Happy Birthday, Candy!

May 1st is a special day; it is my Candy girl’s birthday. She is 14. Fourteen years of total love and devotion! I know I talked about my love for dogs in previous blogs, but I have to revisit it. All of my life, I’ve been around animals, but until Candy and Brandy came into my life, there were no Golden Retrievers. My husband wanted a golden retriever, and my first thought was I don’t want a horse running through my house. But a wonderful woman that I worked with opened my eyes. She was a Therapy Dog Handler with Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, CA., and I had the opportunity to accompany her to a meeting of Therapy dog handlers one evening. The dedication and skill of both handler and dog were remarkable. Golden Retrievers are frequently therapy dogs because of their empathy and trainability. My eyes and heart were open to a Golden Retriever.

Brandy, Candy, and Scrappy (Scrappy is my granddog)

Jim and I began looking for our baby. We found a breeder in Livermore that had a recent litter of Golden Retriever puppies, so we went to see them. We intended to adopt just one! I repeat, just one! But cute little fluffy puppies were running everywhere, and one ran up to me and virtually threw herself on top of my feet and revealed her tummy for me to rub. I picked her up in a second! Though at the time, I thought I selected Candy, Candy selected me! I calmly turned around to let my husband know that I had chosen our dog. Only I found him clutching a dog and frowning. He found his dog, Brandy, and he wasn’t letting her go. So I turn to the breeder, and I said we would take two. She cautioned me over and over about the energy level and the commitment and responsibility etc. etc., but I was not going to put either back. I can now say that it was one of my best decisions, and Candy and Brandy saved and motivated my life!

Baby picture of Candy
Baby picture of Brandy

When the people I worked with learned about our adoption of two little girls that were littermates but also twins, they threw a puppy shower for me. We had everything and more for our two girls!

Candy has always been super cuddly.
Candy is the perfect dog to read to.

Both girls had extraordinary individual talents that we recognized immediately. Brandy was a super athlete and extremely trainable, and Candy was incredibly empathetic to the people around her! If anyone needed support, she was there. I envisioned both in therapy dog roles. I could see Brandy retrieving a ball for a child in a wheelchair, and returning it to the same location so the child could pick it up and throw it again! Candy was so loving and empathetic that she would stay by a person’s side until they were better. I wanted Candy and Brandy to have additional training to maximize their natural gifts, and also so that I could be confident of their behavior at all times. I wanted them to be able to visit my stepmother, who had Parkinson’s and osteoporosis. She loved dogs as much as I did, and I wanted to be able to walk both of them in and be confident they would not inadvertently hurt her in any way! Sadly, it wasn’t to be; my stepmother passed away before the girls could visit.

Candy is so loving, but she sure looks serious in this picture.

My dad was devastated by the loss of my stepmother, and moved in with me after her passing. His grief was intense, and he was not the happiest person; in fact, I think it’s fair to say he was pretty grumpy! My dad didn’t like dogs generally, and Candy and Brandy took on the biggest therapy job of their lives. They took their work seriously and were there for him whether he wanted it or not! Slowly but surely, they won him over. After I lost Brandy to Hemangiosarcoma in 2016, my dad seemed closer to Candy. My dad had health issues, and I was his caregiver. He passed away in 2018 just a few months shy of reaching his hundredth birthday.

Mischevious
Always happy and ready for whatever dumb thing I wanted to do!
Candy let me paint her nails a bright pink.

Last year a new family member arrived on the scene, Teddy. Teddy was a little hard for Candy to tolerate in the beginning because he was a puppy and moved at light speed and had sharp little teeth. 

But as time went on, she accepted him and not only accepted him but began to rely on him. I’ve always thought Candy needed glasses because of her poor vision. When Brandy was alive, Candy would follow Brandy. Once Candy accepted Teddy, she began to follow him. Today Candy has health issues, and she trusts Teddy. Whenever we go on a walk, Candy wants to follow Teddy.

Happy birthday to Candy! I love you so much, and I feel so lucky that you are part of my life.

134 thoughts on “Happy Birthday, Candy!”

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