Dylan - 600,000 shared miles!
He was on top of a mountain along an Interstate. Pam saw him first. She saw a magnificent Golden Retriever that looked lost. We pulled over and with a little coaxing he came down. He had No collar and No ID and appeared about two years old. A year younger than our GenGen at home. Soon he was in the truck and on his way to his new home. That day he would become "DYLAN", GenGen's younger buddy.
California
My stories of Golden Retrievers would not be complete without Dylan. It all started with General. He was the first. Then GenGen was heir to that throne. Dylan arrived in the GenGen era. When I started traveling throughout North America I had two sidekicks. GenGen was one, Dylan was the other. Many a Christmas and New Year we were on the road together. Because of these two boys, no matter where we were on the holidays, it was home.
Colorado
When GenGen passed away, Dylan went in to depression. He needed Sunshine as much as I did. So it was just a week before Sunshine became the newest traveler. Dylan showed Sunshine the ropes of being on the road. Dylan never missed a trip in over six years. In all, he
clocked over 600,000 miles. We now share that together.
Oregon
The travel ended in December of 2009. Our buddy beagle was not around for the last trips either. He passed away in the Shenandoah Valley.
Montana
Dylan saw every one of the lower 48 states and 9 provinces of Canada. What a Wonderful World!
British Columbia
Now Dylan and I have the memories of a Wonderful World! We don't have to worry about road problems anymore. We can snuggle in bed without worrying if the generator will give up in -10F or if the transmission will have a problem in the mountains. No drunk riding a bike on snow covered streets will pull in front of us and then loose control. We did it all without a truly traumatic incident. There were many problems, but we would do it all over again.
Home
Comments
Oh, thank you so much for this Terry. I love everything about this hub. It was perfect with my first cup of coffee and a wonderful way to start my day. Ahh...Satchmo...gotta love him and Golden Retrievers are the smartest dogs on earth.
You might want to add another song to your collection..."I Get Around". :)
Voted way up and awesome and beautiful.
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Thank you Fay. I will soon get back and help with the rabble rousing. :)
Terry you are quite the gypsy. And those traveling companions of yours, do not look like they could be any happier.
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The economy failed and my wife got tired of being home alone for very little money. So those days are over but we enjoyed. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
what a lucky dog to have had a chance to see the world with such a special friend. What a special person to have the wisdom to see the world through the eyes of a dog.
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Michelle,
What kind words!! Kiss Topsy Turvy for me!
Gosh Terry - how sweet and what wonderful dogs you have rescued!! I feel the same about all of mine. We rescued 2 lab puppies on a 4-lane and had them for 6 years and 14 respectively...Mariah died from cancer too early but Molly with grade IV hip dysplasia lived to 14. I wouldn't have traded 1 moment of those rides and those are only 2 of our many canine babies over the years. Welcome to the hubs!
What a wonderful story. My Sister had a little dog named Dinky. We really never knew what kind he was, just a mix. He just showed up at her door one day, anyway she had him for nineteen years. She loved him deeply. When he died, she burried him in her back yard. I went to see her one day and it was snowing, she was on the porch holding a throw rug in her hand, i asked her what she was doing with the rug, her exact words, " I don't want it to snow on Dinky, so i'm going to cover his grave. " She's gone now too. I want to think they are together. Loved your story. Thank you.
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19 years!! That is an old dog! He was very lucky that his good health was accompanied with a good home. When we truly love our pets they are as dear as our relatives. I miss my brother, but no more than I miss my General or GenGen. My brother would understand that as he had his dog Baby also for 19 years. I really do hope Dinky and your sister are sharing again. That is pretty good coming from an agnostic.
Thanks always for sharing.
Terry, Your heart is in the right place. Who can say, what is or how it will be. We just hope...
Cheers
Terry,
This is a beautiful tribute, and so happy you included so many awesome pics with it.
You have a gentle way with words, and obviously with animals as well. :)
femme
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Thank you. Dylan is retired with me these days and at home every night. We have lots of memories of days of old, but still making a few new ones as well.
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