Golden Girls shine in new home

EAST COUNTY — When Carol Turner-Dembrowski and her husband, Jim, drove an hour to Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue from their Punta Gorda home, they expected to adopt two dogs, including a shih tzu named Benny. Instead, they left with four Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls are four senior female dogs who spent most of their lives together: Penny, a 9-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel; Candy, 11, a silky terrier; Buttons, 10, a shih tzu; and Bambi, 11, a poodle.

They found their forever home April 3 — just 15 days after Beverley Panaro, a nurse at a local hospice, brought the girls to Honor after their owner, Irene, died. 

“When we saw the girls and heard their owner’s name was Irene — my mother’s name — I just felt like we were meant to have these girls, these Golden Girls,” Carol Turner-Dembrowski said.

One of Irene’s final wishes was for her dogs to go to a good home, Panaro remembered.

For the four old gals, the Dembrowskis were more precious than gold.

When potential pet adopters browse Honor’s animals, they’re often looking for kittens and puppies. Older and special needs dogs can be left at the East County shelter for years before they’re adopted, Honor Associate Director Karen Slomba said. But adopting an older dog also has certain advantages: They’re housebroken, and they’ve developed their personalities.

 “I’ve heard so many times from adopters that they don’t want to adopt an older animal and have it die just a few years later,” Slomba said. “The idea is scary to the pet owner because people want to keep their companion for a long time. But older animals are often more loving and affectionate, and they need help, too.”

At first, the girls seemed unsure of their surroundings and the people taking care of them.

“They were timid,” Slomba said. “But that was expected. They were in a new place with people they didn’t know, probably wondering where their owner was.”

After a few days, the dogs warmed up a little more to the Honor staff and volunteers,  playing with toys and romping around the grassy fields of the rescue’s backyard. 

They quickly earned the nickname “the Golden Girls” because of their age and their bond as sisters — not by blood but through their closeness and longevity of living together, Slomba said. Soon, their personalities began to shine.

Candy is the matriarch — the “Dorothy” of the group from the 1980s sitcom. She’s the wisest and oldest, and keeps the other girls in line. Penny, the couch potato, relaxes as often as she can. Buttons is the outgoing, playful member of the group, or the “Rose” of the group. She often sprints through her new home with a squeaky toy in her mouth. 

Bambi, who is blind and deaf, is more reserved than the rest of the girls. She’s quiet, but happy, Jim Dembrowski said. Her hair resembles original “Golden Girl” Sophia’s coif.

The rescue’s volunteers sought to adopt out the girls in pairs, because they came to the rescue together.

When people called Honor about the girls, volunteers told them they wanted them to be adopted with one of their sisters; separating all of the dogs would’ve been difficult for the animals, Slomba said.

“In my more than 14 years of animal rescuing, I’ve never seen anyone adopt more than two dogs at one time,” Slomba said. “I didn’t think it would happen.”

The dogs have already claimed their lounge spots throughout the couple’s home: Candy and Penny spend their afternoons relaxing on the couch, while Bambi and Buttons share an oversized dog bed nearby.

“I’m one of those things-are-meant-to-happen people,” Carol Dembrowski-Turner said. “I believe in fate; I’m so glad we found these sweet girls.”

Meanwhile, Panaro believes Irene would approve of the Golden Girls’ new home.

“The dogs were her babies,” Panaro said. “Hearing how nice the new owners are makes my heart smile big time. I cried when I heard the news; I know Irene’s happy her kids are being taken care of.”

Bambi: Blind and deaf – but still dear

It took Bambi just a few days to learn where the couch is in her new living room, and the location of her bed, which she shares with her sister, Buttons.

That’s because the 11-year-old poodle is deaf and blind.

She’s one of the four “Golden Girls” Carol Turner-Dembrowski and her husband, Jim, adopted from Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue.

Although Bambi sometimes requires extra help getting out of a tight space or finding the door that leads to the backyard, owning a special needs and an older dog has its perks, her new owners agreed.

“Special needs dogs don’t require multiple walks throughout the day,” Jim Dembrowski said. “So the extra effort you spend organizing and giving them their medications equates to time spent on long walks.”

Because older and special needs dogs don’t require as much yard time as puppies, they are perfect for seniors, the Dembrowskis agreed.

“We’re seniors helping seniors,” both said, laughing.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].