Years ago, I had a really special rescue pup–a black lab mix named Stella. She was an old soul and a steady companion to me through good times and bad. At 11 years old, Stella passed and left a hole in my heart that just wouldn’t go away. I didn’t want to try to replace her because, frankly, I didn’t think it was possible.
Then one day, I was talking to a friend about what Stella was like and how much I still missed her. My friend told me about her golden retriever who had just had a litter. Her dog sounded a lot like Stella and she offered me one of the puppies.
That turned out to be Chipper. A full breed golden retriever who grew up going to CARA events and being an ambassador for dogs needing adoption. Everybody loved Chipper and Chipper loved everybody—he was the perfect dog to take out and about. And as I added other dogs—all rescues—to my household, Chipper helped our pack grow easily and well. Fast forward to today. Chipper has been gone for 2 years and I’m ready for that special kind of golden retriever love again. Could I find that in a pup from an animal shelter? Of course. But just this once, I need to take a different road. Yes I’m being emotional about it, insisting on another Golden Retriever puppy, but I trust my friends in the adoption community will understand.