Our Gus-Gus is a field retriever. That means he was bred to hunt and carry things gently in his mouth. Although we had no idea that there were two types of Goldens (field and show), we have learned the difference. Gus has crazy energy, an obsession with retrieving large tennis balls and carrying ANYTHING around in his mouth. Unlike his sporty relatives, he is also afraid of loud noises, surprises, thunder and anything that is out-of-the-ordinary. He may have been bred to hunt, but he doesn’t even like to get his feet wet. He is our fragile flower!
Gus has a new game that is pretty adorable. Once or twice a day, he disappears and returns with a “stuffy” in his mouth. His guilty look tells us he knows these are not his toys, but Mommy’s treasures! That makes the game more exciting! He makes sure we see him and then the chase is on! His recall is good, but not with forbidden contraband in his little yapper! Since we don’t have the heart to subdue him in his joyful game, we play along. He is such a treasure!
That look he gives at the beginning of the game is a familiar expression that I have seen on other faces. My favorite memory of that ”look” came way back in the 1970’s. Living in the basement apartment of my grandmother’s home, I awoke to footsteps upstairs. Since my Nanny should have been fast asleep, I crept up the stairs and silently opened the door to her kitchen. There stood my 93-year-old grandma by the open freezer (in her nightgown and slippers) with a HUGE spoon of ice cream heading towards her mouth. I burst out laughing as she gave me the “Gus Look” and offered me another spoon. What a beautiful memory.
My own children, students and even Mr. Mac have alerted me to the fact that they are “up to something”! Always innocuous and endearing, it only makes me love them more!
