[Malibu]

I kinda had a hard time finding a title for my question so allow me to explain.

Everybody has a story to tell about their dogs. I just want to hear how much your dog means to your life. I couldn't have pets growing up so the day before I moved out I picked up my 1st 8 week old GSD. We slept in my parents basement. Him in his kennel and me right next to him on the couch and the next day I started my new adventure with my boy in our new house. I have only owned GSD's and moving ahead almost 40 years later I reflect on how blessed I have been to own 8 fantastic dogs. The pure enjoyment I get every time I just look at them is priceless. How proud they make me feel when everybody wants to take them home with after meeting them.

My life changed a bit when at the age of 36 I was diagnosed with MS. 5 years latter I was unable to work anymore but I was blessed to be home with my dog's. I was also able to help raise several other peoples dogs so they wouldn't have to be crated so long. The bond I have with those dogs was truly special. They listened to me much better than their owners. For instance my sisters was talking to me on the phone and her dog took off and she said she had to go get her dog and I said tell him Uncle Johnny is hear. She yelled it to him and the next thing I hear is you gotta be kidding me. YUP here comes her dog. Another neighbors dog jumps up on my lap and starts licking my face just as I roll into the driveway in my wheelchair. People driving by get a kick out that.:smile2: The best one was a friend that waited way to long to put down his GSD. I went over to say goodbye as I sat next to him on the floor in a bedroom. He hadn't gotten up in 2 weeks and had open sores from laying so much. We went out into the family room and that dog drug himself with his front legs all the way over by me and laid down. Memories like these can not be replaced.

I am in the process of adding a puppy along with my 5 year old girl and I can't think of anything except loving a new dog into my life. They are there for me every day. They make me so very proud to have them in my life. Puppies they grow up to fast and our dogs do not live long enough but the love and memories they allow us to achieve because they are in our lives is a beautiful thing.

I also want to thank people on this site who take the time to share their knowledge which has allowed me to be the best dog owner I can be.

 

[Orphan Heidi]

What a beautiful tribute to your dog friends and how refreshing that you are so grateful. I certainly understand many

of your emotions towards your critters. I have my own stories of woe and disabilities but I appreciate what I can do

and not on what I can't do.

I am on such a high with my newly rescued GSD who is amazing me more and more each day. She's turning out to

be a wonderful, smart friend and her bonded loyalty is growing each day. We are so lucky, both of us.

Thanks for your uplifting note!!

 

[Sabis mom]

When I look back on my life each time I felt alone, every time I was scared, when the pain was killing me, there was a dog standing at my side.
From my earliest memories to my recent ones, at no point was I alone. They have come to me in different ways and each had a clear task. From my little Yorkie Missee, to my Great Dane Freeway, the unstoppable Dog, my soul stealer Saboteur, my rock Bud and my little light Miss Shadow plus countless others. Each and every one taught me a lesson, carried a load and was there to light the way.
Their stories are all very different and my heart was scarred by the loss of all. Some stayed a short time, some were with me to the last heartbeat but none were without reason and none are ever forgotten.

My entire existence is a comforting patchwork quilt of dogs who gave pieces of their hearts to heal my shattered one.
My tribute to Sabs, I am a better person for having been loved by a dog.

 

[Misha111]

My entire existence is a comforting patchwork quilt of dogs who gave pieces of their hearts to heal my shattered one.
My tribute to Sabs, I am a better person for having been loved by a dog.

So beautifully said.

Everything I have gone through in my adult life, there has been a dog by my side, non judgemental, wanting to be my side and in the darkest times, gently reminding me that they still need dinner and a walk.

 

[wolfy dog]

Owning a dog vs not owning a dog for me means the difference from feeling whole to feeling like part of me has been amputated. My parents refused to let me have a dog my entire childhood so I played with the neighbor dogs and even asked complete strangers to walk their dog. I don't think my folks ever knew or cared about this. Luckily I was never taken advantage of and people were nice to me. As soon as I was on my own at 21 years old I got a dog and have never been without one. I had him as a single dog for 8 years until a stray joined us and from that time on I have always had more than one. I don't know how my life will be if I am not able to have a dog anymore. Maybe I just will wither away and die.

 

[Jpage24.87]

I've had dogs in my life since I was a baby. They're just something I've always had. I went a brief 3 years without a dog in my home, and there were things I liked about it, but at the end of the day, I missed the ambiance of snoozing dogs, and a head under my hand when I sit down. Or the intuitive affection when life just felt impossible. The cuddles while watching movies, and taking walks alone really isn't much fun. Sure, not having dog fuzz on everything is nice, but I wouldn't trade my dogs for the cleanest home. My dogs each have a small piece of my heart, it wouldn't be whole without them.

 

[Hellish]

For me, a dog in the house just completes the whole aspect of what HOME is to me. Ever since a kid. Acceptance, comfort, love and let's not forget safety and security. As the victim of a violent crime (and the offender had been caught soliciting for someone to find me and finish the job) I can sleep at night knowing there are ears far better than mine tuned in to the night sounds. I brought home the latest GSD to be a worthy successor to my aging rottweiler, knowing someone was eligible for parole even though I had moved 3k miles away. 5 months after being paroled he killed someone in a mirror image crime and found his way west before being caught in Calif.

That first time during my adult life where I did not have a dog right after my divorce, I still found myself stepping over the dark shadows on the floor at night, and walking in a shuffle in the dark to avoid stepping on the dog that was not there. That really rammed home to me how much a part of my life dogs had always been. Man it felt so empty to step over that shadow and realize DUH...

 

[newlie]

I took care of my husband at home, when he was terminally ill, for about 7 years before he died. I also had to work full time during that same period to keep the money coming in and continue to pay for our medical insurance, in addition to running the house, paying bills, cooking, cleaning, etc. It was incredibly difficult time for us. We got Max a year or two before my husband got sick and he was with us up to a couple of years before the end and then Newlie was there for the latter part and for the first several years of being alone. It's hard to say express just what those two dogs meant to us, other than to say they were often one of the few lights in our world during some very dark days. After Newlie died, then I got Rocky and he is carrying me through this next period in the same tradition as the other two did.

I feel in my heart that each of them were sent for a reason: To make us laugh, to give us courage and hope, and as a foil for despair.