THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED & PHOTO CREDITS ANDREA DIALECT
MY BFF
Subjects: Mariah Pinckney & Bailey
I hadn’t posed the usual question when I met the two. How do you make such a commitment? This doggie was a cutie, though. But, rain, snow, sleet lol… Mariah lovingly gives us a peek into her world with her BFF.
My favorite part of this love story is the caring and loving gentlemen that Mariah has been blessed with, including Samson. Her father was a Sagittarius man like my dad. I could relate to and clearly understand his beautiful nature. Those Pooches, not so much. But after meeting the two, I may have to alter my approach when I walk or roll up as crossing paths with those BFFs around the way!
WOOF
Andrea: Why a dog?
Mariah: My Fiancé was just like you, Andrea. When I first met him, he said, “I just don’t get it.” I told him that he had to meet my dog and if he doesn’t like you we will not date. When having a dog when they’re a puppy, you have to take care of them. Make sure they nap. You have to take care of younger dogs. An older dog can just leave stuff out. It’s very much of a nurturing thing, and dogs are very loving.
Bailey’s independent, but at the end of the day, she wants to be right under you; Companionship, comfort, something there that’s full of love. There’s a bond and a strong connection. To have something love me so much, you can’t explain it; And no matter what you do to a dog, they love you, which can be really bad. But no matter what, they still love you! – Mariah
I was sixteen, and he was four months old when my dad surprised us with Samson (me, my mom, my two sisters, and my grandfather). He was a housewarming gift. My parents had purchased a house in South Carolina on move-in day because we had to get into the house through the garage. When we came through, this little furry thing was weeping in there, and it was him.
The first night, they put him in the crate to try to make him comfortable, but he cried all night, so I went down to get him, and that’s when he instantly went from being the family dog to being my dog. That was it. We also had another dog at the time. He was a Jack Russell Terrier, but he was mean. We used to call Samson Shadow because he was behind me from that moment on. He’d been that every step of the way. Literally, if I’d sit somewhere, he’s under my leg. If He couldn’t sneak in when I went into the bathroom, He’d sit outside the door.
Her name is Bailey. My sister came up with the name when we thought of names. I was joking around with her and mentioned Chanell, which is her name, and the pup kind of popped her head up but my sister wasn’t having that so after that, absolutely not. She started looking up names, beginning with Goldie, and then Bailey was a suggestion, which also happens to be the name of a favorite cocktail of mine (Bailey Irish Cream). When we she heard it, she kind of turned her head, and I said, okay, that’s it.
Puppies usually have to stay with the mom until around 8 weeks unless something happens to the mom. That’s when they usually start selling them. I got her when she was around 9 weeks old. She is a second-generation Mini Goldendoodle. At the time, I actually wasn’t looking for a dog.
My Lab had passed away on October 12th. And my Fiancé I were at First Watch, which is a really good place to eat up in Union and I’d been going in and out of animal shelters just looking at dogs because I missed being around a dog and would cry every time I had to give the puppy back. We ended up going into Shake A Paw when we left First Watch after we were done eating. We got in there and were looking at all the puppies, and we saw her and another dog that looked just like her. The lady working there suggested that I play with her, and I did. As I played with her, my Fiancé said we were just going to take her home.
I’d had Samson my other dog since I was sixteen years old, and you don’t realize how much you like being around a dog until something like this happens. I had only been away from my dog for one month during that entire time when my dad took him for the summer one year. I was sixteen, and he was 4 months old when we got him, and I’m now thirty-two.
We’re going to take her home He said because I had been so sad since I lost my dog. I worked from home, and the dog was always with me. He said something about your being around the dog made you really happy. He said let’s just do it. It will be your Christmas gift. We actually got her three days before Christmas. After everything, she was forty-five hundred. There’s a bunch of fees. There are the adoption fees, then the purchase price, which was four, and the $500.00 worth of other fees. But you can also finance if you want to or buy it outright.
Now, that might come across as being pretty expensive, but other dogs are much more like; for instance, they had a French Bulldog, and they can go for five, six, sometimes seven, and to me, this is not a cute dog; they have breathing issues and can become paralyzed. So I wonder why they’re so expensive. If you ever see a dog lay flat on their stomachs and their legs lay flat. If you notice that early on, you teach them not to do that because it starts to mess with their hips in the long term, and eventually, they’ll need hip surgery. This can be an issue because it’s tough to do surgery on a dog. After all, they don’t know how to rest. If you break your leg, you know to chill out, but with them, to get them to relax, you have to crate them.
Genetically, Bailey can easily have back issues due to so much jumping early on. So a Golden Doodle is a Golden Retriever mixed with a Poodle, and that’s what her mix is. When the Golden Retriever and the Poodle mated, they made a Goldendoodle. Basically, they took the mini Goldendoodle and mated it with another Goldendoodle to get my dog. Her grandparents are a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, but her parents were Goldendoodles, so she’s purer.
When people of different ethnicities come together, you don’t know which of those genes will be more dominant. That person might come out looking more black or more white or whatever. So, it’s the same thing when you cross-breed dogs. So, Golden Retrievers tend to have hip issues. With her breed because she’s second generation. So the more purely bred, the less of the other mix will be dominant. Bailey is the perfect mix. Oh my gosh, she’s so cute.
If you’re looking to buy or adopt. Bailey was a purchase, but the shelter dogs are usually less expensive and a little older. There’s a store in Garden State Plaza Mall called Fashionable Pet in this area. Those are the two that I know off the top of my head. Google it or ask around.
DID YA KNOW THAT…
The Goldendoodle, also known as a Groodle, is a designer dog created by crossbreeding a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. First widely bred in the 1990s, they are bred in three different sizes – each corresponding to the size of Poodle used as a parent. – Wikipedia
Temperament: Intelligent, Friendly, Energetic, Trainable
Mass: 40 – 51 lbs (Adult, Medium size)
Breed status: Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club
Common nicknames: Doodle
Origin: Australia &; United States
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