Unfortunately, Asa and I will have to miss this Saturday’s New England Golden Jubilee. However, today we are looking through old photos and reminiscing about the previous years when we attended this annual event at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Please join us on this stroll down memory lane…

Chuck Billy: We certainly made quite the entrance our first year at the New England Golden Jubilee. We were only there a matter of minutes before you decided to steal from the Kibble Cup Auction prizes! Oh how embarrassed Mom was as she chased you through the crowd trying to retrieve that squeaky toy. I think the only thing more embarrassing was when she did get it, and returned the slobber soaked toy unfit for the auction. At least everyone was laughing, and no one got mad.

Asa: It was an honest mistake! I still can’t believe I won one of the raffle baskets after that awkward moment. I finally made it up to Mom a few years later, when I won that awesome Guisachan prize pack for her. Whoever made and donated that handmade bag made with Guisachan plaid – Thank you! Mom’s smile is as big as a Golden’s whenever she uses it.

Chuck Billy: Speaking of smiles, not to brag, but I broke my personal record not once but twice at the New England Golden Jubilee when I retrieved first 2 tennis balls, and then 3 during the Great Tennis Ball Toss! I’m convinced there is something magical about that pond at Dog Mountain because I’ve never been able to replicate that trick.

Asa: You definitely love that pond! I’ll never forget the year you refused to come out of it, and better yet almost dragged Dad into it with you! Such a pity Dad deleted that photo. But based on this photo, Dad wasn’t the only person who got soaked that day!

Chuck Billy: Asa, you have your own tales to tell about that pond. Remember the time we were near the top of the field, when you spied someone playing fetch near the pond? You took off like a rocket, racing down the hill, somehow managed to catch the ball mid-air, then land in the pond, all while that unsuspecting dog looked on in amazement! You looked so proud of yourself as you strutted back up the hill to us.

Asa: Speaking of swagger, I’m not sure what I did in 2019, but I certainly caught my friend Chompski’s attention that day! My first and only Dog Mountain summer romance. We still keep in touch, you know!

Chuck Billy: As I recall, you also met your Daddy Spenser at the event one year too.

Asa: We’ve made a lot of great friends over the years at the New England Golden Jubilee. We’ve also said goodbye to some very dear ones. Oh how Mom cried when she learned she could add Lemmy’s name to the sacred walls of Dog Chapel. She felt embarrassed for being so overcome with emotions, but thanks to the kindness of strangers soon realized she was surrounded by people who understood her grief.

Chuck Billy: That’s the magic of the New England Golden Jubilee at Dog Mountain. It truly is a special day unlike any other we’ve ever experienced. There is laughter, tears, friends new and old, and memories made that will last a lifetime. And all to support the great work of the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study and Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue!

Asa: I think this photo of us, although not the most picturesque, truly captures the feeling of bliss we experience each time we attend. I sure hope even though we won’t be going this Saturday, May 21, 2022, that our friends attending the New England Golden Jubilee will share their new memories with us!