Old School: Mega-Retrieving

By Carol McEwen,

Earlier, I posted a brief history of Legos and our family’s experiences with them, called “Builders’ Delight.” Or, I should say it dealt with the experiences of our teething Golden Retriever, Sunny, and her love of the colorful bricks. I became annoyed more than once as I found chewed up Legos and a guilty look on the girl’s face. But I had no idea how lucky I was until I read a piece in the October 12 issue of The Washington Post.  

It seems a kind couple in Richmond, the Hoyt’s, followed their usual pattern of adopting senior dogs from GRREAT, a Golden Retriever rescue organization. As they said, “We love taking in seniors because we know it’s harder for them to find loving homes.” They had recently lost their beloved Charlie, a twelve-year-old Golden and were missing him terribly. Then a picture of Duke, an eleven-year-old rescue appeared on the GRREAT website. He had not had an easy life. He was originally owned by a couple who divorced. Then the divorced person who kept him died. Duke stayed briefly with another family member, who couldn’t deal with his quirky behavior. (More details about that shortly.) From there, he went to an adoptive family, who returned him to the rescue for the same reason.

So, about this quirk: Duke employs “resource guarding behavior,” which means he becomes protective over items he values. But these aren’t typical dog toys or even small, fluffy teddy bears. These are large household items, some bigger than he is. He’s especially fond of teapots and dishes, but he’s also been known to cuddle with a lamp, a picture frame, or even a laundry basket. Mrs. Hoyt described him as a “counter surfer,” too, so that means no clutter up there. His former foster, a veteran of twelve other fostered pets, said, “He took my computer bag, with my computer in it and settled down with it for a nap on my sofa.” 

The Hoyts believe he steals three to seven items per day, dragging the treasures to his bed, for security. He occasionally growls when Kathy Hoyt tries to take the things from him, but she has learned to swap him items for a treat. She originally began videoing him to show the footage to her vet, but at the urging of friends and family, she created an Instagram account: @lifewithduke2025. At last count, it had 218,000 followers, with more each day. She and her husband have adjusted to Duke’s quirky ways and even find them amusing, since he doesn’t break the things he takes. They say, “He’s just a love bug with interesting behaviors.”

I guess my Old School self got off easy with Sunny’s Lego-chewing antics. 

Carol McEwen is a writer for Stroll By The Bay, Mirimar Beach, Florida, and authored the weekly Old School column for the Arlington Sun Gazette/Gazette Leader. She may be reached at: carolwrites4fun@gmail.com.