March 23, 2021: This morning we said goodbye to our beloved Hokie. Yes, we actually had a dog that wasn’t a golden. Hokie and his brother Pokie were brought to the ER to be euthanized at 2 days old. The breeder was going on vacation and they were not nursing. She did not want to ask her pet sitter to bottle feed them. I took them in and tube fed both boys. Sadly, Pokie did not survive. But Hokie did. He had a cleft palate and could not nurse. So I tube fed him for months. Then switched him to hard kibble. The surgeon said they could fix his palate but that it was the type of surgery you got one shot at. We elected not to do the surgery. 12 years later we said good bye and took comfort knowing he lived a fairly normal life. He was a great “farmie” dog. Never bothered any of our chickens and just like to hang out and annoy our friends and family. The last months of his life he lived in a private suite (our front office) because we knew he was on the decline. He will be missed. Breathe easy lil bud. We love you and will miss your stinky breath and annoying bark!