We provide a wide range of services including:

• Education of new and prospective golden retriever owners
• Counseling, problem intervention and training
• Temporary or long term shelter and care of golden retrievers
• Placement and adoption follow-up
• Promotion of responsible dog ownership including the importance of spaying and neutering all pets
• Advice on behavioral problems or other concerns
• Referral to rescue groups in other geographic locations around the country

GRRMF is comprised solely of volunteers and is self-supporting, relying on fund raising and donations to support all rescue efforts including veterinary care. 100% of all donations are used for the rescue effort. GRRMF, Inc. is recognized by the National Rescue Committee, a committee of The Golden Retriever Club of America .

Where Do the Dogs Come From?

Golden retrievers that come into the care of GRRMF may be turned over by animal shelters, picked up as strays, or in most cases, turned in by their owners. Dogs also become homeless due to death or illness of their owners, divorce, children's allergies, relocation, or because of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

Each Golden is evaluated for good health and temperament; examined by a veterinarian, brought up to date on all vaccinations, microchipped for identification purposes and placed on heartworm and flea preventive. All Goldens are spayed or neutered before adoption. Occasionally, Goldens with incurable health problems or unreliable temperaments may be euthanized, but only as a last resort. Dogs are housed in private foster homes located throughout Florida while they await adoption

For Information about adoption fees and the adoption process, please visit the "How to Adopt" page. Adoptions fees are directly used to offset part of the cost of veterinary care and boarding for the dogs in our program.

Adoption fees cover only a portion of our expenses. The rest of our funds are provided by donations. Part of the reason our expenses are high is that GRRMF takes in dogs that other groups would turn away because of expensive medical care, such as heartworm treatment, hip surgeries, allergy treatments, or treatment for severe injuries due to trauma.

Follow-up communication is a very important part of the adoption process. Each adopter is required to sign an adoption contract that details the terms of the adoption. The adoption fee is fully refundable up to four weeks after the adoption. IF AT ANY TIME the new owner finds that he or she can no longer keep the dog, it must be returned to GRRMF per the adoption contract.

Finally, it is always recommended that a dog be obtained from a reputable source. GRRMF is well established and always willing to assist the new golden owner with any questions or problems now or in the future.

Adopting an Adult Dog

There are advantages to adopting an older dog rather than buying a young puppy. Most dogs are already house trained and well past the "chewing" stage. Older dogs tend to be better suited to today's lifestyle and are more able to be left alone all day while the family is at work or school. Temperament is generally well established in the adult and is unlikely to change. The same is true of the health of the dog, as allergies and congenital conditions usually appear during the first year. Adult dogs will adapt easily to their new home. Goldens are trainable at any age as they have a desire to work and please their owners.

The Adopton Process

Individuals interested in adopting a golden should visit the "How to Adopt" web page and download and application. You may also call (407) 332-2840 mailbox #2 and request an adoption application. We do not accept applications via email . Once the form is completed and mailed to GRRMF it will be reviewed by our adoption team volunteers. Applications may be faxed to the phone number printed on the application but they also must be mailed to our PO box. All applications are screened for the placement guidelines endorsed by the GRRMF Board of Directors.

When an application passes the initial screening, the applicant will be contacted by a GRRMF volunteer to arrange a home visit. If an application does not pass the initial screening, the applicant will receive a postcard informing them of the reason why. In some cases we must call the applicant to clarify certain things on the application before we can make a determination if it meets our guidelines. While in an ideal world we would call or do a home visit on every applicant, the reality of the situation is that we receive too many applications to do so. We are working with a limited volunteer staff. The placement guidelines developed by GRRMF have been formulated over years of experience and lessons learned in placing dogs in adoptive homes. If you are rejected and wish to respond, please do so in writing to our post office box or via email.

When a home visit is performed, it's purpose is not only to assist in the approval process but also to answer questions from potential adopters. The home visit volunteer may bring their own golden retriever along for you to experience. The home visit volunteer prepares a brief report and submits it to the Adoption Committee. Upon final approval our adoption coordinator will contact the applicant and start the process of helping select a suitable golden for your lifestyle and family's needs. You will be invited to view one or more dogs depending on your situation. Ultimately an adoption session will be scheduled with the adoptive family and their new dog, where an adoption contract is signed and we go over the essentials of dog ownership. The new family also receives an adoption manual. The dog always goes home with a new collar and leash, and a heartfelt goodbye hug from a GRRMF volunteer.

If the potential adopter has set certain parameters for their desired golden, such as age, sex or color, they may be placed on a waiting list until a dog becomes available. Females who are "perfect" - young, well behaved, housebroken, laid back, no health issues - are the most frequently requested dog, therefore, there may be a wait depending on what dogs we have in our program at that particular time. Adult goldens, particularly wonderful males two years and older, are usually available. Families with children usually face being placed on a waiting list, because GRRMF will typically only adopt dogs that are known to be good around children to these types of families. We generally advise families with very young children to delay their decision to get a dog until the children are older, preferrably over the age of eight. Although goldens are perceived to be perfect family dogs, one of the top reasons they are turned into our program is that the dog is too rough with young children or that a busy family doesn't have time for the dog anymore. Read more about GRRMF's policy on children and dogs. Although we do adopt dogs to homes without fences, we generally prefer that families with older children have a fenced in yard so the children and dog have a safe place to play.

While we realize that our process may not move along as quickly as some people would like, we have come to rely on these methods in placing the dogs in our program. We try very hard to process our paperwork as quickly as possible and have a dedicated staff of volunteers working on them at all times. If you are unwilling to wait more than a few days to get a dog, please do not submit an application; our volunteers are already handling a large amount of applications and it causes extra work screening applications of individuals only to find out they have gone out and gotten a dog immediately somewhere else. If you submit an application, and change your mind about getting a dog through GRRMF, please call us at (407) 332-2840 - mailbox #4 and advise us to cancel your application, or send us a message via email at info@grrmf.org. Doing so really helps our volunteers.

We sincerely appreciate your patience! This is a lifetime commitment to a golden retriever so rushing into it is not always the best thing.


We get lovely dogs into our program and they are worth the wait!