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4 years ago today(on the 60th anniversary of D-Day) a guy named Mike who was a volunteer with Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles came to an animal shelter in Chula Vista and took me to his home for fostering while waiting for me to be adopted. He named me D-Day.
Mom had been looking for a rescue dog. Her Brittany, Rex, had recently died at age 12. She saw me on a San Diego site that featured rescues from all over So. Calif. I was under "Senior Mutt Match" even though I was only 5! Mom and dad did not know anything about Goldens but mom liked my picture and filled out an application that went to GRCGLA. She thought I was probably somewhere being fostered in Los Angeles.
About an hour later, she gets a phone call from Mike. I was not only in San Diego, but about 15 minutes from mom and dad's home! So that afternoon, Mike rang the doorbell for me and then he stood off to the side so when mom opened the door, all she saw was me. Me and my big head and long legs.
I waited with mom while Mike did a home check.
It was already a given that this would be my new home....I loved mom and she fell in love with me. Dad came home early from work and fell in love with me too! I slept on their bed that night.
My new parents did not want to keep the name D-Day because they didn't want to have to explain it all the time so they named me Duke, after John Wayne. He starred in the movie, "The Longest Day" about the invasion of Normandy.
Duke was a great name for me. I was a gentleman and a chick magnet!
Although my time was short, I had a great life with mom and dad. And when I crossed to the Rainbow Bridge, my parents found Lucy on the GRCGLA website. And 2 1/2 years later, Nick!
So today, think of our doggies that have left you for the Rainbow Bridge and remember the love and happiness we gave you while on earth.
And give extra loves to the fur friends that are in your life now.
Mom and dad were looking for a dog after losing their Brittany after 12 years. They had no idea what kind of dog but they were sure they wanted a rescue. Mom found me on a San Diego Humane Society page called "Senior Mutt Match". They didn't know anything about Goldens but mom submitted an application to the Golden Retriever Club of Great Los Angeles thinking I was probably in LA somewhere.
As it turned out, I was left at a shelter in Chula Vista and was being fostered about 10 minutes away. So things happened very quickly. I met mom and they did a home inspection that afternoon and came to live there permanently the next day!!
The first thing my new parents noticed about me was my large head, lanky legs and gentle nature. I loved it there. They let me swim in the pool and mom took me to the park every day. The girl dogs loved me.
I had heartworm so had to go through treatment which wasn't fun. But I was very happy and content.
A few months later, mom noticed a lump on he and it turned out I had a sarcoma. We went to a dog oncologist and I had lots of tests, surgery, chemo and the tumor kept growing. So at Thanksgiving, mom and dad decided to stop everything and just let me be Duke. It was hard decision but they never regretted it. I was healthy and happy for another 6 months, swimming, going to the park and no more vet visits, no cone, no pain, no sedatives.
In June, I was struggling to breath. The cancer had spread to my lungs so mom and dad took me to the vet for the final time the day after Father's Day 2005. Mom slept on the floor with me the night before and they both held me when I took my last breath.
My time with them was less than a year, way too short. But as they liked to say "Every day is Christmas for Duke" and that is how I lived those last few months.
Two weeks after I said goodbye, they found Lucy on the GRCGLA webpage and drove up to Hollywood to get her! She is quite the diva, all fluff and needy. But so sweet and she helped heal broken hearts.
Then, last October, they got Nick from the same rescue group.
Their hands are full of Golden rescues. I am proud to have been their first!
Oh sweet boy, Duke. Your mom misses you so much. Another Dogster Golden, Casey, has died and I get sad all over again. You must have some new friends, Milo crossed the bridge recently too.
I miss how you would lie on your back and show your "toofers". And that big head you had.
You would love Lucy, but she would probably have driven you nuts! She can be rather wild.
So sweet boy, take care of your new freinds, show them around and remember how much you were loved.
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