Star of the Show

     My name is Nicole Hendershot and I am fifteen years old. I have a two and a half year old Golden Retriever who has a birthday coming up January 14. Her name is Chloe of Clarkston. I obtained her from a breeder in Owosso, Michigan. When she reached the age of four months, I began taking her to the Oakland County K-9 4-H Club. Chloe and I always looks forward to 4-H every week and dog shows. So far, she has competed in Obedience, Showmanship, Agility, and Freestyle shows. Just from 4-H dog training I have learned many facts about Golden Retrievers as well as other breeds and about showing dogs. We have also gone to nursing homes which benefits both the people and Chloe. Chloe loves to visit with people and most certainly has a heart of gold. Chloe has done real well and has taken numerous awards. Right now, we have been working on moving up to retrieving and tracking. I would also like to get her involved in Search and Rescue, Drug, Arson, or bomb detection.

Proud to Be a Golden

     Chloe is the first Golden Retriever that I have ever owned. I have had many kinds of dogs and so far, Chloe is the smartest. I will never have any other breed, except for a Golden. They are Retrievers that are truly Golden. Once a Golden, always a Golden.

Pick of the Litter

     Before I had Chloe, I had a Shar-Pei that became aggressive. I had to put her to sleep and I was heart broken. My parents said I could get another dog, but I had to find a breed that wouldn't be aggressive. I knew that a lot of the neighbors had Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. Those were the two breeds that I couldn't decide on because they are both friendly and loyal companions. But for some reason, the Golden Retriever caught my eye and I'm very happy that I made that choice. Now I know I have found a breed that is right for me. So, we found a breeder in Owosso that had just had a litter and we looked at the puppies and were very satisfied with what the breeder had to say. We checked around for other puppies, but we kept going back to Owosso, Windy Willow Golden Retrievers. And when the pups turned 7 weeks old we spent more time with them and it was very hard to make a decision on what puppy to pick. That's when, one little puppy came up and sat on my foot, then she leaned backward and looked up at me. I knew that that would be my dog. And I named her Chloe, which I had picked out before I even got her. She most certainly is one of a kind.

Golden Goodness

     Some of Chloe's hobbies are swimming, playing many different kinds of sports, but her favorite is soccer and basketball, she also likes visiting with the neighbors, going for walks, especially on nature trails, playing with her doggie buds, and just going for a joy ride in the car. Her most favorite thing in the whole wide world though is a tennis ball. Goldens love tenny balls.

Golden Giggles

     Last summer when I took Chloe to a friends lake for the first time, I was afraid that she might be a little uneasy at first, but she wasn't. Her and her golden friend jumped right in after a tennis ball. We spent all day out on the lake. When we went paddle boating, Chloe even swam out to us and climbed in. She had a blast. The only trouble was is that we couldn't get her out of the water. When her legs were tired from doggie paddling, she just laid down in the water near shore and took a little nap. She wasn't even getting out to go to the bathroom. We had some Golden giggles.

Live, Love, and Laugh With Goldens

     Our neighbors have a Miniature Dachshund, Java, that loves to play with Chloe. They play soccer all afternoon. Chloe will start running after the ball and Java grabs onto her tail and goes for a little joy ride. It's really funny to watch the two of them play together. A Treasured Golden Moment This summer, my aunt moved in with my other aunt and uncle that live near us. She came to stay with my grandma a lot to help us out some because my grandma had just gotten out of the hospital. She always brought her little Miniature Dachshund, Duke, over to play with Chloe and my sister's Boxer, Tyson. Chloe and Duke really hit it off great and Chloe taught Duke how to play soccer. My aunt absolutely loved Chloe and Chloe loved her to. Well, one night when we were taking my aunt home, Chloe wouldn't leave her side at all that day. When we got to her house, my dog climbed in her lap and wouldn't let her out of the car. She just wouldn't leave her side and she had never done that before, but we just thought nothing of it. Well the next morning, when we went to pick her up, we found out that she had died that morning. It was just so odd that my dog wasn't leaving her side before she passed away. I think that she could sense that something was wrong with her and I also think that Chloe has a gift with that sort of thing.

A Dog That Can Do No Wrong

     We had been raising ducks for about 7 years so Chloe was raised around them and knew not to do like her retriever instincts told her to do. They were always hatching eggs. Well, one time some had hatched in a bush that we didn't know about and were running around loose. One of them had gotten into a little wading pool that we let the older ducks swim in and another one had gotten it's head stuck in some plastic. Well Chloe kept barking at us to let her outside and it was getting annoying so we let her out. Well, she came up to the door with a duck in her mouth and at first we were upset but we saw the plastic around it's neck and it was having trouble breathing. We checked the duck over and she hadn't punctured it so we knew that they really do have a soft mouth. Then, she showed the one that was drowning in the pool. I guess she really does have a special gift. Grrreat beginnings lead to happy endings. Love does truly make the world go round—even for dogs.

Golden Glory