Overlook Sky Over Sutton Place "Sutton"

6/01/2007 - 2/8/2025

Nearly 18 years ago, a litter of nine puppies were born to our Sophie. It was her first litter and the sire was a dog who I loved from the first moment I saw him, Hubbell. Or as he was famously known, AmCH MY Sky Watcher.

The stand out pick of the litter, our Sutton, died on February 8, 2025. He was 17 years and 8 months old. He lived longer than any dog I’ve ever owned, and far exceeded the normal life span of a Golden Retriever. But, more than losing any of the dogs that came before him, the loss of Sutton has been the most heartbreaking. Not only was he a great dog, but when I look back over 18 years and the major life changes and events of our lives, I realize the true meaning of his loss.Let’s go back 18 years. From the time Sutton was five weeks old, he stood out from the others. At that young age, he had self confidence, stacked himself perfectly and was light on his feet with beautiful movement. Yes, it was easy to tell all of this with eight other puppies playing at the same time. He was that special!

Growing up, Sutton was a joy to train. He loved the attention, was a quick learner and never went through that “I don’t hear you” stage. What a boy! He was goofy and gangly like so many young boys. He was ball obsessed at a very young age and could always be found with two Chuck-It balls in his mouth. Often it was three. But, don’t try to take those balls away from him! Only his mother had the power to make him give up a ball. She was as obsessed as he was.

Sophie and Sutton were very close throughout their lives. They could entertain each other for hours and were very funny to watch. Sophie definitely had the upper hand when it came to smarts and Sutton was often clueless. They slept together on the same bed and always came running at the same time. When Sophie died at 14 1/2, Sutton was 12 years old. Losing her was so difficult for us, but I think it was harder on Sutton. He clearly mourned her loss and was never quite the same again. I think Sophie gave Sutton a real sense of joy and happiness. In losing Sophie, he lost his Mom and his best friend.

Sutton was an easy dog to live with. He was easy to groom, had a correct coat and loved attention. He wasn’t demanding, didn’t bark a lot and was usually quite calm and content - unless there were girls in season. I swear Sutton had the olfactory senses of ten Golden Retrievers. I always knew weeks in advance when the girls were going to come in season because Sutton would start acting ridiculously stupid. No other word for it!But, he was a great stud dog! He sired some wonderful litters from both Overlook girls and other breeders. His puppies excelled in Agility,Rally, Scent work and more. One of his sons is a Master Hunter and there are more titles on the way. Our Sawyer, Schayla, Sinclair and September have continued Sutton’s place in the world.

Prior to Sutton, all of my dogs lived into their teens, but never 16 or 17. I didn’t realize when I started posting about him on my Instagram page that he would become an internet star! There was something about Sutton and his incredible age that resonated with people all over the world. With every post my followers grew and quickly reached over 17,000. Everyone loved the old man. I received countless DMs asking what I fed him and what was the secret to his long life. There were so many people with Goldens that had died young and Sutton became very special to them.Sutton was born on June 1, 2007. I posted videos on the first of every month to celebrate another ‘birthday’. If I was late in posting, I received worried emails from people asking if Sutton was ok. He meant that much to so many strangers. My last post was on February 1st when he turned 17 and 8 months. In my heart I knew there wouldn’t be another birthday post.

He was declining fast. I will post this remembrance on March 1 to let the world know we’ve lost our Sutton.

There are still a lot of Goldens at Overlook, but I’m reminded of Sutton’s absence every day. He was so strong and healthy until his back legs started to weaken. Once he was up, he was fine, but getting up required help. There were many, many nights hearing his “old dog’ bark at 3 am and knowing he needed help to get up for water, another bed or just to move around. During the day Sutton thought dinner should be served at 2:30 and got all the others thinking the same thing. Breakfast had to be at 5:30 because that’s what he wanted. The last few months were filled with nights of broken sleep and days of helping him navigate an increasingly difficult world.

The last week with Sutton was one of knowing we would have to say good-bye. He was still a fighter and didn’t miss a meal or a treat. But, he became so weak it was almost impossible to stand. I told him every night that it was ok to leave, but he was there in the morning. I will never forget the one moment of looking into his eyes and knowing that he was tired and ready to say good-bye. That was the bond between us. A bond forged over 18 years of loving this once-in- a-lifetime dog.

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