It's a dog's life......:)

[justacowgirl]

For all you dog lovers out there.......I thought it might be fun to share a little about the most important people in our lives..........our dogs!!

Nothing can beat the friendship and companionship of a great dog. I have had many but none have been more important to me than the ones I have now. I was dx'd 1 year ago and they have been my lifeline.

Sherlock....ex-K-9. A Chocolate Lab that has become a bit tubby like his owner!

Watson..a young 110 lb GSD that is the sweetest boy on the block.

Lexi...A Standard Poodle who we call the "cow poodle" because she is all farm even when wearing her best bling!

Shortie...A Pembroke Welsh Corgi who thinks he is 5 feet tall.

Everyday I board and groom lots of dogs but these 4 are my "staff." They keep me happy and give me a reason to wake up every morning to their smiling faces.

Anyone out there love a dog?

j

[techie]

Lucy

The pure bred mix Adopted when she was 5. Born in 1999. Now 12 or 13.
And getting a little old and gray like both of us.
Sweetest thing on earth and most loving dog ever created! Never met a human she didn't like. She recently met a older male chi she really liked too.
techie

[fleetgirl]

Gracie

OMG! I was thinking of a thread like this cuz Gracie is something else. She helped me get through some of the worse moments and I was sure others had exceptional pets like her. We got her just a few months before all this happened and she was only 8 months old when I was dx'd.

She's a Yorkie and stopped growing at 2 lbs 8 ozs. When she starts sniffing my eyes, I know I'm gonna come into a bad patch. If its a headache, she lays on my face when I lay down. If I'm having walking issues, she walks on that side and it helps keep me from banging into the furniture because I try hard not to hit HER. ( When having the first major flare, my left leg would just swing out of control and I kicked her a couple of times. She would just lick my ankle like she knew I didn't do it on purpose...but I'd feel like a heel!!) If I'm having neck issues, she lays on my shoulders, wrapped around my neck in back. She just does these things....she always seems to know....

She keeps me moving!!! I LOVE THAT LITTLE GIRL!!

[Madeleinemom]

I LOVE dogs!

Both our dogs arrived before my d/x in 2007. Both have been invaluable compantions that help keep me going and brighten my days:

Esperanza - mostly Rottweiler. Came to us as a stray in 2002. Steadfast and my constant shadow. When I wobble, I have often steadied myself on that big head of hers.

Trusty - a probably purebred stray American Staffordshire Terrier, who joined us in early 2007. Athletic looking dog who majors in cuddling

[Toomnyhats]

Nothing can beat the friendship and companionship of a great dog.

Except the friendship & companionship of a great cat!

Seriously, I like dogs and would have one now but both of my cats are rescues who have been traumatized by dogs, so for their well-being I don't have one.

[lori s]

As you can tell from my pic, I am also a dog lover!

This is Bandit, she is a 9 yr old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and is our spoiled baby. All that is on her mind is chasing a ball and catching frisbies. She seems so human and has many emotions. I think she even knows that I have MS, as she will attempt to make me think that I forgot to feed her just to see if she might be able to get some more out of me. Love her bunches!

[justacowgirl]

MORE DOGS MORE DOGS!!!

Wow! What a bunch of great dogs we have. It is so incredible to me how they make our lives so much fuller. And as lori s said they can seem almost human and have so many emotions.

It is so interesting to me to meet dogs and to learn their personalities and to learn to speak to them.

Today was part of 4th of July weekend so we had a full house in the boarding kennel...puppy class and grooming! What a madhouse@!!!

Sparky 10...I am so glad you rescued Rosie..bless your heart You will be in heaven with her someday for that.

Techie..even when they are old and gray they become more dear, don't they?

Fleetgirl..I have known many Yorkies but Gracie sounds like my kinda dog. Amazing that something that little can be so important isnt' it? And so intuitive.

Madeleinemom...Both yours sound wonderful. LOVE their names. I love Staffordshires..they can be so wonderful.

Toomnyhats...start a cat thread! There are surely alot of cat lovers here.

lori s..aren't Pembrokes amazing? Mine is just over 1 and he continues to astound me....

Thanks you guys..you made my day.

j

[SNOOPY]

We have had several dogs through the years: White German Shepard, Lhasa Apso, 2 American Eskimos. They all hold a special place in my heart.

Unlike the dogs I mentioned above, Sadie is not a purebreed but a mix...half Lab and half Rhodesian Ridgeback (I think)...the lab part we are sure of.

I was volunteering at our local animal shelter when she came in, she was 6 months old.

She stole my heart from the moment I saw her. She saw me, picked up her toy and came to the kennal gate. I walked around to the other side of the kennel and she once again picked up the toy and brought it over to the gate.

When we brought her home she didn't know how to play...we had to teach her. She wasn't comfortable laying down and would not roll on her side...that has all changed

She is a wonderful dog and quite unique in her own way. She is very people and dog/cat friendly. When she needs to be boarded she goes where there is "play care" or another way to say it "doggie daycare."

[terie-tk]

My dogs

I have 2 rescues ....
a beautiful,playful, black lab mix 11yr old : AJ
He loves frisbee, tennis balls, kiddie pools ! ~ Always wants to play ....

a sweet, loving, loud howling beagle 10yr old : Buddy
He loves to eat and patrol his yard !

When someone starts the Cat thread. I'll tell you about my cats. (rescues also)

[rdmc]

We have Weimaraners. Both adopted, sort of.

The female is 10 and we raised her on a bottle from 2 days old. A friend of a friend's Weims had a very large litter and medical complications after the birth, so they needed folks to bottle feed the pups to keep them alive. We took her thinking we'd get her to eight weeks and then give her to someone, but those big blue eyes of a Weim pup had us "hooked." So she stayed, and is the queen around here. Unfortunately she's had Cushing's the last couple of years and is in pretty poor health but keeps up with her daily mile runs with my husband and still is addicted to stalking squirrels in our yard, so she has some quality of life.

Our other Weim we adopted from the local Humane society. I was looking for a dog for a friend who had recently lost her pet, and noticed they had an AKC Weim. Knowing the Weim temperament (they have to be near their people), I couldn't imagine a Weim in a kennel at the facility, so since I had happened on the ad the day they put it on the website, we went out the next morning and there's this beautiful large Weim. We had to bring our other dog out to make sure they were compatible, but that all transpired in a matter of hours. So we brought home a 2 year old Weim (he's 5 now) The Humane Society only charged us a minimal fee and we were amazed because for AKC animals they usually charge more. But they said people who didn't know about Weims would often return them, and by placing him with a family who already was familiar with the breed, it saved them a return of the animal.

Anyhoo, he's a sweetie. Very mellow...got turned in because he was a 90 lb dog in a family who had a 1 and 3 year old child...definitely not an ideal situation for this breed.

[justacowgirl]

RDMC I board a lovely weim and he is the love of my life when he is here. There is not a more stunning breed. You are so lucky to have 2.

terie-tk..sounds like your house is a bunch of fun! Thank you for resuing...(LOVE beagles)

Snoopy..thank you for rescuing too! It's funny how they pick us some time.

It is interesting to hear about all our dogs. And, the fact that alot of us rescue goes to show you that most dog people are true dog lovers.

My lab got injured Sunday so I am playing nurse. No more sticks!! He jabbed it down his throat and off to the vet we went!!

[Jules A]

Both mine are rescues and as I have said many times before I can not imagine living without my critters. They bring me joy like nothing else.

[twisterred]

Our dog is a rescue also and is wonderful!

Having a dog is good for me to get out of the house more and be more active, over all.
She is wonderful company and thanks to her barks, I know when any person or squirrel is in my yard.

Dogs are wonderful, but I don't kid myself.
They are not for everyone and certainly much more work than a cat (we have two rescue cats, also).

Great thread!!

[khris]

Lexi and Annie

Two katrina rescues. Both golden retriever mixes, one chow and the other, who knows. Adopted both at about 6 mos old. Annie, full grown teddy bear at 40 lbs. needed hip surgery when we got her from severe dysplasia, now runs like a freight train and is the most lovable dog. lexi, queen of the roost, doesn't really tolerate other dogs ( other than Annie) we think because she was a pup found on the streeets after the hurricane and probably had to compete for food. They are the best friends we could have, despite the six (teen) inches of fur we wade through to make the morning coffee

[Jules A]

Two katrina rescues. Both golden retriever mixes, one chow and the other, who knows. Adopted both at about 6 mos old. Annie, full grown teddy bear at 40 lbs. needed hip surgery when we got her from severe dysplasia, now runs like a freight train and is the most lovable dog. lexi, queen of the roost, doesn't really tolerate other dogs ( other than Annie) we think because she was a pup found on the streeets after the hurricane and probably had to compete for food. They are the best friends we could have, despite the six (teen) inches of fur we wade through to make the morning coffee

What a great story, thanks for sharing it with us! The animals of Katrina broke my heart more than anything about that tragedy.