Friday, January 14, 2011

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.


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

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

makes me miss my sweet Browning even more. Brinkley sounds just like him! He is Beautiful, Paige.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this! Brinkley sounds like a dream dog. We too have a golden...Riley. She is such a cherished part of our family. Goldens are the best! Have a great day.

My Not So Simple, Domestic Life said...

What a great dog! If only I could get my kids to not run through the house. Thankfully they don't chew on the furniture either...

Dana said...

Brinkley is so very handsome. Sounds like such a treasured friend. The whole shedding thing is a bummer, but is a small price to pay for loyal companion:-)

Jerri said...

Aww Brinkley! The 5th child of your lovely Fam!

traci said...

he's so handsome. we have a golden too. he is so mellow and gentle. he's our buddy.

Sarah said...

What a beautiful dog! Nothing beats a loyal golden.

Enjoy him!

Privet and Holly said...

Gorgeous boy.
Our last dog
was a dane/lab
mix and we did
a 180 with Gracie,
who is a seven pounder.
Like Brinkley, she
is perfection.
xx Suzanne

Jboo said...

What a sweet story! Looks like the perfect doggie for your family! Loved that movie! :)

Janet

Adrienne said...

he is beautiful! we are still training our 1 year old beagle... grrr!

Kat said...

Such a sweet boy. Fergus is a rescue too, from Atlanta Pet Rescue. He is not really a barker either. Don't you just love big, cuddly dogs? Brinkley sure is a handsome boy! He hit the jackpot when he was adopted by your precious family!

Kelli said...

Our Rusty passed away right before the holidays and we're going to be looking for another dog very soon. I love the picture of him in the leaves. Beautiful!

Biz said...

He is handsome!
I have my heart on a Great Dane next, but I can't bear to think of not having my two boys Cappy & Pup. And I hear you on the shedding...I swear I would love to mix a Dane & a Poodle so that I could have a dog that's big and doesn't shed ;)
Biz
http://busybizblogs.blogspot.com/

Susan R said...

Perfect. Can't say much more than that.
If you ever have to move out of the country or something like that...I get first dibs on Brinkley.

{A*very} Blessed Life said...

What an awesome dog Brinkley is! We did the same thing with a rescue dog after our beloved Ellie passed away. I too had my heart set on a girl dog, but our "perfect" dog was a he from the Cocker Spaniel Rescue here. He was dubbed "Barkley" by my then 3 year old who had a love for the Sesame Street dog with the smae name. Our Barkley has been an awesome little guy and we love him dearly. We also have a rescue named Lucy who is going to be 15 this February. I think rescue dogs make such good pets. It's like they know they have been given a second chance.

Jodi said...

Paige, he is a sweetie, I can tell just by seeing his pictures. We are a "dog" family and lost our German Shorthair 2 years ago, she was our baby and reached the ripe ol'age of 16! My daughter and I have been begging my hubby for another dog; I want a yellow lab. I agree w/ adopting, I would love to have a older dog, I am not keen on the "potty training" idea either!
Love your pictures!!!

Jodi

kasey said...

i want a dog.....
but you can keep shedding.

Martha said...

I love your pictures of him...they are beautiful...and he's so handsome...he sounds like a wonderful member of your family...
the next pup we get...I've thought about wanting to look into adopting a retired greyhound perhaps...but i would need to do research and such:)
xo

tracey @ bellaskys said...

He is so handsome! Love his face & his eyes are so expressive! Rescued dogs just seem to know how wanted & loved they are. Since me & my hub were dating (since the '90's) we have only had rescued dogs, mutts mostly but they have been the biggest blessings in our lives. Dogs are so special! shedding, slobbering & all. Swiffer is my best friend too. I was looking at one of those sharks at Walmart the other day, need to get one now. We have two non stop shedding mutts here! The things we do for love, right???

Courtney Walsh said...

I am NOT a dog person (or really an animal person at all) but since we moved to CO, my kids have started to realized everyone out here has a dog... your Brinkley makes me actually consider it!! He's sooo cute! :)

grateful girl said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE your pictures of Brinkley! We have a Golden Retriever, Riley, ...our second...and she is indeed my third dauther! Goldens are a wonderfully sweet and loyal dog! He is lucky to have found you! :)

Alecia said...

I love him...he's soooo cute...and I LOVE Brinkley in You've Got Mail...FUN!!! I love how quickly you said "sold"!

All That Jazz said...

What a darling story! I love Goldens. I used to dogsit for a Golden named Jake. He was 12 and had battled cancer. His hips were failing him. He was so full of joy though. He still thought he was a puppy! He'd carry his big stuffed bear in his mouth and follow me everywhere. I really miss him. His family finally had to put him down. :-(
The pictures you featured of Brinkley are so great, too! Really capture his character!
~michelle~

Shannon said...

Is it ridiculous that I am crying after reading this?? I LOVE dogs and Brinkley is quite handsome. My little Puggle(beagle/pug) follows me everywhere as well. It can get pretty crowded in the bathroom when I have 2 girls and a dog who follow me in :)

Kate said...

Paige...he is a delight!!! My sister rescued a very gentle Golden, Daphne, who sounds so much like Brinkley! She never barked except the ONE time they had a home invasion. That poor nervous dog stood at the top of the staircase and protected my sister's family while alerting them that intruders were in the house. We all just love her to pieces. Such a sweet loyal breed. I love your pictures of Brinkley!!

Yolanda said...

Brinkely is just beautiful.Dont they add such joy to our lives.

Suzanne said...

Brinkley is a beautiful and very calm seeming golden . He rounds out a family of girls very well ! Have a warm day !

Kimberly said...

He's fabulous! Goldens are my family's fave as well. We have Rosie & Jax ... We love them and they love us back. Thanks for sharing!

Laurie said...

Just found your blog this week and am already excited to keep reading. We're in the process of looking for a rescue dog- a Golden. Just looking at your Brinkley (love the name and LOVED the movie!!) is getting me even more excited about it!

Anonymous said...

You are so very lucky. Brinkley is a beautiful boy! We were lucky enough to find our sweet boy at a shelter after seeing him at a rescue event at a local pet store. He is our family and as I'm typing he is sleeping on my foot!
Keep counting your blessings!
Christy

Hood Canal Gal said...

What a cutie, he's perfect!
We rescued a yellow lab from a shelter just before chirstmas, she had me the minute I laid eyes on her.
She's become my walking partner, my floor cleaner & my shadow around the house. I can't imagine life with out her now....

Jen Kershner said...

You know I'm going to have to answer this post with a My Millie post, right? I just want to smooch that Brinkley's big pupper snout. P.S. Millie is a rescue too. I'm not really a puppy person. My first golden I got as a puppy. Those were some tough times.

Between You and Me said...

you know somethings wrong when you cry over a post about your brinkley.

what in the world is wrong with me?

i {love} brinkley.

3 Peanuts said...

Oh he seems SO sweet. What a gorgeous, calm dog. I wish my dogs did not bark!!! Will is allergic so no golden's are in our future but we sure love our schnoodles!

Casey said...

Paige...thank you so much for sharing your beautiful post about Brinkley! He looks like such a sweetheart and I am so glad he was blessed to find such loving home and family who obviously adores him. Thank you for adopting him! You are an angel in my book!

DaShannon said...

Of course you named him after B in You've Got Mail! I just watched/listened to it for something like the 400th time. The thought of Hanks yelling Brinkley! gives me a warm happy feeling every time.

ellieshine said...

Paige,

he's so gorgeous. it brought tears to my eyes to see him lifting his front leg in point - our last lab, who was mine for all 14 years of his life did that.

i love all these photos of your beautiful boy.

xo ellie

SHERRY HART said...

OK...I can't read any more of your post this morning [more tears]. I love that story. I have 2 rescued old english sheepdogs. It was quite the journey rehabilitating them [3 years old and had NEVER been in a house] but they are wonderful now at 7 years.

Haley's Hopechest said...

Oh my gosh you're amazing. I was catching up on my blog-reading and clicked on yours first hoping I would see some new pics of Brinkley. We have a border collie/retriever mix named Cooper, and since You've Got Mail is my favorite fall movie, I want to name our next pup Brinkley. Thanks for sharing this sweetie. I'm in love!!