Doggie Children

Thirteen years ago, my husband and I adopted two Golden retriever girls, Candy and Brandy, and a great adventure began. We didn’t intend to select two, oh no, we only intended to get one. We went to a Golden Retriever breeder, and there were darling little balls of fluff running around. I selected the puppy, Candy, that I thought was the most perfect. I turned around and looked at my husband, who was glaring at me and clutching his ideal puppy, Brandy. I looked at the breeder and said, “we will take two.” We were cautioned over and over about taking home two, but it turned out to be the best decision and our girls added so much to our lives! My coworkers threw me a puppy baby shower, and it was the cutest thing ever! I will remember it as long as I live! When the girls came home, we had everything, and we’re ready for the little bundles of fluff.

Initially, I wanted to maximize their natural talents and train them to be therapy doggies. Also, my stepmother had Parkinson’s and osteoporosis and loved dogs as much as I did. So I wanted to provide enough training so that I could walk them up to her and be confident that they would not hurt her unintentionally.

We had a trainer come into the home after they failed puppy school. Just like human children, they were too social. At the time, the training method focused on deviations from the desired behavior. So we used pinch collars and in spite of what today would be considered cruel training methods they learned. They became stellar walkers! Candy still is today. Unfortunately, one week before her 10th birthday Brandy became ill. Brandy the diagnosis was an incredibly virulent and aggressive form of cancer, Hemangiosarcoma. Brandy had a bleeding tumor on her heart and a bleeding tumor on her spleen. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the shock and horror of the disease and loss of my beloved Brandy!

Golden retrievers, even though they’re all individuals, live up to their description as being a perfect family dog! They are highly intelligent and friendly and extremely desiring to do whatever you want them to do. It’s no wonder that they make perfect service dogs. Three years after the loss of Brandy, my other golden girl, Candy, is now 13 and still just as lovable as ever but slowing down. So my husband and I decided that we wanted to add another golden baby to our lives. We adopted Teddy from a teacher in my school district, Laura Finco, who also breeds golden retrievers, Argus Golden Retrievers. The adventure continues.