Peanut: Unleashed, untrained, unrestrained and unchained

Peanut untrained

My maternal great grandmother passed away in August 1975 and a few weeks later her daughter, my great aunt Gladys sent her sister, my grandma a cute little puppy. He was tan and my brother said he looked like the inside of a peanut so we named him Peanut. He was with a liter that was found near my aunt's home and she thought we would like one of the puppies. I never found out what happened to the rest of the pups.

At this time I knew nothing about golden retrievers, I only knew that this cute pup would be my best friend. I enjoyed him for 5 years but have no photos of Peanut because they were lost when we were moving but the dog in the cover image looks 100% like my pal.

Peanut unleashed

There was never a need to officially train, Peanut because he simply obeyed commands by hearing them more than once. He wAs like a human child that followed by example. He learned to sit, roll over, bark on command, and remain in a spot until we told him to move. There were times I walked to the store and told Peanut to stay somewhere in between and he always waited on me. He also knew family members by name and location.

If I said "Grandma's coming from church" Peanut would run across the hillside to the church and meet her. When my mother came to visit I would say "Here comes Gloria" and my doggie would go to the front of the house to meet her as she got out of her car. If my grandma said "Here comes Cheryl" Peanut would run across the yard to the east and meet me where I parked my car in the back. He did the same for my two brothers.

Peanut unrestrained

In addition to being smart Peanut was loving. He would jump on me and lick me as if there were no tomorrow when I would rub his belly or pet him. Peanut accompanied me to the homes of my friends and sometimes he might playfully chase their cats or chickens. I had about 14 cats at this time and he got along with them very well. If you have ever seen the Our Gang and The Little Rascals series where the dog Petey the Pup romped with the children, this describes my former best friend. Whatever we got into Peanut was there with us just like with the Little Rascals we were together.

Peanut unchained

Peanut would find eggs and put them in his mouth when we had the neighborhood Easter egg hunt but he always gave them back when I asked. He was simply a part of the family and the neighborhood. Peanut would hide with me during hide and seek and walk with me through the fields and woods near my childhood home. If I began running he would run right along by my side. When I slowed the pace he did the same.

Our home was up a little hillside from a rural road as were all of our neighbors. There was a large field South East of our home where our old house had once sat. There were trees and bushes that separate the property from my cousins and beyond that was an old ramshackle house that was just beyond the train track. It was ideal for dogs and cats because they could romp and run free without fear of being hit by a vehicle.

Peanut forever loved

This is the way I believe animals should live. In those days collars were not required and unless a dog was prone to biting he did not have to be chained up. Peanut always had what I considered to be a happy look on his face just like the dog in the above image. I believe he knew he was in a loving home and environment and he appreciated it. Because he obeyed commands he could live free of a leash and be unrestrained in any manner.

I've been told that golden retrievers are easy to train and I know it's true. We had no need to pay anyone to teach Peanut we had only to tell him and he caught on very quickly. Peanut was my constant buddy and would sleep near my feet on the bed and sit with me on the couch. He loved to play fetch and retrieve anything we threw.

Peanut my best friend

Peanut loved riding in the car and would hang his head out of the window taking in the fresh air. He also enjoyed going through the car wash with me. He was happy and knew we loved him but one day it all came to an end. We moved to the city in 1979 and one day a year later Peanut was hit by a car. He no longer had the freedom of the country side and at the taunting of some neighborhood children he ran into the street.

My grandma pciked him up and as she held him he looked up at her with a sadness in his eyes. It's as if he knew he were dying and within seconds he drew his last breath. I cried for days and it took me decades to get over losing Peanut and no other dog I owned was ever as smart as he. I like to think he's in doggie heaven running free as he did in the county. My beautiful Peanut, unchained, unrestrained, untrained, and unleashed romping through eternity.