Posted on 02/11/2005 9:33:20 AM PST by TXBSAFH
As for myself and Mrs. TXBSAFH we have a retirer racing Greyhound named Patti. As sweet lazy 40 mph couch potato, I mean if the dog got any calmer it would involve a taxidermist.
We felt the need for speed.
Two Austrailian Cattle Dogs (Blue Heelers)
One is a pup 16 weeks old and the other is 12 years old. Best dogs I've ever owned.
Faithful to a fault,
Never a coarse word,
More obedient than Mrs. Rightly Biased (ouch).
Shag was recently diagnosed with a slow thyroid (which to me explains a lot when it comes to his weight) and put on meds, here's hoping that helps. The shortest we've had a Dobie live was 4 yrs, but she was a blue and they're known to have more health issues than your more 'standard' black and tan Dobies. The longest we've had a Dobie live was 11 yrs.
My golden is a regale dog with all the spit and polish of his breed. He is a natural retriever and I can exercise him every night just by going into my sizeable back yard and throwing the ball.
My westie is a noble creature who will not lower himself to retrieving the ball in the back yard but will insist on me digging the ball out from under the bureau so he can retrieve it indoors, which he will do for extended periods.
My Cairn. Now there is an enigma. Such a dog has seldom been seen. He is incredibly the retriever, well, he runs to the ball and plops down in the yard, hardly bringing it back. He will be absolutely terrified if I should put something like a shovel on the deck, he'll bark and chase at it, but the most amazing thing about this dog is that he is terrified of his food bowl. He sneaks up on it and even that doesn't get him fed. I often have to scoop a handful of food out of the bowl onto the kitchen floor.
Grand...another basset hound lover...all my life, from I guess birth on, I have always been surrounded by dogs...my parents had the usual groupings of mutts, and we loved them all...then they got a cocker spaniel, Jingles...I was 8 when we got him, and I was 21 when he died...it broke my heart, to know that my greatest pal, while I was growing up, was my dear Jingles...I was so broken up when he died, I could not go to work for a few days and even when I did return, one could still find me doing my work, my face dripping with tears...
And then, a few weeks later, I came home from work, and mom said, go into the kitchen, and see what is there....and there was the sweetest, cutest, most adorable basset hound...we called him 'Jones', and he stole my heart, and put my tears for Jingles at bay....
Jones was so laid back, and so sweet...when I got married and moved away, a few years later, I always made sure I got home once a week to see mom and dad...but almost more than seeing mom and dad, I wanted to see my old pal Jones...when I had a baby, and brought him to mom and dads, old Jones, would take up residence under the crib, and guard 'his' baby, for that is how he acted...he watched and guarded that baby with every inch of himself...that was my first son, and its hard to find a pic of him, when at mom and dads, unless Jones was right by his side...
A few years later, on a visit, Jones was acting very strangely around me...no one could figure it out...then mom asked me if I might be pregnant again, as sometimes doggies do sense such things...I replied "no", as I did not at the time believe I was pregnant...however, a few weeks later, I gave mom a call to inform her that Jones, had indeed been correct, I was indeed pregnant...Jones and the good Lord, knew I was pregnant before anyone...
Jones lived a very long life, 13yrs, and finally his tired body gave out and he died...mom and dad were heartbroken, but immediately bought another basset hound, "Bridgeport"...he was quite the character, but got cancer, and lived only 3-4 yrs....
Then came the third basset, Miss Helga..she was the oddest, sweetest, most loveable dog I have ever known...when she was just 4, dad got cancer and died within a few months...mom already had Alzheimers, and was unable to care for herself, so we moved her in with me and the hubby and our two boys...Helga, sensing that mom and dad could not care for her any longer, bonded with me...she was my sweet baby...tho as long as mom was sick, Helga would lie under her hospital bed set up in our home, and offer her sweetness and concern to mom...occasionally she would get into bed with mom, as if to comfort her...
After a few years mom died, but our dear Helga stayed with us and our menagerie of cats, and rats, and other dogs...she loved all the other animals, and they loved her...one by one, the boys left(as children do), the other animals died, and my hubby and I were left with just Helga..she was the absolute joy of our lives...she was a sweet, chunky, stumpy, velvet eared, wrinkled, baying, singing basset hound, who made us think that God was laughing and grinning when he created such a funny looking, clownish, loving dog, as the basset hound...
Helga died a few years ago, and again, our hearts were broken...but we have a little cemetary in the back yard, where all our deceased pets are buried..for each of the pets, my hubby builds a little coffin, and we wrap the pet in his favorite blankie, and wrap his paws around a favorite toy...and then we bury them out back...Helga is buried with all her 'friends', under the big tree where she loved to sleep in the grass in the warm weather...
Dogs....a grand gift from God...
Nope, still an X....I guess I just suck.
Becky
Cool pet snow pix! What part of the country are they coming from? We lost all (or most of ours) in the twin city area of MN just this week.
What is she?! Besides pretty?
3 Pugs...black female, Cutie....2 fawn males, Butch and Petie..they travel in packs and sleep in a pile...
You can tell he/she just HATES the snow (kidding!)
Sorry He(scratch)/She just saw the "girl" reference above the pix
Fabulous photos!!!
She's a Michigan dog. :) Tne snow photos were from four years ago when we had almost six feet of snow between Thanksgiving and the end of January. She just loves the snow! Hardly any for her this year.
She is a Belgian Shepherd, and the most intelligent dog I've ever had. It scares me sometimes because I swear I can see her thinking and processing what I say.
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