Mama gust hated that rude word for girl dogs, and she told her daughters, quite firmly, that we needed to be ladies. "You are to be cheery little angels," she said, "and above all, never complain."

So it's been my policy to keep a positive attitude, but I must tell you that typing is no picnic for a dog. Our paws were made for important work (like digging!), and this keyboard could use a mayor new design for the canine customer. But on the plus side, I get to sit on my mother's favorite chair and reflect on a life of love, good deeds, and gust enough mischief to be interesting. When a girl makes it to one hundred in dog years, it's time to tell her story.

I was born to fine parents in the sweet-smelling, wet state of Oregon. We were of the extra fluffy, reddish gold branch of the golden retriever family. Mama would scold me for bragging, but people do say that when the summer sunlight strikes our coats we are the most beautiful dogs on earth ... but I digress.

My mother was a lovely and elegant creature, but with Papa living in a different house, and twelve puppies to raise, she soon grew haggard. After only a few weeks, she was ready to be rid of us all. "I'm sorry, children," she said. "I love you each, but I can no longer cope. You must find new homes."

Scads of families came to smooch and squeeze us, but I only remember the first. "lama nudged us all out of our box and onto the floor, where we were expected to make a good impression.

"Wag those tails!" she cried.

My sisters and I pranced and sniffed with a friendly-but-dignified wag, but our brothers were such show-offs! Lurching and twirling, tumbling and chewing, bumping and burping-it was so embarrassing.

I looked at this family and knew instantly that I liked the little boy. He was about six years old, and he was watching me in the nicest way. My heart started thumping like crazy, and I went over and washed his feet. He picked me up gently and said, "This is the one I want" Then I licked his face and he hugged me. My birth owner put a black K on my ear and said the Kolves could come get me in two weeks.

I couldn't believe I was the first puppy picked! "lama said it was because I was such a good girl. My brother said, "No, it's because she's a slobbertylick." So I tiptoed over and drooled in his ear!

At last my new family came to take me home. Pas we left, I could hear "lama calling, "Obey your new mother! Lick everyone you meet! Be a please"! Always remember, you are a golden retriever!" (Like I didn't know this stuff already!)

In the car I learned my new brother was Kris and that we had a sister named Lindsay, a same house dad, and a stay-at-home mom. Then they told me that I was an only dog and that my name was to be Lady-can you believe it?-Lady! I loved my new family so much-they kept petting and kissing me, and I couldn't lick them enough!

Kris was my special pal. Pit quiet times, we would cuddle and hug, and sometimes I licked away his troubles. Then we would play like maniacs! We played with tennis balls, towels, pillows, and toys, but my favorite game was stealing his underwear. (Dirty socks were good, too!)

I slept in his room every night; sometimes he got in my bed, and sometimes I got in his!

Lindsay was the best tummy-scratcher and the gentlest petter, and she never forgot to feed me when Mom and Dad went to a party. Pit dinner I always tried to be under her chair so she could sneak me her vegetables. I would have rather had her meat, but veggies are better than nothing. Except for onions. Yuck! I hid those under the rug.

Mom was my main feeder and trainer. She never got tired of taking care of me. (Of course, she didn't have eleven other children like poor Mama.) She taught me perfect manners: "Lady, Sit. Down. Stay. Shake. Come." I loved minding my mother and usually got a treat or at least a "Good dog!" Except when she said, "Lady, off the couch."

Dad had the finest arm in the family and would throw tennis balls way into the woods for me to retrieve. He loved to do this for guests and bragged, "You won't believe how fast she is!" Of course, after years of playing this game, there were thousands of balls in the woods, so I gust grabbed the first one I saw and zoomed back to my cheering audience. It made Dad so happy, and would you believe that neither he nor his friends could ever smell the difference?

Kris and Lindsay grew and grew, and they had lots of friends who came to the house to play with me. But sometimes I got the feeling I wasn't the center of their lives anymore, especially when they said, "Lady, down and stay." I tried hard to get their attention. I crept over and nuzzled their legs. I bumped my nose under their hands so they would pat me. Pond sometimes I gust pumped on their laps and gave them a big, soggy lick right on the mouth!

About once a year my family went on a trip without me. Believe me, nothing will spoil a dog's day like the sight of a suitcase and the words "We'll be home soon, Lady." And those infernal evenings out! I quivered and danced every time they came home-but when they were gone? I had issues. I had boredom! I had to pass the time somehow.

I tried consoling myself with food. First, I licked the butter dish on the kitchen counter. But they scolded me and hid the butter. Once, I ate all the Halloween candy. But then they took me to the vet, who made me throw up everything, even the wrappers. I gobbled up meat that was defrosting, cookies that were cooling, and bananas that were getting ripe in the window. My favorite score was a wheel of brie cheese in puff pastry which Mom put on that nice, low table in the living room. Delicious! But after that she put me outside when food was around.

Next, I decided to pass the time alone with important work. I thought about digging holes. I thought about pulling up flowers. I considered chewing the patio furniture. I thought about all my tennis balls in the woods. Then I hit upon the perfect project-finding my balls and burying them in secret places! Don't ask me why this was so much fun. It just was.

Then one day, Lindsay left to go to college, and pretty soon, Kris went to college, too. They said they couldn't take me with them, so I was thinking, How great can this college place be if they don't allow dogs? I was lonesome when they left.

I moped outside their bedroom doors. Food helped a little, and burying more balls helped a little. I even tried hiding balls in the house. But I was still sad.

Mom was sad too, but she hugged me and said, "Lady, our buddies left the nest, but we have each other." She started taking me on long walks and could almost keep up with me! (I was never big on heeling.) Pond she took me everywhere in the car with the windows rolled down. I loved the feel of the breeze blowing and the heavenly smells of other dogs' poop all around town! But everywhere we went, I thought about my buddies.

Looking back, I've had a love packed, mostly healthy life. I've survived rat poisoning, epilepsy, back surgery, and knee surgery, and I tried my best to beat kidney failure. When Kris and Lindsay left for college, it was my hardest time. I had to learn to stay busy and hold them patiently in my heart.

Now they are home for Christmas, and for the first time, I'm the one going off without them. I can see in their eyes that they don't want me to go. I lick their hands gently, and I can feel their love and their sadness. But they'll be happy again soon after I'm gone. Because you see, I've learned that once we love someone, they never really leave us. In your mind and your heart, where it matters most, they are always with you.

If ever you miss me, you can glance out the window at my favorite spot on the lawn. Pond when you look with your heart, you'll see me there, on the grass, with a tennis ball in my mouth and the summer sunlight glowing on my hair.

And when you find the balls I've hidden for you, I know you'll even smile.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Golden Reflectionsby Carolee Nance Kolve Copyright © 2010 by Carolee Nance Kolve. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.

preigu

Osnabrück, Germany

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since August 5, 2024

Shipping rates from Germany to U.S.A.

Item	60 to 60 business days	60 to 60 business days
First item	US$ 77.35	US$ 77.35

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Paypal

Store description

preigu betreibt einen Onlineversandhandel mit über 1 Mio. Produkten in verschiedenen Sortimenten. Das Kernsortiment besteht aus Büchern, Medien und Spielwaren. Ein gelungenes Einkaufserlebnis ist das Ziel einer jeden Bestellung bei preigu, denn der Kunde und seine Zufriedenheit stehen an erster Stelle. preigu setzt daher auf einen kompetenten Kundenservice, funktionierende Prozesse und schnelle Reaktion.

Specialty

Bücher, Spielwaren

Seller's business information

preigu GmbH & Co. KG

Lengericher Landstraße 19
Osnabrück, Germany 49078

Contact sellerView seller's storefront

Terms of sale

Standard Business Terms and customer information

I. Standard business terms

§ 1 Basic provisions

(1) The following terms and conditions of business apply for all contracts concluded with us as the supplier (preigu GmbH & Co. KG) via the websites AbeBooks and/or ZVAB. Unless otherwise agreed, the inclusion of your own terms and conditions is explicitly rejected.

(2) A ‘consumer' in the sense of the following regulations is every natural person who concludes a legal transaction which, to an overwhelming extent, cannot be attributed to either his commercial or independent professional activities. The term ‘businessman' refers to every natural person, legal person or legally responsible partnership that concludes a legal transaction in pursuance of his/its independent professional or commercial activity.

§ 2 Conclusion of the contract

(1) The subject-matter of the contract is the selling of products .

(2) If an article is placed by us with AbeBooks or ZVAB, the activation of the page on AbeBooks or ZVAB shall involve the binding offer to conclude a contract under the terms and conditions contained in the article page.

(3) The contract shall become effective via the online shopping cart system as follows:
The products intended for purchase are moved to the "shopping cart". You can select the "Shopping Cart" using the appropriate buttons on the navigation bar and make changes there at any time.
After calling up the "Checkout" page and entering the required personal data and payment and shipping conditions, all order information is then displayed again on the order summary page.
Before submitting the order, you have the ability once more to review or change any information here (you may also use the "back" button on the Internet browser), or to cancel the purchase.
By clicking the "Buy now" button to submit the order, you declare your legally binding acceptance of the order which makes the contract effective.
(4) The execution of the order and the sending of all the details necessitated by the conclusion of the contract take place via e-mail, in a partially-automated manner. Consequently, you have to ensure that the e-mail address that you have deposited with us is the correct one, and that the receipt of the respective e-mails is guaranteed. In particular, you have to ensure that the respective e-mails are not blocked by a SPAM filter.

§ 3 Right of retention, reservation of proprietary rights

(1) You can only exercise a right of retention if the situation in question involves claims arising from the same contractual relationship.

(2) The goods remain our property until the purchase price is paid in full.

§ 4 Warranty

(1) The statutory warranty rights are applicable.

(2) As a consumer, you are requested to promptly check the product for completeness, visible defects and transport damage as soon as it is delivered, and promptly disclose your complaints to us and the shipping company in writing. Even if you do not comply with this request, it shall have no effect on your legal warranty claims.

(3) If a characteristic of the goods deviates from the objective requirements, the deviation shall only be deemed to be agreed if you were informed of the same by us before submitting the contractual declaration and the deviation was expressly and separately agreed between the contracting parties.

§ 5 Choice of law, place of fulfilment, jurisdiction

(1) German law shall apply. This choice of law only applies to customers if it does not result in the revocation of the protection guaranteed by the mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which the respective customer's usual place of residence is located (benefit-of-the-doubt principle).

(2) If you are not a consumer, but a businessman, a legal entity under public law or an institutional fund governed by public law, our place of business is the place of jurisdiction as well as the place of fulfilment for all services that follow from the business relationships that exist with us. The same condition applies to situations in which you are not associated with a general place of jurisdiction in Germany or the EU, as well as situations in which the place of residence or the usual place of residence is not known at the time of commencement of proceedings. This has no bearing on the capacity to call upon the court associated with another place of jurisdiction.

(3) The provisions of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods are explicitly inapplicable.

II. Customer information

Identity of the seller

preigu GmbH & Co. KG
Lengericher Landstr. 19
49078 Osnabrück
Germany
Telephone: 0541-580 72 84
E-Mail: mail@preigu.de

We are neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before consumer arbitration boards.

Information regarding the conclusion of the contract

The technical steps associated with the conclusion of the contract, the contract conclusion itself and the correction options are executed in accordance to the regulations "conclusion of the contract" in our standard business terms (part I.).

Contractual language, saving the text of the contract

3.1 Contract language shall be English.

3.2 The complete text of the contract is not saved with us. Before the order is sent, the contract data can be printed out or electronically saved using the browser's print function. After the order is received by us, the order data, the legally-mandated details related to distance selling contracts and the standard business terms are re-sent to you via e-mail.

Main features of the product or service

The key features of the goods and/or services can be found in the respective quote.

Prices and payment arrangements

5.1 The prices mentioned in the respective offers represent total prices, as do the shipping costs. They include all the price components, including all the incidental taxes.

5.2 The dispatch costs that are incurred are not included in the purchase price. They can be viewed by clicking the appropriate button on our website or in the respective quote, are shown separately over the course of the order transaction and must additionally be borne by you, insofar as free delivery is not confirmed.

5.3 If delivery is made to countries outside of the European Union, we may incur unreasonable additional costs, such as duties, taxes or money transfer fees (transfer or foreign exchange fees charged by the banks), which you must bear.

5.4 You must also bear the costs arising from money transfers in cases in which the delivery is made to an EU Member State, but the payment is initiated outside of the European Union.

5.5 The payment methods that are available to you are shown by clicking the appropriate button on our website or are disclosed in the respective quote.

5.6 Unless otherwise specified for the respective payment methods, the payment claims arising from the contract that has been concluded become payable immediately.

Delivery conditions

6.1 The delivery conditions, delivery date and existing supply restrictions, if applicable, can be found by clicking the appropriate button on our website or in the respective quote.

Unless a different period is specified in the item description or our delivery conditions, the goods are delivered within 3-5 days after the conclusion of the contract (in case an advance payment has been agreed upon, after the payment authorisation).

6.2 If you are a consumer, the following is statutorily regulated: The risk of the sold item accidentally being destroyed or degraded during shipping only passes over to you when the item in question is delivered, regardless of whether or not the shipping operation is insured. This condition does not apply if you have independently commissioned a transport company that has not been specified by us or a person who has otherwise been appointed to execute the shipping operation.

Statutory warranty right

Liability for defects is governed by the "Warranty" provisions in our General Terms and Conditions of Business (Part I).

Information on battery disposal

In connection with the sale of batteries or the delivery of devices containing batteries, we are obliged to inform you of the following:

Batteries must not be disposed of with household waste.

You can either return used batteries that we carry or have carried in our range as new batteries to us at your own expense or return them free of charge to our shipping warehouse (shipping address). Alternatively, you can hand in the batteries at your local collection points.

As an end user, you are legally obliged to return used batteries so that they can be recycled or disposed of properly.

Used batteries may contain harmful substances that can damage the environment or your health if not stored or disposed of properly. However, batteries also contain important raw materials such as iron, zinc, manganese or nickel and can be recycled.

The symbols on the batteries have the following meanings:

The symbol of the crossed-out wheelie bin means that the battery must not be disposed of with household waste.

For batteries containing a certain amount of lead, cadmium or mercury, the following additions below the symbol with the crossed-out wheelie bin indicate the respective pollutants:

Pb = Battery contains more than 0.004% lead by weight
Cd = Battery contains more than 0.002% cadmium by weight
Hg = Battery contains more than 0.0005% mercury by weight

Information on the costs involved in accordance with Article 56 (4) of the EU Battery Regulation (Regulation 2023/1542) can be found at the ‘Batterie-Zurück (https://www.batterie-zurueck.de/de/bewirtschaftungvonaltbatterien/)' initiative.
Please pay attention to the above instructions.

Golden Reflections | A Dog's Tale

Item description from seller

Bibliographic details

Synopsis

About the title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Golden Reflections

AuthorHouse

Chapter One