Finally managed to join the 21st Century and hopefully continue the support for Jans’s great work by joining the online community!
We have a tale of two dogs and a cat. We first got to meet Jan in around 2000 when after years of childrearing, job chasing, and a long gap of about 5 years from losing our family dog, we made the decision that as now I was an ‘at home’ mum the time was right again for us to add a new member to the family.
Let me introduce Barney. Barney was a huge Goldie, well above the standard height, very placid, stocky and those that see the two strains, very much a showing line rather than a working line. He was 18 months old when we gave him his forever home. Barney dripped devotion from every hair. We have never met before or since a most wonderful loyal companion, who was completely family focussed. He belonged to us all, and just delighted in being in our company.
In 2002 we ‘aquired’ a kitten. A typical street cat, who immediately adopted Barney as his new Dad. To us humans he’s a nasty little wretch but the type you cant help but love for his character. But to Barney they were Dad and Son. Barney allowed the kitten to grow, claw, leap, sleep and never objected to anything. In 2003 we had Barney passported and from that point on he travelled extensively through France thoroughly enjoying each and every holiday with us. In 2004, Barneys cruciate went on his rear leg. On recommendation from the Vet we went to a specialist in St Helens who was extremely positive about surgery, (hed operated on the Harry Potter dog actually at the time of filming!) and we proceeded. I have to say the results were indeed brilliant, and very quickly Barney was as active as he’d always been.
However, on Easter weekend 2005, on his morning walk, Barney quite inexplicably keeled over and died. He was 6. The comfort we have always carried from this is that it was like a bolt of lightning as he was running through his favourite field with that huge grin on his huge face, and the next moment he was gone. The vets opinion was a massive brain haemorrhage. The house was in mourning. I couldn’t look at photographs for a year, and well if that wasn’t upsetting enough, the Cat spent a year waiting by the window……… Then along came SANDY! (God bless you Jan!) Oh yes another trip to Euxton for one of Jans ‘special’ cases needing a forever home….. Sandy. Sandy came with a certified warning. ‘DESTRUCTIVE CHEWER’.
On first meeting (not the usual roll over stroke my belly one, but the Im sooooooo excited I cant keep still one) Jan suggested we walk him for a little, and just think a little longer. Well 200 yards of being dragged up the drive and that was it. Decision made. Yes the perfect dog for us! Well the bundle of exploding energy arrived home with us, the Cat didn’t have a clue what this thing was all about and we rapidly set into our routine. The first week, we lost a table leg, 2 mobile phones, and despite constant reminders that the kitchen must be dog proofed overnight, those family members stupid enough to leave their shoes in the kitchen came down to leather strips in the morning. We only had tears once when my daughter ‘lost’ her best jumper to the smiling assassin but it was indeed soon forgiven.
I can only stress at this point to those that may have chewers, that routine is everything. Within 2 weeks it had completely stopped. We fed each day to the minute. Walked and schooled twice a day to the minute, and went to bed/got up to the minute. Sandy is definitely a ‘working’ line, and was a sponge absorbing every new command and praise and loving his new ‘retrieving job’. We never once chastised him for bad behaviour and merely persisted in removing the wet and soggy inappropriate chewing item, for appropriate ones. Of course he isn’t quite perfect. Leave your dinner on the side and itll be gone, but the joy and pride we have in him for turning into one of the smartest obedient animals Ive known (along with the usual Goldie loyalty) is wonderful. His vocabulary is up to over a fifty words now. He will heel walk, (no more pulling), long distance retrieve, seek out, (which really impresses the locals as they ask him to go find lost golf balls), swim retrieve, identify different objects, and of course completely lose all mental capacity and self control when it comes to rabbits.
Weve now had him 2 years, is passported and as with Barney loves the travelling., Hes still learning, still a ball of exploding energy, but has indeed turned out to be a wonderful dog, who has shown us how to look at Barneys pictures without a tear. Thank you so much Jan.
Oh and as to the cat, Ill let the picture tell that story………….
Well done to all Goldie lovers, and especially a huge thanks to Jan. Caroline and Simon.
Sandy and Cat
