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MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City shelter is trying again to find a home for a 14-year-old golden retriever named Goldie now that the dog has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Globe Gazette (http://bit.ly/1n5LRl4 ) reports that Goldie has been at the Humane Society of North Iowa since she was abandoned three years ago. Volunteers unsuccessfully tried to find an adoptive home for her, but announced Thursday that they're now looking for someone to provide the equivalent of hospice care for the final days of Goldie's life after they learned of her illness last week.
"It's very depressing because this isn't the ending we've ever hoped for Goldie," said Humane Society Executive Director Sybil Soukup. "We wanted her to have a home of her own."
Goldie cannot be placed in homes with other pets because of her aggressiveness toward other dogs that shelter staff believe she developed to survive her previous home. The dog was one of several that were kept at a rental home in Forest City, and the shelter says that Goldie was banished to a kennel behind the garage because of her aggressiveness, likely from competing with other dogs for food.
Soukup says 50 families applied to adopt Goldie, but 48 were eliminated because they had other pets. The remaining two families changed their minds about adopting Goldie after meeting the dog and seeing her abundance of energy.
If a home cannot be found, Goldie will remain at the shelter.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/
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