Posted on 10/30/2012 11:31:37 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
Two golden retrievers that were missing for two weeks are now back where they belong after one found his way home and led his owner to his canine brother.
On Sept. 26, Baxter and Bailey were tied together on a double leash outside their Sandwich, Mass., home, but somehow they got loose and ran away. Owner Penny Blackwell searched for the dogs, made fliers and asked for help from her Facebook community, but she couldn’t find them.
“I had pretty much given up hope that they were going to come home,” Blackwell told CBS.
Two weeks later, while she was on a business trip, Blackwell got a text from a friend saying one of the dogs had been found. When she returned home, she found an antsy Baxter waiting for her.
Blackwell took Baxter back to the area where he’d been found in hopes of finding Bailey, and the dog took the lead.
“Baxter kind of led me off the side through the woods. I had twigs in my eyes and leaves in my hair,” Blackwell said.
Baxter pulled Penny down a wooded path until they found Bailey, whose leash was tangled in some bushes.
“I could hardly get him untied because he was jumping on me and jumping on Baxter because he was so happy to see us,” Blackwell said.
The dogs each lost 8 to 10 pounds while they were missing, but other than that, Blackwell says Baxter and Bailey are happy and healthy.
“Baxter’s my hero for taking me there,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mnn.com ...
I’m lucky enough to have two goldens, an 8 year old female who’s well trained and smart as a whip, our 3 yr old male we adopted when he was a year & a half old, he’s still a big mooshy puppy and not the sharpest pencil in the golden retreiver box, but still a great dog and a retreiving machine.
Almost forgot, this morning while out on an errand, I left the pantry door open and mr shithead decided to eat a half-full can of cashews-he’s eaten worse
Could’ve been worse, you betcha.
You have to admit, though, no retriever is going to win a Nobel prize for anything more complicated than "Duh...".
/johnny
Dog Intellignece Rank by Breed
1 Border Collie
2 Poodle
3 German Shepherd
4 Golden Retriever
5 Doberman Pinscher
6 Shetland Sheepdog
7 Labrador Retriever
8 Papillon
9 Rottweiler
10 Australian Cattle Dog
#4 on the doggie smarts list.
Have two goldens. Great dogs. They’re part magician, don’tcha know. They can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich disappear off the cabinet without you seeing them, while you’re standing right there.
They’re only as smart as their owners let them be.
Squirrel!
I’m a Sheltie gal myself.
I've had 2 labs, and hosted a golden for a year or so until she got to go home, so, I'm familiar with their habits.
I don't bird hunt these days, so I won't be getting another retriever, of any kind, but I have been thinking about getting a standard poodle for the pig hunts.
/johnny
To add to the list of very smart dogs...
Belgian Malinois (much smarter than GSDs, and faster too)
The Havanese - a small dog almost done in by Cuba’s Castro regime, often used in circus acts.
Friend of mine had an Irish Setter that used to get lost at the end of her leash.
Friend of mine had an Irish Setter that used to get lost at the end of her leash.
years ago a cousin had an irish setter, he couldn’t smell a quail if it sat on his head, but when he saw one of the pointers lock down on a bird, he’d throw the prettiest point you’ve ever seen
The OWNER sounds like she has the intelligence of a bo of rocks and a sack of hammers. Why would you leave your dog(s) tied TOGETHER outside. That is just an accident waiting to happen. I’m glad that they were found, but I think the owner needs to take some dog parenting classes.
After years of large dogs, my friend bought 2 "Havamalts" -- a cross of Havanese/Maltese. She's having so much fun with those little guys, and she is training them just like she did her big dogs. They are taking very well to it.
'Scuse me! We had to SPELL in front of my (late) female Golden. She was scary smart. She slipped a disc when she was 4 and couldn't do field work anymore. (She lived to 15 1/2) To entertain her, I invented the "bird" game. We kept a duck, or pheasant, wing in the freezer. I would hide it some place in the house, and tell her the "find the bird".
They only way I could stump her was to take the wing upstairs. That confused her. It was hilarious to watch her track my footsteps until she found the wing and brought it back to me. But when I took it upstairs, she'd stand at the bottom of the stairs sniffing the air and looking confused. She'd find it eventually.
She also wanted to cheat. Somebody would have to hold her and cover her eyes while I hid the wing because she'd try to peek around the corner to see where I was going. She was a great dog.
I had to spell things in front of some of my airmen, too, so I understand. None of them were going to be up for the Nobel, either. ;)
They are cute, enthusiastic, and just smart enough to get into worlds and worlds of trouble if you don't watch them like a hawk. Dogs or the E-2/3s.
/johnny
I have to admit that my current Golden is not so long on smarts. He’s not dumb, but he isn’t as bright as the late female was. If they had lived together, I could see her getting him into a lot of trouble, and he’d love every minute of it.
But, but himself, he’s just a big, sweet lover boy. He comes to work with us every day and has traveled from coast to coast in the car with us.
We are really worried about him right now. He was just diagnosed with Lyme disease and is under treatment. He’s a little better, but it looked pretty grim over the weekend. He’s about 12 and has never had any orthopedic problems. He just suddenly went lame — big time. I mean SUDDENLY. He’s been into the vet for vomiting and a fever, and then the next day couldn’t walk.
If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.
She sounds like she was a great dog.
/johnny
She sounds like a wonderful dog. I imagine you have lots of stories.
All doggie fans,
I would highly recommend that you buy an embroidered collar for your pup pals. I can attest to the effectiveness of such a collar. You can order them on e-bay, or any number of outlets. You should order them with highly contrasting collars so the contact information is clear as day to whomever finds your pup.
Just include your dog’s name and your phone number, cell phone is best. This way your address is not at risk and if you use a cell number, then you can be contacted while you are out searching...
When I had Mocha Girl Dog (MGD), she escaped twice. First she broke through my screen door while I was napping and I had a very hard time finding her. I happened to find her by chance only....then the 2nd time she somehow broke out of my fenced in yard, but by that time I had purchased the collar I describe above. Hers was red with dark blue letters. I received a call within minutes of my discovering her escape!
Again, I highly recommend that type of collar!
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