Packing Golden Stuff

It's been slow going, but work continues on cleaning and packing away a lot of dog items to donate to the local shelter.  In case you are wondering...YES, we do plan to have another dog.  But not too soon.  This time we won't be getting a puppy but more likely an adult from the shelter or rescue.  And we will be down-sizing.  We no longer have the fitness and energy to keep up with a large active dog.  I'm not certain what kind of dog I would like, but I am confident that I will be able to look into the dog's eyes and we will know if we are meant to be together.

When we built our house, we made a tiled dog room for our two young Golden Retrievers.  They slept in crates at night and we had a special shower/grooming table built for them.  A large utility sink and lots of shelves completed the room.

Here is the progress thus far:
A box of toys and several beds are on top of the shower.  We will keep the two large beds and there are several more to add to the pile.

More toys, recently scrubbed by my dear husband are ready to be added to the boxes with the others.

The grooming items and supplies will be sorted and donated.  We will keep the towels for the next dog.

This blue tug was always the favorite toy for both dogs.  When Lucy wanted to play she would grab the toy and keep flapping it against Ellie's nose until she grabbed it.  It once had a center piece for stability but that was long gone.  Our daughter bought them a new tug, exactly like this one except that it was red.  They would have nothing to do with it.

Other favorite toys were the puzzle ones containing treats.  It was a lot of fun to watch them.  Invariably Ellie took charge of the puzzle and figured out how to obtain the treats.  Lucy followed right on her neck and snatched the treat almost every time.  Lucy never wanted to "solve" the puzzles herself and after Ellie died, Lucy didn't care for any of them.

Both dogs loved tennis balls but Ellie was the master.  Neither of them understood the word "retriever" and while they loved catching the balls, they rarely brought them back.  They simply dropped them and waited expectantly for the next one.

Tired after a round of playing, they collapsed together in one bed, the tug still lying there.

We had a portrait done when Lucy was about five months old and Ellie was a year and a half.  The photographer took them in the woods for most of the shots.  If you look closely, you can make out the "ghost dogs" in the trees.

We bought our first dog the year we got married and we have had a dog since then, except for brief periods like this one when we were mourning a loss.  Our first dog was a mellow Springer Spaniel who lived for 16 years.  She was followed by another Springer who was much more active and taught us what the breed was really like.  She also lived almost 16 years.  When she died we decided to get a Golden Retriever.  We were on a wait list from the breeder we heard was the best in the state.  I believe it.  We had to fill out several papers and go in for an appointment before we were approved to buy a puppy.  Finally our turn came up and we drove home with little Ellie, my forever heart dog.  She was such a great dog and we were within a year of retirement, so we decided to get another Golden from the same breeder.  That's when we brought home Lucy.  When we moved here to our home in the mountains, Ellie was two and Lucy was one.  They were perfect companions hiking on the mountain trails.  Lucy's death was (and is) still painful and for me, it brought renewed grieving for Ellie as well.  But such is the nature of dog ownership.  And we will have another dog and go through it all again.

Today's quote is from one of my heroes, Jane Goodall:
"You cannot share your life with a dog...or a cat and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings."

I believe that so strongly that I hesitated to use the word "bought" to describe bringing these wonderful dogs into our lives.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK, EVERYONE!

BE KIND TO ANIMALS

AND YOUR NEIGHBORS SHARING THE PLANET.