How It All Began

By Sandra L. Lok

            Some forty years ago, long before we had Golden Retrievers, we learned that our neighbor’s dog gave birth to a litter of puppies. Rather than bred with intent, these puppies were a surprise and their exact genetic makeup was unknown. My then very young children got wind of the new arrivals to our neighborhood and, of course, asked permission to visit the pups. The answer was yes and, you guessed it, the next question was whether we could please have one of the puppies! Soon after, the little black fur ball with the white patch on her neck came to be ours.  She was sweet and she needed a name. I don’t remember why, but we decided to let our son name her. To this day, I love the fact that he named her “Champ.” My pet name for her became Champer. Champ was everything a young family wanted in a dog.  She was playful, friendly, cuddly and confident.  Busy raising children, there was little time to provide our little Champ any formal training. We had a pool and I remember one day my husband, daughter and son were all lined up on the patio at the deep end ready to dive in at the count of three.  From the sidelines, I counted 1, 2, and 3. Champ must have gotten caught up in the moment and movement and before we or she knew it, there she was swimming to her heart’s content.

            Champ was a fixture in our lives and learned the ropes along with the kids as we pursued our daily activities together.  She would walk with me to meet my young son at school each day, more often than not without a leash.  She was that kind of a dog - happy to be by my side or really the side of anyone who loved her. Champ loved us so much! As the kids grew, their list of activities grew as well, and I became fully engaged in my career.  Ours was a very busy household.  As we all left the house each day, we would leave Champ a treat and she always waited until we got back home to eat it. Champ loved it when the kids had friends over and thoroughly enjoyed attending as many baseball and soccer games as we could manage. When Grandma took the kids for the day, she took Champ as well.  I learned later on that the ride home always included a stop at McDonald’s and that Champ loved their burgers! One of my favorite hobbies at the time was gardening.  I took great pride in my perennial beds, and each day after work I would ask Champ if she wanted to walk through the gardens. To this day, Champ is the only dog I have ever had that walked carefully around plants rather than through them. Years passed and as our youngest was preparing to head off to college, my husband and I sat in our recliners with Champ at our feet.  One of us, I don’t remember which, asked the other what we were going to do with our nest so empty.  I will always remember that at this very moment, Champ came to attention, stood before us and smiled a very wide smile.        Our spare time was devoted to our lovely companion.  We would hike in the woods surrounding our neighborhood as often as possible.  Champ was such a sweet heart and as I am flooded with memories of those walks there are two incidents that stand out most.  The first is that as walking the heavily wooded trail, Peter and I noticed a doe standing off to the side.   Champ was so focused on us that she never gave the deer a second thought.  Of course, there was the time when we passed the land at the end of the trail where our neighbors raised peacocks.  The peacocks were loose and Champ began to give chase.  I gave her a bit of a verbal warning and she halted her chase, always eager to please. Much time passed and we had grown into a routine with the loveliest ever elder dog as our companion. Life was good. Our routine was such that I would get up early, come downstairs and greet Champ. With a snap of my fingers out into the yard, we would go.

            Peter was an earlier bird than me and on this one morning, Champ did not respond to my snap. I coaxed her, nudged her and all for naught.  Our son was home and still sleeping.  I called up the stairs to him that something was wrong with Champ. I called our veterinarian who was quick to respond.  Our son loaded his champ into my car and off we went.  Our vet examined her and not wanting to scare my son, he looked me in the eyes and said that Champ has had a very good life. He mentioned the possibility of heroic measures that we might consider. I called my husband and our daughter to fill them in. My daughter wanted to have a family meeting that evening so that we could decide what to do. The calls took a little while and our veterinarian continued to examine Champ while I spoke on the phone. He looked at me and said that Champ was going to make our decision for us. I understood. My son and I brought Champ home and we got her up onto the couch and into his lap. The hardest phone calls I have made are the two that followed. I called my husband and our daughter and as each responded they would be there as soon as possible to say their farewells, Champ’s muscles relaxed and in her boy’s arms she took her last breath. Champ was at peace in the arms of the boy who had grown up with her by his side.

            On the one-year anniversary of Champ’s crossing, the kids came home and together we spread her ashes throughout our yard in all of her favorite places.  It took us a year to recover and prepare to welcome a new pup to our family. Peter and I began visiting our local humane society regularly, hoping that a pup would reach out to call us his or her own.  That never happened and so I began researching breeds for the one that most closely resembled the temperament of our dear Champ. I searched and searched, and finally our daughter said to me that I was never going to find another Champ. Challenge accepted! In searching breeds, I entered the words that we often used to describe our Champ - soft, fluffy, cuddly, friendly, devoted, eager to please, loyal, smiley, gentle, intelligent, outgoing, adaptable, and good natured. I quickly learned that the Golden Retriever most closely matched my search. And so it was that in June of 2004, we brought home our little Ginger. It was love at first sight and the rest is history. Five Goldens later and to this day I think back on the little, black, fluffy pup who made it all so.