Homeless dog's 5,000-mile journey ends with forever home

ATLANTA — Two months ago, a golden retriever named Hero was living on the streets of Istanbul. At the time, Chuck and Lisa Taylor were looking for a friend for their one-eyed golden rescue named Jack.

"Rescue dogs make the world's greatest companions. I'm convinced that they know," Chuck Taylor said. "There's something really special about rescuing a dog."

Hero and 35 of his golden friends were rescued from Istanbul from the streets and shelters by Adopt a Golden Atlanta. They flew them to Atlanta, where they are now finding each dog a forever home.

The Taylors passed an extensive vetting process from the rescue group and were invited to adoption day. When they met Hero, they fell in love. "Rescuing a dog is a little bit different than going out and buying a purebred dog, there's no question about that." Taylor said. "It makes you feel good, it makes your heart feel good. You know that you're doing something good for the world and the community and for the dog that needed rescuing."

Hero's handler told Taylor that 1-year-old Hero had never let anyone rub his belly before. But when Taylor walked into his pen, Hero rolled right over for a belly rub.

Hero was born with a deformed elbow joint and a crooked front leg. He had undergone three surgeries in Turkey and, upon his arrival in the United States, it was determined that he needed one more surgery to successfully repair his elbow and leg.

Many of the rescued goldens were found to be suffering from medical and behavioral issues from their time spent on the streets. After being rehabilitated and monitored by local veterinarian groups, they were open for adoption. The international coverage of their journey earned so much interest that applications poured in from nearly every state and as far away as Alaska. Adopt a Golden typically processes 600 applications in one year. But in the span of three weeks, Adopt a Golden received over 500 applications for the 36 dogs from Turkey.

Lauren Genkinger, the founder and head of Adopt a Golden Atlanta, led the effort to bring the dogs to Atlanta. "This is the largest known rescue of golden retrievers internationally, ever."

Genkinger says that an American living in Istanbul contacted Adopt a Golden Atlanta, reporting that she was seeing golden retrievers everywhere ... living on the streets and filling up shelters.

Genkinger explains, "Ten years ago, golden retrievers were seen as a status symbol dog in Turkey. Then a few years later, everybody had them, and therefore the status was no longer there. They started abandoning them in the streets."

These dogs, known for their gentle temperament, did not fare well on Istanbul's streets. "They don't make it because the feral dogs will attack them and they don't fight back."

Fifteen additional goldens, all under 2 years old, were rescued from Istanbul and brought to Atlanta in June. Of the 51 dogs rescued, 13 are still waiting to be adopted.

But after all they've been through, their tails still wag, their bodies still wiggle, even though most of them don't understand English commands — yet.

The language barrier hasn't been a problem for Hero. Hero has been at home with the Taylors for only a few weeks but has adjusted well. "He fit right in," Lisa Taylor said. "It was one of those things like, well there you are, like the person you've been waiting for the whole time."

WXIA's Jaye Watson contributed to this story