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The term ‘rescue’ can be a misnomer. For example, the ‘rescue’ may well turn out to be the ‘rescuer,’ when all the facts are laid out.

Just ask Sophie.

The sweet-tempered Golden retriever had a bit of bad luck at the end of April, 2022. She had been surrendered by her owner, presumably an older individual who was no longer able to take care of her.

In hindsight, she was surrendered to a proverbial haven for furry four-legged types in need of a new home. The staff at a local vet’s office have a penchant for matching ‘parents’ to ‘children.’

Sophie pretty much won the lottery.

“I was at Moyers Veterinary Hospital to pick up items for the Scotties,” Debra Williams, Morrstown Area Chamber of Commerce General Manager, said. “They had her in the office. I said, ‘What a pretty dog!’ They came back with, ‘Do you want her?’”

Debra and her husband, Frank, own a home in the courthouse district of Morristown, with a fenced yard, a generous front porch and plenty of sidewalks in the neighborhood and beyond. At the time of Debra’s chance introduction to Sophie, the couple were the parents of two energetic Scotties, Mason and Hamilton — both of whom they would take on twice-daily walks. The dogs were regularly featured on social media and accompanied Debra to work, where they would greet Chamber guests. Bernadette and Charlie, who had since passed away, were also social media favorites. They also happened to be larger breed dogs who had been rescued.

“I saw Sophie stand up and I noticed she was extremely overweight; she had trouble standing,” Debra said. “The girls in the office told me she was six years old and I thought, ‘That’s not old.’ But her hips were bad.”

Debra decided to call Frank, who said, “Bring her home; if the Scotties like her, we’ll keep her.”

The quick agreement surprised veterinary staff: “We just thought of you as Scottie people,” Dr. Brandon Byrd said.

“They had to help me get her in the car,” Debra said. “She weighed 118 lbs. She kind of waddled up the porch steps. The Scotties were very interested in her for about 30 seconds. Then they went their way, she went hers.”

“Dr. (Katie) Maxey gave us the food instructions, which surprised me,” Debra said. ‘You actually feed them the amount suggested for the weight they need to be healthy – not the weight they are now.”

Sophie immediately joined the family on those two-per-day walks around the neighborhood and into the downtown area, pausing only for traffic lights and stop signs.

“The weight just started coming off,” Debra said.

Sophie hit the 75-pound mark about a month ago.

“Now, she still loves the couch,” Debra said. “And she doesn’t really play with the Scotties (no zoomies). She’ll get them going and then steps back to watch them. But when she goes out on the porch now, she’s pretty animated. She moves great now. This is a good weight for her.

And then there’s Frank.

“She looooves Frank,” Debra said.

Apparently the feeling is mutual. Frank takes her for frequent rides in his vehicle. It’s a true fact that when the Scotties recently needed to picked up from the groomer, Frank took Sophie with him because “He didn’t want to leave her alone,” Debra said.

“She’s very sweet, gentle. She was housebroken. She’s interested if you’re eating, but she’s not pushy. When we walk, if people want to pet her, she’s gentle. She lets anyone pet her and there’s no jumping up on people.”

Sophie is quite intrigued by squirrels, according to Debra. She likes to look out the window at them (that may have been her main hobby in her previous life).

“That was the first time she ever pulled on her leash, was when she spotted a squirrel,” Debra said. “But she doesn’t have any bad habits, none at all.”

As a twist to the tale, Frank has also lost weight during Sophie’s lifestyle change – a circumstance attributed to the Golden coat.

“Well, he’s running the vacuum cleaner three times a day,” Debra said.