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.

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!

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.

Crue 

My Best Friend, Crue

by Lainee Greeson

I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that he was the one. I spent all of my money I saved up and tried the hardest in school to get him. He was lightest one out of the litter and by far the one that caught my eye. We got to bring him home one week early because the breeders where going on a camping trip. His nose went off as soon as we stepped into the house.

It took me a couple of days to figure out what I wanted to name him. My parents wanted to give him "a horse like name" but I wasn't for that. The name came into my head Crue, like you never leave your home without your crew. He is the smartest, clever, most beautiful dog I know. And I know a lot of dogs! He acts as if he is human. When he jumps up on the ledge to look out the window, to see if anyone is coming. And when you say get the bunny, or the birdie he knows what your talking about, as he gets real still and looks around. When you ask him where his duck is or his bone he will search high and low until he finds that toy. He will lay right over the vent where the cool air comes out, because he knows what that does.

Today Crue is 3 years old  (he is a boy) I love when you wake up he follows you everywhere like a shadow. And like a human stretches when he wakes up. He takes up most of my queen size bed and loves to bring you socks. Its a pride thing for him. My favorite thing about him is how he poses for the camera. I want to become a photographer and he is the perfect dog to take pictures of. Crue is my best friend and I take him everywhere with me. If its the store or if I am just going out front, he is always by my side.

 Charlie

by: Anne Kohlstaedt

It all began 10/26/2004 with email from our good friend, Karen, in Indiana: "Look! I am going to call about this litter. I don't know how old they are now, but there are 4 females and 4 males. They said the father was the same color as the mother (whose name is Abby). :-)"

Many years ago Karen, a vet in Indiana, had saved the life of our golden retriever, Lindsey. Karen had loved Lindsey's "you are my slave, give me what I want" personality so much that Lindsey made a litter just for her. We had each kept a puppy, but after long and wonderful lives, they had both passed on, and it was time for another.

Charlie is on the top of the pile!So we'd previously enjoyed having golden siblings, and when Karen sent her email, you could just feel where things were headed. She liked the looks of the new litter and selected a puppy (Sophie) herself. We asked her to pick out a Lindsey-like one for us, too. There was one puppy (called Bailey at the time) that stood out to her: "Wasn't it cute that Bailey was always on the top of the pile?"

From there things progressed pretty quickly: "I told the puppy people that you have dibs on Bailey". The puppy people's response was: "We won't have to mark his nails, his personality says it all; he tried another escape after we raised the board." And as they grew: "Bailey, aka. Charlie Jr. is starting to 'pounce' when he plays...very cute. He is the first to eat and the last to sleep. Get ready... ;-) "

So Karen is the reason we have Charlie and all of us here want to say a big Thanks!

Honey Love...

by: Kristin and Dave Haaf (in Dave's words)

I waited until I had settled into a new life in California, a transplant from the East Coast, and was sure I could have time for a fuzzy dog.  Never in my wildest dreams, did I imagine that the sweetest little golden girl would come into my life.  

Honey captured my heart in 1995, accompanied me everywhere and brought me so much joy.  Honey’s sweet snore under the boardroom table at office meetings; her charming look that granted her treats from most humans who crossed her path; her snout that worked overtime on hikes that only took an hour but which became all day sniffing adventures; her paw pulling my hand back to her belly when I lapsed a few seconds on belly rubs while driving across the United States…she was my support through rough times and my joy at all times.  This little red golden stole my heart.  

Honey and I met my future bride in 2003.  I am sure it was Honey that first captured Kristin’s heart, and I had much to live up to.  Our first ‘date’ was a road trip around the western states, and that was that!  We became our little threesome.  

Honey accompanied us on frequent trips to high Sierra lakes, where she would be Kristin’s kayak navigator and chief stick retriever, and every winter to our favorite ski area, where Honey made snow angels and joined us on x-country ski adventures.  She was patient, loving and fun even at home, where she tolerated us with jobs, errands, and local town parks.  She was always willing to go wherever we were going!

Honey enjoying a stick in her snow boots!By later winter 2009, Honey had incomprehensibly slowed down.  X-rays showed that cancer had attacked her little body, and was creeping into many of her major organs.

The ultimate sad day came on April 25, 2009.  We will never forget that day.  Honey’s love will last forever and she is always with us in spirit.  Miss that Honey Love!

Thank you to our friend Elizabeth, a.k.a. Luna's Mom, for helping us to keep rolling with the 1000 Goldens Project. We are so excited to share her story of her family dog Sasha. It seems extra special to share this story near Mother's day, as it is very clear how dear Elizabeth's Mom is to her. 

by: Elizabeth Bergesen

I have never known a dog that enjoyed the pleasures of ‘being a girl’ like Sasha did. Sasha loved getting ‘dressed up’ and my mother found simple amusement in dressing her up in various clothes. Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, or just for fun, Sasha was always sporting a hip look and enjoyed posing for the camera.  

In January 2009, Sasha was diagnosed with Histiocytic Sarcoma/Malignant Histiocytosis, along with splenic erythropoiesis. The doctors told my mother Sasha had six months to a year to live; she managed to fulfill only one of those months. On March 13^th, 2009, just nine days before her seventh birthday, Sasha passed away. She died in her sleep, at her old home in Brier, WA – where she had brought us so much laughter, and shown us so much love. She had fought bravely against the sudden onset of her cancer and the resulting splenectomy, but it had all been a bit too much for her body to take.

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of having such a close companion knows what it’s like to lose that friendship. Sasha was a wonderful companion, a true friend, the consummate loving Golden Retriever. She was brought into our family as a young, vivacious puppy and had grown into a beautiful adult. Sasha loved to be with her family, and her family loved to have her close to them. Whether it was on the couch, on someone’s bed, or just in our arms, Sasha would be there – happy as could be.

There has always been a special connection between my mother and Sasha and it was always known in our family that Sasha was ‘her’ dog.  I think my family was very lucky to have had Sasha as part of our family. Sasha had unique, individual, loving relationships will all of us and she will be missed dearly.

This is dedicated to my mother.

We are happy to introduce you to Cameron and Ferris! We are putting them into one story, because they are family. Not only are they family, they are rescued Goldens from Tennessee, who were adopted by the parents of Fenway. Here is their story in Bari's words...

by: Bari Boisvert

I received the call to rescue Ferris about 3:00 in the afternoon the day we put Fenway down. I couldn't believe it. We had put in to rescue long before, thinking that would be the medicine Fennie needed, but it wasn't meant to be. I am not one who is into signs, but there ever was one, that would be it.  When we heard about Ferris, we were also told about Cameron. Ferris was abused and Cam was a stray with a broken front leg.  Something in my gut told me to take Cam too, although my husband was not so sure two dogs would be a good idea.
 
Ferris' original name was Kyle and we had changed it to Ferris (the F for Fenway). I woke at 3am about a week after the call and woke up Scott and yelled, "We have to take Cameron in too!! Cameron is Ferris Bueller's best friend in the movie!!"
 
Certifiable I am!
 
Ferris is our cowardly lion, but has grown so much in the 2 1/2 years we have had him. He has just learned to use his bark (not sure if he knew he had one prior to his abuse) and is definitely a mama's boy. Cameron is our evil little gnome; getting into everything...including our hearts.  They both needed us. Cam has horrible allergies and is on meds and shots.  I am not sure how many people would take in a dog like that. A lot of hard work got Ferris to be the boy he is today...again much paitience. And, they love each other. They both would not be the dogs they are without one another.
 
Our home and hearts are full once again, but we'll always have a piece for Fenway.

In Memory of Fenway

Fenway was born on October 17, 1995 when his humans, Bari and Scott, were on their honeymoon! They brought home their boy the day after Christmas, and to this day they consider him their heartdog.

In December of 2005 Fenway was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma. He continued to LIVE his life to the fullest, until he crossed the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2006.

Bari and Scott were the center of Fenway's world. He loved to sleep at their feet near the sofa, play ball, take walks, and ride in the car. Bari says that the five most simple words to elicit joy from a Golden Retriever are "Wanna go for a ride?" She has many happy memories of taking slow drives through town with the windows open, while peering through the side view mirror seeing her dog..."with eyes closed, ears back and a smile on his face as the air hit him."

Bari kept an online diary that chronicles Fenway's journey. There you can find many great resources about canine cancer and holistic care, designed to help other families who might be going through the same thing. There is also a beautiful slideshow tribute on the home page.

Thank you for sharing your story with us!

Meet Cindy: Therapy Dog, Cheerleader & Hug Giver

by: Suzanne Stanley

 
I have a Golden, Cindy, who we adopted from Gold Ribbon Rescue, of Austin Texas. There are about 200 Goldens rescued a year from the San Antonio/ Austin area. Unbelievable!

Cindy came to us with many "issues" but thanks to the trainer Patsy Swendon (Penny's From Heaven Foundation) works with, we have helped Cindy become a joyful dog. She was 40 lbs when we took her to foster, with the option to adopt and had heart worms, intestinal parasites, ticks and fleas galore! As my husband and I laid on the floor with her that first night, shaking, 40+ pounds, emaciated, sick, and recovering from her spaying, she look up at us with those big brown eyes... we were hooked. We knew she would be ours!

Here is Cindy at the Achilles International's Hope & Possibility 5K Race. "The group's mission is to enable people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics. What a great group, what a great day. The Penny's From Heaven Foundation Therapy Dogs were invited to attend and to be the cheerleaders at the finish line !!! Cindy preferred to walk through the crowds, giving the 'Golden Hug' and getting petted. It works for her!" - Suzanne Stanley

She has proven to be the best dog (and the second Golden) we have ever had. When we attended the GRR reunions, she would just go up to people and lay her head against their leg, and of course their first reaction was to reach down and pet her soft furry head. They told me she would be a great therapy dog.

I did some computer research and decided Patsy's group would be a good fit for us, since we have a son in the Marines. Working with the soldiers, I somehow feel closer to my son. What a great organization... and what fun we have going to our weekly visits... an Alzheimer's Unit, nursing home, retirement community, Ft. Sam to visit the soldiers and finally on Friday to a local Children's Hospital to visit some kids in need of a furry visitor.

I think everyone who has a Golden thinks their dog is special. I frankly love them all... but to us, ours is the best. I have seen first hand what a dog can do to alleviate loneliness, isolation, depression, lower blood pressure and encourage activity. I am sure everyone writes about their dog... they are so much fun to be with. Our kids are grown and gone so we have gone "back to the dogs!" and we are loving it!

Every dog has a story. Thanks for letting me share a bit of mine.

Story Sponsor

This story was sponsored by the Save A Life, Adopt a Shelter Dog t-shirt.

Gold Ribbon Rescue Boutique

To support the Golden Retriever rescue organization that led Cindy to her new family, please visit their online boutique. They have a very nice 2009 calendar.