Three months after Scrubber passed away I realised how lonely I was living here alone and how much I missed having that special mate waiting here for me when I came home from work. I knew in my heart that he wouldn't want me to be sad and lonely and he would want me to find another puppy to give a good, loving home to.  And so I began searching on the Internet for Golden Labrador puppies.  I had always loved them and didn't wan't another cattledog because none would ever be as wonderful as Scrubber was and it would be unfair to always be comparing one with the other.

I found a littler in far north NSW and picked out the puppy I wanted online.  I contacted the breeder and began negotiations.  I picked out a name for my new 'son' - Shaye - an Irish male name meaning stately, courteous and hawklike.  This little bundle of blonde fur arrived at 7 weeks of age and weighing in at 3kgs.  He was absolutely gorgous with his big floppy ears and his short stumpy legs and huge feet.  His tail however was outrageously trashy and was like a rat's tail.  Golden Retrievers have beautiful tails with long hair flowing from them!  He also had a long tongue that stuck out between his baby teeth but as all photos of puppy Golden Retrievers have pink tongues sticking out, this didn't bother me.  I took him in my arms and fell in love instantly.  I looked into his eyes and I saw Scrubber!  To this day I feel sure that Scrubber took me on a journey to find a special puppy and that he is part of Shaye.

Shaye has grown into a beautiful dog and yes, his tail did grow as it should have!  His tongue however stayed too large for his mouth and it's always peeping out or hanging out.  I feel sorry for him having that huge thing to try and keep inside his mouth.  His temperament is delightful, he is so companionable and likable.  There isn't a person alive who has met Shaye that doesn't instantly like him and remember him.  He is loved by my family and he loves all of them equally.

Shaye was a biter and a little bit aggressive as a puppy but he soon grew out of all that and you would never know today that he ever had any of that in him.  His kennel is our home and his bed is my bed if he wishes to use it.  He isn't the type of dog that can be left outside in the yard for too long as he needs to be part of the family and with them always.  He is just adorable and I would recommend the breed to anyone who is looking for a wonderful family dog.  He can be trusted around children and he is very patient with them.  He loves to swim and is a great swimmer and retriever of toys in the pool.  He has his own toybox inside and when he wants to play he will go and push his nose around in the toybox until he finds what he want to play with and out it comes.  He especially loves socks and underwear and when he was younger used to steal them whenever he could out of my son's bedroom or the laundry.  That's how he ended up with some in his toybox!

Shaye will be 5 this October and it's hard to believe where those years have gone.  He filled a void in my life and whilst I never forget Scrubber and what he meant to me, Shaye is like having Scrubber back again.

I loved our moggies too and was so sad as each one died.  They were part of this home from the very start and lived long lives, Jasmine living the longest.  She would have been 20 when she passed this year.  Our vet said he had never seen a cat that old before and he complimented us on looking after her so well that she lived that long.  Mitten would have been about 17 when she passed and Sootie, the baby, about 14.