Triumphrat

MrsNickwiz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psi6k...layer_embedded

Bonnie06Tangerine

Dogs are great and they have the ability to break your heart in two as well. My female boxer is ten years old and she is beginning to have seizures frequently. We have her on medication for the seizures but now she is acting differently. She can't stand still for more than a minute without falling over, she urinates in the house now, keep in mind we brought her home at only 7 weeks old and by 8 weeks old she was fully house trained to include ringing the bell on the door handle to let us know it was time for her to go out. This has been one of the most disciplined/trainable dogs I have ever owned and now she is declining. The vet thinks that she is showing signs of a brain tumor but can't see in through her eyes because cataracs are beginning to develop. They took blood yesterday to see if it is the medication that are causing the irregularities but I won't know the results of that until tomorrow. If it is not the medication then I am afraid it will be time to make the tough decision. It's hard to have a companion like this for ten years; this dog has been with me from Washington to Japan to the UK. Always there at my side when I go to bed at night and always guarding over my son since he started out in a crib. I don't mean for this to be a self pity rant but I'm really bumming right now and it helps to write sometimes...sorry if this is a high-jack.

jonkster

I'd love to be able to say something to make you feel better but can't. Sounds like this one is pretty special. Means you have the right to feel lousy. They aren't just dogs. I always tried to kid myself they were but every one I've lost I've wept over.

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brmmm brmmm

dogtired

B06T, I feel your pain mate, been there myself.

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Can a storm be officially designated as a tornado without touching down at a trailer park?

dogtired

Wether this is a hijack or not, you are spot on, sometimes you just need to get it out. I am going to follow your lead and put my story here too, pets, wether they be dog, cat, budgie or whatever play an enormous part in our lives. I am going to put to this thread my dog story. And I encourage others to do so as well.

Ted the Wonder Dog...

Ted came into my life when he was around 12 months old, he had been a quarry dog, no one owned him, he just turned up at a quarry one day as a gangly pup, and the workers adopted him after being unable to find an owner. The quarry was due to close for an extended period and I put my hand up to adopt him. Half American Staffy, half German Shepherd. Head the size of a shoe box, and all muscle, he was built like a condom stuffed with wallnuts. Ted became my inseperable friend for the next 15 years. He went to work with me every day, he willingly put up with my 5 children crawling all over him and riding him round the yard. He demolished every concievable type of ball he ever came across from golf balls to basketballs. Incredibly clever, and strong, massively strong, but gentle with all things, people, cats, but not other larger male dogs... I have so many good and funny memories of him. But we knew he was on borrowed time, and it came as no surprise when the day came that he walked down to our dam for a drink and his rear end just gave way and stopped working all together. We rang our local vet, and she came out and needled him where he fell with all seven of us there. A very, very sad time with not a dry eye between us. We then buried him in the sunny spot he used to frequent a lot in his last few months wrapped in his blanket.

Vale Ted the Wonder Dog.
Friend, Companion, Playmate and all round good guy.

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Can a storm be officially designated as a tornado without touching down at a trailer park?

MrsNickwiz

Well! This has become a bit of a maudlin thread, it was supposed to make people smile, but I guess if it gets people remembering and appreciating these great little buddies in our lives then so be it.

Bonnie06Tangerine - I hope that your lovely dog gets better very soon, she's a great beastie. It could very well be the medication that's making her act differently, especially if it started after she was put on it. Our collie is pretty old now (not that she behaves her age!) and both MrNickwiz and I are dreading the day when she stops being well and happy because she is the most adored pet on the planet, but I always think 'be glad for the time you've had with them 'cause they could easily have ended up in a really bad home without affection, make them happy and give them lots of love. Then they will have had the best life a dog could have'.

Skye

Not maudlin at all. It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

Nipper, my Miniature Poodle. The coolest dog ever. She had no clue she was a little dog, much less a femme poodle. She was rough, and loved to play in the mud and dirt, and loved going on hikes with the kids. Often, her enthusiasm was more than her energy, and my son would have to carry her back in his backpack. She died of old age at 17. Very old for a dog.

My kids ended up rescuing, Monster. My toy Poodle. He was a tiny sausage. Overweight from abuse. Ended up having to give him surgery, but he used to play with Nipper and Jake. Nipper all the time, but he was afraid of Jakey because he was big. He died happy, cuddled next to Mac.

Jake was my Golden Retriever. He was a velcro dog. Did everthing with me. He took care of my kids when I was deployed. Got him as a puppy, and he died at 15 years old, in my arms, looking into my eyes, 15 July 07. He always cried when I got home from deployments, and would lay down touching me when I was home. He always insisted on touching me. And he used to get lonely when we were all gone during the day because Monster didn't like to play.

In comes Mac. My German Shepherd. Meant to bring companionship to Jakey, Mac learned to annoy Jake by playing too much and running faster to the ball than Jake can run. But still, they played all the time. Monster, who was the size of Mac's head, was bossy, and made Mac his servant. LOL. Funny to see a tiny dog, steal a bone, bigger than he is, from a German Shepherd. Mac and Monster used to sleep together. Monster would lay down on a pillow, and Mac would curl up around it. Monster would lay his head on top of Mac's neck. Mack died on 1 July 2009. He died in my arms as I saw tears roll down his eyes, reaching up to lick my face one last time.

But now we have Skye. Picked up from the pound after Jake passed away. She is half boxer, half something unidentifiable. She is a sweetheart and gentle, but as a puppy, she chewed some things, and now my husband hates her. But, she really is a sweetheart, but trying to keep her head out of the cat litterbox is next to impossible. But she gets along great with the cats.

She is lonely, but I'm still reeling over the loss of Jake and Mac. So, I'm going to wait until my heart heals a little more.

Now we have the cats Rover, Snowball and Nacho. When I come home, they all come running. Nacho sleeps on top of me, or under the covers with me at night, and Snowball sleeps beside me all night. Skye sleeps beside my side of the bed, and Rover is too dignified to be seen sleeping with humans, so he sneaks into my sons room and sleeps with him.

Pets are a blessing. Unconditional love. The last 3 days of Mac's life, I knew he was going. He was slowing down so dramatically, and he couldn't go on our run. He was walking so slowly to go to the bathroom. I seriously thought that I'd have to take him in to have him put to sleep, because he was struggling so bad. It was painful for me to watch, and I cried myself to sleep on more than one occasion thinking of him. He would simply lay down next to me, and lay his head on me, as though telling me it was ok.

I know that sounds wacky. But pet owners know what I mean. He was always there for me when I was sad, and I was there for him when he was hurting. The saddest days of my life were holding their heads when they passed. It is also the largest blessing that they saw how much I loved them when they did.

iceman

.... great video clip - a dog can be your best mate sometimes.

If you liked that - this one of the lion reunion is also pretty cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-kGj97rI0A

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BonnieBlack

Driving home today I was listening to a call-in radio show with a veterinarian. She was talking to someone with a very sick dog. She said since the dog was in pain it may be time to give the dog "the kindest gift" and said she believed "It's better to put a suffering animal to sleep a week early than a day late".

Just sharing that because I have always second guessed myself on every pet I've had to put down, and her comments moved me a bit.

Oh, and that video was just awesome. That moved me a bit too.

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I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused.

Winter < Summer

MassiveAttack

My Akita passed away in 20056. Bonus: He barked and growled at then-Saints coach Jim Haslett. The hurricane took Haslett away but my dog died hating him

/Big dogs are misunderstood. Like big guys in school, most of them are sweethearts behind a mask.