'Love at first sight' for rescued Golden and new owner

ATLANTA — Andrew Powell is pretty happy. He's full of smiles as he walks his Golden Retriever, Gunner, in the Atlanta Children's Christmas parade. He's surrounded by dozens of other Goldens, young and old, and their American owners. Each of these fuzzy yellow dogs was rescued from the streets of Istanbul by the rescue group Adopt a Golden Atlanta. They were flown to the United States and placed with eager families looking for a new family member. Gunner joined Andrew and his family this summer and according to Andrew, it was pretty much love at first sight. "I could tell that me and him had a lot in common," Andrew said. "We kind of felt like we clicked together."

Andrew and Gunner do have a lot in common. Both have overcome huge obstacles to get to where they are today.

In April 2014, Andrew wasn't sure he would ever walk again. While he was training for the cycling portion of the New Orleans Ironman Triathlon with his brother-in-law, they were both hit by a car going 70 miles per hour. Andrew's brother-in-law was killed instantly and Andrew suffered major injuries. The left side of his body was hit by the car authorities said was driven by a man with a suspended driver's license. "I broke my back, I broke my hip, I broke my tailbone and I was paralyzed for three months from the waist down," Andrew recalls. His strength and perseverance got him to today, where he is walking and even running again. Which is why Andrew appreciates what Gunner has been through.

Gunner was a stray on the streets of Istanbul and almost didn't make the cut to come to the USA. He was supposed to be on the first flight of Goldens to Atlanta, but he was diagnosed with distemper, a contagious and serious viral illness. His rescuers thought he might have to be euthanized due to the illness. Turkish animal rescuer Yasemin Baban nursed him back to health for a month in Istanbul. She made sure he was on the second flight of Goldens to Atlanta this summer. She reunited with Gunner at the Atlanta parade and had lots of hugs for her friend. "You're so beautiful. I'm so glad I rescued you. I knew you were going to make it," Yasemin said to Gunner as he gave her a classic Golden smile.

Stray Golden Retrievers are a common occurrence on the streets of Istanbul. Ten years ago, these dogs were considered a status symbol. But a few years later, when everyone had them, the status was no longer there and many of them were abandoned in shelters, streets, or forest. Goldens are known for their gentle temperament and did not fare well on Istanbul's streets, which is why Adopt a Golden Atlanta stepped in. The rescue group has brought 123 Golden Retrievers from Turkey since May 2015. The organization tries to find each dog a forever loving home.

Ever since Gunner joined Andrew's family, he has made himself at home. Besides the language barrier (Andrew had to teach Gunner English), Andrew says Gunner was comfortable right away. "At night when it's time for me to go to bed, he'll go lay on my pillow," Andrew said. "I'll lose my pillow for a little bit until he decides it's time to give it up."

"He's not a dog, he's not a pet, he's a part of our family," Andrew says. "I would do absolutely anything to protect him and take care of him."

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