Meet The Bullied Golden Retriever Who Found A New Forever Home

Being bullied by your peers is an awful feeling, whether you are a human or a pup. Such was the case for a golden retriever in Texas who was being bullied by a pack of dogs.

Animal rescue workers came across a sad scene in a mobile home community when they found a dog named Goldie cowering under a trailer as he was being harassed by other dogs, The Dodo reports. The poor pup was so terrified that the workers had to drag him out from underneath the home.

Not only was this golden retriever terrified, but physically, he was in terrible shape. As you can see from this Facebook video (warning: it may be hard to watch if you’re an animal lover), his fur was dirty and matted. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Stacey Silverstein, co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, told The Dodo, “He had wounds and gashes on every part of his body. He was in shock.”

How heartbreaking. But the good news is that the angels at Rescue Dogs Rock NYC found him at the shelter and took compassionate and impeccable care of Goldie, whisking him off to the animal emergency hospital where he received dozens of stitches as well as antibiotics to help fight off infection.

From there, Goldie still had a long road to recovery ahead of him. After several weeks at a vet’s office in Texas, according to The Dodo, he was transferred to another vet’s office on Long Island. With lots of TLC, he transformed from a nervous, hurting pup into a confident, happy little guy just looking for his forever home.

And, happily, he found it, with an animal lover who also had a dog and a cat. Despite his ordeal, Goldie opened his to heart to his new family—who renamed him Dakota, or Dak—and quickly bonded with the other critters. Rescue Dogs Rock NYC shared their story here:

Wow. You couldn’t blame him if he was scared of other dogs after what he went through, but he was able to heal from his past and open his heart to new people and animals even after his trauma. What an inspiring story!

If you want to support the incredible staff at Rescue Dogs Rock NYC and all the work they do for dogs like Goldie, visit their website to donate.