my brinkley

 

three years ago

after the passing of my two dogs,

both of whom were around the age of 14

a yellow lab & a great dane mix,

we decided it was time

time to bring in another doggy.

i had always wanted a golden retriever.

in fact the plan was, after purchasing our lab from a breeder

we would then purchase a golden.

but within a few months

gregg found our dane, who was abandoned as a puppy.

two dogs=maxed out.

both were great dogs 

loved big time by our family.

as much as i think golden retriever puppies are possibly 

the cutest animals on the planet

with a house full of children

i knew i'd have to pass on the puppy training.

we decided to adopt

& hooked up with Adopt a Golden Atlanta

rescuing a dog is quite a process.

adoption papers filled out

references sent

home visits

etc.

each of the agencies wants to carefully place

a pet who has already been abandoned

& their desire is for the transition to be as smooth as possible

for everyone.

the particular adoption representative we worked with was fantastic!

she knew i wanted a calm young golden.

a female who i'd name lucy after the character in narnia

with a thick face

who would follow me everywhere.

she called one night & told me she had found the perfect dog for our family.

but it was a he , not a she

nor did he have the thick boxy face of many of the goldens you see in commercials

but he was a love

& i'd flip once i met him.

in fact there were two families driving in from another state to meet him

but we would have first dibs 

& had 24 hours to decide.

since i had my heart set on a girl

but she had been such a great contact

i figured we go check him out.

just to be nice, you know.

we arrived at the foster home

because of course a doggy up for adoption resides with a foster,

after ringing the door bell, heard no barking dog noises

were invited in

& the homeowners opened another door

where our soon to be named brinkley sat.

he walked out

& sat down in front of us.

i looked up to the foster folks

& said

sold.

he has been the perfect dog for us.

in the three years we've had him,

he's probably barked 10 times total.

he doesn't run in the house

or chew furniture.

he's had no indoor accidents.

he follows me everywhere

& is my daily running companion.

this is my brinkley

he's like the homecoming king of the neighborhood

& he is loved.

 

 

i will add this,

because my albeit practically perfect golden

sheds on my dark wood floors,

these are now key players in my daily life.

swiffer sweeper

& my shark cordless stik vac.

& ps

yes, we named him after the golden in 'you've got mail'

xo