LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, June 21, 2013

Fridays Are Golden

 
 
Today is Ellie's birthday!  There were many years in which I looked forward to her birthdays.  (Golden Retrievers have a long adolescence.)  Now that she is ten, I dread each passing birthday.  Ellie has been a treat since we brought her home.
 
Our first dog, an English Springer Spaniel was my heart dog.  I never expected to have another one and my heart was broken when she died at age sixteen.  I did not want another dog.  Ever.  But my wise husband knew better and we got another Springer Spaniel, Penny Lane.  I loved Penny and she was a wonderful dog, but she never quite became my heart dog.  But she was my husband's heart dog.  After Penny died at age fifteen, we decided to look at breeds other than Springers.  We read a lot about various breeds and decided that a Golden Retriever would fit perfectly into our lives.
 
We did our research and found Dichi Goldens.  (You can look at their great Web site here.)  We filled out volumes of paperwork, then went in for an interview.  And we passed!  We were put on a wait list for a little female.  And on June 21, 2003 Ellie's mother Star gave birth to a litter mostly male but with three females.  And one of those became our Ellie.  We named her Dichi Sirius Eleanor Rose.  Dichi must always be the first name to acknowledge the breeder, Sirius which is the Dog Star was in honor of her birth mother and Eleanor Rose in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt, one of my favorite women.
 
 
Few things are cuter than puppies.
And few (if any) puppies are cuter than Golden puppies like little Ellie.

 
 
 
Ellie left her brothers behind.
As you can see, every one of them is perfect and gorgeous.
Click to enlarge and find all six brothers.

 
 
 
Ellie loved her stuffies and carried this little yellow duck everywhere she went
...until she found out about seams and how to destroy them.

 
 
 
She loved the Wisconsin winters.

 
 
 
With no more stuffies around, Ellie carries tennis balls.


And so I am one of those very lucky people to find a second heart dog.  Ellie knows me, comforts me, and I love her deeply.  Don't misunderstand...I love our Lucy.  But I love Ellie in a very special way.  I feel so fortunate to have had one more heart dog.  I do not expect to find another.

The author of the following quote is unknown:

"Your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

Happy birthday, dear Ellie.  I hope I can be worthy.


HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!!
 
 


19 comments:

Rae said...

Your story touched me. I too, had a heart dog and the hole he left behind is still there. Ellie is a beautiful girl and a wonderful dog. If I weren't getting "older" I would have a golden myself. I've really missed your blog. Always looked forward to your dog posts. I was on hiatus for a long time, but have returned with a new blog.

The Bug said...

Happy birthday Ellie!!

Taradharma said...

Happy Birthday to your dear Ellie! It's a great story of how she came to be in your life. The photos of her with tennis balls in her mouth always crack me up. And, you ARE worthy, just look at how happy you make her!

Ms. A said...

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

We have loved all of our dogs, each in their own way and I was crushed when we lost our last one. My husband isn't as "knowing" as yours and doesn't want another one. He's afraid it might outlive us. He may be right, but life without a dog just seems less like life... you know?

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, Happy Birthday to Ellie. May you have many more. I know what you mean about heart dogs; I felt the same way when we lost our Sadie but now I have Hunter(though having a small dog is different than a large dog). Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs, Noreen

Arkansas Patti said...

Happy Birthday Ellie. What a lovely story and I appreciated that the breeder checked you out and didn't just take the cash.
I know what you mean about" heart dogs". I adore Mighty and he is my little friend that I would do anything for but he isn't my heart dog. Sissy was. I am so pleased that you found another in Ellie.

KB said...

Happy Birthday to sweet Ellie. You both are very lucky to have found each other... Enjoy each and every day with your sweet girl!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to your beautiful Ellie. She really is quite a sweet looking dog. I love the pic of her in the snow.

Carolina Linthead said...

Happy birthday to a most beautiful, impossibly sweet Ellie!

Glenda Beall said...

I just found your blog and love this post. I have had two heart dogs. I love that term. My first was a little black poodle given to me by my husband the week after our wedding. He lived and filled our lives for 19 years. The other dog that I will never stop loving is Kodi, my Samoyd who had to be put down on Christmas day 1998. He was 13. My husband had a special dog, Rocky, that he rescued as a pup. Rocky grieved his master, but eventually decided I'd make a good sub. I love dogs and hope to have another one day. Your pics are so precious.

Anonymous said...

The late Howard Lee was my heart dog. I think Girl Scout is going to be my Dearly Beloved's. He is certainly HER heart person.

Happy Birthday to Ellie, a most patient soul when it comes to her younger sister.

kks said...

so beautiful....oh, how we love our dogs....
xoxo

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

Happy Birthday to your lovely girl Ellie!! I hope you all have many happy, and healthy years together!!

I know what you mean about having that heart-connection with your dogs. In all the dogs we've had, I've felt a stronger connection with some over the others, and only two (so far) became my heart-dogs. But just as you know, it doesn't change your devotion or keep you from loving the other pups in your lives any less.

Vicki Lane said...

Happy Birthday, Ellie! You are a special girl.

KGMom said...

Happy birthday to Ellie.
Oh, I love the term "heart dog." It perfectly describes how I felt about Tipper.
And now we have Ziva (half golden/half border collie). And she has just eased her way into being both my husband's and my heart dog now!

Busy Bee Suz said...

I really understand what you mean about a 'heart dog'.
Happy birthday to Miss Ellie! May she never tire of carrying two balls at once...that just makes me smile.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone!

Rae - glad you are back in the blogosphere

Glenda - thanks for dropping by

Rudee said...

I do so love the photos of Ellie with her mouth stuffed with tennis balls. I'm so happy for you that you've had so much joy in this dog. A happy belated birthday to Ellie!

Anonymous said...

My, Ellie looks really cute on those tennis balls! She really is adorable and cute. I’m glad you have found your second heart dog that will always be there for you anytime, anywhere. I can’t wait to see more photos of your adventures. Hope you’re having a great time with Ellie! Ciao!


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