Just over a week ago, we lost the sweetest dog. Bailey was always happy to meet people from the day we got her from a shelter in Ohio, to the morning before she passed. She had the softest fur and warmest heart. She loved anyone who came to our house to the point that seeing people she knew would send her spinning in excited little circles.

A dog looking around the corner from the hatchback of a car.

Bailey loved coming with us to places. Even the morning before she passed, she happily came with us and sat on the patio of the coffee shop with us while we worked on our laptops, greeting everyone going through the door and getting lots of compliments. She would jump in the car any chance we gave her. Especially if we were loading the car up for a trip, she would make sure we didn’t leave her behind, sometimes sitting in the open car for 30 minutes before we were ready to go. She’s gone all over the US with us, from coast-to-coast and from San Diego up to the Canadian borders.

As sweet as she was, she was also clumsy. She had an impressive knack for being in the highest traffic location and she wasn’t nimble so I’d often end up stepping around her. Any time she made an uncoordinated or goofy move like bumping into things or completely missing a treat tossed her way, we’d compliment how pretty she was as a way of deflecting from her faults. But she really was the prettiest. She had the longest, pointiest head and the biggest grin. Her fur was so thin and soft. Anyone we’d meet in public would be impressed with how soft she was. Because of how thin it was, it would float all over the house leaving wavy white hairs high and low. The fur behind her ears was particularly wavy to the point that people often asked if we crimped it ourselves.

A man with a dog on top of a red, rocky bluff with hills and more red-rock spires behind.
Hiking the Garden of the gods

Bailey had puppy energy for the longest time. She couldn’t wait to greet anyone who came through the door, usually after barking because she assumed there was an intruder at the door. One time we ran a 5k race with her, only to come home and have her run laps around the back yard. Even when she was older she would get the zoomies and need to run circles around the yard to get our her energy.

But she also entered what I called her old lady phase. She had her routines and wasn’t interested in anything outside of that. She’d be excited to go on a walk; poop in her designated spot; and then would start pulling back towards home after we’d one gone only a few blocks. She would groan loudly when laying down. When other dogs would come over, Bailey was NOT interested in anyone getting in her face. A few months ago, she started huffing at us when we were on the couch at 10 PM because it was late and she wanted us to go to bed.

two golden retriever dogs laying next to each other on a bed.

Bailey was always a “people dog,” and could care less about other dogs. She took months to warm up to the annoying puppy that Denver was when he joined our family. I remember how hard he would try to lay down next to her as a puppy. But he annoyed her so much she would get up and move as soon as he laid down. It took a months of inching closer till she let him be next to her. But even as he got older, most evenings he would egg her on, shoving a toy in her face until she got worked up and started to play tug-of-war, her favorite game. Unlike Denver Bailey could care less about a ball, but she would play tug-of-war whenever.

We have too many memories of her to recount them all. Just in the last week it’s felt like everything reminds me of her. Opening a peanut butter jar reminds me of how she could hear that jar lid from the other side of the house even as she got old. Driving past Coronado dog beach reminded me of when she ran around the fence onto the military base to chase some shore birds. Or driving past Ocean Beach where we would frequently go when we first moved to San Diego because she got depressed living in an apartment with no yard. When I come inside from the garage, I expect her to be curled up against the door waiting for us to come home.

It’s really hard to say goodby to a pup who’s been with us for most of our adult lives. No matter how we were doing, Bailey’s sweetness was always there; she was always happy to see us. It’s crazy to me that someone gave her away nearly 10 years ago. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer dog, only to have gotten more time with her.

A dog on a cliff-lined beach looking at the camera while a man holds the leash and looks out towards the water.
A dog smiling at a park in front of people taking a break in athletic clothes.
Bailey loved coming to the park when I’d play ultimate frisbee.
A man sitting on a brick wall with a dog in front and sailboat spires behind.
The two of us hanging out at the harbor
A man hiking with a dog on a dry mountainside. The dog's tongue is hanging low.
Bailey’s time as a desert dog
Dog looking up at a man next to a door mat that says 'Home Sweet Home'.
As if she wasn’t clumsy enough, her cone was always bumping into things when she had injuries.
A dog launches wildly from a surprised man kneeling between trees at a christmas tree stand for a photo.
Three golden retriever dogs, including one small puppy standing together in a kitchen looking up in the same direction.
Bailey with Denver and my in-law’s dog Ellie
A man kneels down next to a dog in front of a dutch-style town with a windmill
Walking around Solvang
A blurry photo of a dog in front of camp chairs looking goofy with dirt on her nose.
The time she got dirt on her nose at our nephew’s soccer game. 😂
Black and white photo of a woman kneeling to pet a happy dog in a field with trees and hills behind.