The following is a public service announcement from Chuck Billy and Asa:  We’d like to talk with you today about a serious topic – Retrieving.  Many people inaccurately assume that just because we are Golden Retrievers we can retrieve.  However, that cannot be further from the truth!  Eye / mouth coordination is a skill not an innate gift.  Oh sure we’d all love to be able to catch a ball mid-flight and triumphantly return it to our owners for another toss, but that isn’t always possible.  A lot of coordination is needed to successfully retrieve – there’s running, keeping an eye on the ball, timing the perfect moment to jump, and the all important bite at the ball.  Don’t believe me?  You try it!  It’s very humbling when after all that effort we still miss.  So don’t think we don’t hear you when you laugh at our failed efforts.  Yet that is the difference between dogs and mere mortals.  Whereas humans are more likely to give up their dreams after hundreds of unsuccessful tries, hope springs eternal in dogs.  And we will try!  And we will eventually succeed!  And then we will be so excited that we caught the ball, we will forget to bring it back to you!