Mama’s heartwarming story of how she and other dogs have been rescued from the meat industry in China has caught the attention of many people. It was originally broadcast by KARE 11 in the Twin Cities and has since been picked up by media outlets across the country.

Mama was the most featured dog in the story, which told how a RAGOM volunteer met her in a shelter when the volunteer was in China on a RAGOM rescue mission. She fell in love with Mama who stood out with her polite and wistful demeanor.

The volunteer was already committed to bringing different dogs back to the U.S., but once home, she rallied other RAGOM volunteers to make another trip to China to rescue Mama and four other Goldens.

All dogs coming into RAGOM are thoroughly checked for medical needs. On her recent wellness check, Mama was found to need some dental work as well as an eye procedure, both of which will be completed on July 2nd.

Mama is up to date on vaccinations. She weighed in at 71 pounds, which the vet said was an appropriate weight for her. 

Mama seems like a fairly laid-back dog. When outside, she tends to stroll more than anything. I have not seen her break into any zoomies. When she trots, it's more like a prance and beautiful to watch.

She has only been in foster care for a couple of weeks, and it often does take more time for a dog to become comfortable enough in their new situation for their true personality to bloom. 

One thing I can tell already for sure is that, like many Goldens, Mama craves human contact. She looks for attention and loves being petted, and then her sweet personality really shines.

My local bank donated to RAGOM last year, and we stopped in to show how their generosity was making a difference for some dogs. The meeting was amazing. The bank practically shut down as she skillfully greeted the staff and was asked to return anytime.

A visit to our local newspaper office followed a similar script. She was a perfect lady. She enjoyed meeting the staff, and the staff enjoyed meeting her.

Mama probably never walked on a leash before, but she walks quite nicely. She does not pull, but does have a tendency to get in front of your feet.

She does not jump up on people, but rather tends to lie down when meeting someone. Then as the person starts to pet her, she will get up into a sitting and then standing position.

I think Mama would be happiest as an only dog, but with slow, controlled introductions, she is fine with more laid-back, mellow dogs. Here at our house, she needed slow introductions to our resident pack of three retrievers – a male Lab, a female Lab, and a female Golden Retriever.

At first, I kept Mama separated, then started adding one of my dogs when she went outside. Now she can be out in the yard with all three resident dogs. She is fine with the Labs, but my resident Golden, who is quite timid, is somewhat intimidated by her.

In her first foster home, Mama did not do well with the very small dog in the home. Because of this, she cannot go to a home with small dogs.

Mama is really more about her people than other dogs and is not much of a player with other dogs. But, given time to transition, she now peacefully coexists with the other Labs in her current foster home.

She has also shown some resource guarding of her food and toys towards other dogs, but she has had no problem letting me pick up her things.

Mama’s story has pulled on the heartstrings of all who read about her, including yours truly. She has had a whirlwind of changes in her life in a short time, and many people involved deserve kudos for getting her to this point. 

We are working to get her to realize that the days of inhumane treatment are a thing of the past and the Golden life she deserves is what she can look forward to in the future. 

Mama's attitude of gratitude amazes me every day. She's not a typical Golden; she's an exceptional Golden.

Look for further updates soon!