are limited resources in these countries, dogs either live out their lives in a shelter or are put on the streets or in the forests after they are spayed or neutered and given rabies vaccines. But Golden Retrievers don’t survive well on the streets. They are not good pack animals and won’t fight back, so many are attacked by other dogs and their survival depends on people helping them. Some countries such as Korea and Taiwan, they are tortured, made to suffer and slaughtered in the most inhumane way possible. Hundreds of volunteers in several countries are contacting us to rescue these dogs because they want a better life for these dogs. They work with us to make this happen.

They receive basic medical care in, including spay or neuter and rabies vaccines. They don’t receive much specialty care, so we see some orthopedic, dental or skin issues that require treatment once the dogs arrive. But overall, we don’t have to spend as much money on medical care for the international Dogs as we do U.S. dogs.

Several factors go into which dogs are chosen for each flight. Priority is usually given to dogs that live on the streets and in the forests, to the young dogs, and to the injured dogs. We also bring dogs that have been living for years in shelters and appear to have lost their spirit. Amazingly, these dogs get the sparkle back in the eyes once they are placed in a loving home.

A lot of research was performed by other U.S. rescues already saving these international Goldens. The best and safest way to transport live animals from one continent to another is to fly in air-conditioned, pressurized cabins, just as humans do! We purchased extra large airline crates, and take all measures to ensure the safety of the dogs in their flight, engaging several partners.

Once in the U.S., the dogs receive wellness exams, blood work and fecal tests, as well as additional vaccines and, as we do with all of our orphans, Goldens Without Borders will see that they receive any additional medical care they need. Each dog is also evaluated by a GWB member to determine what they know and don’t know, such as if they can walk on a leash, so any training needs can be started.

On average it costs $2000 to save an international Golden. The dogs are already spayed and neutered, so we don’t incur that cost. And, because heartworm disease is so rare in these countries, we don’t incur the cost of heartworm treatment as we do when rescuing a U.S. dog. 100% of donations we receive go to the rescue of the dogs.

The National Rescue Committee of the Golden Retriever Club of America supports our effort, as there are no Golden Retrievers being put at risk in the U.S. because of this rescue. Every Golden Retriever rescue in the country has a waiting list of people who want to adopt a Golden.

Our adoption process for thee international rescues is the same as it is for other Golden Retrievers, except for the adoption fee.
The adoption fee for Turkey Dogs is $500 – higher than our normal fee to help with transportation costs and the crates we have to purchase.

Interested adopters should go to www.goldenswithoutborders.org and click on “Adopt a Golden” to learn about the adoption process and complete an adoption application.