Never could Tony have imagined that his best birthday gift last year would be a Golden Retriever named Daisy. Driving with his wife from Jacksonville to Tampa to meet the dog they hoped to adopt seemed endless, but when they arrived at Daisy’s foster home, she not only greeted them with toys, she introduced herself by flopping over for a belly rub. It was love at first sight! The return drive seemed even longer — they couldn’t get back quickly enough — and they were both quite emotional as they pulled into the garage to show Daisy her new home.
Daisy promptly became queen of their castle, protective of her house and yard, and the first to greet visiting family and friends. When her family welcomed a daughter, Kate, Daisy was outstanding. She would take a sniff of the infant every now and then, and gently lick Kate’s ear or hand while Tony would take Kate’s hand and allow her to feel Daisy’s fur.
Easygoing, extremely patient and loyal, she loves being around her family all of the time and is happiest being petted and being everyone’s friend – provided she’s not looking at someone or another dog through the fence! (She has something of a Napoleonic complex when it comes to other dogs, but once she familiarizes herself with them, she’s fine).
She also loves going on walks, going to the beach and to different parks, and playing fetch both outdoors and inside the house. In fact, she loves toys so much that she just keeps them in her mouth and squeezes them instead of tearing them to shreds as other dogs often do. Although she’s particularly fond of her Lambchop, she still receives seasonal toys to celebrate the various holidays.
One particularly memorable event for Daisy’s adoring family occurred a month after they adopted her. She – quite unexpectedly, and to their utter amazement — managed to climb a tree in their backyard while going after a squirrel. It took four adults and two ladders to get her down. While it’s safe to say she doesn’t even look up at the tree anymore, the most amusing part of the entire episode was her being as proud as a peacock — at first. Until she realized that she couldn’t get down. Her “Help me!” face was priceless.
