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One of Stephen Huneck's dreams for Dog Mountain was that it be a place where hundreds of dogs and people would find joy, love and friendship. Dog Mountain is all of that and so much more.  It is also the beloved home of the New England Golden Jubilee - a celebration of the Golden Retriever. This premier event, held on May 18 this year, drew 170 Goldens and their humans from all over New England and beyond, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas. Every shade of Golden from cream to red was well represented, each with the characteristic infectious smile, deep and knowing eyes, soft fur and wagging tail. 

 

We kicked off the weekend with dinner at Papa Tirrozi's Bakery and Pizza, where our hosts went all out to provide a special pup menu, entertainment and even free ice cream for all of the Goldens!  Dinner, followed by the mountain view bonfire, made a memorable evening for old friends and new.

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On Saturday morning, Goldens began arriving with their humans and each dog was given a goodie bag filled with delicious treats, a few new toys and a New England Golden Jubilee bandanna. With the iconic Dog Chapel as a backdrop, photographers captured groups of all of the Golden Retrievers that were age two and under, ten and over, rescues, therapy dogs, cancer survivors, Lifetime Study Heroes and then a shot of all of the Goldens together with their people.

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After welcoming all attendees, our program began with the traditional Parade of Heroes. Golden Retriever Lifetime Study Heroes Belle, Andy, Zeva, Skylar, Pixel, Kenzie and Autumn made their way to the front of the Dog Chapel, joined in memory by Angel Heroes Chompski, Madison, Kyrie, Grady, Carly, Oshe, Kelsey and Griffin. Scott Cairns of the New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums honored our Heroes with his bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace. After lighting our Remembrance Candle and placing it inside the Dog Chapel for the duration of the Jubilee, we read the names on our Remembrance Scroll and we paused for a moment of silence. Smiles graced  tear-stained cheeks when Richard Maizell sang James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes" in an a cappella tribute to all of the dogs we love, and those we have loved and lost, including Richard's very own Oscar.  Reverend Brendan Hadash gave a most meaningful blessing upon our dogs.  Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue Executive Director, Devon Spirka, expressed gratitude for our support of YGRR in its mission and shared the hope that all of YGRR's dogs would one day have families to love them the same way that all of us love our dogs.  Pam McCann, Manager of Dog Mountain, welcomed us and thanked us for making Dog Mountain the home of the New England Golden Jubilee.

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Our youngest attendee this year was Paul and Deidre Pierce's Beau at fourteen weeks of age and our most senior Golden was Debbie Johnson's Abby, who will turn sixteen in July. Levi travelled to the Jubilee from Texas with his Dad, Christopher Cornwall, and won the Greatest Distance Prize.  Our 2023 Tears of Joy recipient Nya and her Mom, Marianne Potter, presented this year's award to Cindy Theran's young Tory, a YGRR rescue.  When Cindy brought Tory home at four months old, she weighed just nine pounds, suffered seizures and had endured tremendous suffering and neglect at the hands of her backyard breeder.  With Cindy's care, Tory's playful smile and friendly nature have come to life. Her will to survive is an inspiration to us all.

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Next, it was down to the dance lawn where we were treated to performances by the very talented Fireball and Colin Ladd who danced to "Moves like Jagger" and the equally talented Martini who joined Colin in a dance to "Cover Me with Sunshine" by Pink.  Each performance earned applause and a collective sense of pride.  After all, Fireball and Martini have pretty much grown up on this dance lawn.

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With tennis balls in hand, we headed up to the pond for the Great Tennis Ball Toss! On the count of three it was game on - 150 tennis balls tossed into the pond.  Laughter erupted, Golden bodies dove, wriggled and splashed and smiles graced every mouth.  Many of those mouths were filled with tennis balls.

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Noses rose and smiles widened as we followed the scent of grilling hot dogs and cheese burgers. It was a Golden Retriever's dream come true! Aaron Smith and company had once again prepared an incredible lunchtime buffet of hot dogs, cheeseburgers, salads, drinks and desserts for human and canine alike. 

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Full stomachs make happy Goldens and the time had come for the auction. Attendees had all day to view the amazing array of donated baskets and works of art by the very talented Dennis Glennon, Tom Mosser, John Rasmussen, Sara England, Lisa Pinette and Ken Bailey.  Ticket sales had soared throughout the day and smiles prevailed as winning tickets were drawn and winners claimed their prizes.

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At the end of the day, we had raised $500 to help sustain the future of Dog Mountain and $7,000 to help YGRR meet the needs of Golden Retrievers who have become homeless through no fault of their own.  We also raised $5,000 to support the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study in its quest to determine causes and cures for canine cancers. To all of the volunteers and sponsors who helped make the event a success - thank you.

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Joy, love and friendship covered the mountain like a Golden coat for yet another weekend in May.  It's easy to imagine that Stephen Huneck was smiling at us from across the Rainbow Bridge.

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