"This webpage is dedicated to our two golden retrievers... without whom, life would be far less enjoyable!! Neither my husband nor I have ever had the pleasure of this breed of dog before... but after a few months with Geddy we both vigorously agreed... we needed another to love!! They are gentle, soulful creatures, yet live life with a youthful zest that makes it impossible to stay mad at them when things don't always go as planned. I hope that you enjoy reading about them and return from time to time to see what the "kids" are up to these days!" ~ Sandra
August 25, 2006 ~ Our Journey Begins
On a beautiful friday evening, after many anxious weeks of waiting our precious little girl was helped into this world along with her two sisters and one brother. Little did she know that her future mommy and daddy had already purchased many soft and squeaky toys for her delight, along with a new name tag that reads "G E D D Y". She was already much loved!!
Below is a picture of her handsome daddy, "Hunter", who's full registered name is CH Bramvista Final Answer. And to the right of Hunter is her mother "Pixel" registered as Gariwyn Megapixel of Stonemead. If you wish to learn more about either dog you can click on the names below the pictures to be taken to their webpages.
August & September, 2006 ~ We first glimpse our baby girl!!!
Over the next eight weeks we received pictures and updates from Geddy's breeder, Shiela. They grow so much in such a short time that it's astonishing to see the difference that a mere week makes!
Here are the puppies with mama Pixel at 48 hours old (left) and then again at about two weeks old. In the second picture, the dark one on the left is the only male puppy, and Geddy wasn't the lightest pup of the litter (middle) so she's one of the two pups on the right hand side.
Below the pups are about 3 weeks old... lookin' real cute!! Wonder which one is Geddy??
September 24, 2006 ~ We get to meet the puppies!!!
The puppies are four weeks old here. Mostly they were too tired to visit :P But we did get about a good 45 mins of visiting in before they were off to slumberland again haha. One of the most entertaining things about watching Pixel and her pups was observing how the puppies nursed constantly... standing up... walking... no matter, they didn't give up! Pixel was extremely patient with her pups, and kept a happy smile on her face the whole visit long.
Watch the puppies!!
October 9, 2006 ~ One week to pickup
October 20, 2006 ~ Homecoming Day!!!
We treasure this photo of Geddy and Pixel taken just before we left!!
Since there were only four pups in the litter they all ate very well. And so Geddy came home to us at a very solid 15 lbs!! The day we picked her up I was a bundle of emotions. Thoughts like "Oh Gosh!... what did we get ourselves into?" swirled around in my mind. I was both anxious and excited; delighted to be picking up our new puppy, but nervous that we had gotten too large of a dog. I wondered if we would be able to train her to a well behaved adult? And so on our drive home I went over and over again in my head all I could remember from a book recently purchased: "How not to ruin your puppy in the first 30 days". But as Geddy proceeded to sleep the whole drive home I was feeling more and more at ease!
October 20-27, 2006 ~ Geddy's First Days in her New Home
One of the most endearing things I remember from those first few days is that every time my husband or I would sit down on the floor Geddy would come over and curl up in our laps. She was tiny and she fit well!! I loved these times and would try my very best to ignore the ache in my legs as they slowly went to sleep themselves haha. The other memories that stand out during this time are about taking her out for potty... often. Yup... puppies are a lot of work... there can be no debate about this. But the bond that you form and the love that you feel... well I'm so happy that we took the plunge!
Geddy at 8 weeks exploring and enjoying her new surroundings. Look how "tiny" she was!!
Which Toy First?
I wuv Piggie
Geddy Meets Kitty
Geddy and Piggie
In the picture on the right (above) we actually found Geddy like this... stuck between the bed and the wall. She's never been one to force her way into anything, so once she encountered some resistance here she needed the help of mommy and daddy to free her!
October 22, 2006 ~ Geddy's First Bath
Honestly Geddy wasn't crazy about her first bath. She kept muttering things like "torture" and "eeeew"... inbetween her sobs. Luckily for us, however, the "toweling off" part seemed to make things up to her tho... and she wiggled and nipped with great pleasure. :P
All fluffy and smelling of Baby Powder!!!
Nov 20, 2006 ~ Geddy Starts Puppy Class!!
It really wasn't long until we realized that our new, adorable, sweet little fluffball would need a little work haha!! The first couple of weeks involved a lot of "oooohs" and "awwww's" as we watched her climb into our laps for naps and cuddles. After that however... she woke up! And the "new" puppy liked to bite and dig!!! You'd think those baby teeth and claws would be tiny and delicate... but they're not... they are like little rasor blades digging in... and the more we'd squeel in pain the more fun it was for the G-Bear. So at about 11 weeks of age Geddy was enrolled in puppy class to begin the day after her first set of shots!! Here are some photos of daddy and Geddy training at home.
Geddy go crate
She was the youngest puppy in her class begining at a mere 12 weeks. The next closest pup was 6 months old... but no matter, she shined in class!! She loved working for her people... anything for a cookie! She was so smart, and so focused that on Dec 6, 2006, at 14.5 weeks of age, she won her first bandana in class!!
Nov 22, 2006 ~ Couple Misc. Photos
Geddy Helps with the Yard Work
Geddy Luvs her Mama
Dec 9-10, 2006 ~ Geddy's First Trip to Grandma's!!
Buckled in Safe and Sound
Nice to meet you Gramma!!!!!
This was a very exciting first big trip for Geddy as it was not only her first time meeting Grandma... but also her first puppy play date. She got to meet "Gizmo"... who is my aunts very handsome (and active hehe) bishon cross.
Sniffies...
Hey we're the same size
O'kay... let's rumble!!
Once we got back to Grandma's house Geddy just had to inspect the coffee table i-n-s-i-d-e and o-u-t. She kept digging at the very underside of it... and that's when we discovered a (very small) metal tab sticking out. Many hugs went out to "Miss G-Bear" for her diligence in keeping the family safe from harm... hahaha!!!
Training can now resume
... so can sleep ;)
Dec 31, 2006 ~ A trip to PetSmart
Gasp! So many colourful things... so very little time!
A Couple more of Geddy at four months
Geddy at Five Months
In these photos you can really begin to see her emerging into a gangly teenager... leaving pudgy puppyhood behind. It was also right around this age that we started finding itty bity puppy teeth in the carpet.
So deprived!
I adore this photo
See how small the stuffie is getting?
Weeeeeeee!!
All the baby teeth we found
January 17, 2007 ~ Geddy Graduates
Geddy graduated with flying colours... winning the prize for "most tricks performed". We could not have been more proud of our girl!! She new the basics... sit, down, stay, etc. However we had a couple special ones up our sleeves... "Bang" where she'd roll over on her side and play dead, and "Chin" where she put her chin down on the ground. Both were crowd pleasers!
Certificate, Bandana & Water Toy
Enjoying her Winnings!!
Geddy at Six Months
Surprisingly, I don't seem to have many photos of Geddy when she was six months old. It appears that I switched over to video taking. So here's a couple of both!
Still in our laps... barely
We happened upon this yellow boat bumper "thingie" after a storm blew thru one night and thought "Hey... bet Geddy would get a kick out of this!" We couldn't have been more right haha.
Geddy at Seven Months
I'm not really sure why... but we didn't start giving Geddy soup bones until she was seven months. Guess we just didn't really even consider them. But Geddy took right to them... and now she gets them regularly... probably about once a week. We did end up taking it even further and when she turned about ten months we put her on a raw diet... which she's been on ever since... and is thriving!!
mmmm... bully stick!
puppy torture :P
ready for foul weather in her ducky coat haha... sadly it didn't really work out. But the coat is still cute.
Geddy demonstrates her new muttluks!!
Geddy's Advice on Life...
1. Always clean your plate
2. Eat plenty of vegetables
3. Brush your teeth every day
4. And always have fun!!
Geddy in Class
Geddy trains with the guidance of Jean Bruce of "Crossroads Canine Academy". Always giving her very best effort... below she heals beside daddy.
Sit stay
Down stay
Over light jump with dumbell
Earned a new bandana!
Happy Holidays!!!
E A S T E R
S A I N T P A T T Y ' S D A Y
Geddy at Eight Months
It was at this point that Geddy really started coming into her own. No more lanky and ackward teenager... now beautiful and strong! And she was definitely strong by this point. Walking her was becoming difficult to say the least. So we purchased a "gentle leader", which she immediately despised. However, we stuck with it and now we jokingly refer to it as "keys to the car" haha. Once it's on she's like a whole new doggie!!
I do not like this thing!
ahhh... the fun you can have for just $3.99
Watch the action... weee!!
Geddy at Nine Months
By now the crate is now permanently open... she has always been such a good girl in the house. We actually started months before this letting her stay out of her crate at night, and there were never any problems.
Geddy at Ten Months ~ Surrounded by Fleurs
What a little poser!! She's such a happy little girl, and loves the outdoors, so she allowed me to place her everywhere for pretty shots like the ones below. And what a well behaved doggie she was to not chew them up... mama definitely loves her little goober!
We actually had to coax our "water" dog into her pool the first few times. But now it's one of her favourite things. Now she'll lay down in the water and splash-splash with her front paws... it's adorable!!!
Geddy gets her very own Pool
Geddy at Eleven Months ~ First Trip to Point Pelee
This was such a fun trip. Point Pelee National Park is a local treasure. Loads of people visit for the serenity, the natural beauty, and also so that they can say they touched the southernmost tip of Canada! Dogs are welcome to visit, but sadly they have to be on leash at all times and so cannot play in the water that surrounds the park on two sides. No matter, it was still a fun day. Lunch on the beach, followed by nature walks, a ride on the trolley... and finally a walk down the long marsh boardwalk.
August 25, 2007 ~ Happy Birrrfday Geddy!!!
We had a golden get-together with two of her Michigan friends, at the "Lake Orion Dog Park", the day Geddy turned the big "1". It was a blast; running, wrestling & swimming!! We had a tuckered out pup by the time we made it back to Canada.
