Shiloh our beloved Brittany died June 30, 2000, right before we left for Ukraine on July 8, 2000 to adopt Erik. Tyler, our Tibetan Spaniel stayed with my parents during our 3 week trip. When we got back, we noticed how he just didn't seem as perky being the only dog in the home. I have always thought that dogs needed a companion to play with and we began to think of getting a second dog. I had always thought Golden Retrievers were beautiful dogs. I also knew they were very sweet and good with young children, now that we had Erik. We had such a good experience with adopting Shiloh, an older Brittany, that I decided we would adopt an older Golden Retriever from the local rescue group, GRRIN. I contacted them and we were interviewed, our home inspected and we were introduced to Cady Jo. We adopted her in January 2001, when she was 8 months old.
I had wanted an older dog to spare me from the puppy stage but we had really wanted a female dog and she was the only one they had. I rationalized that we would just end up having her longer in the long run considering how short our time had already been with Chelsea and Shiloh who died after just a few years with us.
As it turned out, her initial adjustment was a trying one and she was quite a handful along with Erik! We were told she didn't jump fences and that turned out to not be the case. Despite several attempts at training her not to do this, she continued to jump. Until we we were able to raise the fence, we had to tie her to a rope when she was out. It was a very long rope so she could still get all around the yard but I still felt badly about this. When we were outside with her we would unhook her and let her run around as she "usually" stayed in the yard when we were there!
She is a beautiful dog, rather small for a Golden, weighing about 50 pounds. She started out with a deep red color coat and so she was frequently mistaken for an Irish Setter, however we found out her first winter, that she grows a light winter coat over different parts of her body, mostly her back legs and so she looks a little furry in places. She loves to play and chew on her toys and also any of the kid's small plastic toys or items that get left on the floor! She initially played a little too rough with Tyler at times and someone occasionally would need to save Tyler from getting picked up by the neck! I had been told that Golden's had an extended puppyhood, often several years before they settle down and that has been the truth!
It took her a few years to get the puppy out of her, she is not as wild as she was but still has plenty of energy. She still spends her days scouting the yard for rabbits and squirrels and goes in and out the door to the backyard 20 times a day! She is quite smart and even knows how to open the patio door by herself! She is very playful and has a whole box of dog toys she plays with in the family room. Tyler our Tibetan Spaniel has Cady Jo totally intimidated and keeps her in check! She knows he is the boss!
She is now been gray on her muzzle for about a year as she turns 7 in April. Her health is good although she weighs a little too much. Once summer comes and she can get some more exercise she should look better. She did have a growth about the size of a marble removed from her gumline about a year ago, thank goodness is was not cancerous as it has not grown back.
