Jamie & Jasmine

by: Anna Schneider

My first golden, Jamie born in 1988 was perfect in every way (except that she loved to dig in the yard). She was sweet, smart, calm & confident. Even her digging inspired me to master the art of gardening. She was a loyal & loving companion. She developed lymphoma when she was 9 1/2, went through chemotherapy but she did not do well. We gave her rest in March 1998.

Then came Jasmine. I researched pedigree after pedigree, interviewed 12 breeders, read volumes about bloodlines. I finally found who I thought would be the perfect puppy. Well, she was the perfect puppy until we brought her home. She was mouthy, bossy, smart, fast, clever and believed it was all about her all the time. She was always one step ahead of us in everything, difficult to train, challenging to live with. She noticed everything: a bug on the ceiling, new curtains in the windows of the house next door, a light bulb that had burned out. She became noise and thunderstorm phobic but I worked with her for years to help her cope with these issues. She did well. She loved attention, loved to steal things, she gave us a run for our money. But she was the best dog, the best friend I ever had. She lived ten years and died very suddenly of a brain tumor. She was a gift in my life, taught me more than anyone I've ever known. She is gone two years and I still miss her every day. Death ends a life but not a relationship. I love you, Jas.

Reese

by: Polly B.

My husband just had emergency surgery, so I wasn’t ready to get a dog just yet. I had been just sick for getting one since my Collie, Porshia & my Reteiver, Ottis passed away.

Twenty-four Golden Retrievers arrived in Vancouver BC Canada from the USA for a Snow Buddies Movie. The production company placed them all on Craig’s list for free. I was in heaven & I wanted to help rescue or foster 1 or 2, but was told they all had homes. Four days later someone from Vancouver emergency called us and asked if we wanted the last Golden Snow Buddie. YES!!  7 days after hubby had surgery he drove at 7 at night in the pouring rain to go and get her!

Her given name was Maude, but we named her Reese after Reese Witherspoon - blonde and beautiful. She was very sick for months. I had to sleep with her in the laundry room and I had no rest at all. I contacted the Golden Retriever Rescue of BC, to walk me though some rough spots. They knew a lot about the breed and they helped me to learn about her. I rarely left her alone that first year.

I did feel overwhelmed a few times but when I looked at her she would smile and I just fell deeper in love with her. She is bonded with me and I some times wonder if this is at all a good thing, as she will not go any where unless I ask her too. She goes outside but wants me there too. She gets this look of fear if she loses sight of me.

Her recall is very good. She always loves to come back because I make it a big fuss for her. Her very favorite thing is water & she has to be near it on walks.  Every day twice a day we go swimming, walking and running -just her and I. Reese has good manners and the thing that really blows me away is how loyal she is. She has a sweet personality and is said to be the Hostess with the Mostess, as far as having her puppy friends over!

Chester & Casey

by: Erica

I've only every had Golden Retrievers, even in childhood. So when my husband and I were ready to get a puppy to befriend our aging golden, it was a no brainer: we were Golden Retriever smitten. Those expressive eyes and dopey smiles, c'mon. So we bought a puppy through a reputable breeder and waited three months on pins and needles for him to be ready to come home. We chose a name for him the first time we saw him. He was a Chester, through and through.

The day we brought Chester home, he was already showing signs of having health issues. After a vet visit on his first day home, he was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder that caused him to have allergies to grass and/or other pollens. The vet declared him "Bubble Dog" and insisted he should remain inside all the time. Over the next two months we took him outdoors a few minutes at a time each day. Eventually, Chester was able to stay outdoors for longer periods of time until it stopped being a problem for him altogether. All the time indoors and having to completely reinvent potty-training caused Chester and I to bond in way I never had with any other dog. He became my surrogate child: following me from room to room, pushing doors open with his nose to check on me. We developed our own secret language/understanding that befuddled my husband. I would interpret Chester's needs for my husband like I could read his thoughts. The most distinct memory I have of Chester is that when he wanted my attention he would rear back on his hind legs, in the sitting position with tail extended backward, and put his front paws on my leg and nip at the air. I was a sucker for this. I would almost always drop what I was doing and give him full attention. We had a name for this position, we called it "roo-ing" because he looked like a kangaroo.

Then, at nine months of age, Chester began vomiting daily. Taking him back to the vet, he was found to have juvenile lymphoma and we had two fleeting days with him before his short time on earth was over. I was devastated. We erected a small memorial to him with paw prints, favorite toys, and pictures. Oh, the pictures. Hundreds of them.

For two years I thought nothing would ever replace Chester. Then, in the late spring of 2009 a friend that fosters golden retrievers for a golden retriever rescue said she had just the perfect golden for me. Hesitantly my husband and I drove the sixty miles to her home to check out this "perfect dog". He was hyper and slightly neurotic, but she was right, Casey was perfect for me. :) We decided to rescue Casey who had had a terribly unstable and sad past. When we brought him home he fit right in. We noticed right away that so many of his mannerisms were very similar to Chester's and loved Casey all the more for it. Then, about a week after we had him and Casey began settling in, we returned from a walk and I was relaying the events to my husband. I felt a set of paws on my thigh and looked down to see Casey nipping at the air and roo-ing just as Chester had done so many times. 

So while Chester's story may not have ended with a happily ever after, Casey's certainly did and he daily reminds us of why we will forever be sold out for golden retrievers.

Happy

by: Heather D.

When I was a kid, I moved in next door to a family that had two Goldens and a St Bernard. I wasn't particularly interested in dogs, but I wanted to meet the Goldens. When I got the chance to, I was introduced mostly to Happy, a beautiful light colored Golden with the longest, thickest tail feathers I have ever seen. The other Golden was called Bucky, but I bonded the most with Hap. 

Happy was crazy about being brushed. As soon as I showed him the brush he would be so happy and lie down to be brushed. And I brushed him for hours. With each stroke, I bonded more with him. 

I also trained him, though looking back he trained me more. He taught me how to train a dog--he was so patient and wise. He taught me to not get angry, he would just ignore me if I was frustrated with him. And he wasn't afraid of anything. 

Happy loved fetching in the water, not so much on land. I remember throwing water balloons in the stream for him to fetch, and he never broke one, he had such a soft mouth. Once he accidentally dropped one on a rock, and was shocked when it disappeared.

I got to enjoy Happy for a year and a half, then my family moved far away from him. I was heartbroken, but a year later I got to visit my boy again for two weeks.

He remembered me. I was so happy to see him and he was to see me too. He remembered the days we spent together, me brushing and training him, and teaching each other. I spent those two weeks loving Hap, not knowing they would be the last time I saw him. I cried hard when I had to leave him.

Months later he stopped eating, and the vet found an obstruction of porcupine quills in his stomach. They took those out but he still didn't improve. Happy died 2 months later, from an unknown cause though the vet suspects cancer.

It hurt me to hear that he died, that I would never again see the dog that introduced me to the incredible love that is dog. I miss you and love you dearly, Hap. Thank you for all that you taught me, you are an incredible dog!

Our latest Golden hails from the great white North! Her Mom's story really touched our hearts, and we hope it will do the same for you.

Claire

by: Amy Vervoort

Our Golden Retriever, Claire, was a long awaited member of our family. After waiting years to adopt her, when I knew last year we were settled enough to have plenty of time for a dog. She was born on November 6, 2008, and came to us on December 30, 2008. 

She has brought so much fun and joy into our lives, and we would not be complete without her.

I was a single mom, with my now almost twelve year old daughter, enjoying working at our local university in the English Department. I had pretty much given up finding a partner, and had been quoted as saying, "who needs a man when you can have man's best friend". That was when I decided to adopt Claire, and made arrangements with a local breeder for a female puppy from their next litter. In the time between making those arrangements and when the pups were born, I met the most adoring man, and Australian living in northern Canada - who happened to love dogs. Not long after we started dating, I sent him an email with pictures of a new Golden litter and told him one of them was mine. 

My daughter chose her name. She said, "a beautiful dog should have a beautiful name". By the time Claire came to us on December 30th, everyone was excited for her arrival. Everything revolved around our puppy's schedule and needs. My partner and I would walk her every evening, and every morning she would join us in bed for morning coffee. 

At first she couldn't jump up on the bed, and would have to be lifted, but soon she was able to make a run for it and jump to the top. There were a few spills along the way, but once she got up she was Daddy's girl, and enjoyed her morning belly rub. Her love for Daddy was evident every time he was out of town, when she would sulk when he couldn't be found, and when he returned was greeted with the most enthusiasm.  

We all live together now, and Claire has been the center of it all. She has a new dog run in the back yard, her own ottoman in the living room, and takes priority in the bed. Recently, we decided to adopt a baby brother for her, a Basset Hound named Gromit. She's not too sure what to make of him, but he makes her bounce on springs. She's started a blog to follow her life with Gromit, and tell all her stories of dog parks, tree farms, and stuffy ducks.

We all look forward to a long life with Claire. She makes every day a joy, and is the sweetest soul I have ever known.

Editor's Note: Amy is new to the blogging community, so please help us give her a warm welcome! Here's a link to Claire and Gromit's blog.