As Good as Gold - Golden Retriever Rescue of Illinois

23/11/2025

BOLT - is available for adoption!

FAST FACTS
* 4 years old
* Male
* Medium-high energy
* Weight: 62 pounds
* Good with kids? Good with teenagers; has not been around younger kids
* Good with cats? Unknown
* Adoption fee: $550
* House-trained
* Crate-trained
* Sweet, snuggly, smart boy
* Eager to learn and to please
* Good with adults and older children
* Loves walks and is a good walking companion

Medical concerns: Takes 40 mg Fluoxetine daily for anxiety

Requirements (no exceptions): Needs someone home most of the day; positive reinforcement training; fully fenced yard; adopters willing to meet Bolt a few times at his foster home before adopting him

Bio:
My name may be Bolt, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll bolt away from you. I am more likely to bolt toward you! That’s because I love people and love being near them. Do you like going for walks? Me too! Need someone to ride shotgun while you run errands? I’m your guy! Need some snuggles at the end of the day, or any time? I’m always there for you! Do you like doing dog sports? I’m always up for learning something new!

I also love being around other dogs, but when I first joined my foster home, being around my canine foster brothers was so exciting that I simply could not settle down. I just wanted to play, play, play and wouldn’t take no for answer.

I am happy to report that thanks to my foster parents’ and foster siblings’ patience – and working with a great trainer – I am much better at reading other dogs’ body language and responding to cues that help me disengage when I start to get overstimulated. And guess what? To help my forever home continue my training and make my transition to a new home successful, As Good as Gold will pay for three private sessions with my trainer (she can do it virtually or in person depending on where I land). In addition to that, AGaG believes I’ll benefit from also taking at least one series of positive reinforcement training to promote socialization, good manners (we’re working on those!) and bonding with my new family.

While I like to play, take walks and be active, I also can settle. Both my foster parents work from home, so I spend the day supervising my foster dad while he does his thing at his desk. Sometimes I do the same with foster mom, but foster dad seems to need my supervisory skills more.

AGaG ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS, NO EXCEPTIONS:
* Be at least 23 years of age
* No children under 6 years of age living in your home
* We primarily adopt goldens to families living within Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the southernmost counties of Wisconsin
* If you do not own your residence or live in a condo, you will need a letter from your landlord or property management company
* Do not use an invisible fence
* Are not over your town/county's pet limit
* Have the knowledge and agreement of all adults living in the household

For adoption information, please email us: [email protected]

23/11/2025

22/11/2025

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Check out Christmas Forest and the AGaG Shop for unique gifts for your loved ones this holiday season!

Christmas Forest
https://www.christmasforest.com/

AGaG Shop
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/shop/

21/11/2025

Annual Holiday Fundraiser

Have you started your wish list yet?
Support As Good as Gold with your purchase of fresh greenery and/or handcrafted ornaments from Christmas Forest. As Good as Gold receives 10 percent of all sales!

Wreaths, 51 designs and sizes
Natural garland, swags, and over-the-door wreath hangers
Guaranteed fresh greenery of pine or fur
Ornaments: 60 choices, handcrafted and of heirloom quality
Free Shipping

Ordering Process:
Go to www.ChristmasForest.com
Click “Add to cart” to order greenery, ornaments, or hangers
Enter AGAGO in the club/promo code at checkout

Orders must be in by December 8 to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Enjoy fresh Christmas wreaths from Christmas Forest. Since 1976, our artisans have created & shipped gorgeouos Christmas wreaths handcrafted from real noble fir.

20/11/2025

Help Us Make Mardi Gras Unforgettable!

Mardi Gras Carnival
May 9, 2026

Eaglewood Resort, Itasca, IL

We’re gearing up for our Mardi Gras Carnival fundraiser, and we need amazing volunteers to help make it a success.

Are you interested in heading a committee, setting up decorations, soliciting donations, joining a tech team, organizing a game or a raffle? If so, there’s a spot for you on our event team.

We need high energy people willing to initiate and follow through with projects to be committee heads, and also volunteers to work set-up on the event day.

Committee members must be willing to be actively involved in planning, carry through with assigned projects, be available for zoom meetings, and commit to purchasing tickets for the event. We will begin sharing ideas in the next couple of months. We already have many things planned, but we will need volunteers to implement them.

Those that are interested in just volunteering, will have a more limited role, working on assigned projects, organizing a game or raffle on the event night, or other projects and tasks as needed. You will not be required to be at any planning meetings until several weeks before the event and can commit later, as we know schedules change.

We’ve started early and have many exciting ideas in the works, now we need the people to bring it to fruition. Consider being part of the Mardi Gras Magic and help us raise money for the dogs we love while having fun!

Contact us and we will be happy to discuss the possibilities.

Thank you,

Fundraising Events Coordinators
Wanda: [email protected]
Rose: [email protected]

19/11/2025

REBA - is available for adoption!

FAST FACTS
• 4 years old
• Female
• Medium energy
• Shy but sweet retired breeder
• House-trained
• Good with other dogs
• LOVES walks and water
• Will need patient, consistent training
• 55 pounds
• Good with kids? Yes
• Good with cats? Seems to be.
• Adoption fee: $550

BIO
Well, I may not be a redhead like Reba McEntire, but like her, I’m a survivor. You see, I’ve spent most of my life so far producing puppies and taking care of them. Now that I’m done with that, I’m learning what it’s like to be a regular dog. Which is kind of scary, but from what I can see in my foster home, it looks pretty great, too. I especially like going for walks in the neighborhood and in the woods, and when it was warmer I loved splashing in a baby pool and swimming in a nearby pond. Wow! Just wow to have that freedom to do what I want! And hanging out in the yard is fun, too! Inside the house, I’m still pretty unsure and spend a lot of my time under a desk in the office. It’s my safe space. I’m not used to having the freedom to wander in a house, and it still frightens me a bit. But I do like being with my canine foster siblings and my foster parents. And I really like meeting people when we’re out on walks, so foster mom is sure that I’ll eventually adapt to being a family member. She says the key is letting me move at my pace and having patience. Foster mom says I’m “a sweet girl who loves people but needs time to get used to a normal dog life. She wants to be loved. She feels safest under the desk in the office of our home. She wants to be with people but just doesn’t feel comfortable enough – yet – to sit with us and the dogs in the family room or wander around the house. This should come with time. It took one of my dogs 2 months to come out from under the desk, so patience is the key!” So, what do you think? Will you be the one to help me find my Reba s***k?

MEDICAL CONCERNS: Reba has a Grade 2 heart murmur; it does not affect her energy at all, and she does not need any medications as her echocardiogram didn’t show any heart damage or disease. She will need another echo done in 9 to 12 months, so by October 2026. AGaG will pay for that as long as it’s done at a partner vet clinic.

MUST MEET ALL OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: Resident mentor dog, fenced yard and someone home most of the day. Many retired breeder dogs are flight risks, which is why AGaG requires a fenced yard for them. They also need another dog in their adoptive home to help them learn to navigate life with their new family.

For adoption information, please email us: [email protected]

19/11/2025

UPDATE: Adopted!

CURLS - is available for adoption!

Fast Facts
* 4-year-old female
* Low to medium energy
* Mini golden doodle
* Sweet, gentle girl
* House-trained
* Crate-trained
* Good with other dogs
* Still coming out of her shell

Bio:
Well, it’s no surprise how I got my name! I’m a mini golden doodle, so a curly coat is in my DNA. I am a retired breeding dog who is still trying to figure out what it means to be a pampered pet, so I am still quite cautious around people. But thanks to my loving and patient foster mom, I am making progress! She lets me do things at my own pace, no matter how slow it may be.

I startle easily and I will duck or run if you approach me too quickly, especially if you approach me head-on. And it’s best to go slowly when petting me. Foster mom has figured out that I like to be petted on my neck before she pats my head or body.

I do enjoy being with my canine foster siblings; they give me comfort and sometimes I’ll even play with them. And I enjoy being outside – with and without the other dogs. It’s clear to my foster mom that I want to be part of the family: I join them in the family room and follow bedtime routines. I especially like being near my foster mom. I sleep in my crate with the door open and I eat late at night when no one is watching.

Foster mom is very proud of the progress I’ve made and knows that in the right home, I’ll continue to gain confidence and learn to trust. Will that be you?

Weight: 35 pounds
Good with kids? Unknown, but foster mom thinks she would be
Good with cats? Ignores the cat in the foster home
Adoption fee: $550
Medical concerns: None

Requirements: Permanent resident dog to help her continue to build confidence, fully fenced-in yard due to being fearful and afraid of being on a leash.

ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS, NO EXCEPTIONS:
* Be at least 23 years of age
* No children under 6 years of age living in your home
* We primarily adopt goldens to families living within Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the southernmost counties of Wisconsin
* If you do not own your residence or live in a condo, you will need a letter from your landlord or property management company
* Provide excellent vet care for your dog(s)
* Do not use an invisible fence
* Are not over your town/county's pet limit
* Have the knowledge and agreement of all adults living in the household
* Be prepared to make a lifetime commitment

If interested, please fill out our online adoption application form; please make sure you fill in every required field/question or your submission will not go through:
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/online-adoption-application/

19/11/2025

RODIN - is available for adoption!

Fast Facts
6-year-old male
Medium energy
Sweet and happy
Loves attention
Mixed breed
Housetrained
Comfortable in restricted area
Fenced yard required

Bio:
I can’t say for sure if the sculptor Auguste Rodin is my namesake, but if he is, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m a mishmash of golden retriever and supposedly a poodle, but as you can tell from my photo, I lack a poodle’s curly coat. I look like a short golden, not a golden doodle. Foster mom thinks I may have a herding breed in my ancestry. I love to follow her around throughout the day and enjoy her attention or the attention of visitors.

When I first arrived at my foster mom’s house, I was an excitable guy, especially when we had company. Around foster mom, I was mostly cool, calm and collected. But visitors got me going! My go-to for letting off steam was to bark – a lot! I’m happy to report that thanks to foster mom’s patience, an excellent trainer provided by As Good as Gold and anti-anxiety medication, I’ve made great strides. In fact, my trainer says I’m a good dog with lots of good qualities and that I’m smart!

I can be reactive when I see other dogs – I bark at them – so that’s something else we’re working on with my trainer, and we’re making progress there, too. Even so, I’ll do best as the only dog in the house because I’m one of those Velcro kind of dogs.

Here’s what my foster mom has to say about me:

“Rody is a sweet, happy boy – well-behaved and house-trained – who wants to be near his person and soak up all the attention. He doesn’t have a lot of bad habits. He’s curious about everything, always wants to know what I’m doing.”

Weight: 62 pounds
Good with kids? Unknown
Good with cats? Unknown
Adoption fee: $550

Medical concerns: Needs to lose some weight; taking 40 mg of Fluoxetine daily for anxiety

Requirements: Needs to be only dog, fenced yard and positive reinforcement training

ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS, NO EXCEPTIONS:
* Be at least 23 years of age
* No children under 6 years of age living in your home
* We primarily adopt goldens to families living within Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the southernmost counties of Wisconsin
* If you do not own your residence or live in a condo, you will need a letter from your landlord or property management company
* Provide excellent vet care for your dog(s)
* Do not use an invisible fence
* Are not over your town/county's pet limit
* Have the knowledge and agreement of all adults living in the household
* Be prepared to make a lifetime commitment

If interested, please fill out our online adoption application form; please make sure you fill in every required field/question or your submission will not go through:
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/online-adoption-application/

18/11/2025

Save the Date!

Stay tuned for more details ....

17/11/2025

ADOPTIONS UPDATE!

Congratulations to the following dogs who were recently ADOPTED thanks to the dedication of the wonderful member volunteers with As Good as Gold:

King George (8 years)
Marvin (7 years)
Maverick (2 months)
River/Frankie (1 year)
Scout (2 years)

Do you have a Success Story of your As Good as Gold rescue that you’d like to share on social media? If so, please contact us at [email protected]

Become a Member!
Our members are the foundation of our organization. Our mission is dedicated to the rescue, care and adoption of Golden Retrievers and golden mixes who are in need. If you're interested in becoming a member volunteer to make adoptions like these possible, please visit: https://www.asgoodasgold.org/waystohelp/become-a-member/

16/11/2025

AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!

Not every dog that is available for adoption will be featured on our website. Sometimes, we can match dogs to approved adopters very quickly, so those dogs will not be featured.

Reba
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/portfolio/reba-2/?portfolioCats=2

Curls
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/portfolio/curls/?portfolioCats=2

Rodin/Rody
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/portfolio/rodin-rody/?portfolioCats=2

ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS, NO EXCEPTIONS:
* Be at least 23 years of age
* No children under 6 years of age living in your home
* We primarily adopt goldens to families living within Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the southernmost counties of Wisconsin
* If you do not own your residence or live in a condo, you will need a letter from your landlord or property management company
* Provide excellent vet care for your dog(s)
* Do not use an invisible fence
* Are not over your town/county's pet limit
* Have the knowledge and agreement of all adults living in the household
* Be prepared to make a lifetime commitment

If interested and you meet ALL of the requirements (no exceptions), please fill out our online adoption application form; please make sure you fill in every required field/question or your submission will not go through:
https://www.asgoodasgold.org/online-adoption-application/