PetsJubilee: Golden Retriever

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Share your Christmas story

Growing up I always had dogs and cats.

Our dogs were usually a type of retriever or Labrador mix.

One of the bonds I had with my Dad was our love for the dog shows. We would always watch them together.

My love was always the Afghan hound, and my dad LOVED the Golden Retriever.

When our dog Huxley, a black lab/German shepherd mix, passed away, my brother and sister and I decided to do something special. We were young but I had some money from tutoring and babysitting, and we searched and finally found Golden Retriever puppies that would be ready to adopt for Christmas.

We brought the puppy home Christmas Eve and hid him downstairs, hoping he would not bark. (Of course we were down there with him most of the night.) But he was so good, and did not bark.

The following morning, Christmas morning, after we opened all of our gifts, we said, “Oh, there is one more” We went downstairs and put the puppy in the wrapped box we had all ready with a big red bow on top, and placed the puppy inside.

We put the box on his lap and the box began to move and of course he thought it was a joke gift. When the puppy popped his head up and out of the box! A beautiful, dark gold, adorable puppy.

Well my father had no words…. He picked up the puppy and walked out of the house....
You see, he was too choked up to speak, and not being an emotional man, did not want us to see him crying.

Later he walked all around the neighborhood showing that puppy to everyone.

He wanted to call him Chips, but as this was our very first pedigree we needed a sir name for the official papers. :-)

So he named him Sir Andre' Chips.

My favorite Christmas ever.
(This is not Chips, but looks a lot like him)

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Please, before getting any type of pet as a gift for someone else, do consider the following:
The decision to add a new pet to the family needs to be a carefully considered one, not an "impulse purchase." A dog, in particular, is a long-term commitment, not just a Christmas morning puppy thrill.
If you and your family really want a dog, that's great! Just make sure that they are ready for this commitment, and take your time when it comes to choosing a puppy, or any pet. After all, he's going to be a family member for a long time.