FOREVER AMBER

Amber at 9 weeks

At this time of the year, like many people, I get reflective. I was going through some old pictures and came across some of my first golden retriever, Amber.   Marjo's Amber Melody CDX was her full name, although she had many names depending on my mood at the time.  It was around this time back in 1988 that she became ill with what we learned--at autopsy--was a very aggressive form of lymphosarcoma. 21 days  from her first symptom (vomiting after eating as a result of pressure from what we later learned was a  mediastinal tumor), we took her to UT vet school and they recommended that she be put down. Cancer had spread to her liver,she was jaundiced, and chemo wasn't an option at that point.

 But that's not what I want  to write about.  Training and showing Amber got me started on this long journey in the dog world. Through her, I made lots of new friends and  relationships, many which I still have today.  I learned a lot about dogs, about training, about doing things I never thought I could do, and about myself in general.  While showing isn't for everyone, when you're training your dog to show in a performance venue the relationship you have is different.   It's not about the titles, or the ribbons, or the placements, qualifying scores, etc. it's the times you shared together.  Your dog doesn't understand about those things, but dogs do know if they're included in what you do and if you are enjoying spending time with them.  Sometimes things go well, sometimes they don't, but they're still your dog and even a terrible run can lead to a fond memory after your dog is gone.

We learn something from each dog we have, and when they go, a part of us goes with them.  I have many memories of Amber, from the time she was an active puppy in her first obedience class and the instructor took the leash, saying "This little puppy has NO IDEA what she is supposed to do!"  (I was lucky that I found a great place to train that emphasized having a happy working dog, back then not all did).

Me and Amber when she was about 6 months

 Amber was the only dog I had whom I considered to have a "conscience,"  I can remember one Christmas when Bleys was a puppy and I was in another room frantically cleaning in preparation from a visit from my mother, and I looked up and Amber was standing at the doorway, staring at me with a stern look on her face, her "he's doing something he shouldn't" look. I rushed out and Bleys had taken down an ornament from the tree and was chewing it, hook and all.  I've not had a dog since then who would "tell" on another.

  I remember how she loved the Drop On Recall exercise and would hit the mats so fast when I told her to Down when running in, that she would slide, then wag her tail and look around to see who was watching.

Amber doing the Drop on Recall at a show

  I remember lots of things, and I remember the day we took her to UT, never to bring her home again.

So as we start a new year, take a few moments to remember the ones we've lost, but also remember that they're not totally gone as long as we can remember them, a part of them will always be with us as well.  And when your "new" dog does something totally obnoxious, or you have a bad time in the ring, remember that this, too, shall pass, and one day you'll be looking at them one day wondering where the time went. And in the meantime, enjoy the moment. Dogs do, and we should, also.

Marjo's Amber Melody CDX
8/21/1984 --1/18/1988