Meet ‘Bender’, my companion in all things adventure! He is a great Buddy and loves to go for walks in the pasture. Those are our Golden moments. There he gets his exercise but mostly, he tracks stuff. He has quite a nose and is constantly picking up scent trails and markings. I have seen Mink, Red Fox, Coyote, Fisher, Muskrats, Turkey, Pheasants, Deer and all the usual furry woodland creatures. Bender ‘sees’ them as well, with his nose.
It is so fun to watch him pick up a good strong scent. His tail nearly wags the dog! He also carries a squeaky ball in his mouth and if he spots something such as a turkey or deer, rather than chase it or bark at it, he squeaks the ball! It is pretty hilarious. One day he was squeaking the ball and called in a Fox! He is quite the ‘Bender’. Bentley Boss King (B.B. King) on paper but Bender in the real world.
About the header photo
This capture was taken at 1/640 sec. f/8 420mm, ISO 2000. I was again using my Nikon D850 with the Nikon prime 300mm coupled with my 1.4 telex converter II – stretching me out to 420mm. I like taking pet shots from a distance as I find I get more natural poses. Also, I like to get down to eye level. To do so is sometimes a temptation for a pet to pounce. Being a little distance away gives me a chance to right myself before that occurs!
Coming home
I remember bringing Bender home from Sioux Falls, SD. Bender, the pup, sat on my shoulder the entire trip! My crinky neck felt great with all that warmth on it! One night, after bringing him home, we were sitting out on the patio. It was very dark. Bender was laying at my feet when I noticed movement in the shadows. Something large. Bender took notice too. It was a doe and it was checking us out from about 20 feet. Then something very surprising happened. The doe continued to approach us and held her head down to sniff Bender. She was probably five feet away now! And Bender didn’t move a muscle. He intently watched the doe until the doe moved on. It was an incredible moment.
Golden moments as a pup
Bender loved the farm at first sniff. There was stuff here. He played hard and he slept hard. His favorite place was at my feet when sleeping. What a gorgeous little puppy he was. And that puppy breath – intoxicating!
At this stage of the game I had plans to breed him. Great disposition, great instincts, great structure and form. Still a possibility if the right situation presented itself. Bender is a Great Golden.
Learning moments from a Golden
I don’t know that I have trained Bender as much as he has offered guidance to me. Bender wakes up in the morning and it is instantly the best day of his life! Bender has taught me to appreciate every day – make it the best day of my life. If we could all have a learning moment such as that and treat every day with renewed and awakened enthusiasm for every moment. Savor the moments. Appreciate all the good and all the beauty. Seek it out. Again, seek it out.
Bender also keeps me moving. Some days on our walks I only want to lap the pasture three or four times. (Three times around is a mile.) Bender will encourage me to take another lap – or two. He’s an outstanding motivational coach.
Every one should have the opportunity to experience the affection of a companion animal. I am biased towards Goldens. They are perfect for my living situation. But there are so many great companion animals to choose from. The key is companionship. We all need it. It is healthy for us to have it, to create those golden moments.
I hope you have companionship in your life. And, this may be a little biased on my part but, I hope your companion has a wet nose! Peace.
