Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

Hi Everyone, We hope all our friends and their golden companions are safe and sound after yesterday’s hurricane. We were fortunate not to lose power here in Farmington like we normally do, but there are outages all around us. Over the weekend, Lexi, one of our former puppies came back home. Their owners called and said their family circumstances had changed, and they needed to return the dog. This has only happened a few times in the over ten years of breeding, but we are grateful when the owners call us as per their contract. We have no trouble finding another  forever home for one of our animals. So three and a half year old Lexi, who is the daughter of our mother Riley and  father Mulder of Westminster fame, has joined the family.

Here are some photos her prior owners shared with us..

She shared her prior home with a yorkie who had died last year, so coming into our large dog family was a bit of an adjustment for her. But just after two days, she ran with the pack, and now just has to find out how close the others will let her get to me while I am writing this..

Her former owners shaved her, so she now looks like a cross between a lab and a golden. At the fields today, she had a wondrous time, as I don’t think she ever was able to run free like this.

The rest of the family is doing very well. Eight month old Gabby is as big as the rest now..

She still enjoys eating her greens and ignoring the garden fences as usual..

Here is Riley (on the right) mother of Lexi, walking beside Solo.

Then Rocky and Lucy round out our Golden family.

We already have a  special family interested in  adopting Lexi. This family has a seriously ill Lab at the moment, so we will keep her here for the short term. Lexi’s mild temperament and attitude has made her addition here a special blessing instead of the chaos we thought would be the result of a sixth dog. Either that or Barb and I have just lost our minds and don’t know it yet.. hah!

Wishing Golden smiles to all our readers and dog owners.

Gabby is going to live as a member of a multiple dog family, and needs to learn how to walk with the others. With her short legs, we have to go slowly, and not stress out her joints. So presently, we are taking her for a walk with one of the big dogs, who have already enjoyed their own run, so they are docile and calm with her. But we started with our daughter Kristen’s pug, Pearl, when they were visiting for Easter.

The other four were not happy, even though they had already had their fun time. When does a Golden ever turn down an opportunity for more adventures?

Today it was Lucy’s turn to take Gabby through her walk the block paces..

Walking a pack requires a certain amount of specialized attire. Besides the leashes, and collars, you have to bring extra leashes since it is not good if one or two of them snap when you are out on the fields. Being politically correct is your responsibility when walking a number of dogs who can be aggressive in larger numbers. And I have had the large metal clasps break of fatigue without warning during walks and runs. Second lots of poop bags which is obvious. Third:  tough gloves, so you don’t get blisters or dirt or other material on your hands when they run with their leashes on at the fields. And fourth, heavy duty boots so you can keep yourself from being pulled over when they all in total outweigh you by a few hundred pounds. Sneakers or light weight shoes don’t work.

And of course you need a whistle, to recall them when they run free on the fields. Most of the time they listen..

And after everyone has walked or run, it is time to chill. Here Gabby is sitting with Rocky on the back stoop.

A very enjoyable start for all to a Sunday morning.

Gabby has been with us only a week plus, and she is fitting in nicely. She has a very even disposition, and is very good at following the bigger family members with bathroom breaks. She has slept through the last several nights and has been dry in her crate. A very early and unusual  success for all involved.  We are very pleased with her progress.

Traditionally we take the new puppy for her first vet visit and then take her on a tour of our medical offices and hospital locations where she is welcomed lavishly. So the picture diary follows of her first week here with us..

First our visit to Dr. Steve Feldman, a real star in our book over the many years he has cared for all our animals.

Then it was off to my Avon and Hartford Medical  Offices.

She still seemed to have lots of energy, so we moved on to Saint Francis Hospital:  the OR area lounge, and Administration offices.

And after she returned home and had a nap, she returned to her favorite puppy activity which is chewing everything that might fit in her mouth..

The other dogs just watched and wondered what we had brought into our home..

They made their displeasure a little more forcefully known by taking my beeper off the table and chewing it up but good..

But Gabby was blissfully unaware of the negative energy, and just collapsed in her pen for a long nap after a very eventful day.

It has been a very busy weekend here in our home in Farmington, Connecticut. We started the weekend on Friday picking up our new female puppy. What a gorgeous girl from a gorgeous litter. Dodi and Walter did an amazing job whelping and raising their latest litter. Gabby had to have a last run in the yard with her mom Trude, before she said goodbye and started the journey home with us. (Please click on the photos if you  want to view in larger scale).

Saturday was our daughter Kristen’s birthday party. Her dog Pearl joined the party with our four goldens, and our newest arrival Gabby.

There were some initial growls and sniffing moments when our group met Gabby, but she is very self assured, and made herself right at home.

The other dogs are not as impressed, but seem tolerant enough at this point.

Easter Sunday started out with another crowd and dinner. So Gabby got to meet lots of new faces.. Still there was time to explore the back yard and make some interesting discoveries.

We tried some photos of Lauren and Kristen with Gabby to possibly update our home page for our website. Our daughters were in high school when those photos were taken. Time has moved along, but they still make an arresting photo in my mind! We will have to see what magic Celeste Rockel (our website designer extraordinaire) can do with these latest photos. PS Celeste, I am having some technical troubles to get the story line matching the photos in the composer program.. Please help pretty please, and pardon everyone for the way the story is displayed.

And at the end of this long day, man and puppy alike needed a little nap, as evidenced by our son Brian joining Gabby for some quiet time.

 
And when everyone had left, and the house was quiet again, Gabby showed she feels happy and comfortable in her new home, by just curling up under an end table, happy and at peace.
 

 
Thank you Dodi and Walter of Mardovar Goldens for giving us such a great puppy to rekindle the stories of  Golden life and love from Dogville.

Our oldest son, Michael Jr., lives in Maryland with Emma and their two sons, Ethan and Alex. He recently learned he was being promoted and also being transferred to Italy for a few years. As grandparents, you feel more than a little tug on your heartstrings when your children and grandchildren move farther away rather than closer. Mike Jr. called us Sunday night and told us about their preparations to visit Florence for two weeks to find a place to live. Rocky didn’t have a place to stay yet, as he had not had his bordetella shot which is required for a kennel visit. (For those of our readers who are new to our dog family, Rocky is a very special boy who had emergency bowel surgery the one day before he was to join his new family. We ended up keeping him an extra month to recover, and then he joined our son’s family.) I happened to have Monday off, so Barb and Mike Jr. came up with  a wild plan to fly down there early the next morning and then drive Rocky home to us.

So we got up at 4:00 AM, got our Goldens here situated, and then headed to the airport.

A quick flight on Southwest, a rental car pickup, and then we were there. I hadn’t seen our grandsons in months so this was really special for me. Barb had been able to take some solo trips but I always had conflicts. We brought Christmas presents for everyone as we wouldn’t be seeing them on the holiday. What started as a whim, turned out to be a very enjoyable day for everyone.

The biggest hit for the little ones were the snow globes that security at the airport payed extra special attention to..

Rocky was thriving and looking great.

All too soon though, it was time to say goodbye and head back for the long ride home.

Rocky did great in the car once his lunch came up on the back seat. It was my fault that we fed him an hour before we left. The ride home took about six hours with Barb and I switching driving every so often. Getting home that evening, our son Brian introduced Rocky to the pack.

A very full day, but one of very happy memories on multiple levels. And it all occurred because of a crazy idea that we should be exceptional granddogparents, and take care of our special boy once again!

PS: Since Mike JR. will be in Italy another week, I want to reassure him when he checks his email that Rocky is doing ok with the bigger girls. So here is a photo of him scoping out his former whelping box home. This area is once again turned into my little brewery where holiday wine and beer is fermenting. I wonder what thoughts and smells he has of that special place.

And finally, here is Rocky with his place among the pack. At the back of course since he is at the bottom of the pecking order.

PS: We are still waiting on our Riley’s next heat. These events are very unpredictable. We thought November or December would be the window of opportunity. Still we are only half way through December. Riley herself doesn’t appear too worried.. She lives very fully in the moment.