Show and talk about your Pets here...

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby working on it » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:52 pm

  • We reluctantly had to put down our 17 year-old sheltie-collie? mix yesterday, after weeks of putting it off, as the only thing we could do; she could barely get around, would fall when eating, and with cataracts developing would gaze into space for long periods (and let out a low moan), and have "accidents" while sleeping. When she would have the accidents, she would mournfully howl to let us know, and would ask for forgiveness by muzzling our legs.
  • "Sweet" Sadie Jane was our miracle pup, who I miraculously spotted thru my rear view mirror (well off to the side of the road, and 20 yards behind us) when I stopped at a light. She was raising her good leg (two others were broken) barely above weed level, but somehow I spotted the movement, and turned around and found her in the tall grass. Covered with maggots where her skin had peeled away (obviously, she had been thrown from a car), she was unable to move, or even make a sound. My wife grabbed her up in a fender cover I had, and we took her to the vet. He said she was dying, and would ease her way out...but I said no, and insisted that we at least try to aid her; we cleaned her up, put her on an IV, and the vet started to drain fluids in her abdomen, caused by a badly bruised liver. Three days of treatment (we would take her home after each, taking turns beside her all night, and the wife watched her whilst I was at work)), and the pup was still stoically unblinking and still no sounds.
  • Then came the weekend, and my wife had to leave on a business trip (independent adjuster). I spent the next 3 days without sleep, caring for her, by feeding her, and rubbing her open wounds with Aloe/Vitamin E. Just before my wife returned, Sadie finally raised her head and whimpered...I knew she was getting better.
  • Long story short...Sadie had a miraculous full recovery, and the vet and staff always referred to Sadie as the "Miracle Pup". Not only did she recover her mobility, but she always ran and bounced instead of walking, and was full of life. The aloe/vitamin E fixed her wounds, and she grew a luxuriant double-coat of fur, with no sign of her previous condition.
  • We always seemed to have houseful of discarded pets on hand, and Sadie would nurture the young and frightened (she was very smart and very gentle), and still was "mothering" our now 6 year-old crippled Boxer (Bella), despite being 1/3 her weight and being often knocked down when Bella got too affectionate. Bella isn't sure where Sadie went, but has been looking out the sliding door for her, all day.
  • When we helped Sadie leave, she knew what was happening, and seemed relieved, in a way. She left without a sound, but just laid her head in my wife's hands, and her paw in mine. She was the best dog....
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Sadie, Poor Baby, R.I.P..png
Sadie, Poor Baby, R.I.P..png (887.12 KiB) Viewed 675 times
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
173193172890148599
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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby Padilen » Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:31 am

A good dog and great people, sorry for your loss.

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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby GPW » Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:52 am

We just lost our 14 Y Dog to old age … Even with a good life ( rescued) it’s still sad . We’ve decided after 50 years of rescuing animals and having then live to old age , That was our Last pet … I have no more heart to lose …
WOI, I feel and share your loss !!!
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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby working on it » Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm

GPW wrote:We just lost our 14 Y Dog to old age … Even with a good life ( rescued) it’s still sad . We’ve decided after 50 years of rescuing animals and having then live to old age , That was our Last pet … I have no more heart to lose …
WOI, I feel and share your loss !!!
  • We've been taking in strays we found, survivors of botched dumpings, and pets that friends and family were going to eliminate, over 24 years. I had saved five dogs similarly, in my previous marriage, though my ex disposed of all when I was out of town for two weeks...she was a heartless b..ch. She did keep my Cairn terrier, just to spite me, as part of the split.
  • Our list of pets over the last 24 years has 19 dogs and 12 cats (not to mention five birds, a mouse plucked from a cat's mouth, and a coupla hamsters along the way). DOGS: sadie, annie, oso, pris, mikey, melody, betsy, boo-boo, amos, buddy, charles, hank, emma, bo-bo, daisy, bella, bentley, scooter, chloe.......CATS: sam, tiger-kitty, smokey, rain, blue, 'lil bit, jasmine, delilah, thomas, TJ, princess, lucky. We're down to 7 dogs, now, three big and four small, and no cats...the little dogs insisted "no more".
  • I frequently have to remind the wife that we need to be able to travel together, at least once in our marriage, and more pets will ensure that never happens, so no more strays. During our 24-year marriage, we've only both been away at the same time just once, for 24 hours, because of the many dependent pets. Our youngest three dogs (of 7) are 5, 6, and 8 years old, and all the rest range between 11-20? (Scooter, the Silky Terrier, though ageless, is probably 20), and they may outlive me. After I'm gone, the wife can collect more to keep her company, but I've done my share...I hate losing them, so I'll not take in any more.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
173193172890148599
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working on it
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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby pralfred » Wed Aug 23, 2017 3:05 am

My dog's name is Cara, and she is a Belgian Malinois. She started life out as a bomb detection dog, in Ukraine. She was most likely imported for a breeding program, though I found her at a local shelter. We have no idea how she ended up on the street, but I had her evaluated by one of the lead trainers from Lackland Air Force Base where they train many of the military's working dogs and she turned out to be as good of a bomb dog as the ones they train. They told me that it is very common for countries to sell dogs back and forth, and since she's trained in Russian she likely came from Ukraine as we (the USA) have been importing a bunch of dogs from there over the last few years. While I was not a dog handler in the Air Force (I was an intelligence analyst) I did work side-by-side with bomb dog teams in the Middle East working counter-IED ops and I feel very comfortable with Cara's breed and training background. I needed a service dog that made me feel safe, and given my issues a former bomb dog has turned out to be the best service dog I could ever have!

Since she came to me with amazing obedience skills we were able to go straight into her service dog training, and we had her trained up in about six months. She was going everywhere with me within a few weeks, however, and we have rarely been apart since. It turns out that she is as scared of explosions and gunfire as I tend to be now (the 4th of July is not our favorite time of year, lol) and that may be why she never entered active service. She was about two years old when I got her, and we've been a team now for 2 1/2 years.

I got my first motorcycle about the same time that I got Cara, and when it came time to replace my car I sold the old bike and got a "new" one with a sidecar. Our transportation has been solely the motorcycle for nearly a year and a half now, and we wouldn't have it any other way now. She has "doggles" to protect her eyes while we ride (I bought the nice ones from RexSpecs) and boots to wear when the pavement gets too hot (though, she hates the boots, lol!). I've also got a line on a pair of ear muffs like what the military dogs on the flightline wear, and I'll be picking them up when funding allows...they'll mostly be for when we're on the bike all day long, since even my ears can end up ringing a bit after 8-12 hours a day on the bike.

Cara, and to a slightly lesser degree the motorcycle, saved me from ending up in a worse and darker place than I already was in when I got her. It is because of my service dog that I stayed in college, and now have my associate's degree. She still goes to class with me every day, and in about 16 months we should be graduating from TX A&M San Antonio with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Once we graduate we're taking a bit of a sebbatical with our teardrop camper (which hopefully will be finished long before then) and visiting as many nature preserves, natural areas, landmarks, parks, etc as we can on our two-to-three month trip I am planning. It will be a fun, and much needed vacation after nearly four years of year-round classes.

And now, the photos of Cara for your enjoyment:
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"While there is tea, there is hope." --Sir Arthur Pinero
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Re: Show and talk about your Pets here...

Postby Padilen » Wed Aug 23, 2017 6:55 am

Very nice story good luck on your vacation and career.


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