Denny & Carolyn Kreider of Wadsworth, Ohio
Our “Golden year” began with a ball of fluff 14½ years ago in May 1988. Logan Sinclair came to us two years after the passing of our beloved St. Bernard, Goliath Atlas. When Goliath left us we swore, as many do, that we would never get another dog. The pain of losing them was too much to withstand. We would never go through that again. We mourned for him, and would pull over and stop our car just to watch someone walking or playing with their dogs. Finally, we realized that his death was such a small part of having him.

For almost 11 years we had been blessed with his life! Although acquiring a pet would at some point bring us sadness, we were missing out on wonderful times of happiness. Our daughters, then 15 and 11, were VERY pleased with our decision.

Logan joined our family in 1988, and we simply adored him. He is the most hyper Golden we have ever known, but that same temperament is probably why he is still going strong at 14½ years! We thought we had given him everything he could possibly desire, but when we brought home our second Golden, Katie, he let us know that NOW we got the picture.

He was wonderful to the little blond ball of fluff. She chewed on his face on a regular basis to the point of drawing blood. At first, we just comforted him with “She’s just a baby, Logan.” Finally a breeder told us to let him teach her. We simply told him to “Tell her.” His face lit up, and he gave her a big threatening growl. She backed up, whimpered, and never teethed on his face again! We were relieved that we would no longer have to refer to them as “Babyface and Scareface.”

When Katie was almost a year old, we found a Golden stray in our neighborhood. We learned that she had been seen for a couple of weeks before we found out about her. The day I got the call, was a blizzard. The schools had called a snow day. I went to find her, and she was hovered beside three trash cans covered with snow. When I approached, she didn’t react at all. She was almost in shock. I took her home and worked to warm her, barely able to get her choke collar off without cutting it. A search revealed that no one was looking for her. Thanks heavens, because we could have never returned her to someone who had treated her like that. She was 12 to 18 months old, and halfway through a pregnancy. She also had a heart murmur.

The vet decided to go ahead and spay her. She suffered through a false pregnancy, but came through it all. She (Libby) still has memories of her past, but has risen above it. She has been a nursing home therapy dog, and such a joy for us. Our little dog from the garbage has been on network TV and has won numerous contests for many events. Libby is the title holder for the fastest tail wag, and defends that title even in her sleep. She and Katie were inseparable. They were seldom seen without both parts of the “Dynamic Duo.”

Denny showed Katie in confirmation for awhile, but then we decided to spay her at 22 months of age. We lost her in surgery to an undetected heart problem. We were all devastated, but Libby was completely inconsolable. She didn’t bark or whine—she screamed. She wouldn’t eat, and we felt we were losing her, too. Our breeder had offered us a puppy when we were ready, since Katie’s problem had been congenital. We would have probably waited awhile, but we felt that we had to move fast for Libby.

Meggie came home with us two weeks later. Libby was joyous. She now had the puppy she mourned for after her surgery, and she took over Meggie’s care. We were once again a three-Golden family, and all was well. Denny showed Meggie for a short time, but now they are all just much loved senior citizens.

Our entire Golden family can be found on many of the postcards offered at Ollie's Golden Posts page on Rochelle’s site, modeling their clothes with pride. She just loves my way with costumes and is after me to put them together to feature in a fun Golden coffee table book.

And, just check out our Logan, a local celebrity who had a great story in our hometown Akron Beacon Journal.
 

13-year-old Sets Tongues Wagging: Candidate’s Appearance gives Student Group Cause for Pause By Jewell Cardwell, Akron Beacon Journal, October 17, 2001 The heaviness and uneasiness that have held us hostage since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and the more recent anthrax scare have left me wanting to find a reason to laugh. That moment came for me and several others last evening at Copley High School.     It was during registration for the annual meeting of People to People Student Ambassadors. I have Logan Sinclair Kreider of Wadsworth to thank for my change of face. Logan was one of scores of so-called teenagers who were selected by the organization—founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his administration as an overseas summer educational enrichment experience for seventh- through 12th-graders.     This is the third year that Logan Kreider—the blonde-haired, brown-eyed 13½-year-old—has been invited to join. However, this is the first time he has actually shown up. Turned out to be a real head scratcher for all parties involved—especially Logan. But it wasn’t his clothing choice—albeit Bavarian with a hat that kept falling in his eyes is not exactly the cat’s meow among today’s teens. Wasn’t his breeding, either. Logan is as polite, intelligent, talented and sociable as they come. It was his breed that gave some pause and had others howling. Logan Kreider is a dog—a Golden Retriever, to be exact.     Carolyn Kreider—who with her husband, Dennis, chauffeured Logan to the meeting—said: “The first two years the invitation came we just laughed. But in light of all that’s happened in the world we decided to send back the reply card this year.” Mrs. Kreider said there was “a place to circle his grade level but we just left it blank since he flunked obedience training school.” And the rest is history.    Understand up front, dear readers, it is neither my intention nor the Kreiders’ to embarrass People to People. “But our friends said, ‘You just have to go this year—especially with all the tragedy.’” Carolyn Kreider said.     It was an honest and humorous mistake, all agree. Yet, it’s one no one, at the moment, seems to be willing to take credit for. Just so the committee didn’t think that they were trying to pull a fast one, the Kreiders even came armed with Logan’s AKC registration papers.     At any rate the Kreiders—acknowledging that Logan is a bit long in the tooth—decided to finally take advantage of the spotlight. “We’re probably not going to have him around much longer,” Carolyn Kreider matter-of-factly said. “He is a real character! And he is like most teen-agers: a little hard to live with at times.”     The Kreiders said Logan has already heard via the mail from one of the potential families. “He received a letter last week from a gentleman in the United Kingdom, who is a 24-year member of the British Parliament, who thinks they may have shared ancestry. Won’t he be surprised?”     Each year the students get their pick of three different destinations: the South Pacific, Europe or the British Isles. “Last year’s invitation talked about him (Logan ) hand feeding the koala,” Mrs. Kreider said. “We could never imagine Logan doing that.” The Kreiders also are the proud and loving owners of two other Golden Retrievers: Meggie, 7, and Libby, “who is about 9 years old.” Libby—a regular visitor for three years at Wadsworth’s Magnolia Nursing Home—has a claim to fame of her own: Fastest Tail Wag in Northeast Ohio. That’s according to the human Kreiders.     Rick George—an assistant leader with People to People—chuckled at the sight of Logan: “I think it’s hilarious. What’s more remarkable is that he’s been invited three years!”     “Logan was always a hyper guy,” Mrs. Kreider said. “He’s lovable but not the mellow Golden; which is probably why he’s still doing so well.” Logan and his sisters—who also have Bavarian costumes—have appeared in parades. “We also dress Logan up as Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond,” said Mrs. Kreider, who is a pharmacy technician. Her husband is the supervisor at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wadsworth.

We found our niche is not showing, but working in Golden rescue. We are active with Golden Retrievers in Need [GRIN], and we want to do what we can for the pups out there like our Libby. They have so much to give, and have been abandoned and abused. We hope to be their voice. The Land of PureGold has given us that opportunity. Thank you, Rochelle.

Our daughters are both married now, and we are blessed with three beautiful grandchildren. We don’t consider ourselves empty nesters, though. Our nest is warm, soft, and full of love.