I can’t imagine my life without a dog in it. I remember early on begging my Mom for a dog to call my own. I had to wait til I was 13yrs old and I had to save up the money. The only dog my mom would consider was a poodle, because they didn’t shed like other dogs. We named her Fluffy and she cost me the huge sum of $50. That was a lot of money to a 13 yr old, but I didn’t care….I remember happily shoving my ‘pot of gold’ over to my parents when the day finally came. We went to the house where the pups were being sold and there were so many to choose from. I wasn’t sure which one to take…which one to call my own. But then, wriggling away from the pack came one small little ‘runt’ of the litter. She simply came to me and curled up on my lap and that was that….She choose me! Many people have that experience you know…..because animals just know who they belong too…its an easy choice for them. My parents tried in vein to get me to choose a bigger more robust looking puppy, but I held firm! So Fluffy came home with me and saw me through all the joys and sorrows of my teenage yrs and beyond. She lived to be 19 and I know she had the best life ever. I look forward to the day when I can hold her in my arms again.
I’ve been blessed with many wonderful dogs who have ‘owned me’ throughout my life time. Currently their are two….Cosmo and Bell. They were actually the driving force behind our decision to live and travel in a fifth wheel. We have always had dogs and we always hated leaving them behind when we took trips. So it seemed logical to buy a house on wheels and simply take them with us. It was a good decision, although not without its problems. We never leave our dogs alone for more then 5 to 6 hours so that sometimes limits our sight seeing days. I always worry a bit when we are gone and always make sure our neighbors know we have dogs and how to reach us. All in all though….it has worked out well. Although both dogs are rather nervous travelers…they do seem to enjoy the adventure of a new place, with new smells, and new sights to see. They have learned to pee on grass, rocks, sand, and concrete without so much as a ‘lottie da’! Learned that in this home…the walls sometimes move and the floors can bounce!
Cosmo is 9 and Bell is 13….My husband recently asked me to make a promise to him. That when the furry babies have left this world and gone on to the Rainbow Bridge..that we remain dog-less for a time. There are things we would have liked to have done in our travels, but couldn’t because of our responsibilities to our pups. Neither dog has ever known a kennel or been left with anyone else and now is not the time to start. So, I reluctantly made that promise. After all, he has allowed me to bring all manner of furry things into our home….even climbed up a 25 foot tree to save a nest of baby squirrels whose mother never came back to care for them (that’s another story, for another day). Somehow though….I don’t think either of us will last very long without the pitter-patter of doggie feet in our lives…..cold noses pressed up against our necks….and big slobbery kisses lathered across our faces…..
Oh… how I love my babies!
Ohhhhh Debbie. What can I say? So with you, except on that ‘promise’…..glad I’m not in a position to have to compromise on something like that! My babies are my everything, too. Words cannot express how I am feeling with what’s going on in the household with Buddy these days. So, so sad. We, too, travel together and I pull a toy hauler to conduct many of my adventure trips. They love to travel and see new people and places with me. The only time they don’t go with is when I bring a group up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Then, one of their “aunts” stays with them. I am lucky to have a few great friends who can and will do that for me. But this summer, I’ve called everything off so I can spend more quality time at home with my sweet Buddy. They all seem to know what’s going on, and it breaks my heart. Just breaks my heart. The idea of a new boy seems so impossible and foreign right now, but it will happen. Maybe while Buddy is still with us, so the new kid can learn some of the old mans best hunting practices. That is, if he will share them….
I so feel your pain…and I’m so sorry, but Buddy is lucky to have you by his side….seeing him through. I had to say goodbye to more then one beloved furbaby, but I think the hardest was when I lost my first wire fox terrier….Mowgli. He was my boy…so sweet..so loving. We had him for 8 beautiful years and then lost him very suddenly to unexpected kidney failure. Even worse, I wasn’t there when he passed. He was at the vet’s office, they were giving him an IV trying to ‘jump start’ his kidneys. I had been with him the day before and wanted to take him home, but the vet said his numbers actually had improved slightly. So we decided to let him stay another night on the IV. I was just about to leave the house the next morning to head to the vet’s, when the phone call came….Mowgli was gone. They suspected he had thrown a blood clot which sometimes happens when they are pushing fluids. I was devastated….for days all I could do was cry. Thank God Cosmo came into my life a short time later. When I went to pick him up, the breeder handed him to me and I knew I had made the right decision. He was mine from that moment and so much like my sweet Mowgli boy…a lover…such a cuddle bug. Although no dog could ever take the place of my Mowgli…Cosmo eased the pain and helped me to heal. Mowgli’s life was short, but it was good….full of kisses and cuddles and squeaky toys, but most of all full of love. That’s what you hold onto….the love, the memories….God bless you both, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Hmm, now that sounds like a promise made to be, ahem, amended (if not actually broken). I don’t think I’d be able to live joyously without dogs. When we travel for more than a day, I go into dog withdrawl. I start coveting other people’s dogs. I start hoping that their dogs will completely disobey their people and rush to me, jumping wildly. A day without a dog feels thin and dry, whereas a day with a dog is rich with joy, and occasional unidentified smells. I know that whatever you do later on in your life, you’ll always have dogs nearby, whether your own or a friend’s, because the great recipe for happiness is to eat your vegetables, drink your water, and always have a great dog at your side.
Oh I so agree sweet Harmony! Life without a furry something or other would be quite dull and drab indeed.
I’m with you Debbie. Cannot possibly imagine life without a dog. Poppy our current one came to us three weeks after Oscar our golden retriever passed away. I was online looking at puppies on the SPCA website. How odd that I should want to “just check out” some that were at our local branch, eh? Ha! Once we saw her we had to have her. Lucky too – she was being sent to another branch the next day. Phewf. Anywho, she has enriched our lives immeasurably. I do understand your husband’s wishes to be dog free for a while and look forward to seeing how long it lasts … Tee hee! Hugs to Cosmo and Bell.
Wow….how ‘lucky’ was that….something tells me the ‘powers above’ might have had a little to do with that one!!
So cute!! As a child we always had dogs and cats around. When I had my daughter I made sure we had at least a cat. They always chose us too. When my daughter was 15 the cutest baby turtle shell cat came bouncing out of the bushes at a school she was at. There seemed to be no owner and no homes she could have come from around. Anna felt bad and took her home. We called her Libby. That was 18years ago. Although blind and very set in her ways, she can be a crabby pants if she’s not kept warm, she is so sweet. And then we have Matty. Another stray who chose us. He was starving when I found him. The vet said he’d never grow out of wanting food and true to form he never has. He weighs a hefty 28 lbs., and that’s good for him, even with special food. A little arthritic, but loves everyone. I think he’s just so grateful to people for being saved. I don’t have grandchildren yet, but I have the kids.:)
Ah….what lucky little kitties to have found you! We have grand-doggies…LOL! Both were rescues and your right…they are eternally grateful!
They are so cute. Look at those happy faces!
Completely understand about needing a 5th wheeler for your dogs. One of the reasons we bought our RV many years ago was for our Dobermans. We enjoyed spending time in AZ or the CA desert and, even in the spring or fall, and winter, it can get mighty warm in a car. So, with the RV, the dogs stretched out, with the AC on, while we trudged through swap meets, VW meets or just hiked. Dogs in comfort, us sweating away. LOL
As for being dogless, I have somehow become a cat mom, but we had that same idea of going for a bit without a cat. Well, two weeks into that and I thought we were doing pretty good, and, guess what. A Siamese shows up in the backyard. Her people had abandoned her! That was 14 years ago. She’s sleeping in my lap as I type this.
Yup! Dogs rule…we do the same for ours…cool and comfortable! Siamese cats are so very interesting to me and you really don’t see a lot of them..or at least I don’t. When I was in grade school, I remember a next door neighbor had a Siamese cat. She used to sit in the window and ‘talk’ to me when I was playing in the yard!
I don’t think I ever asked my parents for a dog. I just came home from summer camp to find that we now had one because I was old enough to help take care of it. We named him Prince. He was a black mutt, at least part spaniel. I liked him okay, but never really connected on a deep level. I have come to think that I am just not a pet person. (Indeed, I moved to the big city at least partially to get away from plants and animals!)
Nothing wrong with that Scott. I would much rather folks recognize that animals aren’t for them….then to have an animal and not truly understand and love them. I think Big Cities are exciting and I do enjoy visiting them…but I could never see myself living there. It’s our differences that make the world an interesting place to live!