Cisco & Barkley

The Husslein Retriever Saga Lives On

In May, 2001, a man by the name of Don Husslein decided he needed a companion. He had moved, alone, to California and knew it was time he hada "golden" in his life again. He discovered Homeward Bound Goldens and decided to check it out. 

Don had the perfect home to offer to the goldens housed at HBG. He had a fenced in, private yard. He did not have another dog or any cats. He had no children. His time would be devoted to the golden of choice.

HBG knew a good thing when they saw it! They had a "hard to place" golden by the name of George, short for "Chicken" George. Let's just say he didn't like chickens, his name had nothing to do with his bravery. Anyway, long story short, Don adopted George in May of 2001. What a pair. They were inseparable. George was renamed Casey and was the model dog. He was "the best."

Along came Carol into Don and Casey's life in July of 2001. Carol had worked with Don back in 1981! Kismet is the only term to use when referring to their meeting again in 2001. The three became a family, a very happy family. Time passed...

In May 2005, we lost Casey to hermangisarcoma, a blood-born cancer. It was a heartbreaking time in our lives. We put our friend through a spleenectomy hoping to save his life, but within a week of that surgery were weeping by his side as we had to say goodbye. It is NEVER easy to let a friend go.

Time marched on. Morning walks ended.
After work walks were non-existent.

Oh, we said to ourselves "we can go anywhere we want at anytime and not worry about a sitter"...SO!

Around mid-September, I came upon Don reviewing dog rescue sites on the web. Not just "goldens" but other breeds too. Great Pyrenees, Newfoundlands were added into the mix. They just couldn't compete with "goldens". 

Then, we saw "the boys" on the HBG web site and read their sad story. They needed to be placed together, they had always been together. Two dogs? That was something we had not really thought about, but why not? I made an appointment as soon as I got the "nod" from Don to visit "the boys" on October 15th, 2005.

Two hours later...Don, Carol, Cisco and Barkley were making their way home! Yes, it was a match made in heaven.

What a wonderful experience! We walk constantly! We investigate every nook and cranny, then investigate it again! We are a family.

We will never forget Casey, but we have found happiness again with our "twins".

What a Wonderful Life...

Written by Carol Husslein

Hi All,
We don't know if the boys were ever on vacation. So we took them to one of the most pet friendly cities around, Carmel-by-the-Sea. We stayed at the most pet friendly inn in Carmel, the Cypress Inn. This is the hotel founded by actress Doris Day. They had a wonderful time and made many new friends, both human and canine.