Cricket is a 3 year old golden retriever who we first started following on Instagram before realizing, Cricket is a Healthy Paws customer (IG: mylittle.cricket)! We connected with pet parent Arielle to get to know this beautiful little buddy. Here’s more on Cricket:
On Adopting Cricket
“We knew we always wanted our first dog together to be a golden retriever,” says Arielle. “When it came time to start looking, we were overwhelmed with options around the Seattle area. However, when a photo of a dark rust colored dog popped up in my browser I fell in love! I quickly got in contact with the breeder from Chehalis, WA. Two months later she emailed me back and said she would have pups ready to take home in August.”
They set off to meet the pups and Arielle says it was just Cricket and her two other sisters when we got to the farm. “They were the cutest things I’ve ever seen, and I had a tough time picking which one we were going to take home! We ended up picking Cricket because when she was a puppy, she had these cute little blonde highlights right above her eyes. I’d like to think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
Behind Cricket’s (Literary) Name
We loved Cricket’s name right off the bat and needed to know the inspiration. “Cricket’s name comes from one of my favorite books Little Women. Beth’s nickname is Cricket in the book, and it has always stuck with me,” explains Arielle. “I’m glad people like her name, before I started her Instagram not a single one of my family or friends cared for it!”
Family Life with Cricket
“Hiking is one our favorite things to do together! I have always loved hiking and the outdoors but, having a four-legged friend to explore with makes each experience so much more special,” says Arielle, and her photos prove it! “Cricket LOVES to be on the trails. As soon as she finds a puddle or a stream, she has to go lay down in it, it cracks me up! Our other favorite thing to do together is cuddle!”
Cricket the Mountain Goat
“Cricket has this really funny habit of climbing on top of any rocks or stumps she sees. We call her a little mountain goat. On one summer’s day, she and I were hanging out at Rattle Snake Lake and there were a few exposed stumps coming out of the water,” begins Arielle. “Before I knew it, Cricket was swimming for the stump and crawling up it! What I didn’t know was that this stump was completely hollowed out and Cricket actually tucked herself into a hole and crawled up out of the top. She was barely standing on the edges of the stump when I walked over to her.” Cricket began to panic and could not get down the way she’d climbed up the stump, and Arielle found herself unable to help – “I tried to get her down by picking her up, but the stump was too tall for me to get any leverage, plus Cricket is around 60lbs!”
The only out for Cricket was to jump the five feet, “higher than anything she’s jumped off of before.” Arielle coaxed Cricket off the stump by swimming out farther into the lake and calling her name. “I felt so bad, but I knew she could do it. After calling her name a hundred times, she finally got the courage to jump. She fell into the water and I swam over and held her in my arms for about ten minutes. I was so proud of her and we definitely created a stronger bond through the incident. She is now much more weary of lake stumps and her trust in me is stronger.”
Tips on Getting the Perfect Pic
“We worked on stay a lot when she was a puppy, so she’s pretty good at it,” says Arielle. “She also knows when the camera is out she’s ‘working’. I usually take all my photos in a short time frame and then let her play after.” Arielle recommends throwing a stick or ball, and definitely showering your pup with treats so they associate the camera with fun. Speaking of camera, Arielle uses a Canon 6D mk II to capture these beautiful shots of Cricket, and usually employs the nearest friend (or husband or sister) to snap a photo of them together. And remember: “Just like kids they can get bored or distracted, make a game out of it and use lots of verbal praises!”
Cricket’s a Benefit Buddy!
Cricket’s parents signed up through our Employee Benefit program through Arielle’s husband’s job. “We went with Healthy Paws because [it was] offered through my husband’s job. It was such a bonus to find out what a great friendly company Healthy Paws is!” If you’d like to have this offered at your work, check out our Employee Benefits page and find out why it’s the most requested voluntary benefit in the workplace!
Also, Cricket’s now a sister! Congrats on the newest addition, Fig:
Check out Cricket on Instagram and if you are a Healthy Paws pet parent, we’d love to hear your story! Send your pet’s story along with photos of your four-legged family member to happytales@healthypaws.com
