The animals give their affection unconditionally, and they are less judgemental thread

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by punch it in

Damn im sorry to hear that. They are in a better place now. You did everything you could. Again, sorry for your loss.

It was a bad year for fish rescue. Seems everyone we tried to save from drowning died within hours. I guess we just got ther a little too late.

[punch it in]

^^^

[RedskinRat]

Teamwork! They have the beast pinned and helpless!

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by mredskins

Well and it is everyone's own personally choice but you have a family with kids. I can't see justifying spending $25k on my dog that could have gone to my human family members.

Also I see people spend tons to keep a animal alive and in all honest the animal be better off dead. They are just delaying their own pain.

Actually, that 25k was spent on many of the......50 or so residents of the Shy Wolf Sanctuary who required medical attention during the course of the year. We received two residents who had been shot and needed emergency medical attention, two that had cancer related surgeries, One of the Panthers had several medical procedures to correct Urinary probs....and many more I cannot remember.
AND...it's all about quality of life. Not...existence.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Hog1

Actually, that 25k was spent on many of the......50 or so residents of the Shy Wolf Sanctuary who required medical attention during the course of the year. We received two residents who had been shot and needed emergency medical attention, two that had cancer related surgeries, One of the Panthers had several medical procedures to correct Urinary probs....and many more I cannot remember.
AND...it's all about quality of life. Not...existence.

So that is a bit different then someone saving a domestic pet. I have literally seen folks spend that kind of money on a domestic cat/dog. Even if I thought about it in the life span of my two dogs , ten years old each, i probably have dropped $12 - $15k on them.

We always joke that the mutt dog finds something that is expensive to treat yet it is inhumane to put him down over it.

IT really is not the pet owners to blame as much as the money hungry vets. We had a vet literally tell us we needed to have ACL surgery on my dog at the tune of $4k took him for a second opinion and the other Vet said dog has hip issues let him rest and give him joint meds. 6 weeks later he was back to his old self.

I should have reported the other Vet. She telling my wife she could see the acl damage on the xray; BS can't see a tendon on an x-ray. Seriously using peoples emotional attachment to their animals as a means of extorting money from them is just plain evil.

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by mredskins

So that is a bit different then someone saving a domestic pet. I have literally seen folks spend that kind of money on a domestic cat/dog. Even if I thought about it in the life span of my two dogs , ten years old each, i probably have dropped $12 - $15k on them.

We always joke that the mutt dog finds something that is expensive to treat yet it is inhumane to put him down over it.

IT really is not the pet owners to blame as much as the money hungry vets. We had a vet literally tell us we needed to have ACL surgery on my dog at the tune of $4k took him for a second opinion and the other Vet said dog has hip issues let him rest and give him joint meds. 6 weeks later he was back to his old self.

I should have reported the other Vet. She telling my wife she could see the acl damage on the xray; BS can't see a tendon on an x-ray. Seriously using peoples emotional attachment to their animals as a means of extorting money from them is just plain evil.

Maybe if your dog would learn how to slide......

[Daseal]

Originally Posted by punch it in

Maybe if your dog would learn how to slide......

Bravo. You got an audible laugh out of me at work.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mredskins

So that is a bit different then someone saving a domestic pet. I have literally seen folks spend that kind of money on a domestic cat/dog. Even if I thought about it in the life span of my two dogs , ten years old each, i probably have dropped $12 - $15k on them.

We always joke that the mutt dog finds something that is expensive to treat yet it is inhumane to put him down over it.

IT really is not the pet owners to blame as much as the money hungry vets. We had a vet literally tell us we needed to have ACL surgery on my dog at the tune of $4k took him for a second opinion and the other Vet said dog has hip issues let him rest and give him joint meds. 6 weeks later he was back to his old self.

I should have reported the other Vet. She telling my wife she could see the acl damage on the xray; BS can't see a tendon on an x-ray. Seriously using peoples emotional attachment to their animals as a means of extorting money from them is just plain evil.

I bet the other Dr injected the dog with his own stem cells,

[mredskins]

funny thing is now a days that is like the big surgery for dogs. ACL repair. I know plenty of folks that have had it done to their dogs. Must be big profit.

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by mredskins

funny thing is now a days that is like the big surgery for dogs. ACL repair. I know plenty of folks that have had it done to their dogs. Must be big profit.

Between the vets, groomers, heartworm and flea and tic meds, food, and in my case insulin and syringes I swear my kids cost less to raise.

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by punch it in

Maybe if your dog would learn how to slide......

THAT actually Lol'd me........

[NC_Skins]

[JoeRedskin]

Been debating this post ever since the thread opened because what I wanted to write is pretty self indulgent. Not sure if anyone really wants to read my life story when it comes to dogs but what the hell, if I start to to bore you, feel free to move on...

I have always had dogs in my life. My parents got a dog when I was three and I have never been without since. Growing up, though I cared for them very much, I never had the deep love and respect for the dogs of my youth that I have had for the dogs in my adult years. They were very much family dogs or had clearly formed a connection with one of my parents. Regardless, Lady, Raisan and Trinka were sweet, wonderful animals that created in me the ability to see my own refection in the dark, soulful eyes of a dog. Lady, in particular, was by far the cleverest dog I have ever known. So, with a thanks to my childhood dogs, I bring you ...

The Dogs In My (Adult) Life.

OTIS: Sweet, gentle, handsome black lab, I got him from a breeder. He was "MY DOG". The best friend I ever had. I got him my last year of law school and he saw me through graduation, the bar exam, my aimless wanderings of young adulthood as I searched for a career and a wife. In those times when I felt deeply lonely or confused about the future, Otis was hanging with me. Absolutely no judgment, just "Hey, Erik wanna go for a walk? Bring a beer for you and bone for me ... It's all good." I could write a novel with stories about him: "Otis and Andre the Indignant Cat", "Otis and the Killer Bunny", "Otis and the Lug Nut", "Otis, the Sleeping Bag and Jenny the Triplet". Calm, obedient ... Otis was truly a saint among dogs and a companion, human or canine, for all to emulate.

Further, he was the best, bar none, wingman I have ever had. He had an amazing talent which was completely untrained. All I had to do was walk into a park, beach, you name it, and have someone toss a ball. No matter who threw it, Otis took it to the most attractive single blonde in the area. I kid you not. Never once to a woman who was married or attached. If two cute blondes were in the area or even standing right next to each other, he always took it to the one I thought was prettier. He got me more tail than I could shake a stick at.

He lived to be 13 and 9 months. In his last couple of years, he occasionally got a bad limp. I would take him to the vet, they would take an x-ray, give him a steriod shot and the limp went away. One Friday, expecting nothing more than an x-ray and the cost of a shot, the vet came back and said "There's a growth in his leg that wasn't there last time." It was cancer. It was huge. He was in incredible pain. Operating on him at his age would be pointless and cruel. Letting him suffer, the same. I was stunned. It was Friday night, my wife and I decided to try and keep him comfortable with meds for the weekend and bring him in the following Monday. It was Superbowl weekend (Ravens v. Giants) and all our friends and family came by to watch the game and say goodbye. He was mostly out of it, but everyone spoiled him with steak and treats. Monday morning came, he refused to eat. I knew it was time. Regardless, it hurt. A lot. Still does. Later, I figured it out, in the ~14 years I owned him, I woke up in a different room from Otis a total of not quite 6 months.

For those of you familiar with the story of the Rainbow Bridge, I know my best friend is there and, when I arrive, much as I love the others I will write about, Otis, my boon companion and best pal, will be the first I seek out.

TRAJAN: Another sweet, gentle black lab from the same breeder as Otis. He was a massive lab. 100 lbs without any fat. A head that had classic labrador lines and looked like it was carved from granite. Strong as an ox and gentle as a lamb. He was also deeply empathetic, he knew when someone in his family needed him - whether to play or just some "fuzz therapy". When I was undergoing major surgery, my wife said he came into the bed every night (which he didn't normally do) and would curl up next to her as if to say, "Yeah, I miss him too ... but don't worry, he'll be back to keep you warm just like this." In all ways, he was the definition of a "Good Dog".

Just as Otis was the first dog that was "My Dog", Trajan was the first dog that was "My Family's Dog". My wife and I got him three months after we started dating (Otis was eight) and, in the same way Otis walked me through the transition from young single guy to married man with a career, Trajan was with me and my wife as we transitioned from young couple starting out to married folks with a family. As I will write later, we had other dogs while Trajan was with us. Some times I felt guilty in that he must have wondered "Why do you keep getting others? Aren't I enough?". Regardless, Trajan was the constant in our family photos of the 2000's - no kid, one kid, two kid, small kid, big kid, head o' hair Erik, bald Erik, skinny wife, pregnant wife, other dogs, first house, second house ... and in them all - Trajan. Powerful, sleek and solid, seemingly unchanging ... the touchstone for our young and growing family.

Trajan was a water dog through and through. He loved the beach and loved to swim. He was a powerful swimmer too. He could swim in hurricane type waves, I know b/c he he did it when we were out tossing the float on the Outer Banks without realizing the beach was closed when Dennis came around in '99. It was truly amazing to watch him swim. I would hold the end of a rope and he would tow me through the OBX surf with ease for hours. In his prime, he would swim all day in the roughest surf, sleep the sleep of kings then come back and be ready to go all day again.

He was a wonder with our kids. 'Nuff said.

Trajan lived to be 14 and six months. Incredible longevity for a dog his size - I choose to believe it is b/c his powerful heart was not going to stop until it had given every ounce of love and strength it had. Over the last two years, he became creaky and needed to be carried to go outside or upstairs (by me, b/c my wife couldn't lift him). He needed help standing to pee or poop. While I may have grumbled a bit at the inconvenience, I didn't begrudge him - he gave my family, and me, so much just by existing with nary a complaint, that he deserved all the care he needed. We worried he was in pain but the vet assured us he was not - just very creaky and in need of care and assistance. Thoughout his life he had epitomized the constancy of love through unselfish giving - how could we not pay him back in kind?

He died peacefully, much as he lived. One night (my wife's birthday) his great, warm, caring heart, gave out. He died in his sleep with my wife curled next to him. She felt his heart stop. He had simply run out of love and the massive, beautiful animal we cared so much about was gone. My family, the one I love so deeply and which this animal had helped create, had lost something irreplaceable. I still sometimes catch myself looking for Trajan in our family photos.

(To be continued ...)

[Hog1]

...........nice stuff Joe.
Made me a little misty eyed.

[punch it in]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Been debating this post ever since the thread opened because what I wanted to write is pretty self indulgent. Not sure if anyone really wants to read my life story when it comes to dogs but what the hell, if I start to to bore you, feel free to move on...

I have always had dogs in my life. My parents got a dog when I was three and I have never been without since. Growing up, though I cared for them very much, I never had the deep love and respect for the dogs of my youth that I have had for the dogs in my adult years. They were very much family dogs or had clearly formed a connection with one of my parents. Regardless, Lady, Raisan and Trinka were sweet, wonderful animals that created in me the ability to see my own refection in the dark, soulful eyes of a dog. Lady, in particular, was by far the cleverest dog I have ever known. So, with a thanks to my childhood dogs, I bring you ...

The Dogs In My (Adult) Life.

OTIS: Sweet, gentle, handsome black lab, I got him from a breeder. He was "MY DOG". The best friend I ever had. I got him my last year of law school and he saw me through graduation, the bar exam, my aimless wanderings of young adulthood as I searched for a career and a wife. In those times when I felt deeply lonely or confused about the future, Otis was hanging with me. Absolutely no judgment, just "Hey, Erik wanna go for a walk? Bring a beer for you and bone for me ... It's all good." I could write a novel with stories about him: "Otis and Andre the Indignant Cat", "Otis and the Killer Bunny", "Otis and the Lug Nut", "Otis, the Sleeping Bag and Jenny the Triplet". Calm, obedient ... Otis was truly a saint among dogs and a companion, human or canine, for all to emulate.

Further, he was the best, bar none, wingman I have ever had. He had an amazing talent which was completely untrained. All I had to do was walk into a park, beach, you name it, and have someone toss a ball. No matter who threw it, Otis took it to the most attractive single blonde in the area. I kid you not. Never once to a woman who was married or attached. If two cute blondes were in the area or even standing right next to each other, he always took it to the one I thought was prettier. He got me more tail than I could shake a stick at.

He lived to be 13 and 9 months. In his last couple of years, he occasionally got a bad limp. I would take him to the vet, they would take an x-ray, give him a steriod shot and the limp went away. One Friday, expecting nothing more than an x-ray and the cost of a shot, the vet came back and said "There's a growth in his leg that wasn't there last time." It was cancer. It was huge. He was in incredible pain. Operating on him at his age would be pointless and cruel. Letting him suffer, the same. I was stunned. It was Friday night, my wife and I decided to try and keep him comfortable with meds for the weekend and bring him in the following Monday. It was Superbowl weekend (Ravens v. Giants) and all our friends and family came by to watch the game and say goodbye. He was mostly out of it, but everyone spoiled him with steak and treats. Monday morning came, he refused to eat. I knew it was time. Regardless, it hurt. A lot. Still does. Later, I figured it out, in the ~14 years I owned him, I woke up in a different room from Otis a total of not quite 6 months.

For those of you familiar with the story of the Rainbow Bridge, I know my best friend is there and, when I arrive, much as I love the others I will write about, Otis, my boon companion and best pal, will be the first I seek out.

TRAJAN: Another sweet, gentle black lab from the same breeder as Otis. He was a massive lab. 100 lbs without any fat. A head that had classic labrador lines and looked like it was carved from granite. Strong as an ox and gentle as a lamb. He was also deeply empathetic, he knew when someone in his family needed him - whether to play or just some "fuzz therapy". When I was undergoing major surgery, my wife said he came into the bed every night (which he didn't normally do) and would curl up next to her as if to say, "Yeah, I miss him too ... but don't worry, he'll be back to keep you warm just like this." In all ways, he was the definition of a "Good Dog".

Just as Otis was the first dog that was "My Dog", Trajan was the first dog that was "My Family's Dog". My wife and I got him three months after we started dating (Otis was eight) and, in the same way Otis walked me through the transition from young single guy to married man with a career, Trajan was with me and my wife as we transitioned from young couple starting out to married folks with a family. As I will write later, we had other dogs while Trajan was with us. Some times I felt guilty in that he must have wondered "Why do you keep getting others? Aren't I enough?". Regardless, Trajan was the constant in our family photos of the 2000's - no kid, one kid, two kid, small kid, big kid, head o' hair Erik, bald Erik, skinny wife, pregnant wife, other dogs, first house, second house ... and in them all - Trajan. Powerful, sleek and solid, seemingly unchanging ... the touchstone for our young and growing family.

Trajan was a water dog through and through. He loved the beach and loved to swim. He was a powerful swimmer too. He could swim in hurricane type waves, I know b/c he he did it when we were out tossing the float on the Outer Banks without realizing the beach was closed when Dennis came around in '99. It was truly amazing to watch him swim. I would hold the end of a rope and he would tow me through the OBX surf with ease for hours. In his prime, he would swim all day in the roughest surf, sleep the sleep of kings then come back and be ready to go all day again.

He was a wonder with our kids. 'Nuff said.

Trajan lived to be 14 and six months. Incredible longevity for a dog his size - I choose to believe it is b/c his powerful heart was not going to stop until it had given every ounce of love and strength it had. Over the last two years, he became creaky and needed to be carried to go outside or upstairs (by me, b/c my wife couldn't lift him). He needed help standing to pee or poop. While I may have grumbled a bit at the inconvenience, I didn't begrudge him - he gave my family, and me, so much just by existing with nary a complaint, that he deserved all the care he needed. We worried he was in pain but the vet assured us he was not - just very creaky and in need of care and assistance. Thoughout his life he had epitomized the constancy of love through unselfish giving - how could we not pay him back in kind?

He died peacefully, much as he lived. One night (my wife's birthday) his great, warm, caring heart, gave out. He died in his sleep with my wife curled next to him. She felt his heart stop. He had simply run out of love and the massive, beautiful animal we cared so much about was gone. My family, the one I love so deeply and which this animal had helped create, had lost something irreplaceable. I still sometimes catch myself looking for Trajan in our family photos.

(To be continued ...)

Sorry about Otis and Trajan. When you cross the rainbow bridge please give Trajan as much love as you give Otis. Im afraid his "why am i not enough complex" might come back. Lol.
By the way, your story is exactly why i opened this thread. Thanks for sharing.