~:~:~:The Doggie Thread!!:~:~:~

Wobbie

OneLove wrote:

its all good. I am sure you aren't your self.. part of you is gone. It will get better though, with time.

You know when my first dog was put to sleep...someone told me that there was another dog working its way into my life that would really need me.... or I would need them. Turns out that is exactly what has happened.. on both counts. I still think of my girl often, but I feel like she would be happy that I have been able to do rescue work, and adopt two wonderful dogs to share my life with.

I am sure you aren't there yet..but the healing will come with time. Stay strong, PM any time!

A friend gave this to my wife. It really hit home with me. I've always carried Shelby's love and look forward to the day I can feel better about this. I liked this idea so much I retyped the thing my wife got and I'm going to pass it on to the next pet owner who needs it...

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will always remember. The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your new friend. You may have spent weeks deciding on a breed. You may have asked opinions of many friends or done research finding a breeder. Or, in a fleeting moment, you may have chosen that silly looking mutt at the shelter, simply because something in its eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and watch it explore…when you feel it brush against you for the first time, it instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through many years to come.

The second day will occur years later. It will be a day like any other. Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You will see slow deliberate steps where you saw energy. You will see sleep where you once saw activity. You will begin to adjust your friend’s diet and you may add a pill to her food. And, you may feel a growing uneasy feeling until the third day arrives.

On this day, if your friend or your higher being has not decided for you, then you will be faced with making a decision of your own on behalf of your lifelong friend. Whichever way your friend leaves you, you will feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow freely as they must. If you are typical, you will find that not many family and friends will be able to understand your grief. But, if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul, smaller in size than your own, seems to walk with you at times, during the lonely days to come. At those moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary, you may feel something brush against your leg. And, looking down at the place where your dear friend used to lie… you will remember those three significant days. The memory will be painful. As time passes, the ache will come and go. You will reject it and embrace it and it may confuse you. If you reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you. Either way, it will still be an ache.

But, there will be a forth day when, along with the memory of your pet, and piercing through the heaviness in your heart, there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will be as unique and strong as our relationship with the pet we have loved and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living Love, like the heavenly scent of a rose. This Love will remain and grow, and will be there for us to remember. It is a love we have earned. It’s the legacy our pets leave us when they go… and it’s a gift we keep with us as long as we live. And until we leave, perhaps to join our beloved pets, it is a Love we will always possess.

It makes me feel a little better .

vedderfan10

Sometimes I swear I see my little Pinker out of the corner of my eye...and it makes me smile...

Thanks for typing that out...the tears flow for everyone on here who has lost their pal...

Wobbie

Vedderfan10 wrote:

Thanks for typing that out...the tears flow for everyone on here who has lost their pal...

The typing was just another way to get a little therapy .

PJaddicted

Thank you so much for sharing that. It is so true.

Petloss.com is a good site if you need additional support.

Petey and I send hugs.

oxc

vedderfan10

BlackCorduroy wrote:

here's a few new ones of Tedy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindsayg5218/2421729100/sizes/l/in/photostream/

This is my new desktop at work. Wish my dog knew how to swim...

And how are you doing, imalive? You OK?

Wobbie

Vedderfan10 wrote:

This is my new desktop at work. Wish my dog knew how to swim...

And how are you doing, imalive? You OK?

That is the most gorgeous picture! Shelby loved to swim :(

Yeah, I'm doing OK. If you all will indulge me, I'm gonna post "the Story of Shelby's life" here in a day or two. It's my therapy...

SENROCK

imalive wrote:

That is the most gorgeous picture! Shelby loved to swim :(

Yeah, I'm doing OK. If you all will indulge me, I'm gonna post "the Story of Shelby's life" here in a day or two. It's my therapy...

I look forward to that.
a friend of mine tonite, mentioned the name Shelby. I stopped and looked at her and told her that was my friend's doggies name who recently went to keep my surfer company. :( big hugs.

Motown322

Sorry to hear about Shelby, imalive... :(

PJaddicted

Yesterday Petey and I went for our usual hike, it was raining so I put his raincoat on him......it is a really good thing he was wearing it!

Fifthelement

I am so sorry for your loss imalive. *hugs* coming your way.


Thank you for the friend story as well, it made me laugh and cry thinking of all my little friends that I have lost over the years.

S.

einatshaul

I'm dog sitting for two Aussie Sheappards who just won't stop barking at everyone and everything in the street! They are cuties but oh so annoying and embarracing to walk!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2826168&l=d1d84&id=877405320

((BTW SENROCK!, I love your taste in men and now your taste in animals, we should meet!)

norm

einatshaul wrote:

I'm dog sitting for two Aussie Sheappards who just won't stop barking at everyone and everything in the street! They are cuties but oh so annoying and embarracing to walk!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2826168&l=d1d84&id=877405320

((BTW SENROCK!, I love your taste in men and now your taste in animals, we should meet!)

Lucy Lu and Desy Poo


really???? :eek:


:D:D

einatshaul

cutback wrote:

Lucy Lu and Desy Poo


really???? :eek:


:D:D

I add-libed the Lu and Poo

pearljamgirl07

einatshaul wrote:

I'm dog sitting for two Aussie Sheappards who just won't stop barking at everyone and everything in the street! They are cuties but oh so annoying and embarracing to walk!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2826168&l=d1d84&id=877405320

((BTW SENROCK!, I love your taste in men and now your taste in animals, we should meet!)

they are really cute!!:)

Wobbie

SENROCK! wrote:

I look forward to that.
a friend of mine tonite, mentioned the name Shelby. I stopped and looked at her and told her that was my friend's doggies name who recently went to keep my surfer company. :( big hugs.

I felt I had to do this....


Shelby was born is the high desert of California on March 11, 1995. Her dad was a Champion, but he later ran away and was never seen again. We made a 500 mile roundtrip to see her and her siblings when they were 7 weeks old. We didn’t pick Shelby – she picked us. She was into my wife’s purse and stole her hair scrunchie.

We made the 500 mile roundtrip again, the next weekend, and took Shelby home. She immediately fell asleep on the floor of our car. Halfway home, we pulled off the road to see if she needed to go potty. We stood over her in the California desert, petrified she would take off. She looked at us, as if to say “What?”

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/scan_8526121725_1.jpg

We got to Las Vegas. She had never been on carpet or in grass. In California, she had lived in the dirt and had often gotten “high centered” on the weeds. That first night, we traumatized Shelby with the blow dryer . Never again! We spent weeks (months?) following Shelby around the house and yard, keeping her out of trouble. Her early name was “Shelby, No.” Her little teeth were razor sharp and her energy was endless. I would lay on the floor, curled up in a ball while she “attacked” me as if I was some “bad guy” in K9 police training! Shelby went to obedience training and got the Perfect Attendance award . In reality, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t learn if a treat was involved.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/DSC_0192.jpg

Shelby learned how to swim. She loved that for her entire life (except for one summer when she didn’t love it. Who knows why? She could be a goof). Our pool filter has been working overtime for the past 13 years! Early on, there was an orange flag by the pool steps so Shelby could learn where to get out. She used to sit on one step, get up on her butt and paw intently at the corner, as if she was trying to dig through the plaster. She would do it for like a minute straight. We sent a video to America’s Funniest Pets, but never heard back. Oh well – their loss. Shelby was a very graceful swimmer. She swam every day in the summer and walked every day in the winter.

Soon, Shelby started going on errands and being left alone at home while we were out. The first time I left her in the car was for less than a minute. I was amazed she didn’t shred the upholstery. Later, if the weather was right, she would happily stay in the car for hours. Just as long as she got to go! I started by lifting her in. Then, one day, she amazed me by jumping up to the floorboard. Soon after, she jumped to the seat of my 4x4 truck. Later in her life, I was lifting her again.

Her “home alone” time increased, too. She was doing great until one night she decided to destroy a potted plant while we were out. There was an 5 foot circle of dirt on the carpet and muddy paw prints back and forth to her bowl . She went back to her dog run after that but soon convinced us to trust her again. That was the last naughty thing she ever did.

Within Shelby’s first year, she needed elbow surgery. She was limping badly. The vet took bone chips out of each elbow. We still have the chips in a test tube. The surgery was a life-long success although I made the mistake of letting Shelby on the bed, post-op. She never left!

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/DCP_0687.jpg

The Utah Jazz were playing in the NBA finals and she had color coordinated casts that said “Go Jazz” (we didn’t have a digital camera in her early years, but this picture will give you an idea).

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/DCP_0120.jpg

Shelby was a great traveling dog. She loved going in the car. She loved camping and she loved hotels. She was a beautiful girl, but had no problem getting filthy at a campsite! Luckily, she didn’t mind baths, because she got one every 3 weeks.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/DCP_0054-1.jpg

Shelby traveled to California, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and Idaho. She wore a little life vest in our Zodiac boat. She didn’t make it to the Pacific Ocean until she was 11 years old, but we’re glad she got to see it.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/IMG_0634.jpg

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/scan_85261286_1.jpg

Shelby was very healthy. She had her share of trips to the vet, but everything she “got” was curable. We jokingly called her the “money pit” but we gladly paid whatever it took to keep her healthy. It didn’t take much to keep her happy – her most basic need was love. She gave it and took it with gusto. Shelby was a good talker and a great listener (she would cock her head to the side). She loved swimming, going bye-bye in the car, licking our plates clean after meals and sleeping in her favorite spots.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/IMG_1634.jpg

She mellowed with age, but was mischievous to the end. If Shelby thought we were not paying enough attention to her, she would get into our closet and bring a dirty sock out of the laundry basket. She would stand, with sock in mouth, until we acknowledged her by saying “yeah, I see you.” I never did figure how she got those sliding closet doors open. With her nose? With her paw? We never knew.

We always said Shelby was a “quirky dog.” Some of our favorite quirks included:

• If she was going in the car, she would step into the garage but go no further until the garage door started up. When the door started, Shelby would move.

• Shelby’s morning routine was hilarious – she would first go potty, then she would sit at the back door. When you opened up the back door, look out! It was a hard left, followed by a hard right and another left to her food bowl. She was usually pawing so hard for traction that she might “slide out.”

• After licking a plate clean (aka doing her “job”) she would stare straight at the cabinet which held her chew sticks. After she sat, we would hold two sticks out, she would chomp them in her mouth and charge into the living room (where she always ate them). The chewies were always followed by a drink.

• Shelby didn’t run in circles; she ran in figure eights. Inside or outside, it didn’t matter.

• Shelby would only scratch her self on the carpet (never on the hardwood).

• The aforementioned “paw your corner” (in the pool). Shelby would do it, on command.

• Shelby had many favorite places to lay – to get to one in particular, she would always slide out a heavy barstool with her nose.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/IMG_1613.jpg

• Shelby greeted visitors by (first) sitting and (then) rocking back on her butt and bringing up her front legs. It encouraged you to give her a little elbow massage.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/DCP_0665.jpg

Last week, Shelby got very sick and went downhill in a hurry. On May 10th we had to make the awful decision to put her down. The vet came to our house and all of us cried our eyes out. It was truly an awful day :(. But she went peacefully and even licked my face, at the end. It was 13 years and 1 day from the joyful day we brought her home. Everywhere I look, I still see our little girl. I long to hear the howl that would greet us when we came home to her. Shelby was (and is) our little angel.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/IMG_0008.jpg

SENROCK

imalive wrote:

I felt I had to do this....

oh my goodness you did it. I KNOW im gonna cry so I have to wait til later to read! *big hugs*

vedderfan10

That was so touching! It made me cry - and I'm at work! Glad to hear that she was able to go peacefully in her own home...that's so much less traumatic for the pooch...

Take care, man... <hugs>

norm

i'm not gonna read it now rob....too much work right now but i will read it tonight.....hope writing that helped

Inhiding230

Awwww your story made me cry. But she was a wonderful dog and she had a wonderful life with you My dog sleeps upside down against the wall or couch just like Shelby did. Karma, (our German Shepherd) is 14 years old and getting slower and slower every day. I know that time will come within the next few years for us also and it makes me incredibly sad.

HushBull

Sleepy...


My cat is there also.