My life with dogs.

I'm a dog lover. So when I saw this idea in another forum it started me reminiscing on 66 years of canine friends....

Blackie, Labrador retriever. We got him when I was 8 and Dad had to have him put to sleep when he killed the neighbors sheep
Princess, White German Shepherd. She had a litter of pups that we loved until Dad sold them. Princess was a great companion to my Brothers and me hiking the hills around home.
Humphrey, Pekinese. First dog of my own bought with my own money when I was 15. A ranch dog in a small package. I actually taught him to herd my sheep and pigs. He loved to wander and visit the neighbors and came home one day missing an eye with no explanation. When I was away at college he decided to move in with the neighbors.
Hubert, Humphrey's half brother Pekinese. The family got him as a pal for Humphrey.
Molly, Border Collie. From my friends litter. She was afraid to herd sheep and my Middle School English teacher adopted her when I went to college.
Sasha, Siberian Husky. She came as part of the package with my first wife. She was a great dog, even spoke English Scooby style. She said "Hewwo" and " I wuv wu". Lost custody in divorce and missed her more than the ex-wife.
Bumbo, Malamute. He wandered up the barn where I boarded horses one day, stayed for about two years and left without a goodbye.
Martina, Siberian Husky. I missed Sasha and found Martina in a "Free to good home" ad. Turned out she had been kept alone in a dark basement since puppyhood for over a year and had some severe problems, mostly seperation anxiety that caused her to howl the whole time I was away at work. I found her a family to adopt her where someone was always with her.
Linus, Labrador Retriever. Shortly after we were married, my wife came home with a little black lab pup. He followed us everwhere dragging his baby blanket, Hence the name. Linus was the perfect dog and the perfect big brother when our kids were small.
Buster, Labrador Retriever. A friend found Buster (Bubba) as a stray and brought him to us when she couldn't find the owner. Buster was Linus' best friend and a great protector of my family, We had to restrain him when the kids would swim or he'd swim out and "rescue" them dragging them back to shore.
Annie, Labrador Retriever. A customer asked me if I knew of a good home for his female lab and she became the third in our Lab trio. Annie came to work every day at our Feed and Pet Store and had so many admirers that when she and Buster had a litter we had a long waiting list of our regulars that wanted one of her pups. My wife once couldn't find our then 4 year old son or Annie and finally located them hiding in the kitchen pantry sharing a package of Oreos. Matt told her it was annie's idea.
Holly, Border Collie. Great sheepdog, Hiking and camping pal and best friend for 13 (too short) years.
Gonzo. Dachshund. The first in a series of Wienerdogs and the only one to be 100% house trained. He was a smart, sweet guy who's love of sleeping under the bed covers was complicated by his equal love of hunting skunks.
Large Marge, Border Collie. Holly's daughter and another good sheepherder and pal.
Alice, miniature dachshund. Sweet little girl with the heart of a Rottweiler.
Sally, Miniature dachshund. Another sweet little girl we got so the kids wouldn't argu over who got to sleep with Alice. Sally had a glass eye due to thinking she was tougher than an eighty pound dog but it never slowed her down.
Sadie, Bloodhound. Sweet big goof who died too young from a gastric torsion.
Daisy, Gordon Setter. One of our best dogs ever. She would climb our 6' chainlink gate and run the hills for miles all day (remember the setter in "Funny Farm"? then sit on my lap like a kid and watch tv at night. She would stand on point and watch lizards for hours.
Abby, Border Collie. Abby was a shelter pup that I brought home when I had the dog food contract at the city shelter. She was uninterested in herding sheep but loved running with me. She and I trained for many marathons together sometimes covering over 20 miles in an outing. Passed peacefully in her sleep at 13 years old.
Daphne, Bloodhound. Very sweet girl who unlike most Bloodhounds actually was very happy hanging around home. Sadly died of cancer at age 8.
Ellie Mae, Bloodhound. Adopted in a rescue situation as a friend for Daphne. All around good dog unless she was following a scent... then her ears stopped working. Also died of cancer a year after Daphne.
Bonnie, McNab. My current best girl (canine). Now 10 years old and gets a little stiff when we go running but still is my shadow whenever she's with me. She loves playing fetch and frisbee and if you start with her be ready to keep playing or hide.
Katana, Border Collie. Adopted as a rescue from a customer with a drug problem so she has some trust issues but is the smartest dog I've ever known. She remembers everyone's name once she is introduced and knows the correct name of each of her hundreds of dog toys. She's as obsessed with fetch and frisbee as Bonnie is and is pretty good a working sheep until she spots a tennis ball... then its over.
and finally...
Chet, Great Pyrenees. Chet is another rescue from a customer. He spent his first two year chained to a camper on an asphalt parking lot. He'a a 140 lb shaggy bunch of hugs and now spends his days on 14 acres napping, protecting the sheep, and chasing deer away from my bonsai.

Holy crap thats alot of dogs
I love dogs, they add so much and give so much to our lives.

Ive had a few.

Dogs of my childhood:
Chief. Adult male Britney Spaniel that we had for 2 weeks before my uncle accidentally hit him with the truck one day at our camp
Ranger. Britney spaniel pup we had 3 weeks before he ran out into the road in front of the house when we werent looking and got hit by a car.
That was it for dogs until I grew up and could have my own.

Dogs of my Adulthood
Indiana Dog, a.k.a Indy. He was named so because he was an adventure (Indiana Jones). Lab-Shepherd mix we got when he was 8-10 weeks old from the shelter. Rode all the way home asleep in my lap. He was my baby. He was so smart, I really wished he could talk, because I swear that dog had solved all the world's problems when he lay on the deck staring out the at the yard. He lived 14 years before we had to say goodbye. That was around 10 years ago and I still miss him so much.

Finor. Purebred black lab we adopted when he was 2 years old from a guy that was getting married and couldnt keep him because he and his new wife were moving into an apartment. He lived with us for 5 years before he died of cancer.

Fathom. Akita mix we adopted from a shelter as a pup. Great dog, very obedient. We could walk him off the leash and he would stay right near us. We had to put him down at the age of 5 because he got an aneurysm in his back and was paralyzed from his shoulders to his rear end.

Pirate. Lab Husky mix that is currently 9 years old. Adopted when he was one year old from the shelter. His name is appropriate because he likes to steal everything and play with it. Towels, socks, underwear, shirts, you name it; its all a toy to him.

Hawser. Mostly lab mix, currently 10 years old. Adopted when he was 1 year old from the shelter. Beautiful blonde hair. Knows hes gorgeous. Loves nothing more than to chase a ball at the beach. Has come a long way since we brought him home.

Kona. Purbred Chocolate Lab we adopted when he was 1 year old. Currently 5 years old. Was bought back to the shelter twice in one year. The last time, he had been out for only 3 days and was brought back for being "high energy and uncontrollable".... Well duh hes a 1 year old male lab puppy.....what the hell do you expect?! We werent looking for a 3rd dog as our normal quota is 2, but we felt he needed someone that understood him. So we brought him home and he is one of the sweetest, loveable dogs you could ever meet. Ill tell ya, he is really "wild, high energy and uncontrollable" when hes sleeping on my feet!

I dont think I will ever be able to live without having a dog. As I said, they add so much and give so much to our lives.

Cool thread idea. Let's see, we have had some really badly named dogs, and some rough experiences, but I have always been a dog lover too.

Corky: some mutt that my folks couldn't house-break. I think we had him when I was about 4, my aunt got him when I was about 5

Buffy: beautiful golden retriever we had when I was about 6. Then we had to trade her in for my baby sister.

Benji: an insane cocker spaniel we got when I was about 8. He used to get loose and bite people. He got quarantined several times, and when he bit my sister in the face, we got rid of him to some guys in a white van. They must have given him the heave-ho because we got a call from the sheriff's department that they found him in the next town over. So we got him back, until he bit another kid, then he went to a farm. I was the only one who could get near him.

My mom and step-dad had a dog named Lucky who got left chained to a fence during a thunderstorm and it got struck by lightning and killed the dog...I think. I had moved out by then.

I got Toby when I was 22; a rescue Doberman/shepherd mix. Best dog I ever had. We have tons of Toby stories; he understood complete sentences. He lived a long and good life and my wife and I had to put him down in December 2006 when he was 13; he had cancer.

Then we got Lazzie (Lapis Lazuli is her registered kennel name) in 2007, a beautiful blue mearle Aussie. She was sweet, but my step-dad accidentally hit her in the head with a 7-iron hitting tennis balls for her to fetch. She was never the same. We sent her to a real horse farm in Baton Rouge in 2015. We still hear from the new owner, she's a happy dog.

In 2014 my daughter got a Maltese named Emmett. He's 4 pounds of spoiled rotten. I started this post with him on my lap and got interrupted to take him out for the 300th time today. Now he's tearing up his favorite toy, an old slipper.

My profile picture says it all... I am a dog trainer and someday competitor. AKC obedience goals as well as IPO goals. Myth is my current dog, female German Shepherd. 2.5 years old. Before her, I had two Pit Bulls. I love dogs that run, jump , swim and think they can fly.

I brought home a Sheltie from school when I was in the 5th grade, because she was limping. I wrapped up her paw, which she promptly tore off. I named her Sheba. My dad was SO mad. He didn't like furry dogs, didn't want a female that would have pups, etc. We had a restaurant at the time and she was the best watch dog you could ask for. I guess she was spayed when she came to stay because she never had pups. Dad later said he bet she would have good puppies, lol. Carmel.My husband bought me a collie puppy for my birthday 6 months before we got married. I hid him in our shed the first night because I knew dad again (lol) didn't want another dog. Of course he cried all night and dad asked me "is that our dog?" He brought him home a cow leg bone from the butchershop twice as big as he was. When I got married he "missed the little shit". Carmel was the neighborhood darling, going on walks with our elderly neighbors during the day when we were at work. Everyone in our little town knew him. I worried when we had the kids that he would be jealous, but they sat on him and gave him regular dental exams, which he took like a champ. He disappeared when he was 13, never found out what happened to him. Sandy was a lab/shepherd mix from the pound. He was smart as a whip and played the outfield when my husband played ball with the kids. If I told him to go find the kids, he would circle them and try to herd them, lol. He loved to swim in the lake uptown, and would chase balls in that lake until he was exhausted. 3 years ago we had a really hot summer, and my husband saw him laying down. We put a wet blanket on him, and I sat with him for a couple hours, until he passed away. He was 13, and had terrible arthritis, so it was a blessing. Cosmo was the Pomeranian my daughter just had to have. First dog we ever paid for, and first indoor dog. I think he had some faulty genetics, as some of the toy breeds do. He was a pain in the ass one minute and adorable the next. But he loved my daughter. When she went away to college, he went crazy when she came home. He had a stroke when he was 9 and we were on vacation . My son frantically took him to the emergency pet hospital, but the vet said he should be put down. So, I loved all of our dogs, but with the two of us working full time, it wouldn't be fair to get another.

ArtistWolf said:

My profile picture says it all... I am a dog trainer and someday competitor. AKC obedience goals as well as IPO goals. Myth is my current dog, female German Shepherd. 2.5 years old. Before her, I had two Pit Bulls. I love dogs that run, jump , swim and think they can fly.

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Schutzhund?

Rusty. Cocker Spaniel that we had when I was a kid. He sounds a lot like Brian's cocker. He bit me in the face during high scool and passed away while I was away at college.

Sam was a Shephard mix that I adopted from the Blacksburg pound. He was a great dog but could be very protective so you had to watch him close around kids and strangers. I finally had to put him down at 13 years old.

Rocky Balboa was a pug/shar pei mix that was a lot of attitude in a small package. He got me through some tough times. He also lived 13 years until cancer got him.

Rosie was a pit bull mix that came with my wife. She was sweet with people but hated other dogs. She tried to kill Rocky Balboa about 3 times but he always came back swinging. We had to have her put down about a year before Rocky.

Cactus Jack was a Treeing Walker Coonhound that I adopted from the SPCA. He turned out to be a terrible breed for our lifestyle and I wish I would have researched a little better before adopting him. He ended up getting away from my wife on a walk one day and we never saw him again. He hit the woods on a scent and never turned back. We looked for days. I hope he found a good home.

Gus is a beagle mix and our current dog. He's another rescue that was badly mistreated. He has BBs lodged in several places under his skin where some one shot him. I dont understand people who would mistreat a dog. He came crate trained and house trained and is a good dog.

My first dog passed away not long ago - I'm finally at a good place where I would like to adopt another. He's in my avatar pic

The first dog I can remember was Lady, an older Scottish terrier who ended up with my family, when I was 4, after being re-homed twice before. I don't remember much of her other then that she would sink like a rock when she jumped in the neighbor's pool and my dad had to save her more then a few times.

There was Boris, a German/Belgian shepherd/wolf hybrid we got in July, '76' from a litter of dogs whelped down the street. He was tall, lean, jet black, looked like a wolf with floppy ears, and was named after Boris Badenov of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame... and the name fit well. He was a good family dog, but God help you if you weren't part of the family. He once attacked a horse being ridden on the beach while my older sister was dragged behind him, desperately holding on to the leash. If he ever got out of the house off leash, he was impossible to catch on foot. The only thing that worked was getting into the family car and driving around until he saw us, at which point he'd chase the car. We'd then dive to a standing body of water where he'd chase after rocks thrown into it...we'd be able to wade out and grab him then. During the infamous Blizzard of '78', where it snowed for 48 hours straight and the entire northeast was shutdown for a week, my folks just let him out at the height of the storm and he disappeared for an entire night into the driving snow... he came back about 12 hours later, exhausted and sooo happy! I found out he passed during my sophomore year in college and I cried like a baby.

Then there was Alphonse and Gaston, two teacup poodles from the same litter bred by my uncle. Great little dogs who loved humping each other under the dining room table, usually when there were guests. They both died too young, casualties of the busy road our property abutted.

Penny was a long coated Wheaton mix we adopted as a middle aged dog. She and mother instantly bonded. She died suddenly the day my father was discharged after a 2 week hospital stay after suffering a massive heart attack. I buried her on a hill in the woods behind my parent's house that night in a cold drizzle, sobbing along with my mother... 20 years ago and I still tear up every time I recount this story.

My first dog as an adult was one I adopted during my last year in Vet school. Mr. Bobo, a 120# 1 year old Bull Mastiff who I met briefly as he came through the emergency service, his left tibia in about 15 pieces after being hit by a van. Despite the severity of his injury, he was wagging his tail and acknowledging everyone who offered a hand to pet him. His owners couldn't afford the surgery he needed, so gave him up to the school. He ended up on my surgery service. I hadn't seen him since he was first admitted. He had just had external fixators placed surgically to stabilize the fracture, and I needed to give him a rather painful injection of medication. I found him lying down uncomfortably in the back of his run with a massive cast on his left rear leg. Mind you, he looked like the Hound of the Baskervilles, seemed quite unhappy now, and I wasn't sure how to approach him.... so I just sat down at the front of the run and looked at him. We stared at each other for a minute or two.... and then he slowly struggled to his feet, slowly limped toward the front until he was standing in front of me, all the time not taking his eyes off of mine... and then he laid down on top of me! (there I go tearing up again) He was mine after that. He ended up weighing a lean 140#, lived to be almost 14 years old, and was the most magnificent and wonderful dog ever. Despite having the body of a smallish African lion, he was friendly and well behaved. He did me the favor of crashing while I was travelling to GA and arranging the family move south... he was too old to make the trip and I was resolved to let him go before moving, and he saved me from having to do it. He will forever be that one dog you will compare the rest to... if there was a dog I would clone, it would be him.

When my wife and I got together, we had 17 animals between the two of us (she's a vet, too). Her biggest addition to the menagerie was Britta, a big and beautiful 110# rottie. You can probably imagine the looks I'd get stopped at a traffic light with Britta and Bobo sitting in the back of my VW GTI, the muffler almost dragging on the pavement. Again, another gentle giant though she didn't know it. She'd act like she wanted to kill the little old lady walking by the car, but if the lady were to get into the car, Britta would hide in the back and pee on herself. She died at 6, 2 days after I diagnosed her with a bone tumor in her shoulder. To this day, that was the most difficult euthanasia for me.

Norman the pug was rescued one night while at work. I did work with the New England pug rescue group and would routinely examine and vaccinate new rescues. Norman showed up to get his shots a week before Valentine's Day and a week after my wife told me she either wanted diamond earrings or a pug... the earrings were already in my sock drawer but I had kept the receipt. Norman was the mini me for Mr. Bobo, virtually identical except 120# lighter, and they became fast buddies. Norman is still with us, and is doing as well as a 13 year old pug can be, except he's stone deaf now.

6 months after moving, my wife decided she wanted a French Bulldog. I was barely working and money was super tight, but she persisted despite my misgivings. She found a 2 year old buff female named Stella at a rescue in Alabama and drove there to get her while I called her repeatedly on her cell and pleaded with her to reconsider. The day after she arrived, my wife left for a 10 day business trip and Stella came into heat. Did I mention that she was completely unhouse trained (probably having lived her entire life in a cage at a puppy mill didn't help).I tried to reduce the mess with diapers, but learned the hard way that doggie diapers require a tail longer then 1" to remain "fixed in place". Every morning, I'd awaken to her diaper being full of multi colored goo, and before I could safely corral her, she'd go springing down the hallway, scattering the diaper goo everywhere as the diaper slid down her rear legs. She's been a good dog, super friendly and affectionate and having never met a person she didn't like.... though she loves to eat her own poop, usually when it's warm...ugh! The last year has been tough for her, though. After a prolonged lameness, we were finally able to diagnose her with a malignant tumor under her shoulder blade that is not treatable with surgery and doesn't respond to chemo. She's getting palliative radiation right now but her lameness hasn't improved yet.... and she was just diagnosed with another malignancy last week, a high grade mast cell tumor, that luckily was diagnosed early and hopefully won't be an issue after it was removed a week ago.

Finally, we have Bob, a 3 year German Short Haired Pointer that was whelped from one of my client's dogs. He's the smartest, fastest, craziest and best looking dog I've ever owned. He's a frustrated chipmunk vanquisher and I can't imagine life without the 1 acre fenced in back yard that came with the house... when Bob's outside, he's either moving at about 25 mph or he's 2 feet off the ground... or sometimes both at the same time.

Cereberus was a great dane when I was small, he would stand on his hind legs and put his paws up on my shoulders and I would scratch his chest.

Guenevier was his friend, a lab puppy. I hit her in the head with a shovel. I was young and stupid and 30 years later the memory still wakes me up at night. She survived that to run off on moving day. We came back a couple times to look for her but we never found her.

Rebecca was a German shorthair who showed me how important it is, for you and for the dog, to get a dog one intensity notch below what you want to maintain.

Puck was my first dog of my own. He was a good dog. He was hard enough to make me feel like I had achieved something when I took him into town and he behaved perfectly, but easy enough that I could do it. He died in traffic and a piece of me went with him. I buried him on the edge of the field where I first taught him to come looking for me, under a wild patch of tigerlillies.

Echo was a long haired mini dachshund. I got him as an adult as a rabbit dog. He came to me fearful of children, loving and totally consumed with hunting down anything racoon sized or smaller. Utterly unhousebroken. He had the best intrinsic dog personality I have ever seen. We called him "the mayor" and he never met another dog he couldn't get along with. He sat on my wife's lap through a very difficult time in her life and listened to everything I wasn't ready to hear. He ended up, due to her awesome, patient, consistent care loving and seeking out attention from children and when we had kids he was perfect. He died on my dining room table at 15 with diabetes and wrecked kidneys. I sat on the floor with my wife and children and cried and cried. He never did learn to poop outside reliably. I will never have another Echo. He was one in a million and i miss him more than I can say.

Guy replaced Puck. I got him so I could have a dog with my kids and when i looked over and saw him just sitting there while Hugh pulled himself up by guy's cheeks I knew I had chosen well. He is a great dog for my children. I have video of my son walking him at 3 years old, on a slack leash. Guy would take a couple steps, look at me and wait for Hugh to catch up, then take a couple more steps. Never once pulled the leash tight. My daughter curls up and naps on his side and he won't get up until she wakes up.

Pip is my current rabbit dog and she is awesome. She will work a rabbit all day long. Shes fast enough to keep it moving, slow enough to bring it around over and over and smart enough to not be fooled twice. She listens and can be called off a rabbit but she is obsessed with trying to run off coyotes. It will get her killed. She has had 2 close calls already, one resulting in a broken back, a broken rib and 7 drains for puncture wounds. She loves my kids and puts up with their learning how to care for animals.

I cant imagine my life without dogs. Every one of them takes a piece of me when they go but somehow I'm still more for having them.

@M. Frary yes I have goals to compete in Schutzhund but have never titled a dog.

Freya Shar pei (check avatar)
My first dog and my best friend. She loves to sleep most of the day. Her favorite thing to do is go for car rides and chase the birds and deer from our backyard. She gets jealous of our other dog if I show her love.

Eva rescue don't know what she is
We got her from a local shelter. It was busy and not one person looked at her and I felt bad. She was a boring dog. She was scared all the time, then after a couple of days her personality came out and she is the biggest dork I have ever met. Always doing something that doesn't make sense and is always making us laugh. She grown on me a lot and I give her love whenever I can sneak it in before Freya puts a stop to it.

I have thoroughly enjoyed (and almost cried) reading this thread. I have my own dog stories to tell...

First family dog when we were kids was Suzy a Pekinese. She came from an elderly family friend who died. I remember my mom telling me when we had to put Suzy down, that she died because she ate flies...

Then there was Beauregard the Palmeranian. He came from a family down the street, because the guy was in the military and couldn't get along with the dog basically because the dog (General Beauregard) outranked him...He must have gone easy as I don't remember how he went.

Inky the flat coated retriever mutt mix was a pound christmas gift to me and my sister... Best Christmas EVER. Scared shitless of storms.

Then my first adult dog was a terrier collie mix I got at the pound. Went in to pick out a pup, and she was sitting at the back of the cage just looking everyone over. When I walked by she came to the front of the cage and sat down and gave me the look. That was it. She was the smartest dog I've ever known to this day.
Took her on the road when I was out on tours with rock and roll in the late 70's and 80's. All the acts fell in love with her, she was a great tennis ball dog. We were up all night one time building some speaker cabinets, and she wanted to play ball and kept bringing it over. Someone said to her to go play with the mice, and in about 5 minutes she dropped one at their feet... I had a shoulder bag that she'd jump in and we'd zip her in and no one ever knew she was in the hotel with us. Back before hotels were dog friendly. I rarely went anywhere without her. I think she was close to 20 when she went, hardest dog I've ever lost. Good old Brindle, someday hope to see her again.

All Aussies after that, had a set of three got them one year apart, they were a great pack. Never had to teach them anything, they taught each other. Sydney Cosby and Melbourne. Sydney had myasthenia gravis, that was a hard one to figure out, but I read something on the web about it in humans, and mentioned it to the vet. It had basically paralyzed his back half, and they thought it was nerve damage, or spinal injury. We did the test for MG, and it came back positive. One dose of the medication and in 4 hours he was back up and walking. Was like a miracle. My little velcro dog Cosby died first even though he was the youngest, he got spleen cancer. But the vet took it out and said he'd have 6 good months. (Actually 6 months almost to the day...) He had a great 6 months, and then just went down. He loved butter, so we let him have a tub of it right before the meds went in to take him. The other two went a year apart, Mel from cancer again, and Syd from the MG.

The two we have now (more aussies!) are so much fun, they're getting up there, 11 years now, but you'd never know it the way the crash each other. We got them a week apart from each other as we wanted to raise puppies together. Lots of trouble, but such fun! Beanie and Becker...

I love dogs more than people.

JudyB said:

Then my first adult dog was a terrier collie mix I got at the pound. Went in to pick out a pup, and she was sitting at the back of the cage just looking everyone over. When I walked by she came to the front of the cage and sat down and gave me the look. That was it.

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Ha, I forgot, that's how my Toby picked me too. My wife said it was the last time she saw him sit for the next 2 years!

JudyB said:

I love dogs more than people.

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Me too most of the time.

ArtistWolf said:

@M. Frary yes I have goals to compete in Schutzhund but have never titled a dog.

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I would love to also.
There aren't even any formal trainers or classes near me.
So Rupert and I kind of wing it.
He loves to learn anything.

I was going to post all of my dogs I've had as my friends but I can't.
It hurts.

I just see a lot of sadness there as your friends come and leave this world.