Almost all of our long time friends to whom I show this blog ask the same question. "Where's Bristol?"
When my husband and I were first married, we got a (Cloverdale) Golden Retriever. While she has a been a very minor supporting character so far in the blog, she does deserves a bit more virtual ink. So here, on her birthday, is her story.
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| We thought it would be wise to have a dog be about two years old when our child was born. We ended up missing that target by one day. |
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| We named her Bristol after a favorite place (actually, the Bristol Diner, seen here in the reflection) |
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| She was sweet, loving, and obedient. Except for the sweet and obedient part. |
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| She had a subtle way of letting us know when she needed some exercise and intellectual challenge. |
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| One of the many games we had to make up for her was to have my husband run off to another side of the park, unobserved by Bristol, and hide. I would let her go, her nose would take to the ground, serpentining until she got his scent, and she was off. She was so good at this that we had to add another layer of challenge. My husband would hide up in a tree. This was the result. |
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| She enjoyed the company of her colleagues, both for some jaunty play... |
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| ...and a drink after. |
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| Although female, she was all Alpha (much more than our current male Golden). |
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| She loved Rockport Harbor as much as we did. |
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| As well as this Muscongus Bay harbor. |
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| We learned to be most nervous when she came home from a roam exhausted. Over time we realized she had a rich life of friends and adventures away from us as well. (We once got a call from a neighbor informing us that Bristol was on their roof.) |
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| She never met a body of water that she did not want to enter. |
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| As far as we could throw something, she could retrieve it. (We would toss pebbles in the water to guide her when the ocean was choppy.) |
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| While she understood all of our commands, it did not mean that she followed any of them. |
And she went everywhere with us (here, on the Chappy Ferry).
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| The addition of Sampson (our back-up auxiliary dog) was an annoyance, but Bristol still got most of the attention. |
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| Her eye contact was what got most people. As she got older, she grew fully into her personality. As much as possible for a dog, she became wise. |
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| We will have other dogs, but never another Bristol. |
And she went everywhere with us (here, on the Chappy Ferry).
35 comments:
I love this post!!
A wonderful tribute. They are with us for so short a time, it is a great comfort to have memories of them that make us smile.
Awwww, that was a very sweet tribute. They become such a big part of our familes.
We are in the market for a Golden Retriever right now.
Have you seen the movie "Marley and Me"? I have a fear that that's what I'm going to end up getting.
I love this!
This dog is hilarious; great that you captured so much on film! Climbing a tree is beyond the ken of any dog I've ever known. We've enjoyed the lively company of 3 Brittany Spaniels throughout our marriage. I deeply mourned the first two because we had them before we had our children and I always felt they knew us when. I vetoed my son's plan to abscond with the third when he leaves for college---hey, I walked the floors at 3:00 AM with that dog when he was a pup!
M
I can see the beginnings of your un-schooling philosophy in your relationship with Bristol! Enjoy!
@mary anne - Thank you!
@James - As usual, you are so right. I miss her every day.
@Susan R - A new Golden - how exciting. I hope you post pictures!
@Elizabeth H. - Thank you. I forget how much energy she took.
@M - And there was so much that I left out - like how she would snatch the fuzzy hats off of the heads of children and run off with them. Brittany(s) are so beautiful. I can see why you issued your veto!
@HipWaldorf - Ha! She certainly broke us in. Very, very funny.
What a beautiful girl! Is she in your wedding pics having a drink of water from the "champagne trough"?
Love your blog. I have been reading for a couple months and enjoy it very much.
@Miss M - Thank you so much! No, Bristol was her replacement.
The day our dear Pippi Longstockings 'departed' was bleak indeed. One never really understands this sadness until they have a dog 'depart' themselves. But alas, your Bristol and Pippi (and countless others) roam, galavant, chase, and enjoy endless petting sessions. While Pippi began as irksome, she matured to a grand gal...we were lucky to have her. We found our next dog on the side of the road...a beagle. Yikes!Oh he is a ornery one. Back to square one. Cheers to the blessings of Bristols and Pippis!
I want to hear more about that English Setter on the sofa!
I recently posted about having to put down one of my dogs...last Thursday...I am still reeling from the heartbreak...Bristol sounds like a helluva dog...we are lucky to have them in our lives.
Muffy, this has been the most beautiful post on your blog so far! What a beautiful creature!
The roof??
Loved this.
What a great dog! Reminds me of our now departed black Lab who was very sweet, but also very naughty. When she did something she knew was wrong, you could tell just by the look on her face! She loved water so much she would break ice to get in the water. The great thing about a Lab is that you can't really tell how dirty they are. We don't have a Lab anymore, but they'll always have a spot in my heart.
We now have a Jack Russell who has been known to walk on the top of juniper bushes, stalking birds or mice or something.
What a wonderful tribute. We lost our dear Betsy last year after 16 years. She was a Golden/Chow and such a sweetheart. I planted an apple tree in her honor - we call it the "Betsy Tree" - They just don't live long enough! Thanks for this post about Bristol!
I have been following for quite some time, and have read all of your previous blogs. I think this is probably my favorite!
Bristol seems like she was such an amazing dog! My Labrador passed earlier this year... Labradors and Retrievers are probably some of the best companions!Such a beautiful tribute!
A lovely and touching post. Thank you for sharing your love of Bristol with your readers.
This is my favorite of all your many wonderful posts. I'm a sucker for dogs.
Sometimes they are here a long time. Argus, my 4th of 7 Goldens, turned 18 in April. Spends most of his time sleeping, but still shows up with his head on my knee and a tennis ball in his mouth from time to time.
Wonderful post, dogs are amazing and they certainly grace our lives for the better. I'm reminded of the Roger Caras quote, "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
Thanks for sharing Bristol!
@Cynthia - How very touching. Bristol also matured to a grand gal. Good luck with your beagle!
@Birddog - I can see why you would inquire about the setter! She is still alive and hunting regularly on the Maine coast with the woman who owns her.
@Main Line Sportsman - I am so, so sorry to hear about your dog. Still so raw. I will head over to your site now, tissues in hand.
@Fair - Thank you so much for your comment.
@Kathie - The neighbors are still talking about that one!
@Anonymous - These are charming tales. That's one determined Jack Russell.
@Judy W - The Betsy Tree. Makes my eyes water up just typing it.
@myfwbs - Thanks so much for following and for your comment.
@Patti - I so agree and I have rarely met a Retriever or Setter that I didn't like.
@Anonymous - Thank you for the comment!
@Bob - You are always so gracious. What is it about dogs? I just love them.
@Charles - Eighteen - really! That is so impressive. If I were that old I would spend most of my time sleeping as well.
@Barbara - I so loved Roger Caras. I looked forward to his voice every time I went to Westminster.
This post made me smile and kind of sad at the same time. I have a wonderful Golden Retriever who turned six years old last month. As I see his face turning whiter I hope for many more years of enjoying his company.
I am so thankful that I am able to say I grew up with Golden Retrievers. They are an amazing breed. In fact we like to refer to our Golden now as "Saint Sophia" since she puts up with all the antics of our English Bulldog. She is either very patient or has completely given up! I can't imagine my life without dogs.
Everyone should have the pleasure of having a "Bristol" in their lives.
The first puppy I raised for Guiding Eyes was a golden -- he went on to be a minor celebrity at the side of his new owner. They are great dogs.
Hi Muffy,
I love your blog and also love this special post, because it reminds me at our first dog Charly (Shepherd Mix), who was a special one from our local animal shelter. He got there, because people did bad things with him. Then he came to us in 2000, one year old, and we worked about one year with him in the dog school and ourselves and he got a wonderful part of our family. We joined wonderful holidays with him and he was always in the office with me.
Sadly he was hit by a car in 2003 and died. Since then we do not like living without a dog and we got three new puppies, one from the animal shelter in Nürnberg, and two from a shelter in Gran Canaria/Spain, and they are a wonderful pack, playing with them is a lot of fun. When you look in their eyes some times, I think they are thankful because we saved them from living in an animal shelter. Thank you Muffy for sharing this great post.
What a sweetheart! This is exactly the kind of dog that I've always wanted. For now I'll have to make do with two cats instead (but of course I love them so much).
Bristol=incredibly agile.
Exceptionally heartfelt. Thank you for sharing.
This is, without a doubt, one of my favourites among your posts. For happy reasons as well as some very sad ones.
Your 'Remembering Bristol' picture prompted me to go back and read the original post again, which captures so well the feelings I think we all have about those non-human companions who have graced our lives.
Recently shared the loss of 19 year old pug granddog Vito in California and months before, 13 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Aja in Connecticut. Your tribute is immeasurable.
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