The Golden Boy
Gumbo
Quick Facts
Name: Gumbo
Gender: Male
Breed: 13/16 Golden Retriever x 3/16 Labrador Retriever
Birthday: 12/12/14 (3 years old)
Nicknames: Grumps, Grumpa Dumpa, Grumbles, Bubba
Traits: Needy, Athletic, Friendly, Motivated
Favorites: Shrimp, Swimming, Fetch, Butt scratches
History
Where is he from?
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Gumbo was not always Gumbo. In fact his birth name was Lombard.
Lombard was my second puppy from Guide Dogs for the Blind to train as a service dog. I got him at 10 weeks old and was expected to teach him basic manners and commands and socialize him for the next year. He was my constant shadow. I took him to university classes, doctors appointments, grocery stores, and even dates with Jared. I quickly became attached to this fluffy golden nugget and dreaded the day that I would have to send him back to the organization. Although he was a cross, he was a true golden and had his quirks. We trained through a lot of behavioral issues like dog distractions, bird distractions, settling in class, and relieving out of vest. He was able to work past all of that. About the time Lombard turned a year old. He started to show signs of anxiety and ball obsession. He had trouble settling and would be anxious and pull his hairs. He started fixating on the television when balls showed up and would not be able to walk by a tennis court without wanting to pull for the balls. After a couple months, the organization decided that it would be best for him not to work as it would not be fair to him or safe for a visually impaired handler. I was given the choice if I wanted to adopt him and I didn't even hesitate for a moment. I took him home and he jumped on the couch and was my forever boy. I cried on the way home because a part of me felt like I failed as a raiser but a part of me was so happy to have him be mine. He knew he wanted to stay with me and that he did. We officially changed his name to Gumbo to fit the food theme and in training his nickname was Lumbo Gumbo.
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Now what?
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Now Gumbo is a registered therapy dog with Pet Partners. We visit libraries so kids can read to him and once I am done with school, I hope to get him into the children's hospital since he adores them.
Our off-days are spent adventuring and exploring the beautiful pacific northwest. Gumbo's favorite places include the Oregon Coast and anywhere that has water he can swim in. He never ends an adventure without getting wet and/or muddy. He enjoys learning tricks to show off and is especially happy when he gets to full body lean on someone and parading around his toys.
One second a day while Gumbo grows up
Gumbo with Shrimp
If you haven't noticed from our instagram photos, Gumbo owns a golden retriever plushie that we named Shrimp.
This started about a year ago when I got Shrimp for myself and kept him on my couch. Gumbo knows he is not allowed on the couch without permission and he is not allowed to destroy my pillows or stuffed plushes. However, for some reason he would always steal Shrimp from my couch or my bed and it was his favorite toy to parade around. I gave up trying to stop him and let him have Shrimp since he was always covered in dog slobber.
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Gumbo absolutely loves people and sometimes he is known to get a little excited and jealous when other dogs get attention. He was starting to jump up and I found out that he behaviors a lot better when he has something to parade and show off to people. So at first we would bring around a small toy that was easy to carry but no one actually saw the toy since he would put it in his mouth. So I suggested we bring Shrimp around so he could show off his "baby". We took him to downtown Seattle and everyone loved it and he got so much attention. He was the happiest dog that day. So it just became a trend. Now when we go on adventures, we bring Shrimp. Most the time he hangs out in my backpack since I don't want Gumbo dropping him and sometimes he doesn't want to hold Shrimp when he is hot and panting.
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I started documenting the places that we take Shrimp. Yes it's the same plush. He's been sewed up a couple times and he's not as pretty as he used to be but Gumbo still loves him. We hope to take him on as many adventures as we can and create smiles all around the world through them.
