Last night around 10pm we lost our baby Goose, he was taken way too soon! He was away from Andy only for a minute running around out in Mendon at our friends house which is just right off the highway. Andy heard a truck make a screeching noise and his heart sank, because he knew it was his dog. He was about 15 seconds away from him, but didn't hear him make any sound or even struggle trying to get up. When he got over to where he was on the road he was already dead. Our baby, gone forever! He was only two and half years old, but he was 98 lbs of pure muscle, love and goofiness! He was seriously the BEST Chesapeake Bay Retriever, let alone dog around!!! He was naughty always chewing up anything and everything; he especially loved my shoes, glasses, and bras. But he was my buddy, Andy's best buddy and the best slobbery cuddle buddy around! We got him by chance last winter and never looked back. He came to us just as chubby as could be, mostly because he was fed a diet of cheese and mink food. But Andy really worked with him day in and day out and he quickly shed those pounds and developed into the best hunting/companion dog around! He was Andy's dog for duck hunting so his name was very fitting and actually fit him to a tee! When he would shed his under coat Andy would always help it along, pulling out any loose hair, we had so much of it floating around and collecting in our house; we called it our 'Goose Feathers'. I guess the only thing that makes me happy is that he went instantly, there was no drawn out death or pain suffered. The pain that we go through now is what's the hardest. We're both devastated, we love our animals and treat them like our children. We have such compassion for animals in general that losing one is like losing a member of our family, we're not complete without them here. The void now felt is huge and lingering. Andy had just set up a large dog kennel which Goose actually LOVED getting into each day. Now that sits empty next to his empty bowls, a new huge bag of dog food and his blanket that he slept on. It's true what they say about dogs being "Man's Best Friend." Andy's best friend Chuck met us both out at the marsh to bury him, since that is where they take their hunting dogs each duck and goose season. That's what those dogs lived for. Goose was just coming into his own as an amazing bird dog. It's such a shame, a waste even of his talent and what kind of a hunter he had the potential of becoming. After they dug the hole I put his favorite dummy in with him, he was so cute carrying it everywhere, chewing on it when he could get away with it, never wanting to let it get too far away from him. Andy kept his collar to put around his mirrors then we said our goodbyes and gave him back to Mother Earth. We're going to miss big old dog to death! He was such a good boy, so loving and carefree, so goofy; which is why I called him Goober! You never got Goose kisses without getting slobbered big time. He could be such a brat sometimes if you pushed him to do something he didn't want to he'd usually bark and then jump up and try to bite your under arms, not viciously just to let you know or rather show you that he was stubborn, he thought he was the boss and he wanted to do what Goose wanted to do! I truly think that the way we treat animals speaks volumes about the kind of people we are in life. Dogs are just the best creatures, they love you unconditionally, they never waiver, they'll always be there for you. Pleasing you and getting praise is the biggest and best compliment/reward they could ever want. Goose truly made our family complete and whole again, after loosing both Kya & Rock last year, he stepped it up and filled the void in our hearts and minds and became another member of our family. He's gone but he's definitely not forgotten. I hope he knows how much joy he brought to our lives, and that we're better people and pet owners for knowing him.
Here some pictures last winter I got of Andy & Goose really starting to work & train on retrieving....
