# When did you get your first golden?



## Blaireli (Jun 3, 2008)

My first Golden was Luke. He is now five and a half, I got him when I was twenty. I had never really been around Golden Retrievers before and didn't know too much about the breed. I had called my sister on a Sunday night and told her that I was thinking about getting a dog. She called me first thing Monday morning and said that his owners had him at the clinic and didn't want him, so he would be $100 or free to a good home. He was terrified of absolutely everything when he first came along, but now he is a total cuddle-bug. I absolutely adore him. I will probably never have any other type of dog...but I will ALWAYS have a Golden.

Here was Luke as a puppy, right after I got him:









And here is a picture of us from last fall, four years older  :


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## Aprilpa (Mar 24, 2008)

Berkley is my first Golden. We found her in Sept 2006 while we were on vacation. She showed up at our rental place the day after we got there, in the middle of a downpour, wet and scared. She was about 6 months old and just the sweetest thing. She spent the whole week with us and our kids, playing in the woods, swimming in the creek, canoeing, and sleeping in front of the fireplace. Nobody ever claimed her, so she came home with us. 

She is the nicest dog we have ever had. Loyal, friendly, obedient, loving. I don't think she has ever met a stranger. I always wanted a Golden, and she found us 2 months after we had lost our husky Nick. I wasn't ready for another dog, I certainly didn't need another dog, but we couldn't have asked to have a better dog for our family. I can't imagine not having her now. I don't know why I waited so long to ever have one, and now that we have 2, I don't know if I will ever be without a Golden again.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Penny & Maggie are our first goldens. We've always had large dogs but had never had experience with a golden until shortly before we got these two. Several months after we lost Apache, we knew we needed another large fur baby, and started researching. As luck would have it, we went to dinner at my dils aunt's house and she had a golden. OMG, it was love at first sight..... I spent the whole time with the dog and knew that's what I wanted. We will never be without at least one of these special babies.


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

it was in 2001 when this Golden showed up at our house. I found his home (l mile away) - that's OBi. He lives with us, but still checks on his legal home lx a week. It's all confusing - but his owners & I got to know each other & do a friendly joint custody (I can board him there for no cost)


Sadie (lab) was fated to team up with Golden's - from puppyhood she kept meeting 'em whenever we went camping. At 7, 8 m/o Bridger is a perfect match for her.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

We got Sam in 1994. I had grown up with Collies and mutts, but my husband was not a dog person. When our then 9 year daughter broke her arm ( a bad break that took a re-setting and her whole summer away) my hubby promised her she could finally have the puppy she always wanted. She had been drawing pictures of a yellow female puppy named "Sammi" for years. Well, friends had a littler of what we thought we Yellow Labs and we went to see them.....They weren't Labs, they were Golden's!! Only 2 pups were left, the male runt and another male who was at the Vet with a broken tail. We came away the new proud owner's of a tiny red runt male named Sammi. He didn't stay "runty" for long. & my love affair started.....


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Isn't it amazing how God or Fate takes a hand in helping us find this breed "by accident"?

I got Shammy from my best friend for a wedding gift after I had lost my beloved German Shepherd. I had really heard nothing about Goldens. barely knew they were a dog breed! I was so lucky, Thank God!


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

There isn't a poll selection for me! I AM that old! I got my first golden in 1967!!! Actually she was the "anti-golden" but she was my dog and I loved her. Knowing now what I know about dogs, she should have been euthanized for being VICIOUS!!! She was, she bit everyone, very posessive, but I fell in LOVE with the breed. We had Katya for 14 years we grew up together. 

Since her I have had Amber, Kachina, Kayla (supposed to be golden but was a mix) and now Maxine and Teddi. I will ALWAYS have a golden and hopefully labs too. I love both breeds, but oh I love my goldens.

For the past 41 years I have had goldens.


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## TiffanyK (Mar 3, 2008)

Fun thread! I'm having a hard time choosing which was my actual "first", but I went with Jessie because she was who started me off loving Goldens for sure! She was our childhood dog, we visited my great Aunt down in SC one summer and her dog had an accidental litter of Golden/GSD pups. She was the best dog and lived 16-17 years, she went everywhere with us and my Dad always said that she was the best of both breeds, but her loving sweet side was all golden.. so I knew I'd never be able to replace her or get the perfect mix for sure in a GR/GSD mix and decided that I would get a golden again one day. She also made me think I was the best trainer ever, that I must have been a natural because I taught her to sit, stay, lay down and rollover all by myself when I was about 9 years old 


Tiffany


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Maxs Mom said:


> There isn't a poll selection for me! I AM that old! I got my first golden in 1967!!! Actually she was the "anti-golden" but she was my dog and I loved her. Knowing now what I know about dogs, she should have been euthanized for being VICIOUS!!! She was, she bit everyone, very posessive, but I fell in LOVE with the breed. We had Katya for 14 years we grew up together.
> 
> Since her I have had Amber, Kachina, Kayla (supposed to be golden but was a mix) and now Maxine and Teddi. I will ALWAYS have a golden and hopefully labs too. I love both breeds, but oh I love my goldens.
> 
> For the past 41 years I have had goldens.


I'm so sorry I didn't include the 60's! From what I've read around here , I didn't think anyone went back that far! (Not an insult! It's a compliment!)
That is just great! You paved the way for the rest of us. Even if yours was alittle unique for the breed temperment!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Maxs Mom said:


> There isn't a poll selection for me! I AM that old! I got my first golden in 1967!!! Actually she was the "anti-golden" but she was my dog and I loved her. Knowing now what I know about dogs, she should have been euthanized for being VICIOUS!!! She was, she bit everyone, very posessive, but I fell in LOVE with the breed. We had Katya for 14 years we grew up together.
> 
> Since her I have had Amber, Kachina, Kayla (supposed to be golden but was a mix) and now Maxine and Teddi. I will ALWAYS have a golden and hopefully labs too. I love both breeds, but oh I love my goldens.
> 
> For the past 41 years I have had goldens.


Boy, you may win the prize for having goldens the longest. Actually, in the mid 60's I had had collies for close to 10 years.... boy, I loved those dogs. I recently found slides of me with "Lassie" ( was there another name for a collie in the late 50's) that I want to have prints made. When I get them I'll scan and post......some of our pictures are probably close to antiques !!!! lol


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Boy, you may win the prize for having goldens the longest. Actually, in the mid 60's I had had collies for close to 10 years.... boy, I loved those dogs. I recently found slides of me with "Lassie" ( was there another name for a collie in the late 50's) that I want to have prints made. When I get them I'll scan and post......some of our pictures are probably close to antiques !!!! lol


Our Male Collie's name was Lad, from the book Lad A Dog....I bet you read it more than once and saw the movies that came from that book!!! We never had a female Lassie, though. Our girls were Holly, Ivy, and Heidi....Ike's best friend and "girlfriend" is a Collie named Daisy. He's nuts about her


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## goldieluvr (Jul 16, 2007)

Actually, my mom and dad brought our first golden home in 1969, but since the 60's isn't on here I said 1970's! I still miss Rusty too!


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

Only since 26th January this year! I was planning on a chocolate lab but while looking at various gundogs I became curious about Goldens. At that same time I was told about Willow's breeder. Our story starts from there!


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

I guess I'm relatively new to Goldens. We got our first one in '96. That was Cooper - the one we lost a year ago. We now have Golden #2 - Riley. 

And yes, Cooper certainly turned the tide! I had a 2-year-old GSD at the time and was looking for a companion for him. I looked into a few different breeds (Lab, Newfie, Golden and even considered getting another GSD) and after reading about their personalities, temperaments, energy level, etc., I settled on the Golden, figuring that it would be the best match for my Shepherd. It _was_ a great match, but boy I had NO idea what I was getting into! I thought I had done as much homework as I possibly could and was still completely unprepared for a Golden! 

My life has never been the same and now, I couldn't even _imagine_ not having a Golden, even with all the challenges that come with them.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

I got Samson in May of 2007. And Delilah in October of 2007.

Before my Goldens (and the first year of Samson's life) we had Labrador Retrievers...Black. My first one was in 1984. His name was Nugget and he was the father of Tag. Tag was born in 1995 and crossed the bridge this April just a week shy of his 13th birthday. 

So 1 year of Goldens. 23 and a half years of Labs.


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## goldenluver (Feb 26, 2007)

I got my first golden "Shana" in 1997. She passed away in 2004. I was introduced to goldens when I was in high school when I babysat for a family who had a golden and fell in love with the breed.


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## heartofgold (Oct 27, 2007)

I have always been a cat person, until now. I have never hated dogs I have just always thought why own a dog, cats are much easier. Well, my family is a lap dog family. Everyone I know (except my mom) owns the tiny breeds like yorkies, poodles, mini schnauzers, and pugs. I just dont care for those breeds. They are too high strung for me, at least the ones I know. My MIL's Yorkie bites people, my sisters mini schnauzer barks constantly, my uncles jack russel jumps constantly and is a total spaz, and my aunts pug has a face only a mother can love. I just don't "get" little dogs, never have but that's just me. I never considered getting a big dog because my mom owns huskies (very cool dogs) just not great dogs IMO. They have waaaaay too much hair and hers are not smart at all but they are very nice just not for me. 

About two years ago I met two goldens and that changed the way I felt about never wanting a dog. They were beautiful, smart, and very very sweet. My kids fell in love with them, my husband (who felt the same way as I did) also fell in love with them. They were very well trained and the male golden was only two years old and so laid back and gentle with our kids. Their owner said my boys needed a golden, but I still needed more convincing. I thought these dogs were too good to be true so we went back a few months later when we coudn't get these dogs off our minds. The man who owns them is a good friend of my grandfathers and a lifelong dog trainer. He said if we ever wanted a dog he would help us train it. He did highly recommend a golden. His dogs really made an impact on us, yes they were that special! So, a year after we met our first golden we got one of our own and it was one of the best things we ever did! The cats even think so!

Scout is now ten months old and she is the sweetest, smartest, most gentle pup I've ever met. Now we are waiting on pup #2, due in about four weeks!


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## historicprim (Nov 24, 2007)

As a kid we had a Shepard who had to be put down for attacking the mailman. A cockerspaniel and a lab.
My first husband and I had Shepards.
20 years ago my now husband and I were pretty involved with German Shorthaired Pointers, mainly club events. We really enjoyed those times, but New Jersey has changed so much we decided we couldnt give them what they needed.


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## TheTuckerFam (Jun 29, 2008)

Last week  We pick him up Sunday


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

We need more votes!


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Shadow was our first Golden. He came into my life after my Mom and my Cocker Spaniel died within 6 months of each other in 2002. Shadow got me through a really difficult time in my life. My Mom was my best friend and loved my Cocker Spaniel as much as I did. Sparky was 17 when she died. I cried for both of them everyday. Shadow was great therapy.


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## harleysmom (Jul 3, 2008)

We got our first Golden in 1996. He was supposed to be all golden, but we are pretty sure he was mixed with Collie. He had a longer nose and white on the paws and chest. We didn't care though he was ours. 2 days later I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter. Casey and Katie grew up together. He was soo gentle with her as a baby, could not have asked for a better dog. He was her constant playmate.

His best friend was my Mother in laws Collie named Beethoven. My father in law would pick up Casey every Sunday and take him to the house so they could play all day. When Casey died in 2003 from complications from epilepsy, Beethoven passed away 2 weeks later. Now I am sure they are playing together again. We always said Beethoven had a broken heart. He would wait all day by the gate for Casey. It was sad.

Now we have 2 year old Harley, I don't know why I waited so long for another one.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Last year!

I am new to the breed and he has been the easiest dog I have ever had.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

I got my first golden in 1996 - I was four years old. He is now at the bridge because he was hit by a car.
RIP Rocky 1996-2002


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Lucky is our first Golden and our first pure-bred. It was my husbands idea to get a Golden.

I never knew much about the breed, but I remember visiting a frieind once years ago, and her dog was constantly by us, clinging, wanting love attention, people. Beautiful dog. I asked what breed and she said Golden Retriever...

And this is Lucky's personality.....


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I love to read people's stories of how they became a lover of goldens.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

My first golden that we owned was Ben and we got him in 95 and lost him in 96. He is my avatar picture. We rescued him from a high kill shelter and he was in sad shape. He had hot spots on his face and was told his voice box was cut to keep him from barking. It wasnt when we found that he only barked if he was tied up. Hubby tied his leash to the bumper while he got his hunting rifle out and to keep him safe and Ben just started barking. So we only heard him bark two times. That day and when hubby had to show me what caused him to bark. Ben was so loving and sweet and everyone the met him feel in love with him. We unfortunately only had him for 1 year. He had diabetes I guess when we got him and by the time we noticed it, he was having kidney failure and vision problems. So we had to let him go. I still get teary thinking about that day. My husband was so upset and lost. Even the marines that he worked with all came over and cried with us. He was the office mascot. One of they guys even wrote an article for the base newspaper about what a great dog Ben was. I wil have to try and find that article. And what was worse that hubby had to leave for a six month deployment 2 days later. While he was gone, I lost my yorkie and cat. So that six months really sucked.


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## MisterBailey (Jun 28, 2007)

Bailey is my first Golden, and my first dog! I got him last year for my 21st birthday present. I don't think ANY present will ever top getting my dog.

I wanted a Golden since as long as I can remember. I always liked Labs too, but in the end Goldens won out! The first time I remember seeing one was on the tv show Full House. I always wanted a dog just like Comet!


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## heartofgold (Oct 27, 2007)

TheTuckerFam said:


> Last week  We pick him up Sunday


Wooohooo!!! Congrats on the new puppy! Can't wait to see pictures! Have you thought of a name?


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## heartofgold (Oct 27, 2007)

BeauShel said:


> My first golden that we owned was Ben and we got him in 95 and lost him in 96. He is my avatar picture. We rescued him from a high kill shelter and he was in sad shape. He had hot spots on his face and was told his voice box was cut to keep him from barking. It wasnt when we found that he only barked if he was tied up. Hubby tied his leash to the bumper while he got his hunting rifle out and to keep him safe and Ben just started barking. So we only heard him bark two times. That day and when hubby had to show me what caused him to bark. Ben was so loving and sweet and everyone the met him feel in love with him. We unfortunately only had him for 1 year. He had diabetes I guess when we got him and by the time we noticed it, he was having kidney failure and vision problems. So we had to let him go. I still get teary thinking about that day. My husband was so upset and lost. Even the marines that he worked with all came over and cried with us. He was the office mascot. One of they guys even wrote an article for the base newspaper about what a great dog Ben was. I wil have to try and find that article. And what was worse that hubby had to leave for a six month deployment 2 days later. While he was gone, I lost my yorkie and cat. So that six months really sucked.


That story is so wonderful yet sad at the same time. It's funny how the toughest guys can turn into mush over their dogs. I'm sorry you had such a tough year but just try to look back and remember all the good times you had with your pets. I noticed you have an Eskimo. I got an Eskie pup for my 15th birthday and lost her last year a week after I turned 30. She was a great dog.


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## jaireen (Feb 25, 2008)

i stayed at my grandparents' place for 5 years when i was a kid...they had 7 dogs at that time...i always wanted to have a dog but my mom was scared coz she was bitten by a dog before and had to undergo a series of anti rabies shots...when i came to stay with mom, i remember having a pup but because mom was scared, the pup had to stay outside...last january when mom was on a trip, i got myself a golden pup, barney, and fell in love with him...he was sickly at that time and i spent a lot of money on him until he died last march....after his death, i couldnt stand it any longer...i always missed him and cried whenever i remember him...less than a month following his death, i got dulce....i love dulce so much but i still miss barney a lot too..they are so different in so many ways...theyre both sweet and loving....i cant imagine myself without a golden...when i first told my friends that i got myself a golden pup, all their comments was i made a good choice...goldens are the sweetest and smartest among any breeds...they have excellent temperaments as well...am planning to get another one when dulce turns a year older next year....i guess with goldens, you can never get enough.... 


p.s.
i forgot to mention that mom fell in love with barney too and after he passed away, mom and i were in pursuit to get another golden...shes slowly getting over her phobias of dogs and its really great!!!.....barney died of parvo/distemper....can you imagine how much time we spent disinfecting the whole place before we got dulce....dulce has been with us for over 3 months now and has completed all her shots....so i guess somehow, its safe to say that shes safe now from the virus that took her older brother.....thank God!!!...


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## daisydogmom (Feb 26, 2007)

Sadie was my first Golden (probably a mix). My husband and I adopted her from a (mostly cat) shelter in western MA in June 2001. We were told she was 5-6 years old, but our vet said she was MUCH older. Sadie was the easiest dog ever! She loved everyone and everything. I think that her previous owners must have trained her a bit. She only barked twice in the 2 1/2 years we had her. Sadie was also great with my two young nieces. She even allowed the girls to climb on her and put Mr. Potatohead pieces all over her! We were so lucky! The only thing that was difficult about her was her medical issues. She suffered from partial seizures and a terrible lung disease which took her life in the end in 2004. I still miss her terribly. She was truly my heart dog. I always feel a bit guilty admitting that, though- like I'm being a traitor to my poor high-maintenance Daisy (But I do love her dearly, too!). 

I always like to tell the story of how my son came home from the hospital after being born almost a year to the day from when we had to put Sadie down. Can you just imagine what my emotions were like at that time? LOL! Call me crazy, but I like to think that maybe Sadie had some say in his due date from the Bridge!!!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Thank you for your stories about Ben, Barney and Sadie. They sound like wonderful loyal goldens who made you love this great breed!


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

My first golden - Rusty - was in 1970 - i was a mere child and he was my birthday present. Sadly we had to have him put to sleep in 1972 after he savaged my brother. The vet said that he had something wrong with his brain and he just flipped. I always said that when i grew up and left home i would have another retriever - and in 1982 hubby and i had "our first" - Kelly, then Ginny and Ralph , now at the bridge, we have Holly and Quinn. My heart belongs to Goldens.


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## maya111 (Jun 21, 2008)

My parents bought our first goldens in 1997. I was 9. Mambo and Vanilla. We brought Mambo from the US. 
Maya came home on March 15, 2008!


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## riddle03 (Jun 9, 2005)

My first golden is my red boy in my avatar. I was in college living with my sister and wanted a dog. She said as long as I took care of it that it was ok. I went to the library and searched different breeds. I settled on a golden. I love their personalities and their looks and also I believe that they have a sense of humor. Well that was in 1996. I just went to the breeders house "to look". I walked around back to where the pups were playing with their parents and this tubby red fluff ball came up and started to chew on my tennis shoes. That's all it took. I still say that Tucker picked me. After college I bought a house and went looking for a companion for Tuck, there was only one choice for me, another golden. I will always own a couple. Tucker just turned 12 on June 30th. It has been the best 12 years of my life with him by my side. I turned my husband into a golden lover as well. It was the best purchase I have ever made.


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## Josh & Bam Bam (Apr 9, 2008)

I was in about 5th grade when my mom took me to get another dog. We had 2 Irish Setters at the time and decided on a Golden as the 3rd. 

About a week after we got him, my parents had a house full of people over. I caught Brandy peeing on the floor and picked him up in mid stream to get him outside... I was young, he was squirming around alot. I accidentally dropped him, breaking his leg. He had to grow up with a cast on his leg. I felt like crap but he forgave me....He was always with me. 
He was a very very cool dog. Always had his nasty, deflated, shredded up soccer ball with him. Also, to this day he is the only dog that I have seen catch a tennis ball that was basically a line drive!


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## Lexie's Mom (Dec 14, 2005)

i got Lexie, who was my first golden, the first weekend i separated from my exhusband. He NEVER would let me have any dogs after my dobies past on so i replaced his butt with a golden girl. That was Feb.01:smooch:


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## twinny41 (Feb 13, 2008)

Meg was my first and only golden. I got her in 1993 and lost her in January this year. I grew up with border collies and my previous dog was a golden collie cross. Hence the transition to goldens. She was the most wilful ,disobedient, delinquent, funny and loveable dog I have ever had. I adored her and life is very quiet and dull without her. If I am ever in a position to get another dog I wont have anything else but a golden. Love em!


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## lightofmyluna (Apr 20, 2008)

My cousins had goldens when I was a kid, and one summer I went up to Maine to stay with them when one of their dogs had a litter! It was SO much fun and such a great sense of responsibility to take care of those puppies while I was there.
As luck would have it, one day last summer we were walking by our neighbors' house, and they were outside playing with a brand new golden puppy! My husband and I had talked about getting a dog for a long time and were finally living in a place where that was possible. Although my husband was set on getting a rottie, he fell in love with this puppy right away. That was a Thursday. We brought Luna home Saturday!


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## carrie (Mar 7, 2006)

I have Carrie since 2004  She's my first dog at all


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## embreeo (Aug 19, 2006)

In the late 70's! Had other breeds before, but after we got that first golden, it was never anything else!!


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## OnceAGoldenAlwaysAGolden (Jul 8, 2008)

Our family got Lacey when I was 15 and she is still living with my mom, almost 14 years old now...I call her the Golden Angel...My dad is still alive within her and they are both the reason we have Maggie and soon Mya...Once a Golden Always A Golden 

Here is Lacey...


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## ruby752 (Jul 29, 2005)

My first golden was brought into our home in 1989 at 8 weeks old and a hefty 18 lbs. Her name was HoneyBear but she was just Bear to us. She was the best !! A loving and loyal friend. Bear was a deep red color and her face turned pretty gray by the time she turned 10. I had to have her put down when her kidneys shut down. It broke my heart and I went 6 years before I could find another golden. I loved Bear so much it was like losing a child. But after those 6 yrs. I went just to see some golden pups and my new baby was there. Her name is Mandy (now 3 1/2 ) and she is a lighter golden. I love her so much. Probably we will always have a golden here, once having had their love and loyalty its hard to have anything else.


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## OnceAGoldenAlwaysAGolden (Jul 8, 2008)

My very first Golden is almost 14 years old, I was 15 then...well shes not really mine, she is the family pet, shes my sister.

Here is a picture og Lacey (aka-the Golden Angel)...


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## OceanTheGolden (Mar 22, 2008)

Got my first golden in 2002 in June/July ^^


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## Tatnall (May 20, 2008)

My first golden was around to greet me when I returned with my mother from the hospital, in the early 60s. My mother had goldens since she was a little girl--pre WWII. I can remember when they were rare enough that folks would ask us if it was some kind of ugly Irish Setter. We used to give them Russian names, because back then the Russian Retriever story was still common.


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## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

Adopted my first golden, Casey, in the mid 1980s I think. He was a great dog, very gentle, and a whiz at obedience. He earned his CD and CDX titles and kicked some serious doggy butt along the way! He died of kidney failure in the mid 1990s at age 11 or so.


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