Don’t you ever grow up, don’t you ever grow up, just stay this little…
Taylor Swift – Never Grow Up
I am sitting in the quiet of pre-dawn, drinking strong black coffee, and simply enjoying the feeling of having arrived after a driving journey of some 20 hours. Finn is curled up beside me, a tired little boy. In the words of fly-fishing guide and friend, Daniel Scheda, “a tired dog is a good dog.”
And indeed, Finn is turning out to be a very good dog. He added a lot of firsts to his resume’ on the trip south through seven states to our place in Destin, Florida: first hotel stays, first elevator trips, first stairs (we live in a ranch), a very long truck ride over 3 days (4+ hour stretches at a time), and numerous people and dogs along the way.
Until we made the drive south, Finn had not felt outdoor warmth in his early months as a puppy.
We brought him home on December 23rd – and outdoor treks were somewhat weather-limited due to a severe winter in Rochester, but in Destin, he finally got in a lot of outdoor time, and he loved it. We walked a lot – around the Beachwalk Villas, along the shores of Horseshoe Lake – and we took golf cart trips to Jolee Island on Choctawhatchee Bay for his first introduction to water.
Finn’s “baptism” to water, saltwater in this case, was another testament to his puppy goofiness, first approaching it with curiosity. pawing at it repeatedly, and then after a toss of his bumper for inspiration, repeated airborne leaps and bounds into the water. Side note, a freshwater “baptism” was out of the question, given the presence of alligators in many area ponds and lakes. During my son’s golf pro career in Destin, there was an eight-footer that was prone to sunning itself on the greens, much to the astonishment of Yankee golfers.
Another first for Finn was his introduction to doggie daycare, something I wanted to do for more dog socialization and to introduce him to boarding. I found a wonderful daycare & boarding facility named Goochie Poochie just minutes from our place. I’d initially inquired with them before we left on our trip hoping to find a place, and it definitely seemed to fit the bill. Finn passed his 4-hour in-facility assessment with flying colors – comments from the staff gushed with praise for his temperament and affable disposition. He got to be quite the celebrity there. Finn ran with the big dogs, including Beckett (a labradoodle), Finley (a big lab mix), Scoobie-Doo (a German shepherd mix), and Maddie (a Bassett hound). Between the staff and some new friends, Goochie Poochie was a great experience for Finn, and it showed as we neared for drop-off with barking and whining, followed by Finn nearly busting down the front door upon arrival. He never looked back when I left him…
His first boarding experience – really just an overnight trial – did not go as well. The staff felt he had a bit of separation anxiety and given the newness of everything that was a part of our trip, and that he was just 5 months old, it was not surprising. So that goal is still on the docket as Finn matures.
I no doubt am boasting here like a proud parent but even walking Finn about Destin made me feel like I was walking beside a movie star. His “puppiness” was naturally a part of the charm, but his glossy dark chocolate coat, highlighted with a unique “braid” along his back, and his constant deep tail-wagging that wiggled down to his butt got a lot of glowing comments from the humans he met on our walks.
While most of my goals for Finn on my trip were achieved, I did not get him out fishing with me, nor did I introduce him to my boat – a small sit-in fishing kayak – so that will come now at our home on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Finn’s growing like a weed, now nudging 60 pounds at 6 months old. His paws still look too big for his body, his legs still gangly. ChatGPT informs me he’s on the “big athletic male growth curve” and when fully mature at 18 – 24 months, will weigh 80 – 85 pounds.
What’s next for Finn includes a lot of obedience training for good manners, easy handling, and most of all, bullet-proof recall. Recall is especially important if I want to get him out fishing the local creeks and tributaries, including some jaunts on the big rivers of the Southern Tier, where his predecessor, Maddie, once accompanied me a-stream.
I have plans for a boat big enough for two and once acquired, want to get him used to floating with me while fishing nearshore Lake Ontario and the connected ponds and estuaries. And there’ll be plenty of water time right in front of our house as well as hikes on the miles of trails in the surrounding DEC wildlife preserves.
Finn’s future is bright and sure to be chock full of adventures, but it’s hard not to wish he’d stay a puppy if only for a little longer – something gold to stay…
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Nothing Gold Can Stay, Robert Frost
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