It's amazing how attached we can get to our critters. We recently buried a rabbit that our dog had gotten a hold of, a bunny that we had for eight years. For about the last six years we had let the two rabbits run loose in the yard, and they made a burrow under some stacked wood on the side of the house. They liked eating the seed with the birds, the apples that dropped off of one our trees, and of course a lot of other things that grew in the yard. They liked being scratched around the ears, and one would hop over to see what I was doing when I was in the yard. Sometimes it would grab a shoelace and pull, untying one boot, and then do the same on the other. They were innocent looking terrors in the house, as one managed to snip a keyboard, mouse, printer, Playstation, and power cables in a few minutes while the kids weren't watching it. The yard though always looked complete with the bunnys hopping around, and would bring on a smile.

We finally got a dog, a Russian wolfhound, and we would check to make sure that the bunnys weren't out before letting the dog in the back yard. One day though someone missed seeing one of the bunnys, and our dog, which has gotten very fast as it has grown up, managed to grab it. It died in my wife's arms with a little wail. It hit me pretty hard, and I made the box strong and the hole deep. Thinking back, in spite of all of the pets that I had over the years, and that our family has had, Lolita, a bunny that we got for one of my daughters, was the one that I had had the longest. Heaven must be a place where we can again visit with our departed loved ones, including our critters.

 

When driving down the road with her riding shot-gun, I'd see something like a fool getting on the interstate at 40 mph and didn't think that I responded in any way, but she would get up and nudge me or lick my face.
Never understood what see senses!!
Last week, driving on an interstate, she got up , came over and asked for something. It was hard to know what she wanted till she turned and bumped my water bottle with her nose. I asked her if she was thursty and she yiped. Fed her water in the palm of my hand at 75!! She then layed back down and rested.
Sweet thing.!
Didn;t matter to her how bad a day it was, she had love available.

A year or so ago I took her to a GDOA meet in Edwardsvill Il, let her out of the truck and she was friends with every ono. I told he rto go over to a berm and get a mouse. 5 minutes later she did just that. I didn't know there was one, hadn't seen it. Gave me the mouse and looked at me like " anything else?" Maybe a deer or cow?

Thanks guys, the stories soften the pain.
John

 

Feeling your loss and reading fond tales of your pet has brought a smile to my lips as I find myself musing over memories of adoring pets that are now at peace.My smile has replaced what was once grief over a lost special relationship that still continues to teach me the virtue of unconditional acceptence and selflessness that I often lack. I have gratitude to have had more than one such relationship, Scamper who doctored all my scrapes and wounds as a kid, Trudy two shoes the canine clown, popeye the gentlest soft mouthed, gun shy brittany hound there ever was at 16 years old,and now this mixed up rotty something that came into my hunting camp butcher shop as a staving, freezing 10 week old stray headed for the pound and it's last supper! AT the time I didn't think anything could fill the hole in my sole after burying both Trudy and popeye [the last of a line of 25 dogs] within months of each other. MY wife and I agreed, no more heart breaking attachments! Well, three days later in deer camp, here comes the stray that wants to live! And she helped fill the hole. And three years later she takes me bird hunting for pheasant in Montana and the Dakotas and wading for fish in the gulf. Her name is Gert. She tilts her head with a knowing look when I tell her about the previous benifits of more than one dog. When the wood stove can't quite keep up on those two dog nights, she does her utmost to keep us both warm! She is constantly gazing into my face with that unconditional familiar warm and caring expression. And there it is, that heart felt, wounderful attachment again!

Gert doesn't have any hip sockets and at 90 plus pounds she isn't destined to be moble for many more years. Three years old and already she needs help to get up and often barks to tell me so. Should I out live another canine companion, I expect I'll again revisit that uncomfortable place of grief and loss. Yet, I have a warm smile as I look over at Gert, the mixed up stray rottweiler, here next to me!

Thank you John, for sharing your loss that has aloud me to feel once again the presence of my long passed special companions and rekindle my gratitude for the blessing of this wounderful , goofy Gert whom I didn't want to risk attachment with and who I now, once again can't immagine being without as she has filled the void and continues to be a joy! Hope this helps some way-Scott

 

I am sorry to hear that. Best wishes to you and your family.

Matt

 

Very,Very sorry for your misfortune. We all know how it feels, and yet we are never prepared for it. Always scratch 'em behind their ears like you will never see them again. Please take care, Jim.

 

Here is the finaly report.
She had a 'mass' on her spleen that was unknown to us. It ruptured and this caused her db to drop.
I wish I had stayed with her that night. But it is all past. Except for the years of talking and telling stories.
My wife and I got in the truck friday night and went for a drive. Got back last night. 24 hrs. 1200 miles just telling stories about her, good and bad!!
When she was a pup she ate a tree, the mud flaps, her collar, a garden hose.
When I had a surgery on my neck, she was at my feet the full time. She came to get us when the cat was sick. You could tell her to go give someone a kiss and it happened.

Anyway, we are still gathering up her stuff.
Many great memories.

 

Thanks for sharing good memories of a friend you never hope to replace.
Dogs are people too and we feel your pain. Nat

 

j-fox
Im sorry for your loss. Im sitting here typing this with tears running down my cheek.
Our first lab was a black lab who graced us with 12 pups the first litter & 10 pups the second litter. She has long since passed on. She was 14 years old. My 23 yr old daughter still gets teary eyed when she looks through old photo albums for she was her dog growing up.
I have to go now for my 1 year old chocolate lab is nudging me to get off the computer and go play.

 

How about some more good stories, before I get plum depressed. We have 10 new English Setter and Brown Lab mix puppies. Friendliest dogs you'll ever want to meet. Need a good home in about 2 more weeks. I'd luv to give 9 away free to fellow dog lovers. Nat

 

Sweet little bundles of love there for sure.

 

How much would shipping be on one of those?

J/K, wish I could take one off your hands.


phox

 

Maybe one of our DTR buddies will be driving by????

 

Man, I feel for you. 3 years ago we had to put down my best friend. Bear made it to 13. So he also had a good full life for a Golden Retriever. Most loyal , faithful dog I have ever had. I bawled my eyes out at the vets when we put him down, but he had gone deaf and mostly blind, and I couldn't stand to see him suffer anymore. I miss him alot. We have since gotten another dog, and she is a great dog and I love her to death, but there will never be another one like Bear. I wish you and the family the best. -Steve

 

More bad news. Today our new mama ran into the highway and was killed, we don't have a clue where she was headed. She was an English Setter the wife rescued from the pound when she was a year old. She was so timid when Teresa brought her home, when either of us would raise our hand she would cower and yelp with fear, so we were convinced she had been abused by somebody. 3 months later she was a different dog. Even the cats loved her.She'd let the grandkids climb all over her without a whimper. She'd lick you to death. She followed me all over the property when I was on the tractor, long after the Blonde Lab had gone back to the house. I buried her on the side of the hill where she loved to romp with the Lab. Man doesn't it hurt sooo to loose a dog. TearfulNat

 

I'm so sorry we recently lost ours too.