I love Dogs me...
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Rich, we all put into this thread & the more the better. It's about the sharing whether it's long or short stories or just a few lines does not matter. We all share a love of Dogs. That love deserves to be shared. I just hope you continue sharing your stories, it adds to the richness. The fact I motivated you is a wonderful thing, the fact you pointed it out with such good grace is a gift. You'll find that some days it's-'we were out today, nothing much happened' I get a lots of those, just being out with a Dog is good enough. . . .Thats life
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I was asked to look in on an elderly Lady in the village earlier, She was having problems with a large branch of a Tree on Her property. I reversed up the drive to see a branch had fallen & was creating problems for Her to access Her side entrance & bins. She is in Her 80's plus used a wheeled frame, the mess wouldn't really be a problem to the more abled but to Her it was a barrier. I took Young un, not Her Mum, I'm afraid Mum is not as steady as Her Daughter. I dropped the tail gate of the Truck, took my gear out & set up Young uns bed so She could watch me. The Lady appeared, said good morning & walked straight past me to Young un, story of my life is that. Everyone loves the Dog & accepts I'm with Her(no complaints here mind) I set to dismantling the large branch after the Lady stepped back into Her Home. She came back out after I stopped, She brought a big foil package full of Chicken & started feeding Young un. I watched Young un lift Her paw, the Lady shook the paw then gave Her a piece of chicken. When She'd finished I managed to talk to Her. Her Husband has been in a care home For a couple of months, shortly after Him leaving She'd lost Her beloved Westie. This Lady was so strong & yet so weak to look at. She was adoring the interaction with Young un, so was I. I noticed scratches on Her wrist from Young uns attention, after mentioning it She said-"it's nothing, everytime I see those scratches I'll think of your lovely Dog & relive the time I spent with Her" that nearly had me in tears, that Lady is a Dog lover, & a wonderful person. A Dog is not just a Dog to some of us it's a companion, a friend a spirit lifter & a gift. I purposely left some work to allow me to return with Young un on another day. After refusing payment She told me She'd show me Her Husbands workshop & insisted I take something for my work. I will too, barter is always better than payment particularly when I got so much pleasure from meeting the Lady, so did Young un. Enjoy your evening.
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I’m the other half [the wife] & just wanted to say what a pleasure it is to read your post & all the others posts on this thread. Brings back lots of happy memories as it is some years since we lost our lovable scruffy mongrel. We do dog/house sit 2 Springer Spaniels on occasions so still have contact with dogs. Happy dog walking.
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Thankyou N18(Mrs), I too look forward to reading all the posts. You could always share a story of your Doggysitting days with us. I think you'd be a first for our Thread
. Possibly a little about their characters, how alike/different they are etc. 0 -
It is a touching story and I reckon your visit made that lady's day, Rocky.
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Dave, it's called having soul, empathy is a deep emotion. Fear not, it was the Lady's younger(60's) neighbour who asked me to look in. She's well liked
.Tinny, you reckon right, I've been back already. It's Young un She longs to see, I'm happy to share the love
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Nice one Rocky and Young un - I can't imagine being without a dog - even in my 80s (so somewhat glad I am booked into daughter's for my end of life care if all things work out of course.)
I think therapy dogs do a wonderful job - sadly I don't think either of mine could qualify - the Labrador is far too nervous and the Rottie x GSD is too boisterous I and have failed to calm her down and prevent her jumping all over people!
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Pip, it's about the fact they put a smile on your face & a spring in your step. If they continue to do that then they've earnt their rations
. Mine do, every second of every day.1 -
Today I was up well before dawn, out by 7:10am. It was overcast, mild at +6c, no breeze & dark. I donned my head torch, considering the need for my head torch it was obvious to me I'd not be encountering much wildlife nor great panoramic views of my landscape. Young un & Her Mum were sat at the crate front wagging their tails, they just saw it as another day so I could hardly explain my lack of usual excitement. Off we wandered over the meadow. I was seeing my world in a tiny circle of light. It was still enjoyable, the 3 of us together, the Dogs never really wandered much more than a few yards away, I skirted the copse & log & continued to a gap in the Hedge, over the irrigation channel & headed home. Not a tweet, not a single bit of movement was caught in the light. I tried to keep the torch's beam in front & low, I didn't want to spook any roosting Birds into flight to then leave them in confusing darkness. It worked well. We 3 had a subdued walk with little anticipation of any encounter or sightings. A lot of my walks are like this to a greater or lesser degree. The sightings I enjoy are a bonus not an expectation. The real joy is the sharing & further bonding with my companions, that bit was a complete success. I am leaving them for a few hours this morning so I sat on the kitchen floor with them as we all had some breakfast. We had a 'love in', I always miss them even for a few hours. They may have enjoyed my complete attention & fuss, but I needed to have the closeness for selfish reasons. Enjoy your day.
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The still and dark of pre-dawn. As fascinating in its own way as the daylight discoveries of other mornings. The important thing being that you and your dogs were happy in your quiet companionship, Rocky.
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One of the main factors when we are choosing caravan sites for holidays is that it must have a large enclosed dog area. We have two whippets both girls, one is four and the young one is two years old. One of the things that sight hounds love to do is run, I have never seen one yet that does not love to run as fast as there long legs will take them. To watch our's enjoying themselves makes our holiday. They will chase anything that moves, that being the reason that we try to choose ones that have a fence. We have 11 sites booked for 2017 so hope to meet some of you there.
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Our lurcher was the same, CGB. A nearby quiet beach was heaven for him. Sight hounds only know two speeds - flat out or asleep.
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Out this morning a few minutes before sun up, heavy frost overnight, another whiteover. In fact as we rounded the hedge at the Sou'east corner of the meadow I could see the sun had just broken the horizon. Cold, clear & beautiful, that time when the sun is there but just not high enough to give high levels of bright light but enough to enjoy its appearance. As we all turned East towards the log copse a loud squawking caught my attention to my right, as we were the wrong side of the hedge I couldn't see what was happening but I knew it was Magpies & Blackbirds. Neither Young un nor Her Mum was very interested, they'd found recent Deer prints in the frosted grass & was following them towards the copse. I faced the noise & walked backwards into the field, the top of a good sized Oak came into view, then just above my head(less than 1.5metres) appeared a Tawny Owl, it flew over the hedge then dipped slightly, it was directly above me, moving fast but silently, Swiftly followed by 2 Magpies & a single Blackbird, all 3 much higher than the Owl. I turned to follow its flight North. It alighted on an Ash Tree on the corner of the meadow & just sat still, the Magpies & Blackbird well above it creating a cacophonous noise as they harried & berated it. The Owl just leant forward & dropped from the branch & continued at quite a low level North. Neither of the 3 mobbers followed. I've heard a multitude of Tawny Owls, most nights they call with their 'Too wit'(Female I think) & Too woo(Male returning call), I've seen them roosting but never have I seen one so close in the wild. It had a wingspan I'd estimate of a metre, I never knew they were so big. The rest of the walk was uneventful but very enjoyable, nitheringly cold mind. The Dogs were enjoying the walk, kicking up frosted particles that caught low sun beams, just beautiful. They were toddling off just to turn & run back jumping up for an ear rub. I wasn't as attentive as usual due to me thinking of the Tawny Owl encounter. A glorious start to the day. Here's hoping you too enjoy yours.
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As ever, a great post, Rocky. We're missing the frost down here in Cornwall, but Harry and Lady have been having a marvellous time over on the dunes. Although we're not locals, we are frequent visitors and have made many friends who we meet up with regularly on our walks, including one wonderful old lady, now in her 90's who walks the dunes every day, whatever the weather. She lost her long time companion just before Christmas and we were quite concened about how it might affect her. So we were delighted to see her yesterday with a lovely new rescue dog - a 3 year old smallish collie type - already runnng free but returning to her mistress's side when called back. And this after just a week of being together. Oh to be so positive and active when I get to that age! Smiley smiley.
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What a fantastic sighting of the TO, Rocky, and of the magpies and blackbird giving it some stick. I can imagine the TO thinking "Pah, you're all mouth squawking like that". Then ignoring them and flying off to get on with his own business of living. 👍🏻
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The TO was a shock, I've obviously got a mental picture of a little Owl in my head
, not anymore. The joy of nature is a wonderful gift, it can turn an enjoyable walk into something special, everyday is a school day, long may it last0 -
Walking across Dunes is never easy M, for a 90+ yr old it's fantastic, I share your hopes re me getting to 90
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Yes I saw your pic Dave, Cassie is one happy Dog Mucker, what a joy to be out with them too
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I am a Dog lover, more importantly I'm a Dog respecter. I share my life with my two Dogs & they enhance my life massively. I deeply believe Dogs have made me a better Human being. Without my love of Dogs I would be a much more shallow person for it. Dogs are a species that are unique on this Planet of ours, over 10,000yrs+ they've evolved to see us as a positive enhancement to their lives. Without us they'd be a lesser species, their evolution has gone hand in glove with ours. Within a Human family they feel whole, without a Human family they suffer. It's because of this, every Dog I've shared my life with has been loved, in fact I'll go further in saying that I've actively ensured their short time on this Planet has been as good as I can possibly make it. It is in a small way that I've ensured I've showed thanks for the gift they've bestowed upon me by being there. I'm someone who deeply believes that 'every Dog deserves to be trained & every Dog owner deserves a trained Dog'. Dogs need boundaries, it's their basic needs, get it wrong & they suffer, get it right & you have a friend for life who would quite literally lay down their life for you. A Dog doesn't care if it's at the top of the food chain or the bottom, what they do care about is knowing where they stand, that is the important thing as it governs their whole life. I have Grandchildren, my Dogs know my Grandchildren are above them in my affections & they act accordingly. They don't growl or snap at my Grandchildren(2&3yrs old) my Grandchildren are learning about Dogs, my Dogs already know about small Humans. They treat each other with love & respect. The Grandchildren let themselves down more than the Dogs do. But it has never ended in tears-from either side. My older Grandchild lays with my Dogs & enjoys the licks & affection, the younger one is still learning under the close supervision of Grandpa, but boy has She got potential. Every morning I come down I'm greeted by two Dogs that don't care if I'm not happy or if I'm a little quiet all they care about is. . . .I'm there & their life is complete. That gives me a daily lift that no drug could ever deliver. Nothing can prepare us for their loss, the pain is deep & traumatic, it is after all the loss of a loved family member. My post is to say-don't ever take your Dogs for granted, because before you want it, they'll be leaving you to suffer the pain of loss. If it doesn't then you never were a Dog lover. Enjoy your Dogs, enjoy your day.
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R2B - what a lovely post - as usual! I know exactly what you mean about the relationship with little children and I think it's a feature of the Cockapoo breed. Meg was born into a family with three little ones and almost from day one, the three of them were in her cage with her - along with the other seven puppies so she is more than used to their playfulness. Every time I take her on the beach - if she hears little squeeky voices, she's off like a shot to go and play and show them lots of affection and just adores being around little people. Although I always keep a close eye on her - because she is a dog after all - I have never had cause to doubt her genuine affection for children and her fascination with them. It's so lovely to see and to share.
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What a great post Rocky
So much truth in your written word except I don't go down to be greeted by her. I just open my eyes and their sitting on the floor beside the bed is my dog watching and waiting for a waking movement from me, then her body shakes with excitement from an overdose of tail wagging, and a good day starts all over again. 0 -
Mrs N, Rich & Dave, thankyou it's a pleasure to share inner thoughts with like minded folk. You either get it or you don't. If you get the love of Dogs it opens your heart to a fascinating world of unconditional love & loyalty from a 'giving machine'
, no guille, falseness, evil intent, just joy. To share our lives with these wonderful creatures makes us better people-of that I'm convinced. We're not owners in my mind, we're guardians of a bundle of love that spends too short a time enhancing our lives immeasurably.1 -
I read a story the other day about a six year old boy and his dog an Irish wolfhound. The dog had terminal cancer and had to be put to sleep. After he was put to sleep wondering aloud how sad it is that animals lives are much shorter than humans.the boy listening quietly spoke I know why people are born so that they can lern how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice right . He continued well dogs already know how to do that ,so they don't have to stay as long I could not tell all the story tears in my eyes.
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The sun was just rising as we set off, nothing can beat being out in our beautiful countryside like a crisp Winters day with Dogs, Both Young un & Her Mum were full of energy, bounding over the meadow in contentment. My breath as it was exhaled was misting as I walked. I decided on heading Nor'Easterly to the coast to visit a big copse near the actual coast. I've done Tree work there in the past & know I'm welcome to wander among the Trees. The frost covered grasses crunching underfoot is always a joy, some Winters are quite mild but here we've had some corking frosts, today was one. Both Dogs were alongside me as we got to the outer limits of the copse, I clicked them to me as we entered the copse. I got a few metres in then we stopped. I acclimatised myself to the change in light levels. The 3 of us just stood. Within the copse/small wood it's a different world, having to pick thru tight growing Trees & bushes so much different than a commercial plantation with it's linear lines of Trees planted for growth. Young un & Her Mum didn't need to be told to stay close, they did it naturally to ensure we didn't become separated. I found a stump of a Tree I remembered felling a few years ago. I sat to enjoy the atmosphere of the copse. The Dogs thought-'He's sat down, so we'll jump up' we 3 just enjoyed the serenity of our surroundings. To my left, deeper to the centre of the copse I heard movement, it was probably Deer moving away from perceived danger. A single grey Squirrel appeared above our heads some 6 metres in the top branches of a large Ash Tree, looking down at us swishing His tail, we are after all trespassers in His home range. That's a rare sight around here, I've not seen many Squirrels, He must have been hungry. I gently put the Dogs down to move on, that Squirrel had little enough to eat at this time of the year without burning energy being angry at us spoiling His day. It was a total joy just slowly moving thru the copse, the Dogs making little forays to the left & right following scent trails before returning after a few metres. The musty smell of the fallen leaves evoking memories of the spectacular Autumn. It was over too soon, I found the Eastern edge of the copse, skirted its boundary & headed West for home. The feelings of relaxation as we ambled home made me realise just how lucky I am. Young un & Her Mum just behind me stroking their faces periodically on my legs had me smiling like a fool. Enjoy your day.
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I'm in bed and my wife asked why my eyes were glistening. Touching story I hope she has good contact with people seeing she's living alone, I tend to get a bit lost in story's sometimes.
