Happy Birthday to Wisteria Soft Love Brea

A dog that makes everybody feel special

Adele Coleman, Kira (Brea's Bichon Frise little sister who thinks Brea is the greatest big sister in the world) and I want to say Happy Birthday to Brea! (Wisteria Soft Love Brea is her AKC official name,(see https://wisteriagoldens.com/BREA/ Wisteria Goldens)!! [there are supposed to be pictures below..but it might not show on email]

Brea at home, at the beach and doing pet therapy

Brea turned 7 today. It is only 1 year and 2 months since we adopted her. I have never had a golden that is so bonded with me. And, she is receiving "A" grades as a therapy dog (Dogs With A Purpose).

Brea would be happy to volunteer any place where she can ease people’s anxiety or to connect with people who often feel outcast and isolated. Brea let’s every human know they are special. As an autistic person who usually feels on the outside, I need her pet therapy every day.

She is the quintessential English Cream Golden Retrierver who definitely deserved the name "Soft Love." Well, there are a few ways she isn't quite quintessential. She doesn't like to retrive or swim like most of her kin. I think what happened is she had several gene duplications in being calm and loving, that apparently replaced the swimming and retrieving genes.

Brea is the 7th golden retriever that I have adopted. A love affair with goldens started for me at the University of Maine in 1981 with Jess-Blob (read about it here ) who demonstrated he knew my shit, anywhere. Brea, however, doesn’t need to smell me to show infinite enthusiasm anytime come back to her, even if only missing for a few minutes.

My advice to high functioning autistic people- get a golden. There is a reasonble probability that I might have ended my life in deep depression without them.

Here is a funny post detailing how Jess-blob turned me into a golden retriever guy (as did LL Bean catalogs)