Hold your pose: My 5 favorite golden retrievers of Spokane

It’s true. I have seven favorite golden retrievers of Spokane.

All seven of them have been in front of my camera lens, one more often than the others.

Desi has made multiple appearances in front of the Nikon D750 and D500. She owns my friend Vicki and all four of us — Desi, Vicki, Bella and me — go on occasional hikes and walks together.

Here are our two nerds together.

But there’s no room here for a scrawny Maremma sheepdog.

Oh good grief, don’t tell Bella I said that! There’s always room everywhere for a scrawny Maremma sheepdog.

This post, however, is about the golden retrievers of Spokane.

Goldies are smart as hell and biddable. They’re easy to train and that means they make great posers.

The top 5 golden retrievers of Spokane

With a spotlight on one of the best poers I’ve ever met, here are my favorite five golden retrievers of Spokane.

1. Desi

In nonpandemic times, Desi is a hospice dog, visiting terminal patients at care facilities. She is a sweet, gentle girl whose calmness radiates into the room.

When mama Vicki and papa Cece aren’t playing fetch with Desi at church fields near their home in Spokane Valley, they’re chillin’ at the family cabin at Sherry Lake.

2. Crosby

Crosby first appeared in front of my camera during Santa portraits, a Christmas fundraiser for The Furry Farm Rescue.

He’s a big goofy goofball and I’m just a ton in love with him. His mama Ashley jumped at the chance to be in the upcoming Paws of the Panhandle book.

He’s the only floof representing golden retrievers of Spokane so far! Crossie and Ashley drove over to McEuen Park from Liberty Lake for this sunset image on Tubbs Hill.

Look at this gorgeous face.

3. Mariah

Old girl Mariah and her puppy sister Madison showed up for a snowstorm session with their human sister Ava.

No, this isn’t a snow overlay. It was snowing that hard this day in January 2020 — prepandemic!

4. Madison

And now her sister Madison, one of the youngest golden retrievers of Spokane to appear in my lens.

It was really puking snow that day!

5. Look, a baby!

Don’t hate me. I don’t remember this nugget’s name. I got to meet her at a series of portraits I did for the Better Together Animal Alliance in December to help with their new website.

Let’s just call her Scruffy.

And truthfully, I think Scruffy lives in Sandpoint so she may not be one of the many golden retrievers of Spokane but she still fits into this story.

Because I said she can.