Remembering Bracken

Thu 3 Jul 2008 by Sue McCabe

This morning I received the sad news that Golden Retriever Bracken, who I walked for over a year, had passed away a few weeks ago. Bracken was only 5 years old and died after a rare illness. Her family are missing her terribly but remembering all the fun times they had with this wonderful dog, so full of life and fun.

This is how I remember her.......

Bracken was the only walking client who ever challenged me-I had been warned, she hated travelling in any form of transport! I remember once in the early walking days trying to get her into my van-imagine the business name on my van and tiny me, struggling with a very stubborn and very annoyed retriever. A very well spoken man approached and asked if he could help and I had to say 'no' as I saw the look she gave him which said 'you just try mate'. :)

I remember thinking at the time, 'I will give this dog two weeks and if, after that she's still refusing to help me help her, then I will give up'. In practice I gave her about a month, because by that stage I really liked her. We had come to an understanding and I think we were quite alike. I hate being told what to do, Bracken was the same.

She was my ball obsessed, easy to spot, mud loving, hairy friend. I devise so many ways of playing with the walking dogs, but strategies always failed once Bracken got the ball. At that point, all I could do was walk around the very large field we would go to, and watch her sitting in the centre, refusing to move, refusing to allow anyone near her so long as she had the ball. I don't really know how she was often as tired as she was at the end of her walk, as most of the walk was so regularly spent on guard in the field middle waiting......

Luckily Brackens' owners were always so patient about how muddy she would be. She would tear off to the nearest mud spot ahead of me and the other dogs to wallow, to splash, to lie like a big yellow hippo enjoying every minute of her play time. Bracken never got herself into trouble with either people or other dogs and this is a rarity in pet dogs these days. She was totally independent, totally focused on what she did or didn't want at any time and the only way to work with her was to find out how to get to her willingly comply, on her terms always.

I missed her terribly when her owners moved away and I no longer walked her. I missed her antics, the long blonde hairs in my van and her ball bark, the one which said 'stop messing and just throw the bl***dy ball!'. Soon after I stopped walking Bracken, I received a call from another golden retriever owner who wanted her dog walked. I was so pleased to have another hairy blonde to share my daily routine.

I am so sorry for Bracken's wonderful family who I know miss her terribly. I know there is an empty space in their house. Their time which was taken up walking Bracken, must surely now feel like there is something important which they should be doing, but can't quite work out what.

Bracken was a fantastic dog, so clever, so stubborn, so determined and so much fun. Despite her looks, you could never say that Bracken was a blonde.

My thoughts are with her family at this sad time.

Sue.

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