It came without trumpet fanfare.  It came without cheers.  In fact, it came and went without me noticing until now.  Last month we reached 500 blog posts!  Thank You!  We couldn’t have achieved this milestone without your support!  Asa, Mom, Dad, and I are truly grateful that day after day you continue to check in to read about our adventures.

I started this blog in January 2015 as a lighthearted way to introduce my little brother Asa to the family, and chronicle our adventures together.  Hence the name Living with a Golden.  During that time I survived the zombie puppy phase, got in touch with my inner wolf, and shared a few…ok a lot…of embarrassing Asa stories.  It didn’t take long though for me to start sharing our favorite Dog Friendly Places as well.  For you see, Mom and Dad are always being asked by their friends and coworkers what are the dogs rules for this beach or that, or where’s a good place to bring the pups for a hike this weekend?  Let’s face it, Mom and Dad are not quick thinkers, and many times well after the fact they would randomly proclaim, “Oh I should have recommended that trail too!  Or that beach disappears at high tide!  Why didn’t I remember to tell them that?”  So I decided to let Mom start adding our favorite places every Tuesday.  Little did I realize that would inspire Mom and Dad to expand our adventures and seek out new places beyond our usual haunts!  I never imagined two years ago that I would go hiking at the eastern most point in the United States, but in October I did!

I’m also a strong believer in lending a helping paw.  So on Thursdays I made it my mission to share dog friendly events that support animal related nonprofits.  I even swallowed my pride a few times and shared events about cats!  I’ve also occasionally shared dog related products that have special meaning to us, especially those which are locally handmade by small businesses.  So if Mom recommends something, please know that it wasn’t chosen randomly and that we stand behind it.  Last but not least, Living with a Golden is a way to pay tribute to my big brother Lemmy, whom we miss very much.  It brings me great comfort keeping his memory alive in the stories I share.  So all in all I have to admit I’m rather surprised by how far I’ve come since that first blog post introducing myself and preparing for Asa’s arrival.

Ok, so I admit there were a few bumps in the trail along the way.  I did have to fire Dad because his blog posts were too serious, but I kept him on as my videographer.  And I’ve had to give Mom a stern barking to for occasionally editing my thoughts I dictated to her.  When will a company finally accept my idea and make dog dictation software?  Oh and then there’s Asa’s constant begging to have his own column.  HA! Like that will ever happen!  Yet overall it has been a tail wagging good time!

However, the best part of starting Living with a Golden is all the new friends we’ve made!  THANK YOU for checking in to see what we are up to; commenting on posts whether it be on the website, Facebook or Twitter; and stopping to say “hello” when you see us out and about at events.  Also THANK YOU for spreading the word about Living with a Golden by sharing our posts and inviting your friends to follow our adventures!  Your support really means a lot.  I never dreamed that as a Golden Retriever living in Maine I could have friends across the country and all over the world!

So I raise my water bowl in a toast to YOU!  Here’s to another 500 blog posts and more Golden adventures!

Tail Wags,

Chuck Billy

PS: Thanks Mom, Dad & Asa for helping me along the way!