It’s true what the bumper sticker says – “Life’s better with a golden retriever” (or, fill in the blank with whatever dog breed you prefer. I love my dog. He’s now 2 ½-years-old. We got him when he was just a baby, a little 7 pound fur ball at 7 ½ weeks old. He is a pure joy. Yes, we have our moments in which I’m frustrated (and he’s still having a ball). He is 94 pounds of love. Golden love. He sheds constantly, leaving little piles of fluff, or “glitter,” if you will, all around the hardwood floors of our home and even in our bed. It’s actually become one of my favorite activities – sweeping the living areas to see how much fur and dirt I can collect. We even have a robot vacuum that goes around. But if you came to my house, you’d probably think I never clean. It is the reality of being a golden retriever mama. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

As I write this, I just noticed a small black bug scuffling across the floor beside me. Billy is to my left, surrounded by some running shoes, aggressively licking his paws. The vet believes he has a mild grass allergy. He chews and licks his paws at various times. I think he enjoys it. The slurp sound is quite irking, especially in the middle of the night when he does it in our bed. He can create massive slurp puddles, just with his tongue. I clean his little puppy toes and apply powder when needed.

He has his own little pharmacy on top of his crate (which he only uses to store his toys and to go in and beg). The box atop his crate holds one of his favorite treats, shish kabobs. He eats about three a day. It also holds his Interceptor Plus and Braveco (heartworm and flea & tick prevention meds). It stores his respective yellow labeled Burts Bees oatmeal shampoo and conditioner bottles. There’s a mason jar in the box that holds his two toothbrushes and rubber gum brushes. Beside that are several spare boxes of his Nylabone brand peanut flavored toothpaste. The other mason jar in the box holds his grooming tools – his blue & black handled slicker brush, his fine toothed comb, his green handled toenail clippers, and his sharp, small yellow scissors with black blades.

Within his bed below the pharmacy are Billy’s favorite toys, nestled atop his blue fleece mattress (which has a dog bone imbedded on it). Mr. Buffalo is his oldest toy, the one I brought with us to pick Billy up to bring him to his new home. Mr. Buffalo is a soft buffalo with flimsy legs, about a foot long, dark brown. Mr. Rabbit is a long silky light brown rabbit that Grandma gave him. Mr. Fish is purple and sort-of crunchy/crinkly when chewed, as his mid-section is made of an empty plastic water bottle that I’ve never replaced. Duck is a soft, flimsy mallard that I got him from Walgreens. Billy also has an antler, a large one, from an unknown real-life animal. My aunt got him that for Christmas back in 2019. The antler poses a serious threat of sprained ankle or painful fall if tripped over. It often gets left out in the middle of the floor after a post-dinner chew session. And oh, Squirrel is one of his favorites. Daddy got it for him from Food Lion one night. Squirrel used to be encased in a rope-like frisbee concoction, but the soft frisbee structure came undone after some rough play sessions. It looked like rope that became unbraided. I eventually had to cut it lose. So now, Squirrel stands alone. But Billy loves the squeaky noise he makes. Squirrel is one of his go-to toys when he’s feeling hyper.

One of Billy’s most adorable idiosyncrasies manifests every bedtime. Either my husband or I will throw on the floor the shirt we’ve been wearing all day. If there is no shirt on the floor at the hallway opening at bedtime, Billy looks at us like something is very awry. Sometimes he’ll substitute with a sock. But shirts are his favorite. He’ll waddle on over to the shirt with those floppy paws and sleepy puppy eyes and bend down, open his mouth, and scoop up the shirt. Sometimes he doesn’t get all of the material into his mouth in one go, so he steps on the shirt a little as he walks and this clearly throws him off. He’ll often stop and readjust the shirt or his gait. He makes his way back to the bedroom, shirt in mouth, and hop up onto the bed. When he plops down, he makes an “mmmm” sound as if he’s finally arrived after a long day. He releases the shirt from his mouth gently onto the bed and then plops his head down on it.

Billy is the sweetest pup. He’s a great cuddler. I can’t imagine that people have dogs and don’t let them sleep in the bed. We actually upgraded to a king-sized bed to accommodate Billy. In the queen bed Richard and I would end up balled up with Billy stretched out at the foot. There’s more space for all of us in the king-sized bed.

Billy is a favorite at the vet’s office and at his day care. Even on our outings he gets lots of attention. He is a ray of sunshine, an angel indeed. Billy Gabriel. He’s stolen our hearts and we are so grateful to share life with him. ~