Meet My First Pet – Introducing Chuck!

I have always loved animals.  Even when I was driving my motorcycle on the streets of my city, I stopped to pet the street dogs, no matter how dirty or aggressive they were.  Cats were impossible to pet, they are always afraid of strangers.

Due to my mother’s allergy to domestic animals and the small spaces in the apartment to keep them, it was impossible for me to adopt them.

The opportunity came when I rented a coffee bar.  For years I wanted to get a golden retriever because of their loving nature.  So I did.  I gave myself a present on New Year’s Day, Chuk, who became the love of the whole neighborhood.  It’s hard to find a golden retriever in my country and I was lucky to buy it for only €350.  Chuk was 3 and a half months old at that time.  I soon realized that adopting a puppy was not only fun but more of a responsibility to serve them.  Chuk should have his own place to sleep, to be fed 3 times a day, etc.

As every pet owner knows, a puppy’s biggest problem is defecation.  It is terribly difficult to manage the situation: both working 16 hours a day with clients and serving Chuk.  For those of you who don’t know: a puppy urinates 15 times a day and poops 8 times a day.  I often took him out for personal needs.  I also became a guardian of my dog because Chuk was adorable and could be stolen from me if I left him alone. Often Chuk would do it among the customers and no matter how quickly I cleaned it, it caused me a problem with my business.

But again I did not give up on Chuk.  I loved him from the first moment he entered my life.  After a few months, it came naturally that Chuk took his personal needs outside.  Another problem with golden retrievers is that they are very energetic, they want to play all the time and chew everything.  Chuk chewed the tables, chairs, papers, pens, etc., even the customers’ shoes.  He adored lying among people and listening to their conversations.  He wanted to be petted all day long by all the people.  What a pleasure it was when I opened the door of the bar at 6 am and he was waiting for me, dancing and wagging his tail.  From that moment he went out all morning and greeted all the neighbors who were leaving for work or school.  All the children in the neighborhood stopped and petted him.  This turned into a daily ritual.  It was strange: my neighbors knew Chuk’s name more than my name, since I had been living in that neighborhood for 40 years.

For those who know golden retrievers, they know that they are very sensitive, they hate loneliness, they get sad quickly.  Each has its own specifics that we must understand. From the first day I realized that Chuk hated dark colors.  Later I realized that gray, cloudy days depressed him.  I felt bad when I saw my dog in that condition, I had to do something.  I thought that a cat would be his ideal friend.  And God brought Chap, the wild cat, into our lives.

Well, this is a long story that I will tell in another blog.

 Anyway, thank you for your attention.  If you have similar stories that you want to share with us, you are welcome.

 Thank you