Sadie RichardsonBorn: 30 Nov 2000
Died: 5 Dec 2012
Our family was blessed to enjoy twelve years with a wonderfully loyal and loving Golden Retriever, Sadie. Having her put down was unbelievably difficult but we enjoyed our last few hours with her as we watched her enjoy some of her favorite activities. Her head was nestled in our laps as her heart beat its last beat.
She was hand-picked from a large litter of pups in Ashburn, Georgia by Mom, Susie and Deke while Dad was deployed. She immediately captured our hearts. Susie selected the name “Sadie” to represent our children: “S”for Susie, “A”for Aneesa and “D”for Deke. She was meticulously trained by Mom and Susie, but she had no desire to learn a repertoire of “tricks”. She was content with sit, stay, shake, speak, flip a dog treat off her nose and find the hidden treat. She just wanted to be with us, not entertain us. She was very sensitive and passive. She was even afraid of the moon as a puppy and definitely did not like fireworks or thunderstorms.
Sadie lived for 5 years in Georgia, making friends with everyone she encountered, especially children. People would go out of their way to walk or drive by the house just to see her and pet her. She then moved to Iceland for a year, spending the first month in quarantine. She loved the cold climate, the snow, wind and open spaces. From Iceland she moved to a story book setting in the Cotswold’s in England. She endured a miserable six-month quarantine which took a couple of years off her life. But she absolutely loved her time in our small village in England. She always accompanied us on our walk into town and we’d just tie her leash to a hook outside the market and she’d faithfully wait for us to finish shopping. There was usually a crowd of folks giving her lots of attention while we shopped. She took daily walks on the public footpaths through farm land, with cows, horses and thousands of rabbits….which she loved to chase. She returned back to Georgia for the remaining four years of her life.
Sadie was a true Golden Retriever and was content in every situation. She loved being inside with family, outside enjoying nature, traveling in the car, visiting new locations, etc. She taught us so much about enjoying life’s simple pleasures and unconditional love.
Some of her favorite things were; swimming in the pool, laying in mud puddles, rolling in the grass, standing and facing the wind with her head held high, taking walks with the family, especially the grandkids, watching and chasing the birds, shaking the trees to dislodge the birds, chasing rabbits, chasing overflying airplanes, balloons, and flocks of geese, eating popcorn, pecans and walnuts, riding in the car with her head hanging out the window, chasing balls, fetching the newspaper. Whenever anyone visited our home, Sadie felt obligated to find a shoe and bring it to the guest……without fail.
Sadie was a constant companion and friend. She traveled the world with us and brought us great joy and comfort. She will be truly missed but our memories of her will last forever.
