Salute to Doppler, Sweetest Golden Retriever Ever

Yesterday, we said goodbye to one of the sweetest Golden Retrievers that ever lived.

There are many sweet ones out there,

but Doppler was the sweetest.

Supremely comfortable with his doggie self, he was always up for anything that meant family contact...

Like a ride on the "Hughes Burger" boat in the brisk November air...

Or serving as a photo prop for Miss Caroline.

His ALMOST favorite thing was a good snooze on anything soft.  His First Favorite thing being, of course, Dinner Time.  In the photo above, he is looking right at me because I'm taking his picture, and it is Past Six O'Clock and I am taking his picture Instead of Making His Dinner.

Another Biggie was his Morning Treat, kept in the pantry for the times he had a Sleep Over with us.

How can we imagine getting up in the morning without Doppler barreling down the hall toward the pantry, tongue flopping out the side of his mouth, eyes sparkling, while we tried to untangle ourselves from his mad dash to the kitchen?  There are permanent marks in my kitchen floor where he did his "Treat Dance" every morning in front of the pantry...it got so bad that I started quietly getting the treats out the night before so I could get to them faster.  One Hundred Pounds of delirious Dog, jumping six inches off the floor repeatedly is not what I wanted before my first sip of coffee, but now I would give a lot for just one more Treat Dance.

He was the undisputed Mayor of Ocean Isle Fishing Center...greeting everyone at the docks, or lying at the top of the steps to garner loves and hugs from everyone who arrived.

He learned quickly that a white box emerging from the Giggling Mackeral Restaurant meant juicy leftovers - someone told him what "Doggy Bag" really meant - and could usually manage to wheedle a french fry or better from the departing customer.  Which led to his Dad attaching a sign to his collar that said in Block Letters: Do Not Feed Me!  Undeterred, he continued to sneak up the steps to the top deck and visit from table to table, hooking customers in with those soft eyes and the promise of a hug for Just One Bite.  

He helped Rickey Beck celebrate his birthday at OIFC in August:

This Fall, he began to fade and look all of his Twelve Years, but still had his sweet face on for Amy, who captured him lying in the flower bed at the Fishing Center:

Knowing what was coming, Brant and Amy had ordered up a new puppy, whom Doppler met without ever acknowledging:

Puppy Fin arrived just in time for Christmas, which Doppler had always enjoyed in earlier years with personal visits from Santa...

He spent this Christmas showing Fin the ropes because yes, they had finally made friends.

Video of Doppler and Fin Playing the day after Christmas!

And then he quickly went down, quietly passing away yesterday morning from old age and cancer while resting on his bed.

We salute you, Doppler.  And we thank you.  Thanks for the hugs, the unconditional love, the warmth at our feet, and your everlasting good company.

New Puppies and Old Doggies

We have a new Grand-Puppy, an adorable blonde Golden Retriever named Fin.

Here is his first hello to my Husband...

While Fin is only 8 weeks old, his new older "brother" Doppler is about 83 years old and counting.  And he OWNS this family.  Been like that for years.

When Fin got out of the car after his long trip from the kennel in North Georgia, all the family gathered to gently introduce Doppler to his new baby brother.

You can tell from the face Amy is pulling that this is not going well from the very first second.  Doppler refuses to even look at the puppy.  

Amy pours her love and reassurance all over Doppler, explaining that he is still her first Big Boy, and still the Top Dog.

He is having none of it, and still hasn't looked at the puppy.  Not even out of the side of his eyes.  No growling, no curled lip, not the first indication that there is another dog that close to HIS MOMMY - because he hasn't looked at the puppy, so that puppy doesn't exist.

Night has fallen, and the family still stands quietly, hoping for a tiny little hello...

But it never happened.  Doppler NEVER looked at Fin, although you can see that Fin is ready to kiss Doppler on the lips and then go play.  No.  No.

So, Doppler spent the night with us, and Fin went home with his new family.

I'll keep you posted.