Golden Oldies
Our “Senior” Golden - Rusty
by Janet Schuetz
We have always been animal lovers, but until we met Rusty, our first Golden Retriever, we never realized just how gentle, smart and wonderful a pet could be!
It was the fall of 1994, and we decided we would like to add another dog to our family (Mom, Dad, 9 year old boy, cat and cocker spaniel). Our cocker spaniel was older, so we thought a golden retriever puppy might fit in really well. We saw an advertisement for an older, male, golden retriever. We were a not looking for another old dog, and were a bit hesitant, but decided to take a look at him anyway.
As it turned out, “Rusty,” was almost 9 years old, very gray, and his thick, wavy coat was completely matted and full of knots. He smelled like he had never had a bath in his entire life! But when he looked up at us with his big brown eyes, and wagged his tail, we were smitten. Rusty was an outdoor dog, but his owners had decided to get a new puppy and felt that they no longer had time for Rusty. I felt bad, thinking that who would possibly take this dirty old dog if we didn’t? My heart ached at the thought of Rusty not finding a loving home, and possibly being put to sleep, so we told them we would take Rusty. Off we went, with our “new” 9 year old dog.
Rusty was a wonderful and gentle dog from the start. He was completely housebroken, and would stand at the door to let us know he had to go out. When he did go out, he never wandered out of our yard, even when other dogs would go by, barking and yipping at him. He would just lay in the shady area in front of the garage and watch the world go by. Neighbor children would climb all over him, smothering him with kisses and hugs, and never, would he tire of it. Rusty had a gentle way of nudging a person’s hand to the top of his head, and then sit for hours being pet or brushed.
Rusty loved to go for long walks and swims in the local lake. On one occasion, my son and I, and Rusty, settled by the lake to fish, near an elderly man and his basset hound. A short time later, I turned and saw two very large and viscous looking dogs running toward us. Immediately, Rusty raced toward the two approaching dogs and began baring his teeth and growling loudly. I hollered at him to stop, but he continued to chase and nip at the dogs until they retreated and ran in the opposite direction. I began to scold him until the elderly gentleman that had been fishing next to us with his dog, looked at me and said “Your dog was only protecting you from those mean dogs. Look at how gentle he is with my dog.” I immediately realized he was right, and felt awful for having hollered at him.
Just after Rusty’s one year anniversary with us, we discovered that Rusty had cancer, and only had a few weeks to live. We had fallen completely in love with him, and were devastated by the news. We watched as he grew weaker, but couldn’t bring ourselves to part with him. Finally, the day came that Rusty was no longer able to stand. His beautiful sparkling brown eyes had grown dull, and we realized we were selfish to make him suffer any longer.
Even though we only had our golden boy for one year, he brought more joy into our lives than we ever expected. Since that time, we have opened our home to another older Golden retriever, and have enjoyed the same unconditional love, loyalty, and gentle nature that makes a senior golden so special.