A new pup's thread; bygone pups remembered in photo and word

[Lynn Bullman]

Yep, since obviously many fine folk here love their dogs and no doubt many have lost their little buddies on sad occasion, I thought it might be nice to have a photo rememberance thread so that everyone can show us what their bygone pal or pals looked like, with maybe a few words to describe him/her included.

Sadly, I've lost several wonderful canine friends over the years...  and some, unfortunately, I never had a chance to get a picture of.  I really regret that, and though my memory of them is still fresh and clear over the long years, still I wish I had taken the time and or made the special effort to at least get a snap or two of them.

I hope you all will post up about your sweet and wonderful, bygone canine friends.

Anyway, I'll start it off.

Bugsy Malone Bullman

The story of Bugsy Malone.  Bugsy was a rescue pup…with a bit of a strange tale to his rescue.  I was general manager of a C-Store and restaurant in a small town named, Henderson.  One day an old, mangy, female cur was spotted outside the place trying to raid our garbage cans.  One of my employees was going to call the pound, but I stopped her, telling her the dog was only hungry and doing no harm.  In fact, I went out and gave her part of my own lunch.  And after that, every day she would show up at lunch time and wait for me to come out and give her a bit of my food.

This went on for a long while, and eventually I realized she was pregnant.  At that point, I started trying to feed her better food and she seemed to appreciate it.  This ritual continued right on up until she was to have her pups…then suddenly she didn’t show up…and I wondered if she had had her puppies.

A couple of weeks later, she did come back, but had only a single puppy in tow.  She brought the pup up to me for me to pet, then suddenly she ran away from the both of us.  When the frightened puppy tried to follow her into the street, she whirled and savagely snarled at it…scaring it so bad it ran back to me.

I couldn’t figure this…as I had never seen her act so wild before.  An older man that was cleaning my parking lot for me came up about then.  I told him how the momma dog had acted and he nodded.  “She knows she can’t take care of him, Mister Lynn.  That momma dog give you that puppy cause she knows you will love him and take care of him.  She trusts you to do right by him.”

I shook my head.  “No way!” I told him, “Dogs don‘t do stuff like that!”…but deep down inside I felt that he really did speak the truth.

I never saw that momma dog again.

But for 16 years I kept her trust…I kept Bugsy Malone, her son…safe with me at my home.

And let me tell you, I couldn’t have had a better friend, a more loving and loyal companion, than he was.

Smart, strong, loving and loyal all describe this wonderful dog.  And beautiful and happy.  Yep, always a very happy dog.  Now Bugs wasn’t a trick dog, no sir…sure, he could do tricks when “he” wanted to.  Certainly he was smart enough.  But he performed when “he” wanted to.  Lol!  Bugsy’s main job around our house was to ALWAYS be our buddy…ALWAYS.  If we were happy, he was happy and in hog heaven.  If we were sad, he’d cuddle up to us and give us sympathy, or shower us with kisses…or maybe even do little, silly tricks to brighten us up and make us feel better.

He enriched our lives immensely, and I consider the day I brought him home to be one of the high points of my life.

He passed away two years ago…being asleep and knowing he was going…he struggled to his feet to try and get to me perhaps for a final goodbye, then fell…softly, silently to the floor from a heart attack.

It may sound silly, but I swear that sometimes I think that I catch a quick glimpse of him lying in his favorite chair near me.  Old memories, I know...but still, sometimes I wonder if he's still here, staying close...perhaps waiting on me to come join him.

I love and miss him so.

[Kristan Hoffman]

Wow, what a great, heart-wrenching story... I'm glad the momma knew to trust you with Bugsy.

My story is a lot simpler -- neighbor was moving to an apartment and didn't want her 6-month Lhasa Apso pup to be confined such a small space. I was 7 or 8 or 9 or something, and the pup looked like my mom's old Maltese from Taiwan. So we took him in, renamed him, and he was our Yogi.

We weren't the best dog owners, I'll be honest -- parents too busy, me too young -- but he was fed, walked, and loved for 14 years. We actually had to put him down two weeks ago when I was home visiting (I no longer live in the same city as my parents) and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But he was sweeter that day than he had ever been, and I like to think (even though I know it might be silly and foolish) that it was his way of saying, "Hey, I'm okay, and this is the best thing for me. Thanks for recognizing it and having the strength. I love you."

From my blog post that day:

Yogi. Oct 25, 1995 – Aug 15, 2009. He wasn’t an angel, but he was family. And kind of a cute, fuzzy, walrus-like little guy. We had good times.



(These are all pics from later in his life, like ages 10-14, 'cause I didn't have a digital camera when he was younger.)

Kristan

[Rhiathame]

Wow...ok...let me see if I can manage this without crying.



About 10 years ago my now ex-husband bought me a puppy (Jessica) from a petstore for my anneversery. Unfortunately after the first weekend we noticed she was not well, and during her intial vet check-up we found she had level 5 heart murmers on both sides of her heart and we had to take her back to the pet store and came home with her littermate (it broke my heart to leave Jessica there). We named her littermate Jessie in honor of her sister who died a week later.

Jessie lived a very fine life for about 7 years. Then in July of her 7th year she began to drop weight and after we took her to the vet we found that she had liver and kidney disease. After many discussions with the vets we decided on the quality of life route. Jessie was always traumatized by vet visits so we were not willing to do proceedures that would not have any real long term benefits.

In November of that year, November 16th to be exact she was up on the bed with me and just looking at me with tired eyes that told me she was ready to go and I told her that if it was time then she should go. We made her a very nice dinner and fully expected that she would not make it through the night but if she did I had already called the vet to make an appointment. To my surprise not only did she make it through the night, she trotted down the stairs as if nothing was wrong, went outside did her business and ran back up the stairs which she had not been able to do in months. She walked into the bedroom, looked and me and then died.

She hd been really close with one of our cats who did not come into our bedroom for 1 year almost to the day.

We miss her everyday...  The piture above was taken about 2 months before she died.

[Lynn Bullman]

An excellent story (and great photo's too) Kristan, of your old pal!

Wow...he even looks like a wonderfully FUN dog to play with!

Good job of remembering him.  And thanks for the post.

 

[Kristan Hoffman]

Oh Rhiathame, what a BEAUTIFUL dog (those are among my favorite breeds) and story.

And Lynn, thanks for starting this thread.

Kristan

[Lynn Bullman]

Sorry for the double posts, folks.     But I just had to tell Rhiathame what a wonderful and warming story her bygone pet story was.  Sad, yes...heart wrenching...but it was great and wonderful to hear from an owner that so obviously loved her little friend!  And is muchly appreciated as such.

There is NO doubt this pup was greatly loved.  And by the way, Rhia...  it's okay to shed a tear.  I'm a grown man, an ex-soldier, a Vietnam vet...yet I still tear up when I think of ole Bugsy...and other fine animal friends I've been fortunate to know and love.  So it's okay...okay?  We don't mind a bit.

 

Salute!

BTW...you're welcome, Kristi!   

[Anju No. 469]

Tear?  HAH!  I'm bawling!

They are all such wonderful parts of our lives - thank you for sharing.

[Lynn Bullman]

Another wonderful dog that I lost just this year (back in the late Winter) was Ole Jack...or Captain Jack as we originally named him.  He had been very sick for a good while, but was still gamely trying to do his job...watch over me and my wife and this farm.

Here is a rather poor picture of him (I am ashamed to say, the only one I've got) in his pen that we kept him in during the day.  (we turned him loose at night and he usually stayed on our porch and or deck.)

And here is what I wrote right after Jack passed away and posted on one of my web sites so that the lads there would have an idea of who Ole Jack was and what he meant to me.

Changing of the Guard
(Captain Jack)

Last night, I went out to feed our very old (16 year old) outside guard dog, ole Jack…  and found him lying silent in a corner of his pen.  I wasn’t too concerned, he’s an old feller and like most oldsters his age, he sleeps a lot and he sleeps very sound.  Also, as he’s been in bad health the last couple of years, he’s about half blind, hard of hearing, and I don’t think his old nose is scenting like it used to either…too many times here lately I’ve had to shake him hard to get him to wake up from one of his snoozes.  Only this time when I reached down to wake him…I knew instantly that his sleep was something else entirely.

Ole Jack has lain there patiently waiting for me to come feed him…dozed off…and silently and (I can only hope) gently, passed away.

Ole Jack…our beloved protector and guardian was gone.

Such is life some will say…and he was just a dog.  Ah…and true enough, the cycle of life sadly also includes a finality…death.  But as to Jack just being a dog…well, that’s not exactly right.  For fourteen years or so (I got him when he was about two,) Jack has stood guard over this farm and everything on it…especially this family of me and my wife.  Picked up as a stray with a barbed wire collar twisted around his neck (somebody intending him as a fighter?) at one of my jobs years ago, Jack has pulled deadly snakes out from under my feet, fought off (and took a bullet next to his spine) house intruders, fought and slain coyotes, coy-dogs and other wild critters intent on catching my chickens or in some way intending me and or this farm evil.  In fourteen years he’s never let me down.  And even in his recent age advanced and sick years, there has never been any doubt from me or my wife that he would have gladly given his life for us at any time.

That’s not ‘just’ a dog.

Nope…that’s a loyal friend and companion.  A protector…a guardian.

Even though I have been anticipating such an event, it was still like a hard blow to the gut to realize that my friend of so many years was really gone.  I squatted there in the semi-darkness of the pen’s corner in utter silence, unable to lift my hand from his cold head and barely able to breath for several long seconds.  And as much as I had been expecting this---it was, for many long minutes, almost impossible for me to accept. 

Jack gone?

IMPOSSIBLE!

Jack never leaves this farm.  Never.  In over fourteen years he’s never been far enough away from our front porch that I couldn’t call him and have him come running to my side in less that two minutes.  Never.  I’ve seen Jack in some serious tussles…some brutal combats…but never seen him back away or quit.  Fearless, he always stood his ground and kept hammering until he won out.

And yet Death…the reaper of all life…slipped up here in the dark of night…like the silent, clever thief that he is…and caught Jack asleep and whisked him away from us with the speed of a heartbeat.  And I suppose…that ‘this time’ old Jack didn’t struggle so much.  He was tired, after all, from his years of fine, loyal service and old age’s constant problems and pains.  Still, what a shock to realize that there would be no more Jack around here.  No more beloved Jack on ‘this’ farm.

Or will there?

True enough, he’s gone…and soon I’ll get his body into the ground around the fence corner where all our other beloved pets are buried, under those little willow trees…  but will that be the end of him?  The end of old Jack?  I doubt it.  The Reaper may have stolen Jack’s life, but I’ll bet you anything that my Jackie Boy ain’t gone from this place.  Yeah, he’s thrown off the shackles of his tired, worn-out and sick old body…true enough…but now he ‘s got a better one…maybe back like when I first got him…slick of hair and heavily muscled…prime.  Strong.  A handsome feller.  His eyesight is of a young dog, and naturally his nose and hearing are too.  And he can run long and hard and barely be winded and with no worry of his old, arthritic backend giving out on him anymore.  Now he is the ultimate Jack.  And I seriously doubt if even death can prevent him from watching over this farm and us…his loving and beloved charges, me and my wife

All those thoughts raced through my mind as I knelt there in the corner of the fence last night and petted Jack’s cooling head one final time.  And realizing that he would never really be gone from us…that he would ‘still’ be here with us whether in physical form or not…I felt a calmness, a peace come over me…and I rose to stand beside my old, still, friend.  I wiped away my tears and even smiled.

Jack had his faults as we all do…a hard-headed and stubborn galoot that despite his 120 pounds of rough, coarse hair, thick hide and big, heavy bones always wanted to be an inside dog…a frolicking puppy…and always acted like one to me and my wife.  And yet was a fierce and fearsome warrior to the rest of the world.

We loved him and still do…and there is no doubt that he loved us.

And still does.

[Rasputina]

oh man, I've 1400 words so far on the story of the dog that saved my life. At this point I'm not sure I can share it with anyone other than immediate family. I haven't even shared what I have written to far with the hubby.

 I'll see if I can find a digital photo of him, I hadn't had the digital camera long before we lost him to old age at 13.

[nogdog~6op6ou]

I bawled my eyes out through most of the last couple of chapters of Marley and Me, and I get a major lump in my throat whenever I think of this:



See Always Faithful for more info and a good read.

I don't even want to think about the day when Noggin is no longer by my side.

[sjc]

Awwww...how thoughtful and sweet.
I lost my Lhasa Apso, Sophia-Loren, one year ago (July 20Th).  She had basic diarrhea and I rushed her to the emergency vet covering for my regular vet.  She was sent home with the diagnosis of "Mom is a worry wort" it's common diarrhea.  She died later that night at the age of 5.  I didn't know she was dead (afterall, it was common diarrhea); I thought she was sleeping... so, I kissed her "sleeping" face and screamed blue bloody murder.  My daughter told me that she never heard such a guttural sound.  My vet was appalled and cried with me on the phone.  The emergency vet refunded me...but I still mourn every day. 

I have asked my husband every single day without fail, for a new baby to love; and he says NO every time.  He says he's done with pets.  I hold it against him as being selfish.  I also have no more real babies at home either; as they are both off to college.  I have empty nest syndrome something terrible. 

To those who share the same type of grief:  I feel your pain.  Here is my love:  Sophia-Loren


I also hated the movie Marley and Me...I don't think it was a kids' movie in anyway as depicted in the cutsie misleading advertisements with the darling pup in the big red bow.  Shame on the promotion team for misleading all those unsuspecting parents who had to carry their children out of the theater in tears.

[Kristan Hoffman]

Oh SJC, I am SO sorry to hear about your poor Sophia-Loren. At least she lived 5 good years and she was in a home where she was loved when she passed.

Kristan

[Lynn Bullman]

A beautiful baby there, SJC!  No doubt a real sweet heart!  Sorry for your great loss and yes, all here feel your pain over it.  We've been there.  And while I can understand how your husband feels (it just hurts so bad to lose a little one) I know that for myself at least, the companionship and love of the little babies are worth it all.  I'd rather know their loyal unselfish love...if even for a little while, than to have never known it at all.  Others may feel different about it, but that's how I feel.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your feelings and your pet's sweet pictures and memories.

Salute!

[sjc]

Thank you so much for your kind words. 
It is only other animal lovers who truly understand the depth of one's grief.  I must say that it really has been a comfort to know that others share in the pain and grief through their own sad experiences.  My husband has long gotten over it; I haven't...and probably never will.  Someday, maybe, he will let me get another pup.  Sophia lives on in my heart. 

[CegAbq]

Friends - this is an awesome thread, but I am bawling my eyes out and though I have a similar loving/wrenching pet story to share, don't think I'm gonna be able to do it. Lots of love but lots of sadness too.

[nogdog~6op6ou]

I also hated the movie Marley and Me...I don't think it was a kids' movie in anyway as depicted in the cutsie misleading advertisements with the darling pup in the big red bow.  Shame on the promotion team for misleading all those unsuspecting parents who had to carry their children out of the theater in tears.

I have not seen the movie, but I loved the book (I've read it twice). Therefore I knew how the movie had to end unless it was going to be a complete and utter deviation from the book. Also, the movie had to be about a lot more than just Marley if it was going to be at all true to the book, including a number of mature themes dealing with things many families have to deal with. So all that being said, I would agree that the movie was deceptively marketed in terms of what was chosen for the TV commercials. But that does not in and of itself make it a bad movie (I've read both good and not so good reviews).

In any case, I'd definitely recommend the book to anyone, including younger teens who are ready to deal with the realities of marriage, raising families, and death; but it's definitely not for children (well, that's perhaps a bit strong, since every child is different and every parent raises their children differently). Just be sure to keep some tissues handy for the last couple of chapters. Maybe some day I'll get the nerve up to rent the movie, and then I'll let you know what I think about it (most likely the usual: not as good as the book ).

[sem]

sjc -
Could you perhaps babysit a pup? (One that is available for adoption) I have found that once the critters make it into the house and spend the night, they never leave! Once your husband got to see the pup maybe he would relent. Also, please understand that even though he seems to have gotten over it, the fact that he doesn't ever want to feel that pain again, sort of says he's not.

[Kristan Hoffman]

I actually just watched Marley and Me, and since my mom warned me about the story's true themes (not just a cute puppy, but growing up and adjusting to family and marriage) I had more realistic expectations and LOVED it. Now I'm almost too nervous to read the book, for fear that it won't live up to the film. Sounds like that's probably a silly worry, though, based on what NogDog said.

Kristan

[sjc]

OMG!!!  My husband let me get a new puppy on Saturday!!!  Finally.  I have begged every day for 1 year and 2 months.
AND...she was born on June 1st...our WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.  When she turns 1...We will be celebrating our SILVER Anniversary.  How cool is that?  I'm so excited. 
Meet Mia Bella; Mia for short.

Mia
Isn't she great?  I am so excited.

[Kristan Hoffman]

Congratulations! Mia is ADORABLE!

Kristan

[travelgirl]

I actually just watched Marley and Me, and since my mom warned me about the story's true themes (not just a cute puppy, but growing up and adjusting to family and marriage) I had more realistic expectations and LOVED it. Now I'm almost too nervous to read the book, for fear that it won't live up to the film. Sounds like that's probably a silly worry, though, based on what NogDog said.

Kristan

Let me assure you that the book far surpasses the movie.  You will not be disappointed. 

[Kristan Hoffman]

Let me assure you that the book far surpasses the movie.  You will not be disappointed. 

Haha, okay. I'll see if I can bum it off my boyfriend's mom, who can't bring herself to read it yet...

Kristan

[theolddog]

I am new to the Kindle Boards but I am sure glad I found this thread while exploring around.  I enjoyed reading about the loves of your life and I also am familiar with the pain of grief of losing them.  I have a little something I wrote up a while back called Esther's Story.  It is a little too lengthy to post it all here but the link below will take you to a YUKU group where her story is at. 

http://esthersstory.yuku.com/topic/13/t/Esther.html    Five years, and I can still feel next to me.

theolddog

[Shamar]

Well, here's my baby girl, nibbles. She's the sweetest Pit Bull you'll ever meet:

[Shamar]

Oops, mine's still alive. My bad, I didn't realize this thread was for dead dogs till after I had already posted.

Again, my bad. My little girl will earn her place on this thread eventually, but hopefully quite a few years in the future still....

[Kristan Hoffman]

No worries. She's a BEAUTY, and I'm so glad y'all have each other. For many years to come!!

Kristan

[Carld]

I bawled my eyes out through most of the last couple of chapters of Marley and Me, and I get a major lump in my throat whenever I think of this:



See Always Faithful for more info and a good read.

I don't even want to think about the day when Noggin is no longer by my side.

Loved that picture NogDog, and had to forward it to a dog-loving Marine friend.

[sjc]

Thanks all on your complimenting my darling Mia.  She SO has a different personality than my late Sophia and my late Muffin.  Funny how each, though all the same breed, are so different.  I love dogs. 

[Brenda M.]

I am new to the Kindle Boards but I am sure glad I found this thread while exploring around.  I enjoyed reading about the loves of your life and I also am familiar with the pain of grief of losing them.  I have a little something I wrote up a while back called Esther's Story.  It is a little too lengthy to post it all here but the link below will take you to a YUKU group where her story is at. 

http://esthersstory.yuku.com/topic/13/t/Esther.html    Five years, and I can still feel next to me.

theolddog

What a wonderful story about Esther. I applaud you and your wife for adopting an older dog.