My dog, Dinah, is a graceful old girl who will be 13 in a few months. She’s a golden retriever mix that I adopted from the Southwest Washington Humane Society – I call her my PetSmart dog since that’s where she was when I found her, sitting up in the crate, as if she knew her real person was coming to get her (Petsmart was hosting animal adoptions from the humane society at their Vancouver, WA store). I’ve always thought she could be part springer spaniel because she has a speckled nose and white boots just like a springer has – but the rest of her is all golden.
She was about 2-1/2 years old when I found her sitting in that crate – very dirty and matted and with huge callouses on her pads as if she’d been living on asphalt or concrete. Before she could come home with me, she had to make a trip to the vet’s office to be spayed but after a week or so, after she got her stitches out, I was finally able to gave her a bath – and out popped this beautiful golden!
She still runs around like she’s 4 or 5, racing up and down the yard, with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her ears flapping in the breeze she’s creating. She also likes to lie in the grass or on the patio, and she’s a monster when it comes to food…. she loves her food! And not just her own dog food – she loves food of all kinds! She’s particularly fond of vegetables like carrots and zucchini, but really, I haven’t found much that she won’t eat! I call her the dancer/prancer dog because she literally dances around, bouncing up and down on her front paws, waiting for her food dish to make it to the floor with her food in it! It’s too funny….
Her favorite place to hang out in the grass is right next to Lucy’s Lantern, and I think you’ll agree that she looks very happy in this photo!