Golden Gus

02/21/2026

Stacey here: Gus never moves when the robot vacuum is hitting him and, well…. this happened today. It throughly wrapped his tail in the spin brush. Gus stood up and noticed it, and in a very Eeyore-like manner, walked away like, “I guess this will just be a part of me now.” 😂 Lance and I ended up having to cut it out. Gus was still 100% unbothered.

02/20/2026

02/18/2026

Works every time…. 🐶🐾❤️

02/15/2026

Hello friends, Stacey here! 🥰 Gus spent the past 4 days with a co-worker friend who is a nurse practitioner in the Portland area at a pediatric clinic. Our daughter had a competition in Washington State, so my friend & her wonderful neighbor were gracious to watch him for us. This was the first time he has spent time away from us since his adoption day. He just turned 7 months old. As some of you know, I have been training him to do therapy work and my friend, Suzanne who has also had a therapy dog and currently has a 14 month old golden she is training, decided to take him to work with her on Friday morning. This was the report I got:

“Wish I could get a picture with a patient... he is awesome with infants and just saw a patient on the Autism Spectrum... he is SO calm and patient. 💙🐶🐾 He was amazing!!
It was like he was born in the clinic... happy to see people but so calm and loving and just laid down and took naps in exam rooms while I was seeing patients.
He is a dog that comes trained naturally - everyone enjoyed him SO much and were sad when I told them I was taking him home at noon.
(At 7 months old) I think he's too much of a baby still to expect him to do that all day.”

My goodness, I couldn’t be more proud of him. 🥹 Thank you to my sweet friend for taking such great care of him and allowing him the opportunity to do a little preliminary therapy work & a whole lot of play with her golden boy. ❤️🐾🤗

02/14/2026

Kisses for money? Nah… Kisses are free, but snuggles are mandatory. Happy Valentine’s Day! 🐶💖

02/06/2026

I love water.

If the hose is on and I am outside,
I will bite the water.

This is not a game.
This is not enthusiasm.

It is simply what happens when I’m near water. So if anyone has a pool, lake, sprinkler, or puddle I can come play in, I am accepting invitations.

— Gus 🐕💧

02/04/2026

So, I was just relaxing on the floor when the vacuum robot
booped my nose like we were buddies…

Then it proceeded to work its way around my body and get stuck in my tail.

Dad watched for a second, then pulled out his phone to capture it on video. Mom walked in and her amusement turned in to panic when she saw that it was tangled in my tail— it wasn’t as bad as she thought.

Me?
💯 Unbothered.

Tail? Captured.
Chill vibes? Remain untouched.

Carry on.
— Gus 💛

02/03/2026

Things are officially looking up around here. 🐾
Mom & Dad surprised me with a pup cup from Dutch, and honestly… that fixed everything.

Morale is boosted and the party…continuing indefinitely. 🥤🎉

Stay Golden — Gus 💛

02/03/2026

Happy National Golden Retriever Day.
I was expecting a celebration.
Instead, I’m supervising my mom while she uses AI because she ‘doesn’t decorate for this holiday.’
Still the best boy. Still judging. Still hoping for a party. 🐾 💛 🎉

01/26/2026

Apparently I’m getting “older” and “more helpful,” so Mom has started giving me chores. After walks, I proudly carry Piper’s leash back to the house. I help with feeding the emu. I assist with laundry and light housework like a true professional.

But let’s be clear about one thing: I do not pick up my toys. Those are not clutter — they are strategically placed. Each one is positioned so I can grab it at a moment’s notice to properly greet guests, delivery drivers, or anyone who might appear unexpectedly.

I even take a toy with me when I go outside to go to the bathroom. You never know who might be out there, and it’s important to be prepared to greet them properly.

Everyone has to draw a line somewhere. This is where I draw mine.

01/20/2026

Hello friends, it’s Stacey (Gus’s mom).

Gus is going to be the actual death of me. 😵‍💫

This dog eats everything. Potentially toxic things are apparently his specialty—and he’s fast about it.

Yesterday while “helping” me garden, he ate something. I think it might have been a daffodil bulb. Yes, the highly toxic kind. No symptoms all day… until this morning when he had a few bouts of diarrhea. Cue the call to the vet, who calmly tells me to watch for neurological signs. You know—staggering. Collapsing. Casual heart attacks for moms.

Fast forward to our afternoon walk. Gus starts pulling me in what looks very much like a stagger, then suddenly collapses into the ditch. I PANIC. Full panic. I’m convinced this is it.

Two seconds later… he sits up and starts licking at his paw. 🙃
I check it. Big thorn. I pull it out. He’s instantly fine. Tail wagging. Ready to continue his walk like nothing happened.

I am fairly certain that whole episode took at least a year off my life.

Gus? Totally fine. Completely unbothered. Extra dramatic.

Send coffee, Xanax. And maybe a muzzle. 💛🐾