Golden Growls Senior Rescue fosters and rescues dogs that have a few years on them but still lots of love to give.

Recently, the PACFA-licensed, foster-based rescue relocated from California to Northern Colorado. It also changed its mission from rescuing senior pit bulls to all types of senior shelter dogs—they’re typically 7 years or older or a little younger if they have serious medical issues.

Courtesy photo – Cassie McArdle, founder of Golden Growls Senior Rescue, is pictured with the nonprofit’s first rescue, Nova, a gray pit bull who is the mascot for the organization.

“There are not a lot of rescues that specialize in older dogs. We decided to dedicate ourselves to that,” said Cassie McArdle, founder and operator of Golden Growls.

McArdle founded Golden Growls as a nonprofit in May 2016 as Tails of Hope Staffie Haven, changing the name when she relocated it to Loveland in 2018, followed by a move to Berthoud in 2021. The new name has its inspiration from “The Golden Girls” sitcom about four senior ladies with extensive senses of humor—likewise, Golden Growl’s logo has four senior dogs pictured in a circular frame.

She provides veterinary care and home placement for senior dogs that often are overlooked due to their age and medical needs. On average she rescues and places up to 20 dogs a year.

She brings in dogs from animal networkers and shelters in Colorado, California and Texas that reach out to her when they have dogs needing a new home. She takes in the dogs as long as she has the funding to support them, aiming for quality over quantity, she said.

“We don’t save a large number of dogs,” McArdle said. “We really pride ourselves on rescuing them responsibly, making sure we have the funds to cover their medical needs. … We tend to seek out dogs with issues. The likelihood is they’re rarely adopted out.”

Many visitors to an animal shelter seek out younger dogs to get more years with them, not realizing that though senior dogs may have medical issues, there are resources available to help cover their medical expenses, McArdle said.

“The impact you can have on a senior dog during their most vulnerable time in life, it’s always worth it,” McArdle said. “They get the love they deserve. Seeing the total transformation makes it all worth it.”

The dogs are placed in foster homes as soon as they arrive—currently, there are seven foster homes with another 10 to 20 ready to foster as long as the dogs are the right fit.

McArdle works with Blue Sky Animal Clinic in Loveland to provide the dogs with veterinary care. The dogs receive a full senior panel that includes a blood panel and urine analysis, plus any needed spay or neuter surgeries, dental surgeries and mass removals. Ninety percent of dogs coming from a shelter situation have masses, including cancerous, tumorous and fatty, that result from aging and poor living conditions.

Once the dogs get the medical care they need, McArdle tries to find their forever home, profiling each of them on her website, on social media and on Petfinder. Some of the dogs with terminal issues become forever fosters, remaining in their foster homes for the rest of their lives. That way their medical bills, usually extensive, can be covered by Golden Growls.

Golden Growls is supported by donations, grants and fundraisers. In the future, McArdle plans to promote the need for forever homes at local events.

“It’s great to see so many people rally for senior dogs that are overlooked and are discarded at an old age,” McArdle said. “We couldn’t do it without the support given to us.”

For more information about Golden Growls, visit https://www.goldengr