December 2007
 
 Hi Susan and Steve

Tucker (Sunshine Golden's Tucker Scout - Birthday Feb. 2003) is having a great Holiday Season. And in fact he's had a great year!

Tucker welcomed in 2007 in Traverse City, Michigan. He enjoys visiting good friends there and really likes morning walks along the bay. At the small, local grocery store he's the favored customer - most usually receiving a free  hot dog from the store's  butcher when we're done picking up groceries.

Winter also brought Michigan State University basketball. Tuck and I rarely missed a game in the 2006-07 season and continue this trend in the 2007-2008 season. Sporting his Michigan State Spartan collar Tuck greets the ticket takers and then helps to pull the manual wheelchair as he eagerly moves onto our seating area. He says hello to his friends around us and then lies quietly sometimes watching the game a bit, sometimes dozing, and stretching and getting some pats and pets at half time.

Tuck had his radio debut in 2007  - Fans In The Stands is a pre-game Michigan State University radio show. Tuck has been "interviewed" and told the audience that he is a Michigan State fan by barking his approval of the team. Announcer: "Tucker are you a Michigan State fan? Do you like the basketball team?" Tucker, into the microphone: "Woof! WOOF!" Now he is greeted by the announcer at nearly every game.

Spring and summer 2007 Tuck and I had trips on the Lake Express Ferry to and from Wisconsin. Tuck is a great sailor! He trots onto the ferry - sometimes carrying my pack-back and looking very proud - like he's been on the open seas his whole life!  He rests during most of the ferry ride but he does a very nice job of calmly allowing other travelers to give him a pet.

Tuck has spent time on the golf course in Door County and in Michigan. While in Wisconsin he met a new friend, Bailey, a small ball of a dog who engages Tucker in play endlessly! It is amazing to watch Tucker lie on the floor and play with Bailey much like a parent sits on the floor to play with their children. While Tuck  doesn't really enjoy the game  of golf (After all, what fun is it for a Golden to watch those balls fly and not be able to chase them!) - he does do well riding around the course during Go Fore Golf scrambles which are held for people who golf with a wide variety of disabilities.

In September and October we were in Wisconsin staying with friends and visiting quite a bit with my cousin and her family. My cousin, Heather, was with me when we picked Tucker up from you when he was just a pup.

Heather's family grew this summer with the addition of an English Spaniel puppy named Duke. Spending most afternoons with Duke, two ten-year-old boys, Cole and Christian,  and nine-year-old  Emily - Tucker had adventurous times.  He was able to swim and loved having Cole and Christian throw his rubber duck or a tennis ball across the pond. While he could have gone around the pond Tuck never misses a chance to swim and the kids loved watching him push his ball or duck across the pond - sometimes carrying it - sometimes pushing it under the water with his nose and then watching it pop to the surface.

Emily introduced Tucker to her kittens and Lizzie, the mother cat. While Lizzie wasn't too sure about Tucker, the kittens always came to greet him. As for Duke - well lets just say that Tucker was a great nanny! He would share his toys, allowing Duke to take his prized tennis ball or rubber duck and sometimes even taking his toys to Duke and placing them in front of him as if saying, "Here Duke, you can play with this for a while!" Wherever Tucker was - Duke was. When Tucker was around it was certain that Duke would sleep well at night. So much so that it came to be that on weekends - when we did not visit Duke - his family wondered if Tucker could come out and "Duke-Sit"

Back in Michigan Tucker has been picking up the regular routine with me. Home or away Tuck is a great helper. He faithfully takes my socks off - usually playfully tossing them about when he's done. He also: pulls off sweatshirts, takes laundry to the laundry room, opens patio doors, refrigerator doors, shower doors, carries my backpack, lifts my leg-as needed-onto the bed, couch, into the car, he picks up large items and small, even a dime that falls to the floor.

Tucker has been a wonderful, better then I ever thought - addition to my life. With his charming and sometimes insistent ways he brings new people into our lives. He has friends everywhere, grocery store, mall, doctor, etc. -  and he looks for them to be in their place and they look for him. He definitely knows who he wants to see! But, he is just a definitely my dog. We go to the groomer's and though he loves his groomer - he doesn't want to get out of the van. If someone else takes his leash from me for whatever reason - he wants to run back to me. We are a team - Tuck and me. He is a helper but more than that he is a great friend.

As we prepare for the upcoming holidays Tuck and I are happy to take a moment to thank you for bringing us together.
I look forward seeing what great adventures Tucker finds in 2008. Whatever they are, he is sure to bring me along to enjoy them!
 
May you have great adventures too.

Jeanne and Tucker too