Saluting Our Elders

Lovingly Dedicated to the Memory of
AMBER MORTENSEN
who, by example, taught us many lessons about
courage, dignity, and above all, love.

Every good dog needs a role model or two. On this page, we'll introduce you to some of the wonderful senior Goldens on the G@H List, any of whom could teach two youngsters like us a thing or two. Titled or not, these dogs represent "Golden Royalty", continuing to live wisely and well in their "Golden Years". They dish out love unconditionally, asking for little more than a good meal, a soft spot to sleep, and an ample supply of belly rubs. We are honored to present ...

"The Crowned Heads Of Goldendom"
Goldens who've reached their 13th birthday or more

This photo of me was taken about 3 years ago.

At my age, "comfort is everything!" Sometimes I get into even sillier positions!

"Spring"
(Acorn Ridge DeVoe Nova CDX)
Whelped 4/4/83
Pauline Stevens - Cotswolds Golden Retrievers
cotswold@esper.com
http://www.rahul.net/hredlus/g-page155.html
Pauline writes: "You could call Spring my first rescue; she was a “stud fee puppy”, and destined to be a show dog and brood bitch; but the dreams of the friend who owned her were dashed when at 6 months her preliminary hip x-rays showed hips not acceptable to my friend. We had been socialising Spring for a couple of months and I was asked if we would like to keep her. My daughter Helen, whose tenth Birthday was approaching, wanted to have her own show and junior showmanship dog. She was ecstatic! The day Helen turned 10 they entered the show ring for the first time. A great success in puppy sweepstakes but a little more team work needed for juniors. But they soon became a winning team and a couple of years later they qualified for Westminster. Once it became apparent that Spring did not have the best Golden temperament where other dogs were concerned we had her spayed. She had some special friends though - Pepper a Basenji, Lucy a Samoyed, Meg the Aussie and Jezi a Giant Schnauzer. These four were her buddies, training together and attending the same shows. Spring has mellowed over the years, and even though she is the matriarch of the Cotswolds Clan, she has usually been especially polite to all the rescues that come through the door. She has led a fairly healthy life, despite the fact that 13 years ago I was told by a teaching vet at our local vet school that I was killing her. He made this statement because I was not feeding store bought kibble to my dogs and was giving them a completely natural home made diet. In December 1996, Brad (her vet) performed surgery on her to remove several mammary tumors . The prognosis did not look good and Brad was concerned that he had not removed all the tentacles., but 15 months later she is still in remarkably good shape for a dog of her age. Her vision is limited, her hearing is impaired and she has a hard time getting up and down stairs; she barks at “evil things” only she hears and sees; she sometimes forgets where she’s going when she’s outside, so we have to watch her carefully. If we do have to give chase she can still outrun us and beat us home! Occasionally she will encourage one of the younger ones to play with her and will steal the bones if they leave them unattended for more than 5 seconds."

"Dulcie"
Whelped 12/27/81
Jean Farny
"I got Dulcie (unregistered) at the age of seven weeks from a sleazy puppy broker.... I didn't know about responsible breeders, good nutrition, crate training etc. In fact, I'm not sure crates had been invented back then. Dulcie was underweight, a fact that was disguised by the thickest puppy fur I have ever seen, and had kennel cough. After she recovered from the kennel cough, and put on weight, she turned into an incredibly high energy, sassy, silly, disobedient brat. I took her to obedience training to get control of the situation, and eventually with an ILP number Dulcie earned her CD. We did train for a CDX and did agility, but the jumping became too hard for her and she retired when she was eight. Dulcie has slowed down considerably, since she turned fourteen, but still lives by the motto "I rile people up, therefore I am."
When Dulcie was around three and a half months old, my roommate brought home a 6 week old shepherd/doberman/husky puppy that she found on the street. From one of his ancestors the puppy, Derzu, had inherited the kind of tail that curls up over the back in a circle. Dulcie's favorite game with Derzu was to charge at him from across the room, and as she barreled down upon him, she would reach over, snag his tail, and keep on running. Judging from his bellows of rage Derzu didn't enjoy the game nearly as much as Dulcie and learned very quickly to head for a chair and get under it. (My roommate eventually took Derzu and moved out.)"

"Andy"
(Can. Ch. Vurengold Ace Alliance)
Whelped 12/1/82
Kathy Chase - Mariner Kennels, Jefferson, Maine
mariner@agate.net
http://www.marinerkennels.com
Kathy writes: "Andy was born in England. My husband purchased Andy while stationed there, and Andy returned with Jon to the US a few years later. A year after that Jon and I met and married, and Andy became our first show Golden. Andy has been all that a Golden should be and more - his gentle ways have won over even self-proclaimed non-doggie people. Through him we discovered the dog show world, and formed bonds to last a lifetime. A friend to all, Andy has happily served as a pillow for toddlers and a puppy-sitter for worn-out dams, to the point of climbing into the whelping box and letting puppies crawl all over him. We cherish each day we have with him - everyone should have an Andy in their lives."

Here is a picture of Andy at age 12, winning
the 10-12 Veterans Sweeps class at the 1994 GRCA National Specialty show.

"Blockie"
(OTCH Hi-Point's Skip Off the Ol'Block, TDX WC)
Whelped 5/12/84
Judy Lee
Blockie123@aol.com
"Blockie is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest golden there could ever be, and he is my constant companion. He follows me all over the house just so he can stay near me. In his younger years, he was an excellent working dog who put his heart into any activity that we did. He was a joy to train and a joy to show."

"Rusty"
Whelp Date unknown. Presumed to be approximately 13.
Rick Reid
ej18026@goodnet.com
http://www.goodnet.com/~ej18026/homepage.html
Rusty was rescued by Rick and Liz in October of 1992. He had been abandoned and was found wandering the streets by our veterinarian. The vet had been searching for Rusty's owner for 2 weeks without success. Rusty was doomed to be put down, but when Rick heard the story of Rusty, he brought him home for a trial. Rusty is now about 13 years old and has led a spoiled "Golden Life," for the last few years! Rusty is an excellent Obedience dog, he enjoys going for walks, swimming, camping, eating ice cubes, and looks forward to his daily meals. Rusty has no hips, due to congenital hip displaysia, but he still insists on getting his daily walk! He tends to be other dog aggressive, but has been a role model for many of our foster dogs. Even the fosters that are also dog aggressive tend to tow the line with Rusty. We recently rescued 3 puppies from Oregon with the intention of adopting all three of them out. But decided to see how Rusty would react to having a 4 month old puppy around. I felt for sure that he would want to kill the puppy. But to the contrary, the puppy immediately bonded to Rusty, and Rusty has been his mentor and confidant since he arrived here. Please visit all three of our GOLDEN BUDDIES!

"Kinsha"
(Sunnyside's Lady Essex, CD)
Whelped 1/28/84
Marti Gregoire - MGM Goldens & GSP
MGMK9@juno.com
"The oldest of the pack here at MGM. Job description: Official greeter and grandma to all. Temperament: Sweet, kind, gentle, friendly, outgoing, curious and lovable. Favorite activities: Furr Tanning in the AZ sun, playing with the youngsters, napping with the kitties and of course dinner, treats and being dad's best friend. The best dog we have ever had the pleasure of sharing our lives with. A bit older, a bit grayer and a bit slower but her Golden spirit still shines through."

"Buddy"
Whelp Date (assigned) October 8, 1984
Nettie Gow
Nettiekg@aol.com
We adopted Buddy on October 8, 1985 - he was in a shelter. He was found wandering, lost, and after 21 days in a shelter, no one had claimed this dear, strong, fellow. We were so lucky to find him and have him share his life with us. We decided his birthday was October 8, 1984 - as the vet estimated him to be one year old. He is the love of our lives. He shares his home with Benzer, his 9 year old "brother." And he still steals our shoes (we pretend to scold him, to keep it interesting for him). He is very good, very sweet, very strong-willed, and a wonderful soul. This is a picture of him taken three years ago, before he lost the bottom of his jaw for a non-malignant (thank God) tumor.

"Mary"
(Can.Ch. Glenru's Turngold Ms Behavin CD, OD)
Whelped November 3, 1984
owned & loved by Shelly Frew, Turngold Goldens
Mallorytown, Ontario, Canada
turngold@recorder.ca
http://www.mts.net/~bwaite/breeders/turngold.htm
Mary was the only bitch puppy in a litter of three. Her breeder said I could have her as long as I promised to show her. If she only knew how much I was going to show her!!! In her vast show career she managed to win Top Golden Show Bitch in Canada for 2 consecutive years, as well as many other awards. She also proved her strength as a mother, producing Best In Show dogs, Specialty winners, and 15 Champions, and was the GRCC Top Golden Brood Bitch for 2 consecutive years. However, more importantly she's always been a very special and much loved member of our family. She's happiest with a sock or ball in her mouth, taking trips to the lake for a swim, and never (ever) says no to a dog cookie. Her love of travelling and being shown is immense. Even at the age of 13 when she *strode* into the veterans ring at our National, she threw her head in the air, picked her feet up and seemd to proudly say "world, here I am!" We love her dearly.

Mary at age 10 flying around the ring at a National Specialty.