Colleen and I moved to Toms River, NJ from Central New Jersey back in 2006. Our first dog (Josh) entered the household in December, 2006, after a long trek in the ice from my sister’s house in Western NJ up to the Poconos in Pennsylvania. My interests include sports (Yankees, Carolina Panthers, Michigan), walking the dogs (obviously), blogging (double obviously), and watching television. We are big into watching cooking/baking shows (even though neither of us actually knows how to cook! Colleen can bake, however!) and dramas.
Of course, the main reason you are here is to learn about our experiences with Golden Retrievers! Below is an auto biography of each of our furry friends.
“Josh” (Born July 5, 2004)
I came to this house in 2006 after my original owner decided she no longer wanted me to become a show dog. My new owners met me on a cold, wintry December day up in the mountains of Pennsylvania. The first bonding moment I had with my new family is when I farted within the first five seconds of meeting them (the farting continued all the way home!). While an arthritic condition hampered me at a very young age, I still loved going to the beach, playing with my favorite toy (a green spider that those dumb humans call a turtle!), and taking long rides to Grandma’s house for meatballs. I used to love playing the role of the alpha dog, though the immobility my arthritis has caused has made me much tolerant of the other dogs when they bother me. I am just a giant bundle of pure love and joy. My groomers would say that I was the most gentle, sweetest soul they ever met. My parents have learned a lot from me, and a lot of what they learned will inspire my Daddy in his blog posts. I have heard it all, and I have seen it all. I hope you enjoy this page.
“Jeter” (Born July 30, 2009)
I came to this house as a puppy in October, 2009. My parents will tell the story about how me being here has some fate attached to it, as it was a tragedy (the death of a young rabbit they adopted) that lead them to go in the direction of wanting to get their first ever puppy! I instantly bonded with my mommy when they came to check out the litter. I instantly fell asleep in her lap when she held me. She was in love, and so was I. It wasn’t until a week or so later that I actually learned that I would be going home with them (YAY!). I remember the first night like it was yesterday – I had yet to meet Josh until they brought me home, and I instantly tried to bond with him (even if he saw me as a little pain in the ass). My parents have pictures of me cuddling up next to Josh, with him panting while watching over me. Josh taught me a lot about how to be a dog, and put me in my place often when I drove him crazy. Unfortunately, seizures have affected my life a bit (two of them in my lifetime!), but I have been able to avoid medication. Both seizures occurred during the Final Jeopardy theme song, so my parents mute that part of the show to this day. My interests include chasing tennis balls, going for very long walks, and of course, being with my mommy. I will follow her everywhere in the house, and have always been in tune with her when she has a bad day. The bond we formed all those years ago has never gone away! I have a goofy personality, and my parents have learned a lot about raising a dog from the beginning thanks to me.
“Alanis” (Born January 13, 2014)
I came to this house only eight months after I was born. My first family had a child who was allergic to my hair, so they put me up for adoption. One day, my daddy was loading Alanis Morissette CDs onto iTunes when he noticed an e-mail that came through to my mommy’s account about Golden Retrievers available in this area. He instantly e-mailed the woman from the ad, and 24 hours later, I was meeting my soon to be brothers in a dog park. Jeter didn’t like me at first, but eventually, we bonded and ran around the park, playing and wrestling each other. We still do that to this day. Oh, you wonder about how Josh reacted to me? He was indifferent. He sniffed me and started prancing around the park without a care in the world. My interests include playing with Jeter, playing with tennis balls and toys, barking at anything that moves, and going for long walks. My parents are learning a lot from me because I am a bit of the wild child – I have eaten plaster on walls and chewed through couch cushions. I am a crazy dog who is essentially always on the go. I don’t want there to ever be a dull moment! They even refer to me as their “Diva Dog”, and I seem to wear that tag proudly.
“JJ” (Born December 22, 2017)
My mommy wanted a dog for Christmas, and although that didn’t come to fruition, she did get a puppy that was born around Christmas! I hope that doesn’t mean they will combine my birthday with Christmas. I want stuff both days. You may think my name is a combination of “Josh” and “Jeter” as a tribute to the two Golden Retrievers my family has lost, but that isn’t entirely true – it is just a very nice coincidence. I am named after a former Duke player (JJ Redick), who was one of my mommy’s favorite players of all time. I was found by my daddy’s sister, who was searching for a new dog for the house for a while, before coming across this litter of puppies by a well-respected breeder who only lives 25 minutes from the house. My interests include chewing, making my ways upstairs, chewing, finding ways to get on the kitchen table, chewing, driving Alanis crazy, chewing, going to dog class, chewing, chasing around tennis balls, and chewing. I will be doing a lot of blogging as I go through my entire life journey, including my training classes. I never met my two older brothers, but I understand there are big shoes to fill. Thankfully for me, they didn’t wear shoes, and neither do I.
“Tucker” (Born January 6, 2018)
Talk about something coming together quickly! Mommy and Daddy wanted to find a playmate for JJ but were not “actively” looking. One day, Daddy received a message from our dog trainer (sent in a group chat!) that included my profile. After much debate with himself (about 20 seconds), he decided to send an e-mail to inquire about me. My parents have been down this road many times before so they didn’t get their hopes high or low. Within 24 hours, Daddy was contacted by my old family and within 72 hours, I was in my new home! I instantly bonded with Alanis. Ironically, it took me a few days to start bonding with JJ! Male hormones, you know! I love to play with stuffed toys (I don’t actually break them!), running around the yard with JJ and Alanis, and cuddling up and get as much attention as doggily possible. My Daddy says he has never seen a dog who can go from 0 to 100 back down to 0 as quickly as I can – I am a bit goofy and insane and you can guarantee that there will never be a dull moment when I am around.