Hello Anne!

        It was so nice to hear from you!  Eric and I were actually going to email you soon, because of their birthday coming up.  Unfortunately, I don't think we will be able to make it on July 11th.  But we will try.  We would love to see all the pups and how they have grown.  And Munson would have so much fun playing with all his brothers and sisters.  He is so loveable, and loving.  He charms everyone he meets.  He is always happy, and always smiling.  Like a true golden, he prefers to be with us at all times.  I call him my shadow, because when I am home, he follows me everywhere I go, from room to room.  He is definitely a mama's boy!  He sleeps on the bed with Eric and I, and is a little cuddle bug.  (well, not so little anymore!)  I always say if he could sleep inside my pajamas, he would!  He can't get close enough.  Sometimes I wake up and he is spooning me!  It is really cute.  But we also have to work on personal space, which he has no concept of just yet!  Not everyone likes having a 50lb dog on their lap!

         He is doing great with training.  And when I say great, that is an understatement.  He is amazing.  I still can't get over just how smart he is!  I have never met a dog as smart as him.  He picks up anything we teach him on the first try, and listens so well.  We can walk him off the leash at any given time, because he always stays right by us, and comes immediately when he is called.  Where we find Torre (our 4 year old Golden) having "selective hearing", Munson is tuned right into Eric and I.    We went camping over Memorial Day weekend up in the Adirondacks on Schroon Lake.  We were able to leave Munson off the leash because he would stay right by us.  But big brother Torre had to stay on the leash because of the above.  He went swimming for the first time in the lake.  He was a natural of course!  He swam with Torre every day.  We also played fetch in the water every day, which is his favorite game.  He was very good at retrieving the sticks we threw out into the lake.  Also, we are continuing to train him to be a therapy dog.  He is going to be perfect for it!   

         Your assessment of him was right on- he is very dominant.  He knows his place in our "pack" with Eric and I being alphas, but it is a constant battle for dominance between he and Torre.  Torre wins out each time, but Munson always jumps right in there, as he is the most fearless, confident dog I have ever known.  There is NOTHING he is afraid of.  When he meets people or other dogs, he is confident and easy going.  There is no nervous energy whatsoever.  I think Munson has helped Torre in many ways.  For example, in March Eric and I had to go to a funeral out in Buffalo.  It was a very sudden death (a friend in the military got killed in Iraq);  So we didn't have anyone to watch Torre and Munson.  Long story short, we called around to a bunch of hotels, and found several that were pet friendly.  We decided on the Holiday Inn, and took the dogs with us for the weekend.  (and by the way, the Holiday Inn was great towards us with the dogs- they are very pet friendly!)  Well, the first night we were there, Torre barked a few times when he heard other people slamming their hotel room doors.  And that got Munson barking.  So of course, Eric and I told them NO BARKING!  We didn't want to get kicked out of the hotel!  Munson caught on right away and didn't bark once more the entire weekend.  Torre continued to bark.  So Munson sat himself in front of the door (he looked so regal- like a sphinx!), and wouldn't let Torre bark.  He set the example, and prevented Torre from running to the door and barking.  It was amazing!  Eric and I were in awe.  Munson being 8 months old and teaching 4 year old Torre what to do!  Other than that, the trip went really well, so we now know we could take them on any trips with us- they really were good little doggies!  But getting back to what I was saying, I think once Munson gets bigger, he will beat out Torre for the "top spot".  But right now Torre has the size factor going for him!  (Speaking of size, we have not gotten Munson fixed yet, like you recommended.  And he is doing fine with it so far.  We are on track to get him fixed in December or January).  

           We feel so lucky to have Munson in our lives.  We have fallen in love with him.  He definitely lights up our lives!  Like I said, everyone who meets him falls in love with him.  And the feeling is mutual!  You can tell he genuinely loves everyone he meets.  People ask us all the time where we got him, so I have referred you to several people!  He is a classic golden retriever, and a perfect dog.  I just can't believe how lucky we are!  You did an amazing job breeding.  We value and respect the job you did, and not a day goes by that we don't think about what a perfect dog Munson is!  I couldn't imagine life without him.  We love him so much!  Munson seems to warm the hearts of everyone he meets.  He fits right in our family- and other than the occasional battle for dominance, he and Torre get along really well.  If they aren't playing together, they are cuddling! 

              Well, I could talk about the dogs all day long.  And like I said, it was great to hear from you!  We will try and make it out, but I really don't think we will be able to come, even though we very much want to be there!  Like I wrote above, we are enamored with Munson, and we feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful dog.  We hope you are still breeding when we decide to add another golden to our family!  :)  Thank you for writing us, and if you take pictures of the dogs next weekend, I would love to see them, and also hear about how the weekend went! 

Sending much love from Albany,

Nicole, Eric, Torre, and Munson Johnson