Ramblin Goldens
From Our Family to Yours
3rd Annual Golden Reunion - July 1, 2006
At any rate, not a bad turnout considering and unfortunately, we didn't get many photos. We had some come early and then have to leave before the second round showed up, so we didn't get a photos of all 10 dogs and 20 people together. The weather held out for us early in the afternoon and for our walk in the bush. We made it to the pond for a swim and after being there for about 20 mintues or so, we felt a few drops, so we made the trek back to the clubhouse and managed to stay dry for the most part. It started to come down just as we came out of the bush and headed across the open field to the clubhouse. We just went in and sat down to await our mighty chef and his wares! And wow, definitely worth the wait! Jeff outdid himself again this year with a great spread and I also have to thank everyone that came and brought side dishes - another great meal was had by all!
The reunion started early and lasted almost 2 weeks! It was great to see lots of our past puppies and dogs again. Sooner and his new family, Mary and Brian, spent a whole week up here for some holidays before the reunion and came to visit on the Wednesday. We had a great time catching up and enjoyed a great lunch together. We then made our way down to the lake to let the dogs swim. They really enjoyed themselves and loved getting into the water and fetching sticks, but it seemed to have been a bad idea afterwards. Poor Sooner ended up getting a major hot spot on the side of his face and had to go home before the Reunion got started on Saturday. Casey ended up getting a hot spot a couple of days later, but I used my trusty remedy (Watkins Petro Carbo Salve) and it was gone in no time!
Here are the photos I did manage to get of our reunion on Saturday, July 1, 2006:
This was the early crew:
From left to right: Nick (brother of Candace), Diane (Alex's new owner) and Alex, Eric and Candace (friends from Port Elgin), Abbey (from Alex's last litter) with owners Kyla and Aaron, Neelo (belongs to Eric and Candace and from a fellow breeder and friend in Ridgetown), Bailey and her Foster parents - Lynette, Glen and their kids, Casey laying down on the end and Blaze in the middle
Alex, Blaze and Casey chasing tennis balls
The dogs on our walk in the bush - check out Neelo getting into the first mud puddle he saw!
I guess he was hot, naw, he just loves getting dirty!
Abbey checking out Neelo and wondering if she should join him. Kyla and Aaron are really glad she decided not to!
Blaze and Casey in the pond
They really loved playing in the water and chasing sticks and Neelo looks almost back to normal too!
Nobody could keep up to Casey, she is fast and always gets the stick first!
Blaze on the move!
Neelo jumping out of the sand dunes on the way back home. Eric managed to get Neelo on the lead before we got back to the mud hole again so he stayed clean through supper!
This is Samson trying to show Blaze who's boss! Poor Blaze I really shouldn't take photos when he's letting it all hang out like that, but I couldn't resist!
Blaze and Samson had a blast goofing around in the yard on Monday and it was good for Samson to get rid of some energy before his trip back to Toronto! I am sure he slept all the way home!
Our reunion even kept going the following weekend and it was great to see Rankin again! He looks great and very much loved by his new owners Kristen and Brad from London! He remembered me but was very much attached to Kristen while they were here!
2nd Annual Golden Reunion - June 25, 2005
We had the reunion at our local Snowmobile Clubhouse this year, since we had 15 dogs and 29 people over the course of the afternoon and our place is just too small for that many dogs. The Clubhouse is back off the road so we didn't have to worry about traffic, there was lots of parking, a nice big open field for the dogs to play in and tons of trails through the bush! Talking about the bush, we had a great 2 hour walk in the bush on Saturday afternoon and I think everyone (including me) will take me up on my offer of bug repellent next year! The bugs weren't bad at the clubhouse, but back in the bush and down at the river, they were a little more of a problem.
The true golden temperament shone through on Saturday with 15 dogs together and not one problem! They all got along famously and enjoyed each other and playing together very much! There were people and dogs from all over Ontario here and I am so glad they chose to travel to see us on this especially warm day! We had Brian and Mary from the Beaches (Toronto) with their puppy Sooner (from our last litter), Rosie and Derik from Manitoulan Island with their dog Chester (half brother to our Casey - same dad), Deb and Carl from Southampton with their dogs Turbo (our honourary Golden (yellow lab) and Morgan - a puppy from Cody's first litter), Bill and Bonnie from Georgetown with their 11 year old dog Casey (not related to any of our dogs). Bill and Bonnie are on our waiting list for a puppy in the next year. Doris, the breeder that got me into this "mess", also came by for a visit and she is from the Hanover area and brought Cody's mother - Madison. We also had another couple from our waiting list - Kristen and Brad from London and they are quite excited to be getting a puppy in the next year as well. They also brought Kristen's parents along for the ride. Mike from Southampton came by for a short visit as well with his dog Jake (a puppy from our last litter) so Haley had a great time playing (wrestling) with her brothers! Lynette and Glenn came by with my newest addition Bailey for a while as well. Poor Bailey was the smallest one there so we had to put her in the pen so that she didn't get too overwhelmed with all the big dogs in her face! Lynette and Glenn are fostering Bailey and she will be theirs after she has a few litters.
Some late arrivals were the Doucette's from London with their puppy Scout from our last litter and Dr. Berry (our vet) with his girls and his golden - Tojo. Tojo is an 8 year old retired seeing eye dog and they are happy to have her. What a wonderful embassador for our breed!
Well, that's it for the attendees for this year's reunion so on with the photos!
From left to right:
Dogs: Madison (Cody's mom), Cody, Rankin and Morgan (Cody's daughter)
People: Rosie, Derik, Doris, Harry, Brad, Kristen and her mom.
Relaxing and mingling before our big walk
Deb and Carl on the left, Doris in back and Rosie and Derik on the right.
Dogs: Sooner in front, Jake (light coloured puppy), Cody in front of Deb, Rankin (can only see his head), our Casey, Madison with Doris, Chester (Rosie and Derik's dog) and Turbo drinking out of the bucket.
Casey (male) and Cody fetching tennis balls
Bailey in the pen and Sooner and Haley checking her out!
Derik amonst the beasts!
Sooner pinning Haley down.
Starting out on our hike through the bush to the river - notice all the dogs have run on ahead!
Cooling off in the pond about 20 minutes into our walk
Sooner rolling in the sand after being in the pond - his favourite thing to do!
More chilling and fetching
Finally made it to the river and boy did the dogs need it by the time we got there! I am sure there were a few of us that could have gone for a dip too!
Cody, our Casey and Chester fetching in the river
Back at the pond on our way back to the clubhouse
Male Casey coming out of the pond - what a handsome dude at 11 years old!
Everyone relaxing after our long trek through the woods!
Check out the photos below of last year's reunion!
May 22, 2005 - Walk in the Bush
Anyway, we had a great walk and the photos below show just how much the dogs enjoyed it!
All 8 in the first water hole we came across - the Chocolate Lab is in front of Morgan (butt facing the camera) - 2 labs and the rest are goldens
Cody in mid shake after fetching a stick out of the water hole
Cody and Nobi in back and Alex in the front - she looks like a lab at the moment since she lost all her hair after her litter of puppies!
Zoe and Alex bringing back the stick (Rankin in the background)
Alex in mid shake in the water after diving for the stick - I don't think she realized that Casey and Rankin already had it!
Casey and Rankin still standing off over the stick!
Morgan after the walk when they got back home! She crashed on the steps leading to the door!!! Morgan and Turbo belong to the Morton's of Southampton and Morgan is a daughter from Cody's first litter.
Turbo crashed after the walk - doesn't look like she made it inside either!
Thanks Deb (Morgan's owner) for the photos - I can't believe I forgot my camera!!!!
Dear DOG:
|
A Letter to Our Dogs Dear
Dogs: When
I say to move, it means go someplace else, not switch positions with each other
so there are still two dogs in the way. The
dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are
mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my
plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do
I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The
stairway was not designed by Nascar and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the
bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help, because I fall faster than
you can run. My
compact discs are not miniature Frisbees. For
the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle
I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw,
whine, try to turn the knob, or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the
door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. In addition, I have
been using bathrooms for years, canine attendance is not mandatory. The
proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dogs butt. I cannot stress
this enough. It would be such a simple change for you. Rules for non pet owners
who visit and like to complain about our pets.
The
same applies to cats, except they ignore you until you are asleep. |
August 22, 2004
We had a blast out playing in the yard this morning! Alex is finally playing with tennis balls, along with everyone else. Rankin has always loved getting into the pool to cool off, but today Casey jumped right in there with him. She had a tennis ball in her mouth and realized that she could jump on it and it would bob around in the water. She had a great time chasing it around and throwing it!
I had to run into the house and grab the camera. I didn't want to miss these great "Kodak moments"!
Alex watching Casey playing in the pool!
She has a tennis ball in her mouth too!
Rankin in his favourite position!
He loves rolling on his back in the gully on our lawn.
Rankin pouncing on his favourite ball!
He just loves those squeaky toys!!
This is a very rare moment for Cody - he just never stops!
He finally stopped to take a look at Rankin and Casey in the pool and I seized the moment to snap a shot!
Casey trying to keep the ball away from Rankin!
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Top 10 Dog complaints
about humans
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Well it is over and what a great time we had!! We had 9 dogs in total and 15 people. The day started out raining, so we pushed the start time off to 1:00 pm. The rain stopped around 11:00 am and was nice and dry by the time everyone started showing up. We managed to ward off the rain for the rest of the day and things went quite smoothly. We had some agility equipment set up for the dogs (and kids) to try and went for a nice stroll to the lake to let the dogs cool off. We had to forego our hike in the bush since the rain would have make it quite wet and I didn't think anyone would want to put their muddy dogs in their vehicles to get back to the house!
Food was great, thanks to hubby Jeff's culinary skills! The pulled smoked pork and Cornell chicken was to die for
!
Thanks to all who came and brought some great side dishes! We had
some awesome Caesar's salad, cold salads, great corn on the cob cooked
over the open flame and some great deserts!
We had a great time just watching the dogs and kids play and really enjoyed each other's company 
It is great being around so many people that love their dogs as much as we do!
Below are a few pictures of our 1st Annual Golden Reunion. Please feel free to join us next year!!
Boys playing with the dogs and the tunnel.
(from left to right: Nobi, Rankin, Cody, Summer and Casey in the front)
Part of the Roy family and Chris Wilson watching the boys play with the dogs and the tunnel.
(from left to right: Lynn, Fraser, Catherine and Chris - dogs Cody,
Summer (belongs to the Roy Family and is a female from Cody's 2nd
litter), Nobi (butt only and belongs to Chris), Rankin behind Chris,
Alex in front).
Hunobi (Nobi for short) waiting at the tunnel for someone or something to come out!
Nobi still waiting! Something's got to come out soon!
And waiting!
Finally!!
But I don't think it was what he was looking for!
Rankin looking to see what the fuss was all about!
Chris and the dogs at the lake.
(dogs from back to front: Casey, Morgan (female from Cody's 1st litter
and belong to Deb and Carl Morton from Southampton), Alex, Montana (on
left with lay around his neck) and Nobi). Both Montana and Nobi
belong to Chris and Steve Wilson of Southampton. Steve came for
dinner since he had to work during the day 
Boys throwing stick in the water for the dogs!
Rankin, Cody, Casey and Montana in the lake! The waves made it a little tougher for them to move around!
Allie checking out the water! Allie belongs to Jill and Robin Dunn of St. Catherines and is a puppy from our last litter born February 4, 2004 and is 6 months old now! Isn't she just the cutest thing? Thanks to Jill and Robin for making the long trip up to see us again!
Nobi checking Allie out at the "Metcalf Street Beach Club"
Since the lake is at the end of our street, some of the neighbours have
gotten together and created a little 'oasis' down on the shore to enjoy
the lake and the spectacular sunsets!
Catherine Roy giving the dogs treats after getting back from the lake!
Catherine being bombarded by the dogs wanting more treats!!
I would have had more photos if my batteries didn't die in the camera 
Thanks
to all that came to spend the day with us!! We had a great
time! Sorry that Deb and Carl Morton couldn't make it, but we are
glad that Morgan (their dog - Cody's daughter) was able to come and
join in the fun!
It was great having some of our past puppies back and seeing what great family companions they have grown up to be!
I look forward to next year's GOLDEN REUNION!!!
Fun things we have done with our dogs!
July 3, 2004 - This was our original date for the Golden Reunion. Being a long weekend in Canada, we did not get much response from our past puppy buyers so we changed the date to August 14, 2004. Even though we changed the date, I still borrowed some agility equipment and a fellow breeder from Tiviotdale with her dog Pearl (from last year's litter of puppies - March 20, 2003) came up and we spent the day hanging out with the dogs and playing with the equipment. We also took a walk down to the lake to cool off. Below we have some photos of the fun we had today.
"Where'd Casey go?"
Who's the equipment for anyway, kids or dogs?
"There she is!"
We should have gotten more photos of the dogs on the equipment, but it
is hard taking photos and trying to get them to do jumps at the same
time
"Now, where'd Anne go?"
"Oh, there she is!"
The girls getting the idea of what to do!
Anne coming out of the tunnel with Casey in front of her and Pearl behind.
The crew after playing on the equipment.
Cody up front, laying behind is Alex (right), Casey (left), at the back
is Pearl on the left and Rankin checking her out! Boy can you
ever tell that Alex, Casey and Pearl are related!
Casey and Pearl are sisters from Alex's March 20, 2003 litter.
Rankin "hangin out" after playing!
Cody and Casey chillin' in the lake!
Cody and Rankin fetching the same stick!
Pearl on the rocks ready to fetch the stick!
Trip to the Bush - May 8, 2004
We try to get our guys out to the local boy scout camp for a run at least once or twice a week for a good run and to get rid of some excess energy. Today was a great day out there, not too hot and not too cold! We got some great shots of them out there, so I thought I would add them here for you to see.
This is Cody, Casey and Rankin in one of the many mud puddles.
This is Alex and Rankin on the run back to us about half way through our walk. There is a great area about half an hour from where we park that has got some great sand dunes that they love to run in.
Casey just loves to get muddy. Good thing we have a truck
Getting nice and clean before we get back to the truck!
Casey and Rankin in the water hole - and this is one of the smaller water holes!
Cody in the bush of to the side.
Today a friend of mine came with us and her two goldens.
In the background we have Alex (closest to the cab) with Cody beside her.
In the middle is Nobi (red) and in the front is Rankin (closest to the cab), Casey beside him and Montana at the front right.
Poor Montana, he had a stroke about a month ago and he is starting to
really show is age. He is about 10 years old and now has a
problem with his thyroid. His left eye will not close any more
and his left side of his face hangs a little lower and oh the
drool!! He did really well in the bush today and kept up with the
rest of the group.
Don't worry, the dogs are tied into the back of the truck and the camp is not far from our house. This is the only time they ride in the back!
The Whole Clan
Our guys love their weekly, sometimes daily, walks or should I say runs in the bush!
From left to right - Rankin, Alex, Cody and Casey
Their favourite spot to cool off!!
On the other side of the log, it is so deep that they have to swim!!
You can't catch me, I'm faster than you!!!!
My Stick ..... No, My Stick ..... No, My Stick ..... No, My Stick!!
