Charlie Brown

The time I gave my husband a gift he never expected

I want to start this by saying I do not ever, ever, EVER advocate giving someone a dog as a gift. An animal is a commitment that requires careful thought and decision making on the part of the human responsible for it. The selection is much more complex than “oh this one is cute” (c’mon, they’re ALL cute!) and careful attention must be paid to understanding puppy temperament, breed inclinations, etc. Getting your kids a pet is one thing. Trying to pick out a dog for another adult is a recipe for disaster. 

That being said… 

…in 2022, I got my husband a dog for Christmas. 

Life is Golden

Brian usually doesn’t say much about the picking-out process when it comes to the animals at our farm. He has zero input regarding the livestock aside from “where do you want the barn built?” and typically when we’ve decided to get a dog it’s because I picked one out and he’s ok with it. 

He has, however, mentioned one breed multiple times over the years. He’s never had one, he isn’t a dog trainer, he wasn’t interested in breeding or hunting with this dog. He just knew that they are terrific animals and one day just maybe he might like to have - a Golden Retriever. 

Goldens weren’t on the top of my list. Before you come at me, I adore them! I just hadn’t ever seen myself as a Golden owner. I gravitate to the extremes. My house kids are Pomeranians and the farm dogs are Livestock Guardian breeds. I know there are a slew of breeds in between and I know they are fantastic, I just never said “hey I’d really like to have a Golden”. 

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Not knowing what to get him for Christmas that year I made a brash, illogical, and potentially catastrophic decision. I was going to get him a Golden Retriever pup. 

I did a lot of research that fall, looking for local options that were reliable, reputable, health and breed knowledgeable, and most importantly flexible. I needed him to have the option to say “no thank you” so he didn’t feel obligated to tend to a puppy he wasn’t crazy about. 

I found a breeder literally in our hometown. Their bio says they are very concerned about the health impacts that often plague Goldens and their breeding and futurity practices told me they were taking steps to improve the animals they were raising. I reached out and learned they had a litter ready to go. It was mid November, so I asked if we could visit the day after Thanksgiving. I explained that this pup would be a gift, and I needed to make sure Brian knew that if he absolutely didn’t want a pup or didn’t gravitate to any of THEIR pups, we weren’t on the hook. 

On Black Friday when other families were camping out in parking lots and shopping crazy cyber deals, I told Brian we were going for a ride because I had picked out his gift. I explained that he wasn’t obligated to come home with it, but a gentleman not far from us had something I thought he might like and I wanted him to see for himself before we committed. I’m pretty sure he was prepared to check out some woodworking machine in some guy’s garage that day. I know for a fact he was not prepared for what came next. 

Well, it was a surprise

We located the farm easily even though everything out here is in the middle of nowhere. Jeremy met us in the driveway where I introduced him to Brian and explained that he still had no idea why we were there. 

Inside the massive garage space we were greeted by five rambunctious beautiful red pups. When I announced that they were the reason for our visit I couldn’t tell if Brian was excited, dismayed, terrified, contemplating divorce … so I waited. Eventually he started playing with the pups as they zoomied around the space chasing balls and each others’ tails. As the shock wore off I became slightly more convinced that we might go home with a new family member. 

One pup in particular kept coming back to sit with him. He was older than the others, the last of his litter and at five months old he was showing a little more maturity and interest in his visitors. Before long it was clear he was the top contender. 

We were there over an hour meeting the parents of the pup in question. Jeremy explained that this guy was part of an experiment they’re working on — adding Irish Setter genetics in with their Field Goldens in an effort to offset some of the problematic genes associated with Goldens. Their focus is on eliminating the high prevalence of cancer in these amazing dogs. 

Our pick of the pack was ¼ Irish. 

After a long discussion, a lot of thinking, and a ton of concern that I might be wasting everyone’s time, Brian said we were taking the big guy home with us. 

And his name was Charlie.

It was meant to be

Charlie has become one of the most well-balanced and confident dogs I have ever had the pleasure of owning. He is independent enough to be confident, social enough to be friendly, bonded enough to train easily, and calm enough to be a great influence on other dogs in training. 

Charlie’s number one job here at the farm is to be the strong foundation upon which our training program is built. He has trained both of our most recent additions — a pair of Karakachan pups — how to navigate stairs and how to conduct themselves around chickens and cats. He teaches them social skills, canine body language, and general pack etiquette. 

We’ve watched as he’s taught them both how to fight effectively — a skill that could be life-saving since their job will be to defend our goats against the ever-growing predator population here. If he were a normal sized Golden Charlie might struggle to keep up with our large guardian pups, but much to our surprise he weighs in at nearly 100 pounds! 

Charlie may be Brian’s pup, but he has a bit of a Mama’s boy in him, too. Despite his size (or maybe in ignorance of it) he insists he still fits in my lap and when he feels sleepy or vulnerable that’s where he wants to be. Maybe on some level he knows my crazy lack of gift-giving discernment is the reason he’s with us today. Giving a dog as a gift is a rule I would never suggest breaking. 

But if you ever do, you would be fortunate to have a dog half as wonderful as Charlie. 

~Becky