It was all so predictable...

[rayinpenn]

The cold seemed to be intensified by the snow squall; the large flakes filled the air, and were coming down sideways. When I pulled up to the curb there was my future father-in-law under dressed in what looked like a lettermen's jacket, walking their snauzer Brandy. No gloves - he never wore them. I don't think the guy owned a proper winter coat. It was as if a guy from Florida couldn't understand the need for them. He looked cold and I felt cold looking at him. The vision of him walking that dog in the windy, cold, snowy day stayed with me ever since. I told myself no dogs for me.

It happened to me like it has happened to dads for ever; the kids wanted a dog and I wanted to move. A deal was struck if we moved there would be a pool and a dog. We moved and there was a pool but I was always was able to delay that dog. Then the inevitable showdown came "You promised" and I was done - it was I triple dog dare of fatherhood and I had no choice. Left to their own devices the Mrs and the kids would have went with one of the fru fru breeds. That wasn't going to happen so I stepped in and we compromised and settled on a labradoodle that we found online -supposedly low shedders. We drove to Lancaster to an Amish farm where the farmer slid open the barn door and put the light on his buggy on to illuminate some very large white puppies blocked in by hay bales. How to choose? I thought take the one that comes out the furthest. Which is exactly what we did 11 years ago.

I won't belabor their promises to care for the mutt or my pointing out how dogs limit travel because you know how that went. I have to call when we are away for more then three or four hours have you walked the dog?

Dusty is asleep on the couch next to me snoring (louder lately) 70lbs of white fur. We will be going for her evening walk after some time after 9. When we come back in I'll refill her water bowl because if I don't she'll wake me at 4AM. Some where in the past 10 years she learned to bang on an empty bowl. She'll stay down with the Mrs for a little while then I'll hear her come into our room and she'll find her bed and make a ruckus settling in. Some time after 5:30 AM I'll hear her collar ringing in the hall when she starts shaking her head. Time to get up old man. I'll go down and make my coffee and be lucky to get a few swallows before she comes down looking for her morning scratch and a walk.

I guess kids always get their parents dogs...I think I knew that.

 

[HadEnuff]

I lost my old pal about 18 months ago. Still miss her, at times, but have resisted the urge to get a new dog. The reality is that a dog would fit nicely into about 40% if my life, and for the rest of it either I would be inconvenienced to some degree, or the dog would not be getting all of the attention he/she deserved.
But they are great pals, great companions, and truly, IMO a gift from God to humanity.

 

[Luck_Club]

great story.

 

[RobbieB]

When I was 5 Pops got me a dog. Ma didn't want no dogs, they shed, were messy, destroyed stuff...

But I was an only child and Pops thought I should have a dog. So we did.

When that dog died it was Ma that drove to the city pound not Pops. Me and Ma. And we brought home our second dog.

I was at school and Pops was at work and Ma was home with the dog. And where do dogs like to be? Yeah, close to you. And when they're not there anymore it leaves a big hole. That needs to be filled.

It's been a long string of dogs for me and I don't see it ending anytime soon. The pain of losing them is great but the pain of not having one is worse.

I've lived with dogs since I was 5 and me thinks I'm be living with dogs till I die.

 

[rayinpenn]

I've lived with dogs since I was 5 and me thinks I'm be living with dogs till I die.

I think that's a great idea...

 

[38Chevy454]

Thanks for the great story Ray. We have three dogs at the moment, I don't see our lives ever without 1 or more dogs. All of our dogs are 50-85 lbs currently, we are bigger dog people.

 

[broadway]

We drove to Lancaster to an Amish farm where the farmer slid open the barn door and put the light on his buggy on to illuminate some very large white puppies blocked in by hay bales.

The Amish run many of the puppy mills. They are notorious for that and then abandoning the females when are no longer of use. Not my favorite people.

I've lived with dogs since I was 5 and me thinks I'm be living with dogs till I die.

Just make sure you know someone who will take the dog when you die.
In just the 2.5 years I have been volunteering at the no-kill rescue, I have seen more than what I want to see with dogs whose humans died or went to a nursing home, but no family member would take the dog. The lucky ones end up at our rescue. The unlucky ones end up at high-kill shelter.

 

[RobbieB]

Present girlfriend is 10 years younger than me -

 

[harley]

Just make sure you know someone who will take the dog when you die. In just the 2.5 years I have been volunteering at the no-kill rescue, I have seen more than what I want to see with dogs whose humans died or went to a nursing home, but no family member would take the dog. The lucky ones end up at our rescue. The unlucky ones end up at high-kill shelter.

I've already informed DW that like the Egyptian emperors of old, I expect to have her and my dogs buried alive with me. She said she'd be sure to take care of that for me.

 

[Ticker]

fearful of the same situation, I required my daughter to sign a contract prior to getting the dog. She would be the ultimate responsible teenager, taking care of all of the dog's needs, leaving me to go about my business at home. it lasted 6 months. by then, I too was trapped by my affection for the animal, and she remained with us for 14 years, long after my daughter had moved out. although we have sworn off animals from here on out, we miss her terribly. my daughter, meantime, has 2 daughters and one full time dog and one part time dog that they sit for.

 

[Choices]

I, too will always have dogs. Perhaps the next two will not be as big as the current ones. At 72 and 95 lbs, they can be hard to handle at the end of a leash. Can't imagine life without my dogs!
The cutie that is my avatar is a little girl, about 72 lbs!

 

[target2019]

Spouse brought home a puppy once. Someone talked her into it while riding the Frankford El. Son had allergic attack, and I'm not sure where the pup went.

Daughter wanted a pup for 25 years. Went to Lancaster and brought home a Cavapoo. Pup got me through long layoffs, lots of walks, and many hours in the recliner.

They've moved on. See them both once or twice a month.

I don't miss the walks, but have put on weight.

Here she is, in the recliner next to me. One of her favorite spots. Mine too.

 

[MRG]

We have two smaller dogs. Great companions, we walked a couple of miles today. We've been fortunate to have a few great dogs.

Years ago DW came home intoxicated, her girlfriend dropped her off. She had a baby pot bellied pig with her. I let her take it to bed as it was easier than arguing with a drunk.

The next morning at daybreak that piglet was in my DW'S face. Ugh, ugh and rooting the sheets. The look on her face was totally amazed as the pig was looking directly in her eyes from 12" away. She was kinda hung over from the night before and the pig in the face was an excellent reminder.

The pig lived with us for several years. A brilliant creature, house broken and very attentive. A lap pig, loved to be scratched, her squeal never to be ignored.

She could make DW go absolutely nutty begging for food. That pig could make DW bat sht crazy in three minutes. It generally takes me fifteen.

We eventually re-homed her with our dog groomer. She and the pig were very happy.

I'm glad I lived with a pig, they're pretty smart.

 

[Scrapr]

Boy a house is not a home without a Golden

Virtually our whole married life we have had a Golden. First Buster, who was my pal right beside me as I started my business. That dog could sniff out a 3 day old taco under a pile of lumber. We lost Buster on his 15.5 birthday. We went over a year without a dog. It was awful

Finally picked up a rescue from a Golden rescue outfit. Then we fostered Goldens for them. Which led to our 2nd Golden..a failed foster is what they call it. He's Momma's boy. I'll call him..nada. Mommy calls him and he's right there.

So our routine is i get out around 6:00-7:00 am and walk all of us over to the park. Race home and get breakfast. Then I read the paper online and we settle in with a cup of coffee. Then if I'm not fast enough getting my bagel they wander over and start barking.

We are going on a 3 week trip. I had to say goodbye to them this am. Mrs Scrapr says no more dogs after these 2. I'm not sure I can do that

 

[Hermit]

Everyone tells me I need a dog. I don't need no stinking dog!

 

[Hermit]

OK. For the rest of the story.

DS had asthma really bad when he was small, so it didn't look like a dog for the kids. Then on a trip across Eastern Utah, we stopped at a barren roadside stop and a puppy about 5 inches long crawled out from the only bush around. We had her until she was almost 18. Did the "kids and Mom will care for her" thing. That meant I cleaned up after her and took her for walks for about 18 years. She died about 3 years ago. Haven't relented to everyone trying to get me another dog yet!

 

[Scrapr]

OK. For the rest of the story.

DS had asthma really bad when he was small, so it didn't look like a dog for the kids. Then on a trip across Eastern Utah, we stopped at a barren roadside stop and a puppy about 5 inches long crawled out from the only bush around. We had her until she was almost 18. Did the "kids and Mom will care for her" thing. That meant I cleaned up after her and took her for walks for about 18 years. She died about 3 years ago. Haven't relented to everyone trying to get me another dog yet!

but Hermit...They're so CUTE!!!!

 

[AllDone]

My mom said that my first spoken words as a baby were "I want a dog," but she didn't like dogs, so it took me until I was 14 or 15 to wear her down. We finally got one and a couple of years later, when I went off to college, I wanted to take my dog, but my mom said "no" and told me to get my own dog. Neither one of us has been without a dog since.

Our older girl had the dreaded bloat this last weekend. We spent a very non-LBYM amount of money at the emergency vet and didn't think about it twice. She's doing fine after surgery.

 

[akck]

We started our marriage with a dog (hers a terripoo), and after a few kids, we added a GSD. We went for a month without, before getting another GSD (was in the works before we lost the second). A couple of years later, we added a Bichon Friese and then our Golden Retriever. We rescued an older GSD, so at our height, we had 4 dogs for about a year and a half. Then we lost one each year over 3 years, which was hard to take.

Our Golden tried her best to be everybody's dog while she was alone, doing her best to fill in the voids. Her biggest bond was with our youngest, as she would jump up and give him a hug every time he returned from college. A couple of months after we lost the last, another GSD was rescued. He was an escape artist and I spent 2-3 years escape-proofing our backyard (he liked to say hi to other dogs and occasionally tree a bear).

Last July, we lost our Golden to heart failure. Our away kids came home to say goodbye, as she was a very special loving dog (probably all Goldens are). So now, we're down to our last GSD, who hasn't adjusted to being an only dog. Unfortunately, his time is short as he's come down with Degenerative Myelopathy, probably won't see 2018.

Once our last GSD is gone, we'll likely go without for a few years to make longer travel easier. I do see us getting another Golden at some point, plus a smaller dog for the wife. As others have said, a dog makes a home. I hope we'll be able to survive those few years of travel.

 

[audreyh1]

We really enjoy being pet free. I love cats, but my prior cat, who lived to 21, did make spontaneous travel difficult, and we felt bad about leaving her in her old age when we started traveling more. So when she passed, we decided no more.

Most of our Winter Texan neighbors have dogs. They travel by car or RV and take their pets with them when they go, whether it's touring for the summer or returning to their "regular" home. I guess flying off for two weeks in Hawaii is not so easy unless they are willing to put their pets somewhere and I get the impression that most don't take those kinds of trips.

Maybe a lot of them took to RVing in the first place so they could more easily travel with their pets......

 

[rayinpenn]

fearful of the same situation, I required my daughter to sign a contract prior to getting the dog.

Contract? Nice concept. still what fools We mortals be.

Even though my son occasionally will walk the dog I rarely ask him to. It's just easier to walk her myself.

 

[EastWest Gal]

This thread warms my heart, so I'm telling our pet story. It's a bit long.

We are cat people. DH had a cat growing up. Greta lived to be 17, so he never really knew a home without a cat. As a kid, I had two, both only living 6-7 years due to illness. We adopted the second one when I was 10 and he quickly became my companion and my responsibility. My dad grew up on a farm and cats were never indoors pets but instead were barn animals who controlled rodents. My parents would let him out at night. There was a small creek a block from our house and he would come back in the morning with muddy paws which I had to towel off before he came inside. On weekends and in the summer he and I would walk to the creek together. I could literally walk my cat. We could walk down the street, cross a small court and go down to the creek and walk beside it. It was our secret patch of wilderness. He would never let me out of his sight. He would start meowing if he couldn't see me. He got leukemia when I was 16. I graduated high school and that summer I took college English. My family went away for a week and left me behind with our sick cat. The vet had tried medication but there wasn't much we could do. I went to class but otherwise stayed home and studied and sat with him. I carried him everywhere-to the litter box, to his food, to bed. It broke my heart. My family just didn't seem to care. After they got back it was clear he was suffering too much and we made that final trip to the vet.

When my husband and I were married only two years, we adopted a tiny black female kitten named Isis. She howled like crazy every morning when I went to work. Given that I worked 80 hours a week and my husband worked in a lounge band 5 nights a week, mornings were rough on him. She was a master climber and jumper. We lived in a second floor apartment way off the street. We let her on the balcony in the mornings and we hung out with her outside on a grassy patch with small trees next to the building. When she was about 4 months old she decided to climb the wall next to the balcony. I looked up to see her clinging to the concrete wall then drop to the rocks below. I ran out to find her exploring as if nothing had happened.

She was a real jumper. She would jump for a string held five feet in the air. In another off street place we lived when she was 3, she would jump on the roof from the blacking, walk to the apartment next to ours, then jump to that balcony, then jump horizontally about 10 feet to a large tree and climb to the ground where she joined a neighbor cat playmate. We learned we could take her outside and she wouldn't stray at all. She would climb trees by taking a running start and leaping, grabbing the trunk 3 to 5 feet up. Twice she tried that with a metal lamp post. Watching her slide down with claws scraping the metal was hysterical. It looked like something out of a comic strip. The sheepish look she got when we busted out laughing was precious.

She became an indoor cat at age 8 when we bought our townhouse and had our son. She tolerated our move across the country and lived 20 years. She liked to sleep in dark corners and her favorite place was under the covers behind my knees. I won't have another pet until our traveling days wind down, maybe not then. My husband, who lived with cats his entire life, is allergic to them. DS had a severe allergic reaction to milk when he was little. He was tested and was found only to have allergy to milk and cats.

 

[Mdlerth]

We owe it all to our pooches

I will always have dogs. If not for dogs, there would be no beer.

My forays into home brewing showed me that beer appeared about the same time as the earliest permanent human settlements.

Anthropologists have suggested that the domestication of dogs is what created civilization. Primeval man's transition from hunter-gatherer to the first agrarian society was sparked when he didn't have to chase after migratory animals; one or two shepherds with a few dogs could manage herds of livestock to produce food and skins more effectively than an entire nomadic tribe on the hunt. Once he could settle in one place long enough to plant and harvest crops, it wasn't long before man learned about architecture, writing, mathematics, and of course, fermentation. Voila! - beer.

Let us raise a malty toast to the noble canine, man's partner species!

 

[2017ish]

We really enjoy being pet free. I love cats, but my prior cat, who lived to 21, did make spontaneous travel difficult, and we felt bad about leaving her in her old age when we started traveling more. So when she passed, we decided no more.

...

As much as I enjoy animals, especially dogs, this fits us to a "T." DW's last cat died about 4 years ago; boys were at college or beyond, and we were envisioning lengthy blocks of travel in our future. Thus, no cats or dogs for the foreseeable future. Wouldn't be fair to the animals and would be a major addition to our departure checklist/preparation...

Do enjoy the stories on this thread though.

 

[frayne]

great story.

+1