Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

Today was a fun but hectic morning while we spent a few hours at the Suffield Veterinary Hospital. The Southern Berkshire Golden Retriever Club was having their Spring Conformation Testing Clinic. So breeders from all over the northeast brought their dogs, goldens all, for testing their eyes and hearts for any congenital problems.

We brought all five dogs for the ride. Lucy the pup is not used to the car yet, and she howled most of the way in her crate. She got her microchip placed by Dr. Anne Huntington, the vet that was responsible for helping our Emma conceive her. Solo and Riley had their hearts checked by the cardiology vet, Dr. Mark Stamoulis. Then Solo, Riley, and Emma got their eye clearances by the ophthalmology vet, Dr. Charles Stuhr. The eye exam took place in a darkened room so that couldn’t be captured. Here are a few photos of Riley’s heart check.

Everyone passed all their clearances so we all left very happy.

Barb also got to meet several golden breeders who are way more taken with this breed than I am. We were both enthralled if not disbelieving to listen to a couple from Torrington who have eleven goldens of both sexes. All these dogs live in their house. Like the Old Women in the Shoe story, there are many of us who can’t seem to have just one golden.

Today we admired goldens of all colors and sizes, show dogs to hunting and field dogs. All beautiful in their own way. Of course their owners were just as varied in their ages, shapes, and sizes too. A most interesting morning.

Emma, Riley, Solo, and Lucy had a quiet moment in the kitchen after getting home and calming down after being exposed to so many of their own kind in a setting they haven’t seen before.

Next up will be the hip clearances for Riley and Solo. This will be done by a specialist vet in Rhode Island in April for Riley. Solo has to have her two year birthday in June and then she will follow with her hip testing. Riley and Solo will then be cleared for becoming moms later this year.

It has only been a week since our pups have gone, but there is a new routine developing here in dogville that is more comfortable for all since those first few days. The growls and barks over Lucy’s place in the pack have subsided, and along with it our worries over everyone getting along.

Eating is a short affair lasting just one to two minutes. The big dogs inhale theirs, while Lucy is a few moments behind in cleaning her bowl. I suppose this makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. In the wilds you never know if someone bigger or stronger will take your portion. Still it is amazing how fast they inhale everything we put out.

Emma has begun teaching Lucy how to fight in a playful sense. Again from an evolutionary perspective this is a key to the pup’s survival in the wild. While the photos may look frightening, Emma is careful to use her neck more than her teeth, and she puts up with quite a bit of nipping from her daughter in return. Solo is always close by and doesn’t quite know if this is serious play or not. But you can see from the photo of her and Riley watching that the atmosphere is now calm and peaceful.

Lucy at times wants peace and quiet so she naps under the bed in the crate in the family room.

However most of the time she wants to be in the thick of the excitement or at least watching from a comfortable vantage point.

Like the rest of her littermates, she is one cute puppy!

Introducing Lucy to our big dog family, is like seasoning a stew with spices, best done in small doses and with careful oversight. Barb and I have been very vigilant as the pecking order here in dogville must change and adjust. As I mentioned in the prior blog, Solo has never had close contact with a puppy before. She never wanted to visit the pups in the whelping box, while our Riley was always down there sniffing the puppies. Emma is still very protective and hovers over Lucy when she is out of her pen in the family room. Lucy not knowing better, sniffs everyone and everywhere and tries to nurse anyone with a nipple. That combination has led to more than a few growls and heated barks.

From the photos, you can see some of the tension in the animals. However for the most part, adding a puppy here has raised the energy level here in our home in a positive way, as the playing becomes more routine. In some of these photos you will see Miss Purple and Lucy. Miss Purple was with us until Sunday, and we didn’t want to leave her out of our family life here.

The dynamics of a large dog family are much different that having just two or even three. Everyday is a learning adventure for us all here. The adventures and friendships do multiply alongside the dog hair, cleanup, and expenses.

We will be taking a little break from the blog for a short time. I must catch up with other life matters that I have been putting off for too long. Will keep everyone informed about the clearances of Riley and Solo in March.

Barb and I have really enjoyed the photos our new owners have sent of their pup settling into their family. Keep them coming. I hope to add a website page in the future for everyone’s photos. As for our future puppy owners, please don’t stop dreaming about your own golden adventures forthcoming later this year. Those dreams are only a litter away.

Miss Pink has joined our famly as “Emma’s Miss Lucy of Brickyard”. Having her here has softened the puppy withdrawal that Barb and I and Emma would otherwise be suffering. Our youngest dog, Solo, has never seen a puppy up close before. She was the sole dog from Emma’s last litter. Losing her place as the youngest is sure to take some getting used to on her part. The last photo shows them extending a hesitant greeting to each other.

The last of our puppy children departed today. The whelping box is quiet. If you listen hard enough, you can still imagine the boisterous sounds of the happy litter inside just two days ago. Every story must have an end though, and this book, Emma’s Magical Adventure, has reached its final page. Looking back over the photos from the last eight weeks, it is amazing to me how many different adventures we have had and shared.

Barbara, Emma, and I wish our readers: friends, family, old and new puppy owners, much happiness. Like the traditional Irish blessing that graces many a placque, our golden puppy blessing to you all would go something like this…

May the warm memories of these puppy adventures wrap tightly around your heart and mind. May they shelter you against the frigid chills of life’s difficult moments.

May the love, laughter, and adventures we have shared together, remind us all how the simple lessons are the most important, and that living in the moment is a philosophy that we all would do well to embrace.

Then we might enjoy life as fully as our Goldens do.

But wait… Like the sparks and embers of an autumn bonfire, Emma’s efforts have taken new life to alight and flame into adventures in many new lives. Her birthing efforts now will ripple and grow into individual book sequels that will unfold over the next several years. Here are truly the fruits and blessings of her labors…

Puppy hugs to all.