I Want A Puppy For Christmas!

Flyer and Gilligan ^ | December 13, 2001 | From the heart

[Flyer]

I want a puppy for Christmas!

Okay, I don't really want a puppy for Christmas. Yes, I do want a puppy, but not quite yet. My last three dogs have come into my life as adults. I haven't had the joy (and aggravation) of raising a puppy since 1986.

I had four dogs until just a couple of years ago.I had to put one to sleep due to trauma injuries, and another that was old with failing health. A third I put to sleep just about six weeks ago. She had severe spondylosis, but lived 3 - 4 years longer than the vets had expected. I cherished every extra day we had together.

I have mentioned here before that I used to work with dogs (and cats), up until a year ago. I worked at an animal shelter for 3 years, a veterinarian for 6 years and 2 years at a first class boarding kennel. During those eleven years I touched the lives of about 10,000 different dogs. That's not an exaggeration. I crossed paths with about 100,000 dogs, but I'm just counting ones I, in some way,  have touched their lives. (yes, much of this was from the work at the shelter. We took in 35 - 40,000 animals a year) Of the ten thousand there were probably 500 that I knew very well from seeing them over and over at the vet and the boarding kennel. I loved them as my own dogs and they loved me as their own 'person'.

My new puppy will be a Golden Retriever named Re-Boot, in hopes of filling the shoes (paws?) of the Golden I recently lost. My remaining dog is a Golden and yes, they are my favorite breed. There any many other breeds I like, though. Border Collies are very smart and I will probably have one some day. Corgi's have taken a piece of my heart, too. I will probably never own a Standard Poodle but they are very fun dogs once you get to know them. Over the years it was quite an experience spotting the common traits in the different breeds.

I want a puppy for Christmas. So why don't I get one?? Raising a puppy properly requires time and money. The time I have now. The money - I don't. So I will wait. My puppy will be there when I am ready. (and please reconsider if you are thinking of giving a pet as a Christmas gift - but that's a chapter in itself)

So why am I posting this frivolous little story? Because I hope to get the attention of all of you that read these animal threads and ask a favor of you. Lately Tabitha Soren   has been a pest on these innocent, "G" rated animal threads. I want to ask you to join me and just ignore her and not give her the dignity of a reply. I know, she gets us all PO'ed, but if we just ignore her she will lose the satisfaction of the attention she gets, and she won't have replies to reply to.

BTW. . . post your pet stories here and we won't let this warm and fuzzy thread get hijacked!

 

Merry Christmas,

Flyer and Gilligan

[FairWitness]

Cats are cuddly; dogs are drooly.

[Jefferson Adams]

The second year we put it up my husband got a big pump water gun and squirted them the first time they jumped on it. They had no idea what hit them and never got in the tree again.

LOL - back in the days when I had to wear spiffy shirts and ties, I had to iron those pups. And the cats liked to jump up on the ironing board when I was ironing. I took to laying a battery powered full-auto (with sound) UZI squirt-gun on the ironing board. Looked way cool, and kept the cats off to boot!

[Revolting cat!]

A propos. Did I ever tell you about a neighbour of mine who has an old Golden whom he says he had sent to an obedience school at the tune of $2000? The dog does indeed appear well trained and responsive - the guy walks him without a leash. But I did see him once run across the screet to meet two buddies, my mutt being one of them, and not respond to commands.

[Jefferson Adams]

No, no, not as a hat....cover the table top with tinfoil. Did that with my cats when they kept getting up there. They hated the stuff.

Strips of sticky-side-up masking tape on the table will work wonders too. Plus, it's hysterical to watch :)

[Flyer]

Oh, I'm laughing! (otherwise known as ROTFLMAO!)

[HairOfTheDog]

Golden Retrievers are good "Out of the box" no one needs to spend $2000 to train it! I hope I am around when the next one of his dogs needs trained.

[apackof2]

Shadow is worth every penny of it.

Amen to that SAM

My Maddie is too
She is a Lab/Chow
Looks more like a Lab but a beautiful red Chow color.
I got her at twelve weeks from the Humane Society and she is just the best dog!
Very smart, amazing hunter, excellant guard dog.
She will swim across the river in the winter for a deer!
And she has learned to judge time because she always comes back from her hunting
in a reasonable period of time so I just continue my walk!
If we happen to miss one another ,she just goes back to the car and lays down to wait for me!

[Jefferson Adams]

If you scotchguard your pets, they won't get dirty in the first place. Remember though, two light coats are better than one heavy coat.

LOL!!! And always wash them on the Gentle Cycle - hang to dry.

[Jefferson Adams]

POST 179!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Flyer]

But I did see him once run across the screet to meet two buddies

I learned the hard way to never trust even the best trained dog to be off leash in public.

[HairOfTheDog]

Maybe your dog is one of these!! (dug through my old email)

Collie + Lhasa Apso = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport
Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter, the traditional Christmas pet
Great Pyrenees + Dachshound = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed
Pekinese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso, an abstract dog
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel = Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists
Newfoundland + Basset Hound = Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes
Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly
Malamute + Pointer = Moot Point, a dog that, oh well, it doesn't matter
Collie + Malamute = Commute, a dog that travels to work
Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere, a dog that's true to the end
Bull Terrier + Shitzu = Maybe we shouldn't go there!

[apackof2]

Oh my I can smell the puppy breath, how adorable!

[PoorRider]

The best place to find a dog or cat is at your local animal shelter or human society. I have five dogs now, four of them I found at the shelter or were on the way there. I would not trade them for anything. These animals need a home and will show their appreciation through their love

Here, here! Having adopted a one year old beagle this summer, I concur. Every day he enriches my life, and when people tell me "Oh, you saved him" I correct them: "no, he saved me." He shows his love and appreciation every day.

Rescue pets are the best and there are so many of them out there looking for homes and people who they can love. Both cats AND dogs. (I've got both and they live well together, after some weeks of inital sparring)

Bless you for choosing rescue/shelter pets!

[HiTech RedNeck]

I'll beat that one, Tabitha: $1100 for radioiodine for a cat. (It beats the cost of pills for 3 years. Methimazole must be made out of gold or something.)

[HairOfTheDog]

It is on my webpage if you would like to use it whenever "she" comes around....;~)

[apackof2]

Great big fat dog loving bump!

Recollect that the "Almighty, who gave the dog to be companion
of our pleasures and our toils, hath invested him with a nature noble and incapable of deceit."

[HairOfTheDog]

It is on my webpage if you would like to use it whenever "she" comes around....;~)

[Flyer]

Golden Retrievers are good "Out of the box"

I wanted to say that but didn't want to sound like I was sticking up for my favorite. That said, I must add I have met a few Goldens that didn't come out of the mold just right. Probably due to bad breeding.

[BornOnTheFourth]

I'm sorry for the loss of your dog. It is truly heartbreaking.

I have a gorgeous six month old chocolate lab who is too fun. Labs are wonderful! My daughter's yellow lab sleeps with her every night and she can't sleep until he's with her.

This photo isn't of my lab, but Mac looks JUST like this labby: (note to self: get scanner)