# The Adventures of Sona



## Wicky

*First shows*

I was feeling tired after Easter weekend. I went to my first shows and my mom was delighted - she said I may never be BIS but she was soooo trilled I was a good girl both in and out of the ring. I was on my bestest behaviour that must be why I was tired :bowl:


----------



## Wicky

*stay.... Again....*

Mom has me practicing my stay a lot - I wonder why......


----------



## Wicky

*I did something very smart in class.....*

Everyone was very excited when I got this rosette - mom said she was super proud. I'm not sure what the fuss was about cause I love class and it wasn't too hard. I think they were excited cause I did something a little bit naughty on our first attempt last year but I've forgotten allllll about that :uhoh:


----------



## Wicky

*Road Trip!!!*

I'm in Ireland! I love this place. I get load of attention from my human relatives and I get to go pretty places.


----------



## Wicky

*Ireland*

I also got to play with my cousin Clyde - I'm taller than him now. He doesn't like the car so I let him share my new crate. I told him it wasn't that scary and I think he began to feel better.


----------



## Wicky

*Home again and I need a hair cut!!!!!*

Mom took me to an odd place but I was happy to go in cause there was a friendly lady from training there. They washed me and started cutting my coat. I wasn't sure this was the best idea so thought I should try to leave the table but the lady was having none of it. Once I was all done I waited very patiently for mum. While I was waiting two of my best friends turned up with their human - so fun. When mum came back she told me I looked so pretty - but then again when do I not. Mum said I look all grown up so I was happy


----------



## Wicky

*New career?*

So I've been watching tv and I think I could get a role in one of those perfume ads as a moody lady of mystery - mom says no chance cause I gotta hold the look for more than a microsecond.


----------



## Wendy427

Beautiful pictures of your beautiful girl!


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Sona's a beautiful girl, enjoyed the pictures.


----------



## Amystelter

Hi sona! Didn't know you as a pup but I look forward to hearing about you adventures. You are a pretty girl. I like your confidence, will serve you well


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Wicky

Thanks Guys for your nice comment. Amy my mom says I have selective hearing and possibly selective memory...... I don't know what she means


----------



## Wicky

*New Friend*

Look look look.... I made a new doggy friend at training.... At least I think it's a dog, he was teeny tiny. Mom said he was the same size as the fluff balls she is getting from my coat three times a day at the moment. She was so distracted by puppy cuddles that we almost missed the start of class :wink2:


----------



## Wendy427

Sona, you're such a beautiful girl! I just love your smile!


----------



## Wicky

Thank you Wendy!


----------



## G-bear

Sona is beautiful and your pictures are lovely. In the photo with the "pocket dog" it really does look as if Sona is asking, "Mom are you sure it's really a dog????" Love it


----------



## Wicky

Thanks G-bear - yes I don't think she really knew what it was!!


----------



## Wicky

*Duck watching*

I had a lovely time swimming on Sunday. Then I saw the ducks. I though in the end the best thing to do was to sit really still and they would come to me. I wonder why that didn't work...


----------



## Kalhayd

She's beautiful and reminds me of my Bayleigh when she was young!


----------



## Wicky

*Happiness is.....*

Finding a huge pile of grass .....


----------



## Wicky

*Growing up!*

I guess the only thing that changes is that it is harder to get them fully in frame :laugh:


----------



## Wicky

*My Holiday!*

Hi Everyone! I haven't been here in awhile cause my mom had to go away for work. So I had to go stay with my friends. It was lots of fun I got to swim every day and play with my doggy friends. I was still very excited when mom came home! I thought I would share some photos from my holidays..


----------



## Wicky

Lovely day yesterday at a companion show. Sona did so well - even with some very worrying sounds going on about her!
1st - AV Gundog, 
4th - Obedience 1 (impossible to do a down stay without a down :surprise, 
3rd - obedience 2 (may have broken her sit stay but did an amazing job retrieving a borrowed wooden dumbbell!), 
2nd - pretty eyes, 
4th - prettiest bitch 
Finished off the day with a visit to her breeder. Sona looks very like her mum and although she may not have been overly keen on her baby returning for a visit :wink2: her extended family was pleased to see her! 
All that was left was one tired pup.


----------



## swishywagga

Catching up with Sona, can't believe she's all grown up, congratulations on all the achievements she's going to do so well. Love the pictures she's a very pretty girl!.


----------



## Wicky

*So proud and happy*

My clever little girl successfully passed her Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme silver test - so proud of her. She worked really hard and stayed so focused throughout, especially as it was all tested outdoors except the controlled greeting ?


----------



## swishywagga

Congratulations, she looks beautiful!.


----------



## Wicky

swishywagga said:


> Congratulations, she looks beautiful!.


Thanks Swishywagga!


----------



## Wicky

My parents are visiting at the moment and Sona has decided she will never be too big to be a lap dog :grin2:


----------



## swishywagga

That's a nice photo, they certainly love to be near all the time, including sitting on your lap and draping themselves all over you!


----------



## Wicky

*Best £5 purchase!*

I'm currently trying to work on Sonas 'ground force destruction' tendency right now. It's my fault I was not as consistent when she was in the garden and she would dig a hole or pull up a plant. I've been keeping a closer eye on her when she is out there and not letting her out unless I can give her 100% attention. The resulting problem is I could not open the doors to the garden as I cannot trust Sona to stay indoors with me when they are open. I was looking for an easy solution and decided to try a piece of expanding garden trellis and it works a treat! It sits securely in the door frame, it's light and folds up small. Plenty of fresh air and a secure doggy! For £5 I think it might be my favourite dog related purchase :smile2:
Although I think Sona is less impressed by it :grin2:


----------



## Wicky

*Photo 2...*

Looking less than pleased!


----------



## swishywagga

Bless her, she doesn't look pleased, that's a great idea though and so much cheaper.


----------



## Wicky

*Catch a break not a bird*

It really feels like Sona can't catch a break at the moment! Towards the end of her second season last week she developed diarrhoea. Bland reduced diet and a probiotic/prebiotic seemed to be helping over the next few days. So I decided i would take her down to the field to stretch her legs a little on Wednesday, her first time off lead in almost 4 weeks. The first thing she does? Chase, catch, and eat a pigeon - oh WHY!!! Well I know why really but I almost cried. So a step back yesterday for her tummy but seemed better today. Thought we had turned a corner. Then this evening she starting shaking her head a lot so off to the out of hours vet. She has an ear infection :frown2: Poor little girl and of course because her tummy has been out of sorts she can't get anything extra to help with discomfort (has drops for infection) :frown2::frown2::frown2: we are supposed to be travelling to Dublin next weekend so hopefully there is good improvement when we go back to vet on Friday. Don't want to put her through an 8hr road trip if she is not 100%


----------



## swishywagga

Poor girl hope she feels better soon!.


----------



## Wicky

Gosh that last post of mine was rather rant-y and moany! It's been a challenging few weeks for many reasons and it seems to have stressed me out a bit!!!!
Cleaning and putting drops in sonas ears has been a NIGHTMARE! I have not been able to get all doses in  however I got the first two-ish days in and she stopped shaking her head. The following days were a bit hit and miss. However we were at the vet yesterday and they are looking great!!!
So we have the all clear to travel to Dublin tomorrow and attend the Southern Golden Retriever Society Limited Obedience Show today. Such a lovely day so many fab goldies with their lovely people and to top it all off Sona placed in both her classes! 1st in introductory and 2nd in pre-beginners. So proud of this little girl ?


----------



## Karen519

*Sona*

Sona is a beautiful girl! Love all of her pictures!


----------



## swishywagga

That's absolutely wonderful, congratulations to you and Sona. Glad her ears are better, my boy had problems with his over the years. Hope you'll let her indulge in an Ice-cream from me!.


----------



## Wicky

*Back again*

We are back from a few weeks in Ireland. Here are a few of my favourite shots....


----------



## Wicky

I think this house suits me....


----------



## Wicky

Bird? What bird???


----------



## Wicky

Pretty flowers.....


----------



## Wicky

Even more pretty flowers.....


----------



## Amystelter

Great pics!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## swishywagga

Wonderful photos, looks like you had a great time Sona, you should pop over to Dawgie Chat they would love heating about your adventures and great taste in houses!


----------



## Wicky

swishywagga said:


> you should pop over to Dawgie Chat they would love heating about your adventures and great taste in houses!


I'm not sure either of us could keep up with the Dawgies :smile2:


----------



## Wicky

Sona started working on scent in training last week. She took to it like a duck to water - like any self respecting goldie :wink2:
Not the best photos but here she is retrieving the marked scent cloth.


----------



## swishywagga

That’s great, well done Sona!.


----------



## B and G Mom

She is so beautiful!!!

Congratulations on all the ribbons!! Love all the photos!


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Great pictures of your beautiful Sona.


----------



## Wicky

Our training club has their own platinum award (retrieve/scent/send away/ distance control / heel work / novice recall) which you can work towards after you have been awarded your gold kcgcds. Sona passed it tonight - so proud of this little girl! ?


----------



## Aislinn

Beautiful pictures!


----------



## Wicky

Thanks Aislinn!


----------



## Wicky

*Having fun while the cats away *

Some photos taken by the lady Sona boards with when I need to travel. I was away for one night a couple of weeks ago - I hate being away but at least I know she is having fun!


----------



## Wicky

Feeling refreshed....


----------



## Wicky

Pretty head shot


----------



## Wicky

Giving the eye...


----------



## swishywagga

Just look at her, love the photos particularly the mud shot!!. She's looking beautiful.


----------



## Wicky

Thanks Swishy


swishywagga said:


> love the photos particularly the mud shot!!


 I think that was Sona's favourite too :grin2:


----------



## Wicky

It's been awhile since I've given a Sona update. She was spayed at the end of October. She was good at keeping quite for the limited exercise period of 10 days but you could see at the end she just wanted to run when outside. After that there was a week of building her exercise up on the lead before back to normal. She healed really well so it was dissapointed that after a week of back to normal the scar tissue got infected. So it was back to lead walks and a round of antibiotics. The lack of exercise was leading to a very stressed girly so tried to teach her some new games. We did catch without moving her paws - she was great but I was the weak link as my aim is terrible!! We also took a tour of every pet shop in the area to stop her going stir crazy. Thankfully she is back to normal now and acting a lot less wired. We went to a trick workshop today where she learnt to get in a box as well as open one among other things - so much fun!!!!


----------



## Wicky

A game of lazy catch


----------



## Wicky

And back to normal.....


----------



## swishywagga

Clever girl Sona and you look beautiful!.


----------



## Amystelter

Lazy or skilled? All in the eyes of the beholder


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## G-bear

Sona you are so pretty and your mom has quite a good arm on her to toss that toy directly to your mouth! I would probably have accidentally flung it into another room. I am glad Sona is healed and back to doing the things she loves. It's so hard to try to keep them "quiet" when they want to be out enjoying life.


----------



## Wicky

G-bear said:


> I would probably have accidentally flung it into another room.


I am afraid there were quite a few time it sailed over her head.... i could almost feel her rolling her eyes at me :grin2:


----------



## Wicky

It has been a while since I posted a proper Sona update. Before Christmas Sona won the annual obedience award at training club - I was so proud of her! She also won the fancy dress prize at the club Christmas party.
We were in Dublin for a few weeks at Christmas and Sona loved being able to go to the beach. We had our first agility lesson on Thursday which went really well. Well Sona was ramped up to 90 as it is a very exciting environment. However she still did all she was asked when off lead and managed to stay focused on me. Now looking forward to getting back to obedience class on Tuesday. 

And a few photos ..... :grin2:


----------



## Wicky

Beach time!!


----------



## Wicky

Beach time 2!!!


----------



## swishywagga

Sona you're star, and a very beautiful one at that, congratulations on all your achievements x


----------



## Wicky

So after Sona injured her paw pad a couple of weeks ago we are now back to normal now. We had some lovely walks this weekend - only have photos of the aftermath as I left my phone in a friends house Saturday morning. 
Our last agility session was a disaster. Sona was not focused - don't know if it was that she still had energy to burn after the paw issue or maybe it was me. Anyway she took off a couple of times (not like her). The last time we were individually practicing turns and she drew the attention of a large American bulldog. Sona realised quickly her mistake and was a little shaken by it. We went back to practice and she knocked over one of the sides of the jump - again this spooked her. Then to top it all off a rather vocal chi had a run in with the bulldog. At this point Sona decided the arena was way too scary and wanted to leave. She would not even walk past the chi or bulldog. We spent the remainder of the lesson watching from the side lines. I should say class is usually a lot calmer than this.
In hindsight Sona's recall on walks has been less than instant recently. I also think that when she went wrong over the first series of jumps in class she knew and based on my lack of direction she decided she might as well try to find easy attention elsewhere. Anyway spent some time over the last few days working on coming away from distractions and today she recalled away from some ducks and a swan. Ok she got in the water with the swan before I realised it was there but she did recall from it. Hopefully this is a good sign!!!!


----------



## Amystelter

Had to laugh at that first pic. My Lucy gets dirty like that all the time. Same spot. Dirty rump, lol! Hang in there with the training. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## fadila

males are teddy bears while females are affectionate but have alot of mood swings but take care if u want a female first of all her period ...blood everywhere males mark everywhere ..but for me i think that a male dog is better for you than a female but if u really want a female and abslouteley love them then get a female dog but train her and give f her time.because dogs are a big responsibility and take a lot of your time



good luck on choosing hope this helpedd...


----------



## Wicky

We were at our first open show in nearly 10 months. Sona was fab - it was really windy but she gave an amazing impression of an unflappable dog ? She came third in her breed class (yearling) and second in a stakes class. Then it was off to the beach ?
Can't believe she is 2 tomorrow!


----------



## swishywagga

How wonderful, congratulations to you both and Happy Birthday tomorrow Sona you are a very beautiful girl!


----------



## Wicky

We took a long weekend away recently - thought I would share some photos


----------



## Wicky

Weather was great so Sona needed to cool down a lot.... :grin2:


----------



## swishywagga

She looks so lovely, the photos are great, beautiful scenery!.


----------



## B and G Mom

lol she chose to cool off in the mud! A golden's favorite thing I think!! She is so pretty and the photos are amazing!


----------



## Rlmitchell72

Sona is SO incredibly beautiful!! I've greatly enjoyed looking through all the photos!


----------



## Wicky

Thanks Swishy we were in the Brecon Beacons and it was stunning!
Oh B and G Mom she was in 7th heaven lol - so many puddles so little time ?
Thanks Rhonda of course I think she is the prettiest girl in the world but I may be biased ?


----------



## G-bear

I love the photos that you post. Not only is Sona beautiful but your photos are as well. Thank you!


----------



## Wicky

G-bear said:


> I love the photos that you post. Not only is Sona beautiful but your photos are as well. Thank you!


Thank you! Glad you enjoy them!


----------



## Wicky

So thought I would update Sona's thread. Her most recent travels have taken her to Dublin to visit my family. We only get to go around three times per year but Sona is always so excited to be there - thought I would try and video it this time &#55357;&#56832;
Also included a few photos from the trip...


----------



## swishywagga

Just love your Sona, she's so beautiful and look how happy she is in the video!


----------



## Wicky

Gosh where has the summer gone! Sona is doing well. We have been back to Dublin to spend time with family, dog sat for a friend, and spent a lot of time training in obedience, rally and agility. Basically I have been enjoying my gorgeous girly who makes me smile every day no matter what is going on. And here are the required photos...


----------



## swishywagga

Lovely photos of your gorgeous girl.


----------



## Wicky

Last weekend I went to a dog training workshop in Devon and Sona came along. While Sona has travel a lot with me we have always stayed in self catering accommodation or with family and friend so this was our first attempt at staying in a hotel. I was worried Sona would be unsettled but she was fabulous and we had a great weekend.


----------



## swishywagga

Whereabouts were you in Devon, I'm down in Torbay?. Glad you both had a great trip, Sona is looking lovely as always!.


----------



## Wicky

swishywagga said:


> Whereabouts were you in Devon, I'm down in Torbay?. Glad you both had a great trip, Sona is looking lovely as always!.


Thank you! It was okehampton- sure a lovely part of the world.


----------



## swishywagga

Wicky said:


> Thank you! It was okehampton- sure a lovely part of the world.


Right, that's a bit away from me but we've visited there a few times and agree it's lovely!.


----------



## brianne

I feel a little ridiculous saying this, but I've never seen this thread before! Sona is absolutely lovely and your pictures are, too! They seem to really capture her personality. 

I have a question: in your post in October there is a picture of the beautiful Sona standing on 4 round purple (or blue?) spiky pads. What are the pads for - toy? training?

Glad I found this thread.


----------



## Wicky

brianne said:


> I feel a little ridiculous saying this, but I've never seen this thread before! Sona is absolutely lovely and your pictures are, too! They seem to really capture her personality.
> 
> I have a question: in your post in October there is a picture of the beautiful Sona standing on 4 round purple (or blue?) spiky pads. What are the pads for - toy? training?
> 
> Glad I found this thread.


Thank you ? I enjoy sharing her adventures. The pads are wobble cushions. Sona has mild hip dysplasia and standing/walking on unstable surfaces is part of her physio exercises to build muscle and core strength. It took me a very long time to get her to place her hind legs on them but we got there eventually ?


----------



## Wicky

Sona had her first taste of snow. Not much compared to what some people on her get but she loved it! We also met a male golden retriever that was just like a male version of sona. We don’t normally see goldies so similar in colour to Sona.


----------



## swishywagga

She's looking lovely and very much like her new friend!


----------



## Wicky

Happy New Year Everyone! No better way to spend New Years than a walk on the beach!


----------



## swishywagga

Happy New Year to you and Sona, she's looking great, particularly love the flying out the water photo!.


----------



## Wicky

After a miserable few weekends. It was just perfect this morning.


----------



## swishywagga

She's looking great, looks very beautiful there!.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Wonderful pictures, Sona is a pretty girl.


----------



## Wicky

We have had quite a bit of snow lately which is unusual but Sona is loving it!


----------



## swishywagga

Aw, I'm glad Sona is having lots of fun. The photos are great, particularly love the one with her head rubbing in the snow!.


----------



## Wicky

It’s a hard life for a goldie


----------



## swishywagga

Haha, she does indeed have a very hard life!!


----------



## Wicky

Lots of fun this weekend and the sun even managed to make an appearance


----------



## swishywagga

Great photos, she always looks so happy!


----------



## Piper_the_goldenpuppy

Looks like she had a blast!


----------



## Wicky

It’s been a hard two weeks. My brother is seriously ill and I was called home 2 weeks. Things are looking a bit better now thankfully. Sona has been so good, offering cuddles and distraction as needed. She has done so well will all the turmoil, lack of walks, odd routines, and not much time one on one with me. Love her so much x


----------



## swishywagga

So sorry to hear that your brother is poorly, sending lots of positive thoughts that he gets better soon. Sounds like Sona has been such a comfort for you all.


----------



## Wicky

*The dog of my dreams*

Before I brought Sona home 3 years ago I had a vision of all I hoped she would be... Gentle... loving... calm... adaptable... well trained... welcomed wherever she went... 
My brother passed away a couple of weeks ago, and during the worst time of my life I looked at Sona and realised that she was that vision and everything I could have wished for in a dog. She dealt with strange situations with ease and she gave comfort to so many people. Sona never follows anyone around the house, yet on the day of the funeral she followed me around the house as I got ready, I was like she knew. From day one Sona was so special to me and I’m so thankful she is in my life, who knew the kinda flighty unconfident teenager would mature into the amazing girl that I have ?


----------



## swishywagga

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your brother. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. I'm so glad that lovely Sona has brought so much comfort to you all.


----------



## dlmrun2002

A bitter sweet story, and of course it ends with a Golden center stage. Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your brother. I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters, all still alive and well. But the future will ring true as it always does and I can't imagine the loss. On the flip side of that is a Golden who knows what you are going through and has made a personal decision to stay close to you because it understands it wants to help you. I really think many times animals are much smarter then humans. They communicate, survive, reproduce, have social connections...all of these things without the help of language, machines, technology. You are very lucky to have a special Golden who looks great by the way.

dlm ny country


----------



## Wicky

Can’t believe it has been a year since I updated Sona’s thread. Life has been hectic in many ways. Sona is doing great and our adventures continue! So what has Sona been up to..... 
After a long hard slog Sona mastered object differentiation on verbal cues and passed her final training club award called the black opal. 
She went camping for the first time and was a total star. 
She became a big sister to a 5 month old Spanish water dog in April and was so good and gentle. She did find it a bit over exciting at time did some displacement behaviour which mainly involved digging up my lawn ?. 
She turned FOUR (yikes time flies)
Attended her first agility shows, coping with her anxiety of PA systems and even managing a clear run in a casual (non-progression class). 
But mostly she continues to be a loving, at times crazy, companion that makes my life better just by being in it..... what more could you want. ♥


----------



## swishywagga

Great to hear that Sona is doing so well. The pictures are great, wonderful that you have added to the family, I see many exciting and fun times ahead for you all!.


----------



## LynnC

Awww Hi pretty girl Sona  !! Sounds like she's living the life! Congratulations on your second pup. Enjoy!


----------



## CAROLINA MOM

Great to see you back on the board.
Fun reading about Sona's adventures and about her new siblings. 

The pictures are great!


----------

