To Dream of Dogs

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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

Awww, Judith. Oscar just knew. Thanks for the story. Now I have something stuck in my eye.
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

here is a photo (hopefully) of my sister-friend and her dog, Ditto, at the WTC. Ditto also worked the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, and was given an impromptu award by the people of that city as "Littlest Hero".

They are the team at the far right of the picture.
Image
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

How cool is that? Did they just get off a shift when this was taken? How old is Ditto and how did he get started in this field? How long does a dog with his gifts usually work during their rescue "career"?

Thanks for successfully posting that picture, Nance!
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Post by knitwit45 »

Ditto worked from the time she was about 2 until just before we lost her to the angels, in 2005. Elaine trained her continuously. When she "retired" from active service, the Fire Department she was attached to gave her a special retirement party.

I once got to play "victim" in a rubble pile, in June of 1995. I am a tad claustrophobic, so when I heard those little feet pattering close by, and then a soft "woof" to let Elaine know she'd found me, it was a real rush! I can't even imagine how it would be if you truly were buried in rubble and heard your rescuers voices.

Ditto was half Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler) and half Doberman. Since Elaine already had one of each of those breeds,not her parents, hence the name.

Thanks for the help Moira, about posting pictures.
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Hollis
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Post by Hollis »

Thanks to each and every one of you for making me remember my one and only dog "Skipper" who we adopted as a puppy when I was about 10 years old. He was (in the vet's opinion) a Springer Spaniel/Dalmatian mix, but to me he was the best thing I'd ever seen and he soon became the best friend I'd ever had. We had to have him euthanized due to advance rheumatic heart disease when he was about 10 1/2 years old. The strangest thing was that the end came when I came home for a week's leave at Christmas time while I was still in the Navy. The leave was a last minute decision but maybe the best decision I've ever made. I cried incessantly and it seemed as though the pain of separation would never end. Yet I wouldn't have chosen to be anywhere else in the world when he took his last breath. Again, let me thank you all for the flood of memories you've given me today. I can't begin to thank you enough.

Appreciatively and as always,

Hollis
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Birdy
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Post by Birdy »

Okay, everyone. Thanks for making me cry at work. And no back-up mascara on hand.

I'll share my most recent dog story, but it involves the c-word a alot so I hope Klonny doesn't kick me off here.

My dog Daisy, a 6 year old Golden-Shepherd was trained by a cat. When Daisy showed up at the farm after a huge storm, my Lab, Rosa was very glad to have a friend and give up most of the guard duties to a younger dog. Unfortunately, Rosa had always been a great friend to the cats but Daisy was a cat-chaser. Until Barnetta (the cat) came along. (She was originally named Barney, because she lived in the barn - how original - but it was changed when she had kittens.) Barnetta only weighed four pounds and she hated dogs. By the end of the summer, the dogs were cringing under our chairs and trying to get on our laps every time Barnetta came near. This was upsetting to me as I just want everyone to get along.

Barnetta disappeared, but she left behind her kitten, Bitty, who loves dogs but hates people. When Bitty had a litter of kittens in the garage IN THE DOGHOUSE this summer, she let Daisy and Rosa lick all over them and forced them to babysit for her while she went out catting about.

It is a miracle that those kittens were able to live there and have turned into wonderful pets. After numerous auditions, I brought 2 of them indoors to be inside pets because this fall I lost my beautiful 19 year old cat and best friend, Miss Kitty. (Marshall passed away 2 years ago.)
Guess what? After being gone for a month, Bitty just had another litter of kittens in the garage yesterday. I hope Daisy's ready to babysit again!
I will try to take a picture of her with the kittens sometime.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

Amazing, isn't it?

When we were deciding whether to bring a dog into our family, our main concern was that we already had an adult cat. Every single expert source I consulted about this topic said the same thing: when there are cats and dogs in the same household, after some initial jockeying for position, the cat will most likely dominate.

And it's true. Our older cat (we took in a stray kitten as well after a time), was the boss, and the other two (dog and younger cat) deferred to him in all things. And so did his humans.

However, among the younger generation (the dog and the younger cat), I'd call it a draw; or maybe it was a kind of self-imposed truce. They were pretty evenly matched in terms of willfulness and cunning. I always likened their relationship to that Warner Bros. cartoon about the sheepdog and the wolf vying for control of the flock the sheepdog was guarding -- know the one I mean? Every morning they would cordially greet each other, then spend the rest of the day devising ways to get the better of each other. And at the end of the day they'd very pleasantly wish each other good night.
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

Oh Hollis.
Skipper was waiting for you to come home before leaving. God, don't they just break you? I had a dog who was half Dalmatian too. The other half, as far as I could tell, was Clown. He used to follow me whenever I went for a bike ride running after me like a fool for miles until his tongue hung down to the ground and I made him stop and sit or lie down for awhile. It got so I carried water on my bike for him, not me.

Hey, Birdy,
Any plans to have a heart to heart with "Bitty" about going celibate soon? Sounds as though those amenable dogs might appreciate having some time off from kitty-sitting.

I always felt a pang of conscience every time I had one of my dogs or cats go in for "the operation" because I wondered if morally I had the right to take this God-given gift from them. Yes, I know that's dumb, but I felt it anyway. I also wondered if it might be possible to set up something like a dog or cat bordello where they could go get all this horniness out of their system at least once and then, uh, um, drift off to sleep for awhile and wake up with a few stitches and some fond memories.

Judith,
I think you're right about dogs usually being dominated by cats in a home. Good luck playing U.N. negotiator with them.
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Birdy
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Post by Birdy »

Moira -
Oh yes...Bitty's been scheduled twice since summer. I think the indoor cats are eavesdropping on my phone conversations and sending her morse code signals out the window because she seems to know and disappear! The last time, the vet just told me to show up with her any time she could be nabbed and wouldn't you know...she didn't bother coming home until she needed a box and me to deliver her water and food to her personally while she was nursing. hmmm (Bitty is kind of more of a squatter than a pet.) The last appointment, I took one of her last kittens, Fluffy. This has been an important lesson for our kids who think we should have about a million cats. Did you know that's how many descendants a cat can have in her lifetime? Literally, a million.

I usually give a lot to local spay and neuter programs but this year I'm supporting my own. I will spay the 2 I brought in to be housecats and I just had an offer from a friend who has a horse farm to take the whole new litter as soon as they're weened. Thank God. Literally.

I like the idea of your bordello, though. I don't feel too bad about their not getting to have babies, but I do worry about surgery. Anasthetic can be dangerous and I've never had bad luck with my pets but know some who have.

And yes, the dogs are fixed, too!
B

To stay on topic, here's a funny dog story. My 2 year old niece was over this morning and likes to look out the kitchen door into the garage to see the dogs. Rosa, the lab was standing just outside the doggie door so only her tail was inside and kind of a little bit of her rump was showing. My niece said in all seriousness, "It's an elephant out there!"
Last edited by Birdy on November 6th, 2008, 8:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by klondike »

:lol: :lol: :lol: Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw ! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can take or leave the bulk of The Awful Truth, but hot damn with melted butter, that courtroom scene with Cary & Irene competing for Mr. Smith, (aka, Asta) is five kinds of a hoot!
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Birdy
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Post by Birdy »

That's the only thing I would ever consider a pre-nup for, and the only thing I have that I consider worth fighting for...pet custody!
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Birdy
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Post by Birdy »

One more story - I got this a while back on e-mail and hope I can tell it right.

A lady went to her door one day to see an older dog standing there. She opened the door, the dog strolled in, looked around, found a nice spot and fell asleep. After about an hour, it woke it and went to the door so the lady let it out. The next afternoon the dog returned and came in and slept for about an hour once again. This continued a few days, until the lady decided to attach a note to the dog's collar that said, "Are you aware that your dog comes to my house every afternoon for a nap?"

The next day, the dog returned with a reply attached that said, "This dog lives in a house with 6 children, 3 under the age of 3 and doesn't get much sleep. Can I come over with him tomorrow?"

B
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moira finnie
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Post by moira finnie »

I love those dog and cat stories. Keep 'em coming. I think Bitty might be alot smarter than I thought. Thanks for the replies.
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

A dog is truly a man's best friend.


If you don't believe it, just try this experiment.
Put your dog and your wife in the trunk of the car for an hour.
When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you???????? :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol:
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
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Birdy
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Post by Birdy »

At the Schoolhouse Door

By Lynette Combs

I recollect a dog I had
when I was just a little tad;
A big mutt dog with curly hair,
yaller eyes and a certain air
Of wet spring grass, and mud and dew...
a good old smell, like a rain-soaked shoe.

I don't know where I got him from;
he just was there that day he come.
And he was there through long, poor years,
a friend with fur and floppy ears,
He used to wait at school for me,
outside beneath the apple tree.

One day I left the schoolhouse door,
and knew he wouldn't wait no more.
He hadn't come; he wasn't there.
The spot he used to warm was bare.
I didn't - couldn't - cry or call.
I knew it wouldn't help at all.

I don't know why he went away,
but I've half-thought, and think today,
That somewhere there's a scruffy lad
a runnin' with that dog I had...
A little boy who needs him more,
Than I did,
at the schoolhouse door.
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