Happy Birthday Josie- Dub’s Golden Retriever Turns One

Our golden retriever Josie just turned a year old. That's crazy to my wife and I, it feels like we just brought her home. Time is really flying these days. Our puppy is one, our daughter is almost 18 months old. I can tell you this, whoever was the first to say "don't blink or you'll miss it" wasn't kidding. But what a first year it's been.

Here's the back story on how we got Josie. My wife and I had two dogs, a lab mix and a Bloodhound. She would send me pictures of dogs all the time, but with two and a baby, I figured our plate was pretty full. However, both of us have always wanted a golden retriever. We found out that a friend of a friend was having a litter of golden puppies and wanted to know if we wanted one.

Now full disclosure, neither me nor my wife has ever paid for a dog. We've always gone to the shelter or something, but again, this is a dog we've always wanted and you don't really find Goldens in the shelter. So we decided to get a puppy, and what a great decision it was! We said it was one of Maddie's first birthday presents that she got a little early. We got Josie in late April, and Maddie's first birthday was in mid-September.

Over the years we'd heard a lot of people say how great golden retrievers are, and they were 100% correct. Josie is the sweetest, most even tempered dog we've ever had. She loves my wife and me, but she really loves our daughter. Wherever Maddie is, Josie is right there. She's very protective of Maddie, which we absolutely love. She has been the perfect addition to our little family, and we can't wait to celebrate many more of her birthdays with her.

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These are some of our favorite pictures from our first year with Josie.