When Marie Martinez rescued her first dog, Buck, from GoldHeart Golden Retriever Rescue in 2004, she didn’t have the easiest experience. Martinez affectionately nicknamed him “Beautiful Brat.” Even though she jokingly compared him to Marley from the novel Marley and Me, Martinez admits that Buck taught her a lot. The dog’s antics ended up being the reason she became involved with GoldHeart.
“If people got in the hot tub, he would grab a towel and shred it, or take your clothes and shred them,” she says with a laugh. “I had to keep calling the rescue back saying, ‘Help me, help me!’ I went through training, and [I later found out that] this poor dog had been returned three times before we got him. He was a problem child, but I learned everything because of him. He taught me, and he was my path to helping more with the rescue.”
Martinez resides in Chester with her husband, Pete, where they’ve been living since 1999. In 2014, Martinez retired from a 35-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. Although she’s been volunteering with GoldHeart since 2005, Martinez took her retirement as an opportunity to increase her involvement with the organization, and has been secretary of the board since 2015.
“It’s a board of seven,” she explains. “You’re on call when you’re on the board in a lot of these roles. You’re on call 24/7, whether it’s a foster home calling you or whether it’s intake and a dog has to be taken in. We don’t have a brick and mortar facility. We have 15 to 20 active foster homes and most of our board members [also foster dogs].”
GoldHeart Golden Retriever Rescue was established in 1999. Its mission is to help and rescue unwanted, abandoned, or abused Golden Retrievers find furever homes. Martinez says the organization brings in Golden Retrievers, mixes of the breed, and dogs that exhibit Golden Retriever personalities, like Labradors. Since its inception 20 years ago, GoldHeart has rescued nearly 1,100 dogs.
Martinez’s favorite part of volunteering with GoldHeart is spending time with the dogs; however, her contributions don’t stop there. She fosters dogs, takes adoptable dogs on home visits, manages the website and social media accounts, helps with fundraising, and is in the process of setting up an online retail store.
Martinez says she enjoys the ability to fundraise through GoldHeart’s website and social media pages, and she’s hoping the online retail store will be very beneficial for the organization. According to Martinez, she raised $1,300 for GoldHeart through a Facebook fundraiser.
“There’s probably nothing greater that you can do than foster dogs,” she says. “Saving one dog will not change the world, but for that dog, his world is going to be changed forever. You feel that you’ve really made a difference when you see a dog that wasn’t in a good situation that has been rehabilitated and finds a forever home, and is living like a king or queen.”
With the significant amount of time and dedication Martinez puts into GoldHeart, she’s very thankful her husband supports her through many of these efforts.
“There’s always a partner or somebody behind you that helps,” she says. “Because of him and him working, I can [help with GoldHeart]. He’s self-employed in drywall and painting. He does, of course, help with the fostering and the walking of the dogs. If he doesn’t have a lot of work, he’ll help with fundraisers.”
According to Board Vice President Elaine Goodman, both Marie and Pete are essential components in the success of GoldHeart.
“Besides being just absolutely wonderful people, Marie and Pete are key members of the GoldHeart team,” Goodman says. “[They] travel many miles each year, transporting dogs to their foster homes or to needed vet visits. Together, they provide a soft landing for many of our older and sometimes harder to place dogs that need the extra love and attention.”
Although Martinez makes a very meaningful impact for GoldHeart, she hardly takes any credit.
“[There are] many volunteers, generous donors, and members that are responsible for GoldHeart’s success and longevity,” she explains. “It’s great to do what you love. I get paid very well by the animals with love.”
For more information on GoldHeart Golden Retriever Rescue, visit Goldheart.org