Back in 1996 my husband was diagnosed with severe clinical depression. We had been without a dog for several years because of our lifestyle. As life got tougher for him and he was home alone it became apparent to us that he needed a companion and after much research we decided for temperament reasons to get a golden retriever.  In June of 1997 after seeing many litters we met this independent gorgeous puppy with an unusual blaze down her nose.  That night I asked my son if we got her what would you call her and he said Sandi – I couldn’t stop thinking of that sweet golden and the name was just her (as well as many other goldens).



Sandi was my husband’s constant companion but she picked me to be her human and became extremely attached to me.  When my husband had surgery in 2000 we were allowed to bring her to the hospital – he was there for a few months and sometimes she was the only thing that brought a smile to his face.  Sadly my husband never recovered and we lost him in early 2001.  It pained me to have this fabulous dog sitting at home so she was registered almost immediately into doggie day care.  Soon enough she became the matriarch of the day care. Kelly and all the people working at K9 Social Club learned quickly who sat in front.



Sandi was my darling, she became my constant companion, everyone that met her loved her.  So many people would stop me and ask to pet her, she was more than happy to oblige. Halloween was her favourite day of the year – she figured that all the children were coming to the house to pet her.



In 2004 my son moved out and Sandi and I were on our own – I moved into a smaller house with a smaller yard but we had a big beautiful park close by that she loved to go to chase the birds and roll in the grass. Sandi and I were also lucky to have another man come into our lives about that same time.  She was more than happy to share me but at the end of the day she was still mine and was never more than 5 feet away from me in the house.  She always greeted us at the door with socks or her towel.  As she aged we noticed her arthritis beginning to bother her, we had that taken care of and for a brief while she was acting like a younger dog.  Sadly it didn’t last long.  On June 2 she had trouble breathing and walking. I took her to the vet to ultrasound her heart and see if she needed medication.  They found some problems in her belly and booked her for exploratory surgery that afternoon – at 4:30 they called me to say she was so full of cancer there was nothing they could do and I had to make the difficult decision to have her euthanized.  So I say good bye to my darling Sandi Bugs– my sweet golden, our doofus, she is now reunited with my late husband and chasing all the squirrels she wants.