It was a dark and stormy night…

Friday night we made it out to go and see the golden retriever that I have mentioned in my last few blog posts. This place was pretty far out there, and because of the rain and fog the trip into the country seemed like we were riding through the Moors of Scotland.

After a failed attempt to get on the right road, we finally made it out there around seven o’clock. On the ride up there I was expecting to pull down this dirt road and end up at a farm, but I was pleased to see a small ranch styled house with what appeared to be a fence running down one side of it. Tasha and I had resigned ourselves to several ways to opt out of taking this dog if it was used to running fields or wasn’t used to being alone for a long time.

We got up to the door, and this older guy sticks his head out and welcomes us in. We get inside the door and this big rolly-polly golden retriever is there to greet us. This dog is easily the same color as my parent’s previous golden retriever (and best dog in the Universe) Tucker. He’s also just about as fat as Tucker was when he died.

This dog was hyper-excited to see other people. As we sat there, he couldn’t decide who he wanted to go to see more, Tasha or me. Tasha eventually won, and she sat there petting him while we talked to the guy (Jim) about his habits.

Jim is 71 and has gotten crippling rheumatoid arthritis and has to move into a smaller apartment. He said this has kept him from being able to walk the dog or play with him as he should. He explained that the dog had been very expensive when they got him and they originally wanted to breed him. However, for reasons unexplained, his ex-wife (of 33 years, we found out later) got the dog neutered. Jim was hoping he could hold out long enough to move into a place that would allow him to keep the dog, but he couldn’t find one in his price range. Now he just wanted him to have a good home, so he was just going to give him to us.

The dog’s name is Teddy and he is used to being outside some of the time, but he primarily lives in the house with Jim. Jim used to do work in Iowa (truck driver, maybe?) and left the dog in the house for 12 hours at a time without messes. He eats “whatever is cheapest”, but really I think he meant “anything that is put in front of him” given his weight. He’s trained not to get on the furniture unless he is asked.

We decided that we wanted to take Teddy after the “is he used to house living” and “is he used to being by himself” questions were answered to the affirmative. Jim went into the other room and from looking at Tasha I could tell that she was in love with Teddy. We told Jim we wanted to take him, and he said that would be fine and he would go get his bowls. I decided a minute or so later that I would go help him carry the dog’s things, and I rounded the corner to find Jim crying his eyes out.

This was obviously the most heartbreaking thing that I’ve ever seen. This poor old guy was forced to give up his best friend in the world. Tasha consoled Jim pretty well and we offered to leave him for a few days so Jim could say goodbye, but he just wanted us to take him and go. We figure he wanted to make a clean break. We’re going to make an effort to take Teddy to see Jim ocassionaly so the old guy can still see him.

We loaded Teddy’s bowls into the back of my car and then Jim walked us out. Teddy jumped right in the car and was excited to go for the ride, and Jim was still sniffling when we decided to go. We got him home and he’s been fitting in great so far… there are a few stories for another time.

Those interested can have a look at Teddy by clicking these links.