We celebrated a bittersweet occasion two days ago. Our golden retriever fur son, Alton, turned eight years old. Yes, on September 18, 2013, he came rolling into the world, and our world hasn't been the same since. If you want some backstory of how Alton came into our lives, check out this blog post. But for today's blog, I want to reflect on how much joy he has brought into our lives since the day he joined our family. Every day with him is precious and every holiday bittersweet because we are starting to see him age as most larger breed dogs do. Unlike all of the smaller dogs I've parented before, I remind myself the odds that Alton will be with us until he is 17 or 18 as they were, are unlikely. Knowing this, we fill our hearts with as much love, drool, and dog hair we possibly can.

Aside from his loving personality and easy-going nature, his size is the one thing that his dad and I still comment on to this day. As two Little People, we can't believe we own a dog who outweighs and outsizes us both. When Alton fully extends, he is taller than either of us! I remember when we picked Alton from the littermates who were remaining, I tried to consider size as a factor in choosing. I asked the owners where in the pecking order Alton was born. Then I tried to deduce his growth rate based on how big he was at just four weeks old. In retrospect, it was such a ridiculous speculative projection. She told me he was middle of the pack— not the biggest, but not the runt either. I fell in love with him so quickly I am sure she could have said he was Jabba the Hut, and I would have heard "just right."

Don't get me wrong, Andrew and I were not naive about how big Golden Retrievers can get. We knew he'd be larger than Mac, or Ernie, our previous dogs. Mac was a Sheltie, and Ernie was a beagle/retriever mix (think compact size Golden). But when Alton reached his supposed "growth peak," he just kept growing! His full-grown weight has consistently ranged between 92-100 pounds. His healthy average is around 95, so we try to keep that goal with his diet and exercise.

Alton when he was a puppy laying on Andrew.

In some ways, I think Alton knows his size, and in other ways, I don't think he does. Or if he does, he doesn't use it against us. Thankfully his personality trends toward mellow. He was that way, even as a puppy. He can get very excitable, like when we used to take him to the dog park, and he would pull on his leash, etc. And even today, he can be excitable around other dogs, depending on the situation. These are times we have to manage carefully, for both his safety and ours.

When he was younger but almost full-grown, a struggle for us was that he hated going in my Subaru Outback and even Drew's Toyota Mini-Van for a while. Neither one of us could pick him up and put him in the car. Only once, when I was at the dog park, and he didn't want to go home, did he refuse entirely to get in my car. Treats wouldn't even work. Thankfully one of the other dog owners put him in my car for me. I'll never forget the look on Alton's face as his paws left the ground. It wasn't fear but rather a mix of wonder and contempt. He pouted all the way home.

The bottom line is, if Alton doesn't want to do something, he's not going to do it. Experiences like the one I described above did not happen that often, but even so, Andrew and I knew we wanted Alton to be well trained. As soon as he was old enough, we took him to puppy school to learn the basics and socialize with other dogs. I took him to a dog park a few times a week to continue working on that socialization and let him get out some of his energetic puppy energy. We followed up with a Puppy II class when he was around a year and a half. When a dog reaches full maturity, it turns out that it can regress a bit in the training department. Trainers refer to this period as the "terrible teens." Alton wasn't terrible. He just needed a refresher. Positive reinforcement training, which is the training method Andrew and I prefer, is just as much about training us humans to learn how to communicate with our dogs as it is for the dogs to learn how to listen to us.

Even though it was a lot of work at the time, I'm so glad we did the early training with Alton that we did. Now that he is older and he's slowed down a bit, having our language of communication is so important and rewarding. He is so intelligent and eager to please. And also very much spoiled. But that is more my fault than his, especially now that he is getting older. I see him developing some stiffness in his hips and back legs. Even though I know it is early arthritis, I hope he isn't in too much pain or discomfort. I love him sooooo much! Anything I can do to make him feel safe, comfortable, and loved, I will do.

Sometimes I will be busy working around the house, and I will notice him napping in one of his favorite spots, usually on the cool bathroom tile or nearer to me, in an alcove at our front door. I'll just stop what I'm doing and sit down next to him and pet him. He will awake slightly from his slumber, just enough to stretch a paw or fan his tail, then doze back off. I want him to know even when he's resting, and I am here for him. I also make those intentional moments because I've had senior dogs before. I know the bittersweet pain that he won't be here forever. I never want to be so rushed as to not take in every moment with him that I can-- simply because there are never enough moments once they are gone.

As with any lifetime, there are seasons. And we are entering a new one with Alton. Even though he is graying a little around his muzzle and slowing down a bit, he is still doing really well and is a very happy pup. He still looks forward to his daily walks. He loves playing with his squeaky toys and looks forward to brushing time, treats, and watching the Giants games. Yes, he watches TV. He's partial to anything animated or commercials with animals in them (duh!). The vet gives him a clean bill of health at every check-up, so we are hopeful for many more years of love and Golden fur around our house. But if there are some new routines and new caretaking tasks I need to add to my list as he ages, which I know there will be, that's okay. Both Drew and I will do the best we can for him, as we always have since the day he came goofily romping into our home eight years and eight weeks ago!. Love you, Little Man!