Arnold Couple Adopts Dog in Hoarding Case

For many animal lovers, this week’s Pasadena hoarding case was not easy to take. Over 50 dogs were taken from the home of a dog breeder who had, in his own words, let the situation get out of hand.

Most of the dogs were small, poodles and terriers. Over 100 people lined up at the county Animal Control center in Millersville to adopt the dogs described as friendly and good tempered, even family friendly.

Meanwhile, local residents Terri and David Marshall, who had always adopted from Anne Arundel County Animal Control, had lost their dog Cody a few months ago. They had adopted her in 1994 and lost her a few months shy of age 17, remarkable for a Golden Retriever. 

“We just began looking for another dog about two weeks ago and on Monday my husband saw the news story and we thought it would be the perfect time to help out,” said Marshall. “We don't have children so our dogs are our babies.”

Mrs. Marshall had been stopping by animal control periodically before the incident, so she decided to go up and check out whether any dogs from the incident were left.

“It was crazy busy there!” said Marshall. “The parking lot was completely full, and I had to park on the street.”

Marshall first spotted the retriever in the front office area with one of the handlers.

“At first I thought she'd already been adopted, she drew my attention immediately. I always just know when it's the right one and Golden Retrievers are near and dear to my heart,” Marshall explained.

“I went back and looked through the gallery and most of the dogs in there were already adopted. As I walked back out to the front office area, I overheard the handler saying she was still available, so we went outside for an interaction,” she recalled.

Marshall called her husband to be sure he was ok with proceeding with the adoption.

“And that was it,” said Marshall. “It was just a bonus to be able to help out in such a situation. The larger dogs tend to have more difficulty being adopted sometimes because many people have limited space (apartments/townhomes) or prefer a pure bred,” she said.

The Marshalls named their new dog Zoe (formerly named Holly). 

“She is a Golden Retriever mix with a wonderful, sweet temperament,” said Marshall. “This whole thing was really an amazing effort by Anne Arundel Animal Control and public support.”