The inspiration for our name, Hearts of Gold, comes from my two rescued Golden Retrievers, Rudy and Sunny.

Before I go into their story, a little background. We had rescued another golden, Carmen in 2010. She was our family’s first dog and was by all standards perfect. Her only fault was she would turn into Cujo at the sight of another dog, making it exceptionally hard to go on walks or meet other dogs. We gracefully put up with her antics. She loved the kids. She put up with the cats. And most of all, she was loyal to the entire family. She taught our kids about love. About four years ago, she developed some lumps on her legs and body. We had them removed and biopsied. They came back as cancerous. We opted for treatment, and gave us four more wonderful years. But then they came back. Eventually she developed a tumor on her spleen and we knew there was little else we could do. We kept her comfortable, showered her with love, and when she could no longer go outside to go potty, we knew it was time. She not only taught my kids about love, but also about loss.

We lived in a quiet house for a few months. There was an emptiness that could not be filled. Then the pandemic hit. Suddenly our family’s world turned upside down. Yet the emptiness persisted, like a dull ache in your neck that just won’t go away.

The spirit spoke to me, and I listened. I went to the Golden Retriever rescue website and here was a pair of dogs who were in foster care together. They had been rescued from different puppy mills and had bonded while living with their foster mom. Something told me to fill out an application and open my home to two goldens who needed fur-ever homes.

My application was approved and we went to meet the dogs. They were shy, scared, but yet appreciative of attention and good scratches. The biggest barrier was our two resident cats, Star and Venus. We then arranged to have Rudy and Sunny over for a meet and greet with the kitties. It was successful, and we were about to welcome two new members of our family. It was chaotic at first, but soon we settled into a routine and the dogs adjusted to their new home. They were very scared at first, did not know how to go up or down stairs, and were afraid of any sudden movements or loud sounds. They were very anxious- I could not be out of their sight.

It took a while, but they settled in. They figured out my schedule and would lie in my office or in the hallway outside my office while I worked. Going for walks was the highlight of the day, even if they couldn’t go very far. (We think they were never exercised- Rudy could barely walk a mile when we got him) They got along with the cats. They learned to trust men. And they showed me the power of being present in the moment, accepting them for who they are, and appreciating the small things.

When it came time to name my new business, I took my inspiration from them. All dogs have hearts of gold, they are worthy of love and the love they give is without conditions. My goal is to help you see that you too have a heart of gold, and are worthy of being heard without judgement or conditions.