The Red ‘Sisters’: A Tale of Two Trips

Ziggy, the Golden Retriever plays in the flood waters with Freya, the Standard Poodle behind him.

2023 was a crazy year for us. In June, there was flooding. The rain poured down, and for the first time ever, our water dogs got to jump into ponds deeper than they were tall. It was fantastic fun—but on the other end, we had some health problems in the family. I had appendicitis; Karl’s mom dealt with pneumonia; Karl faced endocrine and cardiovascular disruptions; Freya suffered from an infected needle and thread weed (horrible things); Ziggy ended up with a paw and nose full of cactus needles; and Luna experienced a miscarriage. Thankfully, everyone has recovered now, but it all took its toll on the year.

Sonja, the red poodle, and Phoebe, the Golden Retriever, warming up by the fire.

Interwoven Beginnings: Phoebe and Sonja

The story of Phoebe—though she is younger—begins before Sonja. We knew we’d be having a new stud from Ziggy in a couple of years, but to make that happen, we needed to find the right female. Star and Sunny are wonderful Golden Retrievers, but they’re now retired from being moms. We started our search and contacted Ziggy’s original breeder. They told us it would be a few months before they’d have a new litter of Retrievers from a new stud. So, we waited to hear the good news about our new Golden Retriever bundle.

Sonja’s story begins with Luna’s miscarriage. We’d arranged for Luna to spend some quality time with Apollo, intending for it to be her last litter. We wanted to make sure we had a chance to continue her bloodline. Her mother, Lady, was the original poodle we both fell in love with. We’d hoped for another wonderful girl—or girls—like Lily had given us Freya and Ivy. But, alas, although Luna was growing in the early part of her pregnancy, she suddenly stopped at about five weeks in. There was a little bit of discharge, but since Luna was so fastidious about staying clean, it was hard to tell much had happened. We decided not to try again—as previously stated, this was going to be her last litter.

Now we had a problem: Luna was depressed. We had a litter of Goldendoodle puppies here from her sister, Blondie, and the final litter of Retrievers from Star. Puppies were all around us, but none for Luna to care for. She was a natural mother and loved every minute with her puppies. Our attention had to be divided for Freya’s care after a needle and thread weed got into her throat and caused a whole mess of issues. We also hadn’t heard back from the Golden Retriever breeder, so there was no timeline on when a puppy would be arriving.

Tiny Sonja the Red Poodle

Timing is Everything

While sitting with Freya during her recovery, I started browsing Puppies.com, looking at poodle puppies in the area. There she was: eight weeks old, two little dark eyes, and so much red hair, with the name ‘Dolly’. Her breeder was in Sterling—Kansas would have been closer. With everything going on, we decided it wasn’t the right time to take that kind of trip. So we carried on—caring for Freya, rearing puppies, and trying to cheer up Luna.

Six weeks passed. Most of the older puppies had found their homes; Freya was well on the mend, but Luna was still forlorn. This was very unusual for her, as her silliness is renowned in herself and her puppies. Suddenly, we all got the surprise of my appendicitis—thankfully caught in the nick of time, allowing for a minimal surgery and quick recovery. While recovering, we opened Puppies.com again, and there she was—‘Dolly’ was still available.

We both agreed that, with the year we were having and the fact that we were in need of a poodle puppy, it was time. The breeder was contacted, arrangements were made, and we got ready for the trip. We hadn’t driven that direction since picking up Ziggy in Nebraska, and we hadn’t been in Sterling since 2017 on our way to watch the eclipse.

Sonja the Red Poodle blends into Ziggy, the Golden Retriever.

A Princess Joins the Pack

The drive was fairly unremarkable. We took the eastern roads so we could enjoy the views. While driving, we got a phone call near Akron: it was the Golden Retriever breeder. The puppies had been born that day. What an odd coincidence! We made arrangements for eight weeks later over the phone and marveled at the bizarre timing. Now we’d be raising two puppies—one of our major goals for the year.

We passed through cornfields, wind fields, and stretches of nothing for miles until we reached our destination: a ranch overlooking the drop-off north of Sterling, a majestic view with nothing in sight for miles. ‘Dolly’ was a petite thing. She pranced around, not wanting to be caught, but the moment she was set in Karl’s arms, it was over. She melted and held him. As soon as she was put down, she was back to playing hard to get—but once in our arms, she couldn’t get enough.

The paperwork was completed, and she was ours to take home. Off we drove with our new little red princess. She was dazzled by the roads, vomited on me before we got through Sterling, and was happy to nuzzle up in my lap. We decided on the name Sonja, mostly due to her intense red color.

Upon arriving home, we gave Sonja a bath and fully realized just how petite she was—a delicate princess eager to become part of the family. We introduced her to Ziggy first, and he loved her instantly. She blended into his fur like the cutest little wart you’ve ever seen. She had never felt so safe and refused to be away from him, crying like a baby whenever they were apart.

Freya, the white poodle watches over Sonja, the red poodle.

The Puppy Who Loved Puppies

The next day, we introduced Sonja to the girls one at a time. Freya was first, and she immediately bowed down to play with her. Freya usually kept her distance from puppies, being far too refined for such silliness, but Sonja brought out her playful side. Ivy was busy weaning her own puppies and had little interest in the fuzzy red critter. Luna, however, loved her. She seemed to understand the assignment and took a strong liking to Sonja, making adorable grunting and groaning noises just for her.

About a week later, Sonja met Ivy’s puppies during their first portrait session. That day, we saw something we’d never witnessed before: Sonja lost her mind at the cuteness of puppies even smaller than herself. She jumped, she “spoke,” she ran in circles. When allowed, she kissed their little toes. She loves puppy toes. To her, they were puppy dolls, and she was a little girl who just had to play with them. She was born to be a mom. Even today, she loves every puppy she’s near—they’re still just dolls to her, and puppy toes remain a treasured experience.

The family adapted naturally to Sonja, and she became part of our everyday life. After some more medical scares and the usual craziness that comes with dogs, kids, elderly family, and rural living, it was finally time to head to Nebraska for our little Golden Retriever bundle. We arranged for Sonja to stay the day with my mother-in-law. They were already quite attached, but we knew we couldn’t leave her alone for that long, and it wouldn’t be fair to take her on such a long journey.

Little Moon, Phoebe the Golden Retriever puppy coming home with cows in the background.

A Little Moon Joins the Family

The drive to Nebraska is hard to distinguish from the drive to Sterling. There are obvious differences, like the road quality as soon as you cross the state line, but a fair portion of the route was exactly the same. With the extreme heat, the views hadn’t changed much from September to November.

When we met with the breeder, three girls stood out right away. There was a long-faced little girl who was very bright, but we knew we needed something a bit bigger. Of the two larger girls, one was entirely disinterested in us. But every time Karl turned around, there was this little happy face staring up at him. No matter where he moved, she followed. The decision was made, and away we went with our “little moon” (our affectionate nickname for her).

Naming her was a challenge. She was affectionate but not overly kissy, wanting to be held but also keen to look around. Her eyes were so bright—she seemed to be downloading everything happening around her. When she got wiggly and we took her outside to potty, the sunlight hit her just right. We looked up names that meant “radiant,” and there it was: Phoebe.

Sonja the Red Poodle Meets Phoebe the Golden Retriever, “Show Me Your Toes!”

Two Red Sisters: The Love Weasel and the Little Moon

We introduced Phoebe to Sonja the next morning, and Sonja knew instantly that this was a doll just for her. She rolled, played, and found her sister. Their reds looked so good together, and they became inseparable. Ivy loved Phoebe from the moment she saw her. Ivy’s pups had just gone home, and this was the cutest puppy she’d ever seen. All the dogs loved having a puppy like Ziggy around—everyone except Freya. For Phoebe, Freya was the most beautiful goddess she’d ever seen. She wanted to hold her in her mouth. Freya, however, was offended by the little puppy’s mouth touching her. It took time, but even now, Phoebe sometimes loses her cool around Freya and just needs to put Freya in her mouth—an ear, snoot, or foot—not to bite, but to hold and “honk.”

Sonja the Red Poodle All Grown Up In the Phlox Flowers

Sonja has grown into a rather large poodle. For how tiny she started, she’s become our Clifford—loved big. She loves her Phoebe, loves her Ziggy, and when it’s time to cuddle, she’s our biggest “love weasel,” slowly working her way onto a surface until she’s laying right on top of you.

Phoebe the Golden Retriever All Grown Up Enjoying the Grass

Phoebe is a lovely and silly girl. Her joyous nature is infectious. It doesn’t matter if it’s been five minutes or five hours—the moment she sees us, she honks, finds a toy (or shoe or sock), and runs around for about three to eight minutes. She’s a quick learner and wants to copy everything she sees Sonja doing.

As we look ahead, we can’t help but smile at the adventures still to come. Sonja and Phoebe have already brought so much joy, laughter, and yes—even a few honks—into our lives. Their stories are just beginning, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two radiant red sisters and the family they’ve made even brighter.

Sonja the Red Poodle and Phoebe the Golden Retriever At Each Other’s Sides