Here’s Our Story…
Our story is simple. We just have a pure passion for Golden Retrievers. We haven’t gotten into therapy, service or anything that deep yet. We haven’t been able to get past the way Goldens communicate with their eyes, interact with us, or their genuine facial expressions.
If you’ve had any interaction with a Golden, you know what we’re talking about. They connect on such a deep level. One day we’ll progress into utilizing their intelligence and other talents, but for now, we just love on them!
“Sure enough… it was that feisty red Golden!”
Our story begins with me and a feisty red Golden named Remington over 20 years ago. Remington was my oldest daughter’s first birthday present. This boy and I went around and round in his early years! “Remi” was a mess. He was one that we Southerners would say “bless your heart” to and really mean something else. He would chew and tear up everything that was in his way, and at that time I was in his way. He even showed me how he liked the taste of brick on the outside of the house.
One cool fall day, I had the windows open in the house. The windows were low to the ground and I had Remi outside while I was cleaning. He was not happy. He loved being inside more. Somehow this boy took off the screen of the window and crawled through. This really took some thinking and creative skills! Remington and I met in the hallway–eyes locked. I was confused at how he got into the house, until I saw the screen off the window. When we met in the hallway, our eyes both narrowed and squinted. He had won the fight of the backyard for that day and I was at a loss.
Off to school he goes! After a good solid two weeks of training and strict, no visit rules, we were invited to visit Remington’s “school.” When we arrived, we were taken into a room with a window. Remington was then escorted in front of us on a leash with his trainer. His trainer began to show off everything Remington had learned the past two weeks. Remington looked so diligent and proper. I was amazed to the point of tears. I couldn’t believe that this was the same dog! I had to blink hard and look through the tears to make sure it was my Remi! Sure enough… it was that feisty red Golden! After Remington was released, we were instructed to work with him every day, and we had certain tasks to accomplish! He had suddenly transformed into this well behaved, structured, I-only-sit-on-the-left-side-of-you-while-walking Golden! This is what I KNEW he had the potential to be and finally we were there!
“So enters, Harley!”
After several years of enjoying and loving him we decided it was time for another Golden! So, enters, Harley. I searched the newspaper and found an ad in the classifieds/pet section. (Yes, in those days you had to search the newspaper to find pets, not the fancy Internet!) This breeder was wanting much more for her puppies than Remington ever thought about being. These people were serious! These puppies had championship bloodline. They had two Goldens named Sampson and Delila, from the story in the bible, no doubt. I went and picked Harley out and it wasn’t long after that that she was coming home with me. This big ball of fur was coming home with me!
Harley was so beautiful and prissy. I gave her a bath almost every day. As she grew, she learned from Remington. Thankfully, it was good manners at this point! She didn’t need school or any training. She learned everything by Remi’s cues and actions.
It wasn’t long after I got Harley that I was faced with divorce and raising two small children on my own. Remington and Harley were split up and it was just me, my two kids and Harley. The trials and tribulations of divorce can be brutal, but she stuck it out with me. She watched as I later began to date, with one eyebrow raised. She was there if I came home sick, ready for her spot beside me as we slept. She learned me and my routines. She knew when it was time to get up and she knew when it was bedtime.
One of the things she did that amazed me, was checking on both kids before it was time to go to bed. One night, I saw her nudge the door open to my daughter’s room and make a lap around her bed. As I continued to watch, she went to my son’s room and did the same thing. Once she knew they were safe, she came to me with this look on her face as if she were saying, “Are you ready for bed?”
“She was there when Heath and I welcomed our baby girl, Eden.”
Harley became my constant, the one thing that stayed the same. Ultimately, she was my partner. She stayed my partner for almost 10 years before I met “the one,” Heath. She approved of him and loved him just as much as I did.
Once Heath and I married, she continued to show her loyalty and love to our family. She was there when Heath and I welcomed our baby girl, Eden, into this world. She watched over her with her motherly intuition as she did with my two other children. It was precious to watch.
Over the years she started losing her hearing and her eyesight worsened. It was ok. We adjusted. I would motion to her, asking, if she needed to go potty. Sign language maybe? She now needed me more than ever. I could read her thoughts and her eyes. I loved that about our relationship until the night her eyes told me that she wouldn’t be with me much longer. I avoided her. I kept moving around in the living room. I sat by the fireplace with my husband until he finally said, you have to look at her. She’s telling you something. I knew what it was. I just didn’t want to listen. That night, I helped her to bed, and she slept in her dog bed at the end of our bed. Somehow, I fell asleep until 3:00 that morning when Heath woke me up. He said she had taken her last breath and she was gone. I jumped up and went to her. I held her, touched her and loved on her while demonstrating the biggest “ugly cry” imaginable.
The death of this precious Golden ended up being one of the most devastating losses I’ve had in my lifetime, so far. I mourned, I cried, I called in sick to work and I was sad for a very long time.
“So, Enters Stevie!”
After three to four years, I finally decided that I might be ready for another Golden. I looked and researched until I found what I felt was the right fit for us as a family. This time I was able to search on the Internet! I did have to accept, however, that our new baby wouldn’t be a “Harley.” She would have her own little personality. I wanted her to have championship bloodline like Harley did. This was one of my requirements. I felt strongly that it had made a significant difference in Harley’s temperament, intelligence and her behaviors, and I knew how it all came together and made an impact on our family. I wouldn’t accept anything less. This is also when it occurred to me what specific characteristics in a Golden matter and how they play a part in your life and family. It works just like a puzzle. This was when I knew there was no turning back as far as bloodline and pedigree. Little by little I was learning, watching and realizing the impacts of my own experiences in breeding and how they directly affect others.
So, enters Stevie! English Golden Retriever was something different that I hadn’t seen or heard of before. Stevie’s parents were beautiful, rare and white! Her pedigree was impressive! Impressive meant expensive. Expensive meant I needed Heath’s approval, definitely. She was going to be an investment! We knew then we wanted to breed and that she would be the one. We made a choice as a family–all of us. This baby would be the one.
We were with Stevie from the beginning. We kept in touch with her breeder each week while Stevie’s mom was pregnant. All 63 days of her mom’s pregnancy, we followed. At first Stevie’s name was going to be Jules. Jules sounded sassy and diva-ish. We watched her in pictures as she grew. When we went to pick her up, we didn’t tell Eden, our daughter. We wanted to surprise her. We had to drive to the other side of Ft. Worth, Texas to pick her up. Eden was visiting with her Aunt in Dallas at the time. This plan would be perfect! After getting Stevie, we would meet my sister-in-law to get Eden but this time meeting my sister-in-law would be different. We would have a new family member with us.
Even though we had been watching the pictures closely we still had the option to choose which girl we wanted. We were also “First Choice” for the girls which means we got to choose before anyone else. That was a big deal for us and very exciting! Stevie still stood out to me and my husband just like she did in the pictures we had been receiving. She was energetic, feisty, playful and just happy! She kept going behind the bushes to dig and yes, in the end, we chose the digger! We finished our paperwork, took pictures and hopped in the car, excited to take “Jules” to see Eden.
“Stevie Grace it was!”
When we pulled up to get Eden, she immediately saw that white fur in my lap! She jumped out of that car so fast and ran to me! Her Aunt Kristi is her favorite person. Always has been. Not that day! On our almost three-hour ride home, Jules laid and cuddled with Eden. Jules stayed warm in her little blanket given to her from her breeder with the smell of her mom on it. I think it made her feel secure in an unsure time for her.
Over the next few weeks, this little girl continued to show her “tomboy” side. She would rip and run, play and jump in mud puddles! Lots of mud puddles! It was then that I decided maybe Jules wasn’t the name for her. I’m a fan of boy names for girls, hence Harley’s name, previously. I’m also a Stevie Nicks fan. So, Stevie was my new proposal to Heath and Eden. Eden wanted to negotiate. She wanted to be responsible for Stevie’s middle name. Deal! So, Stevie Grace it was!
As Stevie grew her personality continued to develop. She loved babies and carried them everywhere she went. She would pull the stuffing out of them so she could carry them easier. Everywhere she goes she has something in her mouth. No matter what. She would come show me her baby, then Heath, and then Eden.
When she turned two, we re-evaluated our decision of breeding Stevie. There were several things that needed to happen. Breeding was much different than it was when my dad bred boxers when my brother and I were little. Several tests, certifications, the right stud. It was a big deal. We knew Stevie had the “looks” and her pedigree was outstanding. It was around that time that I read an article on the AKC website that said there was a high demand for Golden Retriever puppies and breeders are trying the best they can to keep up. It also said they’re responding as fast as they can, and please be patient with them. I thought, ok that’s it. We’re doing this! If we can contribute to long lasting relationships with families and Goldens then it will be… making tails wag, one family at a time! & that’s all we really wanted to begin with.
