Forumites and their Dogs

[Malto Marko]

So Sorry, Deb.

[bimmer84]

That's so sad Deb. You did everything you could. Sonny was one lucky dog.

[-Deborah-]

Gosh I am hurting so much. He was such a good friend and full of hugs for me. I'd say, "Sonny! Give me a hug!" and he'd jump up and push his head into my chest.

I'm also going to miss having bike rides with him. He was happiest when I exhausted him, so I had this contraption that allowed him to run beside my bike as I rode. He was very good about staying on the side and not trying to move in front of the bike. For a lot of the ride, I barely had to pedal. He was pulling like crazy. I remember one time, we stopped our ride around my condo complex to talk to one of my neighbors for a short time. We resumed the ride/run but after a few minutes, I noticed pedaling was taking more effort than usual. I looked down at Sonny and discovered that he wasn't even attached to the bike anymore. He must have gotten loose during the interaction with my neighbor, but he stayed right on the side of the bike like he always did. Didn't matter to him.

I got his ashes back yesterday. They came in a nice urn that would be fine to keep as is. But I expect I might spread his ashes one day at Ludington State Park. That was his favorite place on earth.

[DanO]

Very nice Deb.

GO LIONS "11" !

[SeattleLionsFan]

Thats very sweet

[Tony G]

How old was he Deb?

[CGVT]

So sorry to hear, Deb.

[Islair]

Hey Deb, I know Sonny meant the world to you. So I have a little suggestion that might help.

I got a Springer Spaniel named Jake when I was in 5th grade, and with all pets that kids get, he sort of became my Dad's dog. Still Jake was a huge part of our family life for 14 years. When we finally had to put him down, us kids had a watercolor painted for him from a photo we had, and not some little painting either. It was about 16x24 and about 26x34 when it was framed. The painting hangs at the bottom of the stairs in the den where Jake use to spend a lot of time with my Dad. When we gave the painting to my Dad it was one of those rare times I saw my Dad tear up, he is a typical "tough guy" that doesnt like to show his emotions.

You could probably contact a local shelter, or even one of those trendy dog bakery places and find out if they know local artists that do dog portraits. That way Sonny will always have a home with you.

[chemiclord]

Sorry to hear about Sonny, Deb. Pets are never just animals to those that spent the years with their companionship; it hurts just as keenly as losing a family member.

[DanO]

Like the idea Islair.

GO LIONS "11" !

[Tony G]

Does it help to talk about him? What was he like as a puppy? How did he spend his first night? Was he a chewer, a rascal or a sweetie? (Mine have almost always had a wicked chewing spell where they destroy something of value) Did he love the water? Chase squirrels? Favorite place to sleep or hang out?

I mourn my pets when they pass and it hurts. But we are also so lucky to have had the time with these magnificent animals. What a gift that they brought true unconditional love into our lives. I saw sokmething yesterday that said our pets would be ok with us mourning them but they wouldn't want us to be sad for long.

Feel free to ignore this if you don't feel like talking about it right now of course.

[-Deborah-]

I think talking about him helps.

I actually didn't get him as a puppy. Some around here might remember that I first adopted a chocolate lab puppy named Zoe. I think that she directly descended from the Marley and Me bloodline because she was (is) freaking crazy. She was pretty unmanageable and I had just started grad school and was busy with work and living all alone up in Ludington and was at my wits end trying to get this puppy to stop being the tazmanian devil. I considered giving her back to the breeder. At this point, my Mom offered that she would take Zoe and I could take her Golden, Sonny (she also has another chocolate).

Sonny was five at the time. I knew him since he was a pup and he was a wonderful dog and already well-trained, so I agreed. I sure got the better end of this deal. Zoe is a very sweet girl but is still pretty wild even though she'll be 6 this year.

Sonny was never a problem, ever. He seemed to prefer being the only dog child in the house and got along well with the cat I had. He loved living up north and visiting the lake and the park all the time. He didn't get that sort of stuff in the city, after all.

He adjusted fine to the new household. The first time my alarm went off on the Monday after he came to live with me, he jumped up, ready for the day. I explained the concept of the snooze button to him and from that point on, he wouldn't get up until I actually got out of bed (which was NEVER during the first alarm cycle). He was very smart.

As is legally-required of all Golden Retrievers, he loved kids. When I got my garage built up north a few years ago, the builder's 7 year old daughter came over frequently and Sonny was in love. He would just maul her with kisses. She was an only child whose Mom was allergic to dogs, so her time with Sonny was treasured by her just as much as it was by Sonny. I spoke with her last month and told her of Sonny's cancer, but I haven't been able to bring myself to telling her that he's gone.

Sonny was very much a sweet boy with a very big heart and a fun sense of humor. He made me laugh often. You know that part in "UP" where the dog completely loses his train of thought at the mere mention of a squirrel? That had to be based on Sonny. He was like Homeland Security, monitoring conversations for mention of Al Queda. I could be talking to company and say "Wow, I almost hit a squirrel today!" and Sonny would stop whatever he was doing and pop up with that "Squirrel? Squirrel?! Where's the squirrel!?!?!??!!?! Let me at him!!!" attittude.

Sonny enjoyed meeting other dogs but he mostly ignored them. He was allllll about the people. I took him to PetCo's dog play hour a few times (it's a riot, you must go if you love dogs!) and he would ignore the dogs and go one-by-one and meet the owners.

When I took him to the dog park at Hines, same thing. We'd enter the park and work our way through the pack of dogs that greets newbies...until we got to the picnic tables where all the people were. And he'd go to each one and say hi.

Sonny was well-trusted off leash. He had no interest in running away. He wanted to be with me! And I took him everywhere I could. The new Mariner I bought last year? I always said that's Sonny's car and I'm just his driver.

He developed cataracts recently but still could spot squirrels that were far down the road. Sadly, once he started chemo, his eyesight rapidly deteriorated. He became blind in his left eye and had limited vision in his right. After that, he didn't seem to notice squirrels when we encountered them outside. :(

Sonny turned 11 in January. Healthy goldens can live to be 15-16 years but unfortunately the breed is susceptible to cancer and having a healthy one that long is not the norm. :( That said, I think they're the most special dog there is and I will continue to get Goldens. Probably sooner rather than later.

[-Deborah-]

Hey Deb, I know Sonny meant the world to you. So I have a little suggestion that might help.

I got a Springer Spaniel named Jake when I was in 5th grade, and with all pets that kids get, he sort of became my Dad's dog. Still Jake was a huge part of our family life for 14 years. When we finally had to put him down, us kids had a watercolor painted for him from a photo we had, and not some little painting either. It was about 16x24 and about 26x34 when it was framed. The painting hangs at the bottom of the stairs in the den where Jake use to spend a lot of time with my Dad. When we gave the painting to my Dad it was one of those rare times I saw my Dad tear up, he is a typical "tough guy" that doesnt like to show his emotions.

You could probably contact a local shelter, or even one of those trendy dog bakery places and find out if they know local artists that do dog portraits. That way Sonny will always have a home with you.

Sounds like a very nice idea.

[Tony G]

Have you ever heard of GRRoM? Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan? I got two from them. It's a little nice if you're single and working to get an adult dog already past the puppy phase. I've adopted at 5 and 6 month old before and it is a bit of a stretch for them to hold it that time.

Here's GRRoM's link if you're interested http://www.grrom.com/

[Tony G]

Here's a little blurb I wrote for the GRRoM newsletter after I got Red.

Red versus the Tree Rat!

Has anyone else had a morning of fun just watching their dog parry with the local squirrel? I watched Red the other morning for an hour while he was actually teasing the poor tree rat and driving him nuts! The squirrel seemed very used to the usual custom that was accorded to dogs. This meant it was his job to stay on the telephone pole or if necessary come down on the top of the privacy fence and tease the offending canine. (Said canine being offensive, for some odd reason, to the varmint by possessing some instinctive drive to seize the bushy tailed gatherer of nuts and see if he could perform a dissection worthy of a 5 layer picture spread in a biology textbook.) Once he has decided to tease or incite the pooch, the tree rat then prances about, just out of reach of the dog?s frenzied leaps while the dog does their level best to bark themselves to exhaustion and laryngitis.

I think Red skipped this part of his advanced canine education. Saturday morning we went out for the morning coffee and ball toss on the back patio. After several throws, Red noticed his protagonist sneaking down the telephone pole preparing to square off against him in a battle of wits. I was startled as he took the ball to the back corner of the yard by the pole (just inside my neighbor?s yard) dropped it and then began rolling around on the ball right in front of where the squirrel was going to descend! This seemed to flummox the varmint who retreated up a rung on the pole and then turned around and seemed to let Red know what he thought of such underhanded tactics as jumping the gun and staking out the proposed landing area. To him this obviously was a serious breach of etiquette and he seemed quite willing to let Red know what he thought of his transgressions. Red kept an eye on him but continued to roll around on his back. Finally the squirrel could resist no more and made a break for the top of the privacy fence. This was what Red had been waiting for and he rolled over and leapt at him with more spring than I would have given credit for an eight year old dog! His muzzle was probably still 2 feet from the varmint but I am sure his departure was delayed by his eyes popping out of his head at the speed Red had closed on him with. Of course with a red streak he quickly flashed back up the pole and on to the telephone pole and didn?t stop till he was passed the bottom wire. Then he turned about and cut loose with a string of what I?m sure would have been a profanity laced tirade had it been translatable from squirrelese.

Red just picked up his tennis ball and came back to me. I heaped lavish praise upon him and threw his ball a few more times for him before we both surrendered to the lazy Saturday morning and he lay down next to my recliner where I could scratch behind his ears while we enjoyed the morning.