As all Golden Retrievers know, with great cuteness comes great responsibility. And letting people pet and admire us is one of those responsibilities. But it also gets daunting, especially if I just want to relax and enjoy family time. Don’t get me wrong, I love making new friends! But all that petting can really slow me down when out on an adventure. Case in point, while exploring the L.L. Bean campus in Freeport, Dad was getting tired of all the requests to pet me, or worst yet, the folks who walked right up and just started petting me.

Dad would politely say, “Please do not pet, he’s in training.” Which was true. Now that I don’t have Chuck Billy here to give me social cues, I need a little refresher on what is expected. However, many people responded with, “but he’s so good!” Thank you for noticing! Or “I have a dog, it doesn’t bother me.” Well it bothers me, or at least Dad.

So Mom, noticing Dad’s frustration, added her own twist during one of these conversations. Two people approached and asked to pet me. Dad responded with his polite request not to due to training. The women looked surprised, but before they could say anything, Mom gave our new excuse. “He was raised by wolves.” Dad of course immediately jumped on this, and with a serious expression added, “as a puppy he escaped the whelping box, and lived in the woods with wolves until recently.” The women, who were totally caught off guard, marveled, “Is that how he lost his eye? Poor baby!” Dad and Mom politely excused themselves, and we walked around a corner. At which point, they burst out laughing, while I happily jumped and wagged my tail.