This past labour day weekend, Evan and I had the pleasure of taking Bailey to an event called Goldstock. You may have already hesitantly guessed what this could be — yes, it’s Woodstock for golden retrievers!
No joke, we packed up our car and drove for eight hours until we reached a boys & girls camp in rural Pennsylvania. Here, 300 golden retrievers were congregating for their annual gathering. We thought we’d travelled far, but one of the other couples in our cabin came from Montana.
And so, for the duration of Labour Day — Friday eve to midday Monday — we were at camp, going from activity to activity with our lovely Bailey. It’s hard to say who had a better time!
What do 300 golden retrievers do at camp?
Why, just about everything! The schedule was packed with activities starting at 8am in the morning with breakfast, and lasting until sundown.
On Saturday, Bailey took part in a rescue parade. While we didn’t have any knowledge of her history to share with the group, it was heartwarming to hear other dog’s stories and see for ourselves how far they’ve come since being rescued.
Saturday was also the kick-off of the silent auction. Folks donated dog-related items and art pieces, and all proceeds went to various rescue organizations. In fact, that was the goal of the weekend — raise money for rescues — since not all dogs are as well-off as those in attendance.
In the down time between events, we would spend time in our cabin. There were four families, including ourselves, sharing the “Lounge”. It didn’t take long for Bailey to become friends with all of the other goldens in our cabin. We followed her lead, and got to know the other families. For a number of us, this was our first Goldstock; whereas the lady next door had attended every single one since 1997.
Goldstock attendees had the luxury of renting a golf cart to get around camp, and before we had the chance to pick up ours, Bailey was already bumming rides off of our neighbours. It really looked like she’d been riding these carts her whole life!
Once we got our own cart, it was Bailey’s preferred method of transportation to all of the weekend’s events.
Sunday brought us the Goldstock Olympics, where dogs competed for fastest swimmer, longest dock dive, and sassiest walk, amongst other events. While Bailey did not win any medals, we were pleased that she wasn’t the first one out of a sit & stay competition.
We also drove our spoiled Bailey to try out the lure course, learn some new tricks, partake in some freestyle dancing, and attend a hunting demonstration. This princess had no interest in frozen dead ducks — to no one’s surprise.
How much money was raised?
It’s hard for me to tally because money was being raised in so many different ways and going to so many different rescue organizations. Between the silent auction, live auction, raffles, votes for sweetest dog, and bribes for Goldstock Olympics judges — there was a lot of money exchanging hands.
Will you go again?
Someone asked us this on the last day, and before I had the chance to express my enthusiasm for doing so, Evan had already confirmed that we’ll be back every year hereafter!
Parting thoughts
I felt that magic of camp at Goldstock — everyone came together for a reason and was delighted to be there. This was the 21st Goldstock, and the community was very energetic and supportive. When you’re sharing your camp with 300 golden retrievers and all of their loving owners, you find yourself smiling every minute of it. Both Evan and I were very thankful to have taken part.
As for Bailey, I know she had a blast! I’m sure she can’t wait to get back in that lake again next year.