“I fell in love the minute I saw them.”
When Chrissy Elder founded Forgotten, Now Family Rescue in Charlotte, North Carolina, she made a promise: no abandoned dog would be overlooked.
That promise recently became deeply personal when she met two golden retriever puppies who had been discarded simply because they were born different.
Born With “Swimmers”
Elder received a call from a rural shelter about two full-bred golden retriever puppies who couldn’t stand properly. The sisters, later named Blanche and Dorothy, had swimmer puppy syndrome.
Swimmer puppies’ legs splay outward instead of positioning underneath their bodies. As a result, they paddle in a swimming motion rather than walking normally.
Sadly, cases like this often end in abandonment.
“Of course, they are worth $0 to the breeder … so dumped and forgotten,” Elder shared.
But to Elder, they were priceless.
“I fell in love the minute I saw them,” she said.
A Long Road To Recovery
Elder brought Blanche and Dorothy home and immediately began an intensive rehabilitation plan that included:
- Physical therapy
- Water therapy
- Brace support
- Structured strengthening exercises
Fortunately, swimmer puppy syndrome can often be corrected with early intervention and consistent therapy.
Elder knew this from experience. She had rehabilitated swimmer puppies before — and watched them grow into healthy, active dogs.
Still, this time was different.
Healing Together
While Blanche and Dorothy worked to gain strength in their legs, Elder was also recovering from surgery.
“I’m still post-op from my surgery and recovering, and they are the best cuddle buddies so far,” she said.
As the puppies grew stronger, so did she. Their daily therapy sessions became part of a shared healing journey.
Slowly, the girls began to stand taller. Then they took their first proper steps.
Soon after, they were running.
“They have progressed incredibly,” Elder said. “I think they are going to be ready for homes within a few weeks.”
From Forgotten To Family
Blanche and Dorothy may have once been abandoned, but they are anything but forgotten now.
Once fully ready, Elder will carefully place each of them in loving forever homes. Until then, she’s soaking up every cuddle and every wobbly sprint across the floor.
“Fostering them has been such an honor,” she said. “These girls were easily forgotten to that breeder, but to us, they are family now.”
And now, they’re finally running toward the future they deserve.