Langford golden retriever spends golden years carrying groceries
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but age isn’t stopping a 10-year-old golden retriever named Lily from learning a new love.
"She kind of looked at it," owner Robyn Rioux says, recalling the dog looking at her bag of groceries and wondering what she wanted. "And nudged at us a little bit."
"And all of a sudden it went in her mouth," Chad Rioux remembers, with a smile. "And I’m like, 'OK.'"
Before we can appreciate what Lily’s parents are talking about, we need to know that the dog has been defying Robyn and Chad’s expectations since before they even met.
"We had talked about getting a dog, but then [Chad] said, 'No. No. We’re not going to get a dog,'" Robyn says. "But then he brought photos [of puppies] over and it’s like, 'Game over! We’re getting a dog!'"
After looking at pictures of a co-worker’s litter of newborns, they decided to pick little Lily.
"I’m kind of a proud parent," Robyn smiles. "A proud dog mom."
Robyn proudly shares all sorts of pictures and videos of her pup on social media, from having her mouth full to catching balls and fetching sticks, and to playing hockey and performing her squeaking toys like they were instruments.
"Every time [Lily] greets us," Robyn says, recalling the dog’s younger years. "She had to greet us with a toy."
Robyn has video of Lily tenderly licking her squeaky toys dry after they were left out in the rain.
The dog probably thought it was a much more efficient than how her humans would clean them, which required the toys being hung on a clothesline to dry, just out of reach of Lily’s mouth.
There are photos of the dog straining to reach half a dozen drying stuffies on the line, before gathering them together in her dog bed and reclaiming them as her own.
"She’s always brought me joy from day one," Robyn smiles.
And after a decade's-worth of joyful days, Robyn and Chad thought they’d seen Lily do it all. Until that day they were walking home from the grocery story and the dog did something different.
"She put her mouth towards [the grocery bag] and we’re like OK," Robyn recalls. "Let’s let her carry it."
And Lily carried a bag of frozen French fries in her mouth all the way home.
"She was super proud," Robyn says, before showing me a video of the moment. "Her head was held high."
Lily hasn’t stopped since. A couple times a week, for more than a year and a half, the dog has lugged everything in her mouth, from a container of cookies and a package of spaghetti, to a bag of asparagus and a box of microwavable popcorn.
"Anytime we come out of the grocery story," Chad smiles. "We have to give her something."
While the dog’s beloved squeaky toys often end up being destroyed, Lily couldn’t be more delicate with her deliveries, transporting a cucumber home without leaving a mark on it.
The new routine is turning a chore into a chance for people passing her to be cheerful.
"It’s something nice in a not so nice world," Robyn says of the strangers who smile at Lily. "And it brings an extra joy to our lives."
And despite what’s said about "old dogs," this golden retriever is spending her golden years reminding us all, it's never too late to teach yourself new tricks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.