Current mood:	pensive
Entry tags:	famioy

Gia's Birthday
Today would have been my dog's 13th birthday. I want to journal a few memories of her before they dim, I wasn't able to write about her until now.

My husband and I were talking about our childhoods and what we wanted for our children. Back in 1994 our son was inching up on 6 and our daugther leaning toward 4 years of age. I said that I had always wanted a dog but my mother was allergic to them. Hubby said there was usually a dog around his childhood home and he thought that the idea of 'a boy and his dog' is a true one. I told my son that if he did well in Kindergarten then we would consider getting a puppy.

I started reading ads in the newspaper and one day I saw there were Golden Retriever puppies for sale. My good friend at work, we shared a desk even, knew much about Goldens and I asked her if she would check the puppies with me and give her opinion. She was very happy to do so, LOL. Loves pups, who doesn't?

We went to the home and saw the litter, I think there were 8. I had intended on getting a male as I had heard that males were more loyal to the master while females were more home based. The male, pick of the litter, had already been claimed. One pup, however, was standing in the middle of the food dish, and my friend said- that's your dog! I paid the deposit and the pup was reserved for me. She had white on her feet, a fault for Goldens, but I never intended on breeding her.

The pups were not old enough to leave their mother so we visited them whenever we were in town. I tried to get the children to sit and let the pups swarm over them but they were afraid. Since the dog was to be my son's buddy he got to pick the name. He decided on Lechuguilla, that is the signature plant of the Chihuahuan Desert where we were living. We decided her call name would be Gia. She was purebred so that's her registered name, Lechuguilla Gia. The owners started calling her Gia to get her used to the name and they took the pups out and about- including to elementary schools- for socialization.

The mom was not impressive, a thick dog with average coloring. The father was very impressive, very reddish and with an excellent pedigree. I once wrote to the kennel of many of his line but never got a reply.

Finally the day arrived and we got to pick up our dog. Unfortunately, she had developed a slight problem, an absess in her mouth. I took home pup and medication, the owners were very upset and offered another pup--even that male that was the outstanding one-- but we had bonded with Gia. In fact we found her standing in the middle of the water dish this time, LOL. The owners gave us a discount and we were all fine.

Daughter held the pup for the drive home. Hubby had been warned repeatedly that the pup was coming but he didn't believe it until we walked into the house. We all had some adjusting to do but she was, mostly, a good pup. Seldom chewed much, except for the large collection of toys provided. Had a trial housebreaking her but that was likely my problem more than anything. We did better with obedience classes, both of us enjoyed them.

Gia was a good friend and family member. She camped with us, and when I moved ahead of my family she was my companion the whole trip. Gia didn't figure out that barking while wagging the tail confused many, some were afraid of her because of that. She never bit anyone. Once I was playing tug of war and she grabbed my hand along with the rope. It was a good grip, but not a bite and didn't cause damage beyond a bruise. After that, however, she never grabbed beyond the center of the rope when playing. Tug of war was her most favorite game.

I'll have to write more about her at another time. I miss her so. She was always there at the door to greet me all of her life with me. I look for her each time I come into the house.