Gaddy, the Duck Dog! I couldn’t be prouder of the handsome hunting companion he is growing up to be!!
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On this week of Thanksgiving as we count our blessings, I am truly grateful to have received photos from the CH Rooster x Trevi litter born just over a year ago (10/30/17). Thank you, Sandy, for bringing your lovely girl to my boy, Rooster, for this litter!
Jon and “Gaddy”
Now truly, there is nothing better than seeing a Golden Retriever do what s/he was bred to do… To be a gentleman’s (or woman’s) hunting companion of upland game and of course… to be a “retriever”!
Gaddy looks like he is a swimmer too! Good boy, Gaddy!
Breeding can pass on genetics of conformation and ability but it truly takes dedication and hard work of each and every owner to bring out the best in his or her dog(s). Jon and Jennifer have done this with their dogs! And, well, like the saying goes… A picture tells a thousand words!
Patience and perserverance… Kudos to Jon & Jennifer for all they do for their two Goldens!
Thank you Jon and Jennifer for including me in “Gaddy’s” journey on becoming the hunting dog you envisioned. I am SURE there have been up’s and down’s in his training. Still, it is through your commitment in sharing this sport with your dogs, that Gaddy is progressing to be a “duck dog”! It is that dedication and perserversance that will make Gaddy an outstanding hunting companion. Of that, I have no doubt!
LOVE Jennifer’s pretty smile! And those two dogs… they are not taking their eyes off of those ducks! These are two very lucky dogs indeed!!
I love getting photos of “my” puppies in their new homes. And I love to hear how well they are doing; how much that puppy is loved. I recently received news about “Eddy” and how well he did on a family trip… I just had to share a few photos.
Eddy playing in the water and exploring rock climbingGreat photo of Eddy and his boy. I’m sure they will have many adventures together!
I’m very fortunate to stay-in-touch with many of my “puppy people” hearing about their adventures as their puppy grows into a dog. Seeing them grow up brings back many memories of the time they were with me. That time always seems to go by very fast. Looking back… SUCH great memories of “how I spent my summer!”
Another sport Golden Retrievers LOVE to do is “dock diving”. For the dog who loves to swim, this is just FUN! Thank you, Michele for sending me this vid of your/our boy, Strut doing what comes natural for him… Retrieving! GOOD BOY, Strut!!
Strut is 4 years old; he is by CH Rooster x Tamale. LOVE how Michele (and Larry) do so many things with their dogs! BEST HOME EVER!!!
Puppy Vee has all sorts of toys she can play with but what does she prefer? Shredding newspaper used to wrap some recent purchases. Boxes are a favorite thing to gnaw on too; she can spend quite some time gnawing on the corners of a box that I let her chew (especially if I don’t have the need for the box in the future; why not let her chew on it?)
Another favorite “toy” is empty water bottles (caps removed). Many pet stores sell fuzzy wrapped water bottle that make a “crinkling” sound when chewed on by dogs. My water bottles lack the fuzzy toy material but then again, they are free! Safe, easy toys for a teething puppy to play with keeps her occupied until our next trip outside trying to get her house-broken.
House-breaking… She is doing very good in this area probably because she is only allowed in a small area of the house unless strictly supervised. Take your eyes off puppy for one moment and we are liable to have an “accident”. Some in my family are better at constantly monitoring puppy then others… hence the limited access to the house at least for now.
Now if I could only get her to understand I do NOT want her to jump up on me (in her excitement to see me)! I have several “rips” in my bathrobe where she jumped up on and gripped tightly causing a tear. Well… It was time for a new bathrobe anyways!
Ahh… a tired puppy is a good puppy! But sleeping under my desk… She is NOT going to fit in this space for very much longer!
Puppy evaluations… otherwise known as “eenie, meenie, miney, moe”! Puppies were stacked on the grooming table last night (7/29/18) by my friend and fellow Golden Retriever club member, Terri, while we all went over “parts”. What we are looking at is how does each puppy, on his or her own, compare to the Golden Retriever standard on exactly WHAT a Golden Retriever should look like! (The standard for the Golden Retriever was part of your “puppy packet”; it has the absolute specifics of what I’m talking about here. It can also be found on the AKC and GRCA web site.)
It was after work (for Terri) when we did the evaluations. Pups were out in the backyard running around as we evaluated one puppy at a time. And we watched as the storm clouds were moving in too! Pups all brought inside just before the rain and hail started and the evaluations continued inside. Pups were getting hungry (we all were) so I’m afraid some of my photos were only so-so. Today, I re-stacked pups on the grooming table to re-shoot all of them in much better light.
Mark is on his way to the airport to pick up Sherry. Once I confirm with Sherry, I will be able to let everyone know for sure who is getting what puppy. And I will email you the health info I have from MY vet for you to keep for your records/give to YOUR vet on your puppy.
I am sure I’ve said this many times but it bears saying again… These puppies ALL are incredibly beautiful puppies and very consistent with each other in “type” and “substance”. They have been from the start! I am VERY PROUD of each and every one of these puppies!
Black Boy (now known as “Trek”)Blue Boy (now known as “Ziggy”)
Green Boy (now known as “Finn”)Purple Boy (now known as “Eddy”)Red Girl (now known as “Vee”)Lime Girl (now known as “Charley”)Pink Girl (now known as “Gracie”)Yellow Girl (now known as “Zoey”)
Orange Girl (now known as “Westie”)
August 30, 2018
Where did the time go? Oh… crazy busy time with folks coming to pick up their new babies. Puppies getting situated in their new homes, vet visits, and house-breaking/training started. And just like that, my house is back to “normal”! Puppy pen taken down and dining table back in its place.
It occurs to me that while the folks getting their puppies KNOW all of this, others who may be following my blog do not. Sitting in my “drafts folder” is this entry yet unpublished! So for the folks who may want to see how these pups “stacked” up for the evaluation, here they are. These puppies came at a time in my life when I needed a bit of joy and joyful they were! Some litters are just like that!
I was sent this photo of a Rooster x Trevi puppy (born October 27, 2017). LOVE seeing puppies growing up with their new families! THANK YOU to Sandy for keeping me updated. I see so much of Rooster in this puppy.
Happy/sad time as pups leave to their new homes ready for new adventures!
What an amazing week this has been! LOTS happening every day!
First, we had a fantastic visit with Sherry from California as she came out to see ALL the puppies and ended up going home with “Black Boy/Trek”. THANK YOU Sherry for all your help with the puppies entertaining/socializing them every day and helping me give everyone baths. Puppies had strict orders to STAY CLEAN for their new families which, for the most part, they did! It was great to talk “all things dog” with someone I very much respect in the dog world. You kept saying how it was a vacation for you, Sherry, but it was really a vacation for me! I can’t wait to watch Trek, grow up… I/we are so excited about his future!
“Trek”“Westie”“Gracie”Running and Playing… “Zoey”“Charley”“Gracie”… King (Queen?) of the Hill!“Trek”… STUNNING boy!! Love him to pieces!!
On Friday, we celebrated Rooster’s (CH Gaitway-Jema’s Kiss And Tell, BISS, CGC) 6th birthday. He is such a special boy; he means the world to me! His accomplishments IN the ring pale by comparison to the assistance he so readily gives as a Mobility Assistant Service Dog… He just KNOWS when I need his help!
Happy Birthday, Rooster!
On Friday, Orange Girl (now known as “Westie”) went to her new home. While this starts the beginning of the puppies going to their new homes, I can’t help but feel a tad sad until I see the smiles from the new families. This may be an end to “the puppies” for me but it is just the beginning of their new wonderful lives with their new families! I’ve no doubt they will hit the ground running ready to take on this new adventure! CONGRATULATIONS to all on your new family companions!!
Saturday was the big “going home” day and now… I’m exhausted! We have one more puppy that is leaving tomorrow and then… I will just have my puppy left. It will feel SO STRANGE just feeding ONE PUPPY after “Zoey” leaves!
Black Boy is now known as “Trek”
Orange Girl is now known as “Westie”
Green Boy is now known as “Finn”
Blue Boy is now known as “Ziggy”
Purple Boy is now known as “Eddy”
Pink Girl is now known as “Gracie”
Lime Green Girl is now known as “Charley”
Yellow Girl is now known as “Zoey”
Red Girl is now known as “Vee”
For anyone who has not seen the vid of the puppies playing on the pool cover, they had a BLAST! Talk about getting their “sea legs”! Bouncing around, it was like a Bouncy House for puppies! All of the pups quickly thought this was great fun; another surface mastered by all!
Sunday, August 5, 2018… The blog entry that never ends (LOL!)
I fell asleep at 8:30 p.m. and was up by 4:30 a.m. this morning… Where is the COFFEE! Going through a few more of the photos taken last week and wanted to share:
Puppies play hard with each other but now need to learn you aren’t another puppy for them to climb all over! Gently “correcting” this behavior now will ease your puppy’s transition into your home!It is easy to forget the pupies are like babies… they “explore” everything with their mouths! And I “taught” them how to “dig”! If you have an area you can “give” to the pups to dig, they would be so happy! Think of it like a sandbox for a child. It will help them NOT dig where they shouldn’t if they have their own “spot” to “play”. Our little “water feature” on our back patio where EVERYONE uses as a recirculating drinking bowl! At least none of the pups thought to actually climb into the fountain (I half expected some might try to do that, LOL!) We LOVE all of our puppies! Thank you, Andrew, for all of your help loving on the puppies!
Thank you to everyone who has followed the puppy journey here on my blog/web site! I hope to continue to add more photos as the pups grow up and to share their stories of their lives with their new families. It has been a wonderful summer experience for us… a lot of fun, a lot of work, and a lot of memories!! Congrats again to the new owners of my precious babies!
