It’s not every day that one can surround themselves with joy, love, hope, healing, mischief, fun and 159 Golden Retrievers. However, that is exactly what happened at the 5th Annual New England Golden Jubilee! On Saturday, May 18, 2019, Golden Retrievers from across New England and as far away Florida, Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, Illinois, Nova Scotia, and beyond, all gathered at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont with three goals in mind. First to support the critical research and thank the heroes of the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. Second to honor the important mission of Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue. Third to remember special Golden angels, while celebrating what it means to be a Golden Retriever!

We began our day by visiting Dog Chapel to say a prayer for our friends who crossed Rainbow Bridge far too soon, including my littermate Duncan, and for pups who are struggling with illness. Dog Chapel is a special place of healing and hope, whose walls are covered with the names of countless pets who have crossed Rainbow Bridge, but forever left paw prints of love behind. After drying Mom’s tears on my fur, it was time to join the party.

The first couple hours of the jubilee were dedicated to what Goldens do best, namely socializing and making friends! We met so many new friends, with both four legs and two, that we can’t possibly mention all of you. But please know we enjoyed getting to know each and everyone of you and hearing your stories. This includes the Dad who admitted he was disappointed to miss last year’s jubilee because his two legged child was graduating. There was also the Mom who may have been even more excited than her dog to be attending their first New England Golden Jubilee. Speaking of first timers, Teddy, an adorable puppy, was working the crowd convinced everyone was there just to meet him. While Meg, who’s been a part of this event from the start, took a break from supervising the registration table to smile at the youngster’s antics. We also met Josh and Nala’s Dad, who came all the way from Texas! Although his pups couldn’t make the long trip, he happily told us how Josh’s blindness due to pigmentary uveitis doesn’t slow him down one bit.

It was good to see many familiar faces returning for another year of tail wagging fun too. We caught up with Cody and his Dad, who were extending their adventure by heading to our neck of the woods following their time in Vermont. We laughed at Finn who just wanted to be everywhere at once, and we certainly couldn’t blame him! Also I’m pretty sure Cooper could have taken flight at any moment due to how fast his tail was wagging. We even met a dog who shares half my name, Billy, and loves swimming even more than I do!

There were dogs who upon arrival immediately ran to dive into the pond, while others were determined to meet every pup and human there. In addition, some dogs were even more fetch obsessed than Asa, and joyfully chased balls all morning long. There was also a fun game of pass the squeaky bikini chicken taking place all day, as dogs took turns playing with that coveted toy.

Asa and I were also on a mission. We wanted to meet our Facebook friend Chompski! She told us that she would be wearing a sunflower, while we donned our tie dyed bandanas so she could find us in the crowd. In the mix and mingle we didn’t see her, but we did spot another friend, Piper, wearing a very pretty pink flower. Turns out we also met Facebook friends Jax and Jasper without even realizing it!

Soon it was time to get down to business with the group photos! Trying to get 159 Golden Retrievers with their wagging tails in one place and goofy grins facing the same direction is quite a monumental task! Even more difficult is getting their humans to sit still and do the same! So let’s give a round of applause for official New England Golden Jubilee photographers, Linda Hadwen and Stew Stryker, for your time and patience in trying to herd that many pups and people. Our photos certainly pale in comparison to the beautiful ones they captured. You can find the link to their photos on Facebook at New England Golden Jubilee.

After the big photo of all the attendees, there were small group photos. First up the silly puppies age two years and younger, who wiggled to their hearts’ content, to the cooing delight of onlookers. Followed by the certified therapy dogs who posed perfectly with their endearing goofy grins. There were applause for the Hero Dogs, participating in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. As well as tears of joy as the cancer survivors wagged with delight while smiling for the camera. They were followed by the age 10 and over group. As jubilee organizer Sandra Lok explained, sadly age 10 is when many Golden Retrievers are diagnosed with cancer, which makes this fundraiser for the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study so important. Finally there was a group photo of all the rescue dogs in attendance. Mom noticed many of these rescue dogs also posed with the earlier groups too. What I noticed though was one mischievous dog, Grant, who attempted to photobomb every group picture. Well played Grant, well played!

While in the group photo I finally spied my friend Chompski! Little did I realize it would be love at first sight for her and Asa, as they shamelessly flirted with each other. According to Chompski’s Mom, she’s not usually so bold, but boy was she making sure to get Asa’s undivided attention. Even funnier, if he did get distracted, Chompski would bark in his face, and then strut off with her tail wagging. Is this the beginning of a lasting relationship, or just puppy love at the New England Golden Jubilee? Only time will tell.

Speaking of time, next we all gathered in front of Dog Chapel to remember dear friends who crossed Rainbow Bridge far too soon. This was followed by a blessing of the animals by Father Curtis Miller of the Corpus Christi Parish in St. Johnsbury. We also took this opportunity to applaud the Heroes in attendance! Hero Dogs are participants in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. Each year they undergo an extensive physical that includes hours of poking and prodding, and answering all sorts of questions. Hopefully the information gathered from these selfless dogs will someday help scientists find a cure for canine cancer, and other diseases that affect not just Golden Retrievers but all dogs.

There were also moments of levity, as prizes were handed out. The youngest puppy at the jubilee was 4 month old Teddy. The most senior dog in attendance was Texas, whose Dad proudly proclaimed at 14 years old “this is the first thing Texas has ever won!” After some quick calculations, it was determined that once again Maggie came the farthest to be there, traveling all the way from Florida for her second New England Golden Jubilee.

There was also the presentation of the Tears of Joy award to honor a Golden Retriever whose success with life’s struggles has been a reason for tears of joy. This year there were 4 nominees: Annie, Hazel, Pistachio, and Butters, who are each fighting their individual battles with grace and dignity. Sadly, our dear friend Pistachio could not be there, and bravely crossed Rainbow Bridge on Monday. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Miss P’s grieving family and friends. However, our hearts also rejoiced for this year’s Tears of Joy recipient, Butters. Mom wiped away tears of joy later on that day when Butters won the raffle basket we donated to the Kibble Cup Auction. We hope it brings Butters tail wagging happiness.

Now everyone knows it wouldn’t be a party without music and dancing! The ceremony at Dog Chapel included a lovely song by Stephen Prout, “Chase and Ramble,” which was written in honor of his two beloved Goldens. He and his friend, who my apologies for not catching your name, also played music during the tennis ball toss. During the day there were also freestyle dancing performances by Fireball, Georgia and Ricochet!

It was around this time that there was a noticeable grumbling in Dad’s tummy. But the organizers of the New England Golden Jubilee thought of everything! So soon we were lining up to enjoy a good old fashion cookout of hamburgers and hotdogs, as well as many other delicious side dishes. Thank you to the volunteers for preparing all that delicious food!

Throughout the day Asa was filling with anticipation for the Kibble Cup Auction. From antiques to collectibles, original artwork and handmade treasures, toys and treats, and whimsical Golden Retriever themed items, there was something for everyone, with all the proceeds to benefit Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue! With over 50 prizes to choose from it was a hard decision for Asa to pick which kibble cups to place our raffle tickets. But in keeping with tradition he dropped most of his raffle tickets into baskets with toys and treats that he would enjoy, while reserving one ticket for a prize for Mom. Well would you believe Mom won that prize! A beautiful handmade tote bag made from Guisachan tweed, and in it was a booklet on the origins of Golden Retrievers, as well as a DVD of The Guisachan Gathering 2018! Mom was overjoyed! She loves history, and has been following the efforts of Friends of Guisachan to stabilize the estate in Scotland where the first Golden Retrievers were bred. Mom will truly treasure this prize.

Finally it was the moment every dog was waiting for all day – the tennis ball toss into the pond! Well maybe not everyone. We met one pup who was happily swimming, but quickly exited the pond once she heard what was about to happen. Apparently she fears tennis balls. But thankfully she found safe refuge on the picnic table behind Stephen Prout, and listened to his calming music while watching the other Goldens dive in after the balls. Thank you Glastonbury Tennis Club for donating 150 tennis balls for this spectacular moment! It was my favorite part of the day!

As with tradition, Asa couldn’t wait a moment longer and raced into the pond before the first tennis ball was tossed. I, on the other paw, came up with a strategy on how to beat my personal best. In the past I have retrieved two tennis balls at once. This year I was determined to get three! And I did it! However, as usual Asa stole Mom’s attention so she missed my triumphant moment. Dad definitely saw me do it though. There’s something magical about the pond at Dog Mountain because that is the only place I can retrieve multiple tennis balls at once.

Thank you Sandra and Peter Lok; your pups, Meg, Andy and Grant; and the Friends of Dog Mountain Home of Stephen Huneck Gallery for making this magical day possible. We are already counting down the days to next year’s New England Golden Jubilee!