Alexandra Dior

This post is dedicated to my beloved companion Alexandra Dior. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, I have owned Golden Retrivers for 35 years and I loved each and everyone of them, the ones I have lost and my Goldberg and Adin, that I still have with me now, but once in your life you experience that pet that you have a special bond, like no other and will unlikely ever feel again and that was my. Alexander Dior( Alex for short).
I met him in the Winter of 1994 through a mutual friend who boarded her horses at the same stable my ex-husband and I boarded ours. She asked us one day if we would mind taking her new Golden Retriever puppy out while she was working. At the time we owned our own business and didn't have to start working at a paticular time, so we told her we would be happy to help her out. Well it was love a first sight. After doing that for awhile, she decided it wasn't working out with the puppy, because he didn't like her cats. She wanted to know if I wanted to buy him and I jumped at the offer. That was the best day of my life and it was her loss.
He was the most awesome dog ever.He went everywhere with me. He traveled all the way to Bar Harbor,Maine, and Niagra Falls and you didn't even know he was in the back sit until we made our pit stops. He was more like a child to me than a dog. He was so smart that  he seemed to be tuned into my emotions. He was also very athletic, he climbed ladders, jumped hurdles and loved to go hiking , but his favorite sport was playing ball. It is really hard for me to explain why he was so special. He just was!
I loved him so much and when I lost him, I lost my best friend ever. I cried for months after he was gone. I got alot of support from my family and friends and my one friend gave me a poem. It was called Rainbow Bridge.They also have a website that you can visit that helps you deal with the grief of losing a special pet. That helped me get through it. That and time.I long for the day when I can see him running toward me  like it says in the poem.
If you are griefing from the loss of a pet, I suggest you check out the website:www.rainbowbridge.com.. It helped me alot.
Alex passed away Sept.12,2006 with a brain tumor, but his memory will be with me until we meet again.

Some Medical Problems of a Golden Retriever (part2)

In my last post I said I would list some more medical problems with the goldens so here they are:
Osteochondrosis Dissecans(OCD)- It is also genetic. It is a bone formation disorder which takes place due to a defect in the transition of cartlidge into the bone while the dog is growing. It is more common in some lines of goldens than others. I personally have not had any problem with any of my dogs.
Progressive retinal atrophy(PRA) - It is a retina based problem found in goldens. It begins to manifest at 2 years old and degenerates in nature. It is also hereditary, so make sure both parents do not have this problem. Again none of my dogs ever had this.
Ear Infections- It is necessary to clean thier ears with a solution on a regular basis to prevent ear infections.
Seborrhea-It is a medical problem in goldens which give them a greasy coat with yellowish scales and a foul smell.It creates itchy skin and the dog will chew until it makes an open sore.( I call them hot spots) The vet can treat them for it and it is not too serious.
Cancer seems to be somewhat a problem in Golden Retrievers. My dog Alex was the only one that developed a brain tumor. Alot of times, as they get up in years they develope little cyst and fatty tumors which are not life threatning, but should be checked out by a vet.
As I mentioned in my last post I would suggest buying from a reputable breeder and don't be afraid to ask if parents had any of the medical problems I posted.
Golden Retrievers are great dogs. They are very intelligent,athletic,and lovable. They make a great companion. I am not trying to shy you away from adding a golden to your family. I am just letting you know of some of the medical problems they can develope. I would not own any other breed myself. They are awesome dogs!

Some Medical Problems of a Golden Rtriever

I am listing some medical problems that could appear in Golden Retrievers that can be inherited in it's genes.That is why it is important to get your puppy from a reputable breeder. You might pay alittle more upfront, but in long term, it will save you on medical expenses. They are generally very strong dogs, but these are some  problems to be aware of:
Hip Dyslapsia- This is a commom problem with goldens, as well as other large dogs. It is when a malformed joint causes the better part of the femur to not be properly aligned with the cup of the hip socket.It can range from mild to severe.I wouldn't worry too much about this as long as you give them a proper diet and exercise they should be fine. I have found that only 2 of my dogs had problems late in there years.You can also give them subplements to build up there bones.
Epilepsy- It also can be heredited. it causes seizures. There isn't a cure, but with medication it can be controlled. I would suggest speaking to the vet on having further tests taken in case of possible brain tumor. I only had 3 of my goldens that had seizures and the only one with a brain tumor was my Alex and he was about 11 years old when we found it. Most of the time it is just epilepsy. Brain tumors can occur in any breed and especially in older dogs, so I would not be too concerned.
These are just a couple of medical problems. I will list some more in a later post.

Choosing a Golden Retriever Puppy

Since I told you about all my goldens, I would like to give some advise on choosing a puppy. As I mentioned in my last post, Rusty was my first. He was only 5 weeks old when I got him. He was the puppy who stayed to himself and wasn't interacting with the rest of the litter. I suggest to pick a puppy who does interact  with the others because that is the basis of how he will be  throughout his life. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't mean, but he did like to go to his special places to be alone at times. His favorite spot was in the bathroom under the toilet, until he couldn't fit anymore, but there were times when he could be affectionate. He loved me. He wasn't real fond of my kids though, especially my son. He never nipped at them, but had a low tolerance  for them. They all have their own personalities, just like people and we love them for who they are, but how they act as puppies will give you an idea of how they will be as adults. That is what I found to be true after owning  goldens for 35 years. It is all what you are looking for in a puppy. I think if you have kids, I would look for a puppy who is romping and playing with the other puppies, otherwise if you just want a good companion, it doesn't matter, because that is what Rusty was to me  until the day he passed away.

My Love of Golden Retrievers

My love of Golden Retrievers all started in about 35 years ago . That is when I purchased my first golden boy, Rusty.He was a very light colored golden. Two years later we decided to get a female and start breeding, so we bought Tara. She was a very dark golden, almost red.Tara had a litter of puppies, 12 females and 1 male. After the puppies were born we dicovered, both Rusty and Tara had seizures, so we didn't breed her again, because it can be passed on through their genes.We kept 2 of the pups, Casey and Amber. Amber also had seizures, but Casey never did. The vet told us it was common in some breeds, but it wasn't life threatning and could be controlled with medication. It did not effect there life span, both Tara and Rusty gave us 16 years of love and companionship. Casey lived to be 13 years old, his hips gave out and poor little Amber got out one day and was hit by a car.
After all my babies were gone, I never thought I could go through that pain again, but a few years later we heard of a woman who was getting rid of her golden puppy, because he didn't get along with her cats. and that is when I found the love of my life. His name was Alex. He was a dark golden like Tara. Alex was the most awesome dog ever. I say dog, but he was more like a child to me. He was very intelligent and very athletic and loved playing ball. We decided to get him a companion(but not for breeding purposes). That is when I adopted Abbey . She was an English breed golden, very light gold with thicker hair. The people I got her from showed their goldens and they said she wasn't show quality.She was a small stocky little girl.It doesn't end there, I adopted another golden from some people who were going to take him to a shelter.His name is Goldberg. He is a medium gold color.
One morning I was awakened by an aweful sound. My Alex had a siezure. He was about 11 years old. This time it was more than just a seizure.Alex had a brain tumor. I decided to have radiation done on him, which was not a good decision. He lived an extra 18 months, but not a good quality of life.He also developed a tumor on his foot and that is when I had to make the hardest decsion of my life. I cried everyday for almost 6 months . My family was tired of my sorrow , so they talked me into getting another puppy, so now the baby of the family is Adin.I must say even though I love him, he runs a close race to Marley(the worst dog in the world.) He is not very affectionate and hates to be groomed. Just recently, my little Abbey passed away with cancer. She passed on her own May 26, 2011. She would have been 15 in Aug. Now it is just Goldberg  (who is about12) and my bad boy Adin, who will be 4 in Oct.
I wrote this blog im memory of all my goldens who have went on to " Rainbow Bridge" and despite some medical issues with the breed. It was worth it for all the love I experienced with each and every one.