Sometimes something bad is the catalyst for something beautifully life-changing
My friend and I had got some bad news. I was over at her place, commiserating over a drink… then another… was there one (two?) more? I forget. Spud came over to drive me home and that’s when he met my friend’s Goldendoodle puppy, Lucky.
Lucky was a Goldendoodle F1B Mini. The first time I met Lucky, I didn’t even know a Goldendoodle puppy was a thing. Apparently, Labradoodles were such a success breeders started mixing Poodles with all sorts of other breeds. Including, Golden Retrievers. I LOVE Golden Retrievers. I think of them as Labrador’s hairy cousin. But, I hadn’t really considered owning them on account of their size and the amount they shed. Enter, the Goldendoodle F1B Mini.
In addition to the breed sounding like a Grand Prix speedster, these little guys are adorbs! During my interactions with Lucky I discovered a sweet dispositioned dog, with a forever smile on his muzzle, who loved cuddles, being told how awesome he was, and sitting on my lap during car rides, then keeping my seat warm while I ducked into the library. Oh, and he had this delightful way of tripping me and my friend up when we’d take him for walks. These curly-haired fuzzballs aren’t great at walking in a straight line, because where’s the fun in that when—”Woah! What’s that over there?”
I told Spud all about Lucky. Like usual, I think Spud was only half-listening to me.
Then he met Lucky…
It was love at first sight. While my friend and I began planning a Pity Party for ourselves, Spud was busy giving Lucky belly rubs and telling him how good he was.
The next day Spud was asking the name of the Goldendoodle puppy breeder, and looking up available puppies on their website.
I’ve been trying to get this guy to commit to pet ownership for decades, and suddenly…
The day after Thanksgiving, the breeder got in touch. Within a few hours we were on a video call with them in Missouri, viewing the three puppies we’d shortlisted. It was a Sophie’s Choice moment, I’m telling you. If money weren’t an issue all three of those little cuties would have been coming home with us!
I don’t love that we had to fly the puppy across state lines. I think it was a little traumatizing for him. But it was early December and snow was already blanketing the North-East, so driving across five states in near sub-zero temperatures wasn’t really on the cards. Hopefully, our puppy has fully recovered from the scary plane ride because we love our fluff ball so much that we can’t imagine any other dog fitting into our family as perfectly as this guy.
So, what’s his name?
We did our best to let him decide. We tried calling a couple of Te Reo Maori names, and a few other names that mostly the kids were pitching. Since both sides of our families have Scottish ancestry, and our fur ball was less blond than we’d expected and more of a red-head, we called out “Angus!” And, Angus turned and ran to us with a big grin.
As for his second name?
Well, like most Goldendoodles, it was clear from the get-go that this guy was clever as beans. So, MacGyver, obvs.
And, his nickname?
The added bonus of “Angus” was that we could shorten it to “Gus,” as in “Burton Guster” from one of our all-time favorite shows, Psych.
As for Lucky…
He’s had a few play dates with Angus “Gus” MacGyver, and they are best buds. Just as well, because my Goldendoodle puppy is now my new best friend, and accompanies me to my friend’s house for all future celebration and commiseration drinks.