From Utah to Florida: Boonie <3

Okay so little backstory before we get to this little view out my plane window. I have ALWAYS wanted a golden retriever. As a kid. As an adult. It never went away. A golden was like a dream dog to me. I used to watch Homeward Bound over and over and over again as a kid (and… *ahem*… as an adult too.. I KNOW YOU DO TOO, its a great film, come on.. anyway) I fell in love with Shadow. I loved his character, how loyal he was to Peter, and my childhood trauma 100% started from the scene where Shadow is trapped in the mud pit (my eyes are watering even typing that). You get the idea.

Obviously, Homeward Bound is just a move, but the infatuation started there. Goldens to me were the perfect dog. I would see them everywhere, looking like the number one representation of happiness. I knew at some stage in my life, I would have one. I just didn’t know when.

Fast forward: I follow a lot of golden retriever instagram content. Everything from hashtags, to breeders, to groups… i’m on it. There was one breeder that I had been following for awhile that was based out in Utah: Sarah from @saltlake.goldens. I followed her for a few reasons. #1 reason obviously being to get my goldie content. #2 she was in Utah, and I love that state so much. #3 I did my research and she seemed to be a very reputable breeder of AKC golden pups. So I was constantly tuning in to see what was out there. A couple months BB (before Boonie) I had a shoot booked for Salt Lake City. The way my brain is wired, my immediate thought was: ‘well if i’m going to be in SLC for work, I may as well check in with Sara at Salt Lake Goldens juuuust to see if she has any puppies. She had a few puppies from a recent litter that were available. I kept going back and forth with my partner, as we had planned on getting a dog, just not quite so soon. Curiosity got the best of me though over the coming days, and I started messaging Sarah to see who was available.

The day I messaged Sara, I was in Atlanta on a shoot. I had just packed up the studio and was walking out the door with all of my gear, when out of the corner of my eye, I see a golden retriever come running over to me. I cannot even make this up.

I jokingly told my cousin who was with me to take a photo so I could send to my boyfriend to show him that the universe was CLEARLY trying to tell me something. I mean come on! Look at that little face!! I sent the pics to Scottee and told him, ‘that’s it, im getting a golden immediately.’ Like a mature and rational adult, I messaged Sara immediately after that fateful golden encounter. By that stage, she only had one pup left, a little red golden boy who at the time went by the name ‘Rusty.’

Any sane person after seeing these stories would immediately message to schedule a face time with said puppy, right? Right. So I did. I don’t even think at that stage I had told my boyfriend that I was having this call. Here’s the exact moment we got on the call:

I knew in my heart immediately that he was special and needed to be in my life. Sure, I had the puppy fever, but I really got a great vibe from Sara, I was going to be out in Utah a week from then anyway, so I thought, well why don’t I come MEET the little guy? I told her I was very interested, in fact I was ready to just say YES right then and there, but mentioned I should probably run it by Scottee and I did want to meet him in person first. I ended up putting a deposit down to “secure A puppy” but that didn’t mean that I could secure him. It basically meant that if I ultimately didn’t go with Rusty, my deposit could go towards another puppy in a future litter. There was also someone else that was interested in him which, hello, I don’t blame them! I called Scottee and told him that I met my dream dog and I just had to have him. Sure, maybe the timing wasn’t right. We had talked about wanting to get a dog after we were moved into a more permanent home, preferably a home we owned, but who can honestly say when that’s going to happen in the current climate?! LONG STORY NOT SO SHORT – he said go for it. I told Sara that night that we were all in.

Fast forward to my shoot weekend in Utah: I had two days of photo shoot work in the city and carved out some time practically the moment I flew in to go and meet Sara and Rusty. When I tell you – INSTANT head over heels. I fell in love with him right then and there. He was the cutest little golden nugget I ever did see. Sara was also lovely. I discovered she loves fly fishing as well, which, fun fact about me, I’ve never been fly fishing but for whatever reason, I’m obsessed with it and in my head it was another point for Sara, for goldens, for UTAH. This was such a prominent moment for me. Rusty was also there with his sister who I believe Sara said she was keeping! They were so cute. The hardest part about all of this was I wasn’t able to pick Rusty up until that Sunday after I finished work and was due to fly out. So after hanging out with him for an hour, I said farewell and made plans to see them on Sunday afternoon a few hours before our flight took off.

Finally, Sunday rolls around and its time to come get ‘Rusty’ who actually is now: Boone <3 We hung out with Sara for a bit, got our take home packet as well as a whole bunch of other extremely useful information from Sara, a pet carrier case for the plane, and said our goodbyes. Sara got a snap of Boonie and I right before we got in the car *cryin*

Guys, I don’t mean to be woo woo or anything, but I am a woman who has known for a very long time that I didn’t want children. I wasn’t put on this earth to have a kiddo. I knew my role in that department was always to be the fun auntie or the person who could be relied on to look after my friends kids, but never have one of my own. So when I tell you, that this dog is my child… this dog is my CHILD. I truly felt an instant bond with him and at this moment right here, I had no idea how much it would intensify and build over that first week together. I knew right then and there that he was special. I quite literally sobbed on the way to the airport because I was just so overcome with love and happiness that I couldn’t control it. How could you not when you have a sweet baby angel sitting in your passenger seat like this?!

So around this time, Florida was getting hit with a bunch of storms. Hurricane Debby was about to make landfall in Florida and flights started getting delayed left and right. We made it to the airport, and Boonie was being such a little champ just chilling in his pet carrier. His head was poking out and he’d just be watching the world go by, not making a fuss about anything. Also, if you’re a shy person, DO NOT get a golden retriever or even think about taking a golden retriever puppy out in public, let alone an airport. I’m pretty sure we got stopped every 20 seconds.

I won’t bore you (unless I already have) with the nitty gritty details of how many times our flight got delayed, but it was a few. We spent a total of 10 hours in the airport, waiting for them to finally cancel our flight due to weather. By this time, it was past midnight, and I felt so horrible for Boonie. I kept taking him out of his carrier to stretch his legs, go for little walks, all while being mindful that he hadn’t had all of his shots just yet and I was a paranoid first time dog mom. We had no choice but to book a hotel for the night, which turned into 2, while we figured out how the heck we were going to get home.

From being in the airport all day, to the 2 nights in the hotel, I truly think this whole experience is really what bonded Boonie and I on a deeper level. After lots of tears, and what the heck am I going to do conversations, the angel that my mother is, bought us a flight to Raleigh, NC to stay at her house until Florida was clear to fly to. Later that day, we were finally at our gate, about to board our flight to Raleigh. You know when you were a kid, and something minor yet still traumatic happened and you didn’t start crying until your mom asked if you were okay and opened up her arms for you to go hug her? Yeah, that’s basically how I felt when I found out we were going to my moms. I just wanted to get Boonie into a safe space and for us to finally relax and not be in an airport. All that to say, I was and am still beyond impressed with how chill he was during this whole transient experience. From being in the airport all day to even being on the plane, he slept the whole time without a single peep.

Looking back, I feel like this all worked out exactly as it was supposed to. The shoot that I was on before I picked up Boonie, was one of the most challenging, draining, and traumatic experiences I’ve had in my career. Getting Boonie after all that was definitely the light at the end of the tunnel, but then to experience the flight delays and cancellations, hotels, all while having a brand new puppy, it was a lot. And I needed my mom. Even as a 34 year old gal.

We ended up spending a week at my mom’s house and it was glorious. Not only did my mom and my aunt get to meet Boonie, but I got the help and support I needed to get me through that and get us ready for the next leg of our journey ahead.

After one week, we had to get the heck out of there and on an airplane home because Boonie was gaining weight and we were nearing the maximum weight allowance for a pet carry on! When I tell you – my new anxiety over thinking we were not going to be able to get on that plane…. BUT, we made it through. Saying goodbye to my mom was tough. Even though we’re only a 2 hour plane ride away from each other, the absence is profound in times like that. I am so thankful for her and for the help she gave me in that moment. I left Raleigh feeling completely restored and excited for Boonie to finally get to his new home state of Florida and meet his dad!

After a quick and easy flight, we finally made it to Florida. Boonie was infatuated with palm trees and fell instantly in love with Scottee.

If you’ve made it this far, I salute you. I just had to get our story out there in words on a blog because, MAN, it was a journey. Im excited you’re here. I’m excited to document Boonie growing up and experiencing new things. I’m also super pumped to see how I grow and evolve alongside him. Thanks for being here 🙂

If you’re interested in AKC Golden Retrievers and are looking for a reputable breeder, go check out Sara on instagram: @saltlake.goldens <3

xoxo Cass