See you on the other side old friend.....

[Mafesto]

The last 12 days have been the most unhappy & empty time in my life.
It is slowly getting better as the happy memories are pushing out the gut wrenching feeling of guilt that goes hand in hand with calling that final play in the game we've played over the years.

She was 4 when her family decided she needed a different home. The thought of just what her fate may have been if our paths hadn't crossed motivates me to continue to promote adopt/rescue.

Please help me spread the message that every life brought into this world by a breeder means that one more pet will not be adopted/rescued and will die in the pound or shelter.

Please help me spread the word to have you pets spayed or neutered.

Please help me make Jackie proud of what she taught me.

 

[bailer]

Yup, no wife or kids. Had my pup for almost 17 years. She was a German shepherd adopted from the spca. Pretty empty without her around.

She was my wife's dog, thought she should have taken the dog too but now understand it was really a gift in my life....

 

[SnowAddiction2]

It's hard to lose such a close friend. Dogs fit so seamlessly in our lives that we allow them in our hearts! You are a good person Mafesto, to love a dog so deeply.

Rest assured, there will be a day when you'll want another furry friend. It may take a while! Its been 4 years since we laid to rest our beloved dog. I'm so ready for another one. And it will be from the shelter.

 

[Mafesto]

​

[FONT=Verdana,Arial]Quotes...[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial]
[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A lot of people spend time talking to animals but not that many people listen. That’s a real problem.
-Winnie the Pooh[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
Anonymous [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
-Ann Landers [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
-Will Rogers [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
-Josh Billings[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare.
And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.
-M. Acklam [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are
incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
-Sigmund Freud [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three
times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
-Franklin P. Jones [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have
known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
-James Thurber[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise.
-Unknown[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness (in Heaven).
If it takes my dog being there, I believe he’ll be there.
-Reverend Billy Graham[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.
-Unknown[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money.
-Joe Weinstein[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back
from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow.
They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and
get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you;
that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says,
'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
- Dave Barry[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket
and then give him only two of them.
-Phil Pastoret[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.
-Unknown [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Money will buy you a pretty dog, but it won't buy you the wag of its tail.
Henry Wheeler Scott[/FONT]

​

 

[Bacon]

The last 12 days have been the most unhappy & empty time in my life.
It is slowly getting better as the happy memories are pushing out the gut wrenching feeling of guilt that goes hand in hand with calling that final play in the game we've played over the years.

She was 4 when her family decided she needed a different home. The thought of just what her fate may have been if our paths hadn't crossed motivates me to continue to promote adopt/rescue.

Please help me spread the message that every life brought into this world by a breeder means that one more pet will not be adopted/rescued and will die in the pound or shelter.

Please help me spread the word to have you pets spayed or neutered.

Please help me make Jackie proud of what she taught me.

Couldn't agree more. Everyone, especially sportsman think they need to get a puppy to have a good hunting dog. I have had several labs, all rescued from a home where they were not wanted. All have been great hunters. I have one now that is a machine in the field. He was going to be put down because he was in town and tied up so he barked all the time and his neighbors were jack wagons and were complaining. Have had many dogs. Rottweilers, Dobermans, labs, and even now with two Labs and a St. Bernard. All have been unwanted dogs and all have been very good dogs. Most of the time the dogs aren't the problem, it's the owners.

 

[BikerPepe`]

Well folks... I'm sorry to say it, but I'm one of those guys who prefers to get my Dogs directly from the mother. You may not approve or agree and that's ok... but think of it this way, I'm saving my dogs from needing to be rescued or re-homed in the first place.

Those of you who are heavily into rescue type adoptions, I would seriously ask each and every one of you to check, re-check and check again on the source of your dogs. Apparently there is a rising criminal enterprise that's taking advantage of your "feel good" vibes. Many dogs are being stolen from perfectly good and caring owners and end up being shipped to outside areas to be re-sold as dogs in need of rescue.

I personally think anyone caught being involved in any such enterprise should be taken out back and shot in the head, immediately and with extreme prejudice. Please... make sure you are using a reputable adoption agency and double check how they come into possession of that dog in the first place.
Many dogs are out there that need the help and love of a good family... but supporting the practice of dog theft and resale is something all of us need to be mindful of in an effort to stop this horrific violation of the bond between a loving dog and it's master/family/pack.


I'm not trying to discourage adoption at all... just asking everyone to keep this in mind. I know I'd go bug-sh!t crazy if my dog were to just disappear one day and end up god knows where, with god only knows who.
I plan to get my dog chipped this year... now that she's over 2 yrs. old. It's certainly no garuntee for her safety but it helps.

 

[Mafesto]

Here is my suggestion regarding "Re-homing fees".

If you are getting a dog from a private party that wants a rehoming fee to ensure that the dog goes to a good home, simply reply that you will make the check out to the local rescue/shelter. If they truly love that dog they will agree to those terms without hesitation.

Also, when you see a pet for free, please notify the owner that "free" pets are often used as bait/food for other animals. Suggest they ask for a donation to a local shelter.

 

[Mafesto]

We will get another sometime. Dogs are the best people on this planet.
The right one that truly needs us will come along when the time is right & we will start a new journey.
But for awhile we just need to be miserable & sad for awhile.

Everyone, meet Lucy!
Her family was moving and she couldn't go with.

 

[Mafesto]

The pain will fade, but it never goes away completely.

Man, that's the truth!

 

[Mafesto]

Five years today. Still miss that sweet, sweet girl.

 

[bholmlate]

Its the deafening silence that is the worst. Picking up the car keys and nothing. Opening the door after a hard day at work and nothing. Sorry to hear you lost of a beloved family member. Its never easy to say goodbye

 

[Mafesto]

It's been five years and I just wanted others that have a hard time with the loss of a four legged friend that they certainly are not alone.
My sympathies to anyone who has lost friends or family recently.