Originally Posted By chickendumpling Hi. Here is a thread for all you dog lovers out there and one in particular. Ok, two in particular: Deogges Mom and Pennyring. I know these two love their pups and would love a place to share all the wonder that is dogs. I don't have any pictures to post but I'll start the thread by saying that I have had the pleasure of having 4 great dogs in my life: Noah (found him in the rain), Job (found him left for dead on the side of the road), Rhema (basset hound - came with that name) and Tinkerbell (the biggest, sweetest bullmastiff ya ever saw). I love dogs and treasure every minute I ever spent with these pups - even the ones where that fat but fast ol' dog Rhema would make a break for it and I would have to chase her at breakneck speed all the way down the block! I would love to hear about Deogge and Sheila Princess and all the others out there.
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle My name is Liberty Belle, and I'm a dogaholic. My obsession with dogs started when I was 5 and I got Mr Bart (short for Bartholomew), the most loyal, friendly, sweet big ol' springer spaniel you ever did see. When I was 14 we got Bart a "little sister", a black poodle we fittingly named Ebony. Imagine our surprise when she soon turned grey, forcing people all over town to look at us funny when they met "Ebony". Poor Mr Bart died on his 15th birthday 2 years ago, and nearly a year after that we got our second poodle, Jasmine Jessica (named after Princess Jasmine and Jessica Rabbit). They're the two cutest girls ever and all my co-workers are sick of hearing about them!
Originally Posted By LadyKluck <--Has puppy dog "issues" too! I never had a dog until I was living on my own but just love puppy dogs! My first dog was Shallimar - an Alaskan Malamute who we had to have put down a year and a half ago. They estimated her age at 12-13 years. She was such a cool dog and am SO glad we "saved" her from my dad's house. Currently we have Taz - a 9 year old Rottweiler who is the princess of the house (she's not the queen - that's the cat's title you know). We've had her since she was 6 weeks old and I am just starting to realize just how old she is - though she still acts like a young'un most of the time. Our other dog is Chuck - he's an English Springer Spaniel a.k.a Taz's chew toy! Actually Taz adores Chuck like he was her own son so its very cute to watch them together. Chuck has a bit of a "personal bubble" issue but he's getting better about it. He's 5 years old and we adopted him from the shelter that I volunteer at. I would seriously have so many more dogs if I could - some of you know the sad story of Chip and Dale and the neighbors that made life a living hell until we eventually took them to the pound before they ended up poisoned or something.
Originally Posted By MissCandice I have not had dog as an adult (apartment dweller) but we had dogs when I was a kid. I think that's where my way with animals came from. When my mom married my stepdad he brought into the family a cranky German Shepard that likes no one. Well, she liked me and ever since then, except for a horse that bit me when I was 9, I have never had an animal not like me. I'll go to people's houses and they will say their pet does not like strangers and 5 minutes later that pet will be hitting me up for some lovin'. I love dogs and remember all the ones we had when I was a youngster. So I will give a shout-out to Greta, Brandy, Molly, Dawg, Ricky and Rocky. Woof!
Originally Posted By pennyring Thanks, Chick-a-D! I'm so "wow" that you created a thread so I can go all freak-show mushy over my puppers! {{hugs}} Well alrighty then... :clears throat: I have loved doggies all my life. My brother and I always wanted a doggie, but our parents wanted nothing to do with a pet. Finally, when I was about 10, friends of the family who went to our church had decided to give up their Corgi mix. Their kids were teenagers and tired of taking care of him. He barely even lived at their house because their kids would torment or ignore him. Their neighbors (who we also knew from church) said he would normally sleep on their doorstep and they'd feed him and play with him daily. Anyway, Jerry the Corgi with a tail, came to live with us. He was a very good boy and we loved him to pieces, but he was older and came with old doggie problems like arthritis and general grumpy-old-dog crankiness. When I was 14, my mom decided she'd had enough of taking care of Jerry. She made the excuse that he was old and in pain. (Basically she was tired of having a dog. His condition was not deteriorating -- he was the same, medicated, grumpy old guy we'd had for the past 4 years.) So one day, without telling any of us -- not even my Dad -- she took him to the vet and had him put to sleep. She wouldn't even tell me she'd done it. I had to call the vet. The conversation was something like, "Hi, this is Penny Ring. Do you have my dog, Jerry?" "Um... Ummmmmmmm... sorry... ummmm... not anymore..." They didn't even have his remains for me to pick up. It would have been nice to at least give him a proper burial in our backyard -- LIKE HE DESERVED. This is one of the many things she has done to me in my life that make it difficult to speak to or trust the woman. Next: Part 2, Sheila arrives on the scene
Originally Posted By pennyring >>Well, she liked me and ever since then, except for a horse that bit me when I was 9, I have never had an animal not like me.<< I know exactly what you mean, Miss C! My brother and BiL are the same way! Every cat or dog on the planet will immediately snuggle up for some lovin' with both of them. I think some people just have an inner kindness or gentleness that animals can sense or something.
Originally Posted By pennyring Since we met Sheila a year and a half ago, we can only speculate on her beginnings. This is what we believe: She was thrown from a pickup, damaging her eye. Some workers found her wandering the fairgrounds and took her to a nearby farm. She lived there, under the mobile home, in the horrible heat of summer and freezing cold of winter for a full year. The people threw their garbage in a pit. The people did not feed Sheila regularly. Sheila would scrounge for food in the garbage pit, then get yelled at and threatened by the dad of the family. (This is what they admit to, we believe she was also physically abused.) When we met Sheila, she was a skinny, dirty, scared little girl. She spooked easily and would cower if you raised your arm in a wave or other gesture. She came to live with us and we immediately found she loves to play BALL!!! If Sheila could play ball 24/7, she would! After completing Basic Obedience, Sheila took a Clicker/Agility class. While she LOVED the a-frame, she was terrified of the expanding tunnel, so we didn't push her too hard to continue with agility. In the past year and a half, Sheila has really come out of her shell. She is still a little aloof around strangers (which is normal for her breed), but she does warm up to people, especially if they're willing to throw her ball. She's gone from a shy, scared little girl who would never bark or growl, to a confident, proud dog! If she hears someone on our front walk, she's up off the couch and at the front door barking a greeting. In the morning, she crawls up in the bed between us, flips over on her back and "talks" to us in her gentle growly voice, letting us know that tummy rubs are good stuff. Before Sheila, CK did not consider himself a "dog person". Sheila is totally Daddy's Girl and has changed his mind about that! She's got him completely wrapped around her little paw! As a part of the family, Sheila attended various family functions around the holidays. She entertained extended family and serves as a great example of her breed. At christmas time, she knew which presents were hers and exuberantly tore them all open, then brought the toys to Daddy to play with. After that, she showed off all her "tricks" and got lots of tasty treats. Since meeting Sheila, several freinds and family members have shown interest in adopting a cattle dog of their own, but only if he/she is "just like Sheila." We've gotten to the point where Sheila has a good enough recall that I will allow her off leash in open places (the beach, dog parks, etc) because I know she won't stray far, will come when called and won't mess with other dogs. This is Princess Sheila's website (it's a little out of date though): <a href="http://www.geocities.com/princesspupparoni/" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/princ esspupparoni/</a>
Originally Posted By Deogges Mom My turn....I've had many dogs in my life. The current as most of you know is Deogee. Deogee is a huskie mix (what he's mixed with, I don't know). Deogee came to me in January 1998. My boyfriend at the time was working part time as a cook and bouncer at the little bar about a block from out house. One night when he stepped outside for a cigarette he found a lady trying to give Deogee (about 2 1/2 months old) to the deputy sheriff in the parking lot. Bill took the puppy and said he would find a home for him. He brought Deogee home, put him in my lap and told me his name was Deogee. All I saw was a little hairball (he was about 10 pounds) with huge ears and paws. Bill had found a home for him. Deogee has gone from a scared little hairball with ears, to a confident beautiful dog. I know that he was abused in his short life before he came to us as I can still feel the kink in his tail where it was broken. Deogee was right next to Bill and I when we got married and traveled in the car with us when we moved from Memphis, TN to Orange County. In August of 2000, Deogee got hit by a car and broke both bones in his lower leg on the left side. He wore a cast for six weeks and recovered very nicely, although he still has a small knot on one of the bones. Deogee will be eight in October and is the most mellow dog I've ever had. Right now he is laying half way between Darkbeer and I just watching both of us, hoping one of us will give him some lovin'. By the way, Deogee fell in love with Darkbeer faster than I did. Here's some pictures of him: <a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/491056" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/ga llery/491056</a>
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle >>By the way, Deogee fell in love with Darkbeer faster than I did<< Awww, that's so sweet! It is the most important thing, isn't it? Ebbie reacted really, really badly to my friend's (now ex) boyfriend once and I instantly grew suspicious of him. Anyway, Deogee is very handsome. Penny - that's such a sad story! I'm sorry to hear it. Jerry, though, reminds me of my planned name for if I ever get another springer spaniel: Jerry. Jerry Springer Spaniel.
Originally Posted By pennyring Hehehehe! What a great name, LB! We were going to name Sheila "Aurora Barky Alice" (aurora borealis), but when we met her she was just obviously a "Sheila" so the name had to stay.
Originally Posted By MissCandice Lol, Liberty Belle...that's a good one. Pennyring, the same thing happened( kind of) to some of the dogs that I posted about. When we moved from Washington to California my mom and stepdad said they found homes for the dogs and cats but I found out they were taken to the pound. I hope they did find homes but I know it was unlikely. I understand the reasoning (sort of), but I never could have done that. Heck, I drove up here to Washington with my 16 year old cat in my lap. Anyhoo, at least you have your memories of Jerry.
Originally Posted By pennyring I choose to believe your pets found wonderful new homes and lived long and happy lives. >>Anyhoo, at least you have your memories of Jerry.<< The image that comes to mind is him running around the house wearing my alien antenae headband. Such a tolerant doggie.
Originally Posted By chickendumpling Whoa! Check you out Pennyring! Website and everything. Cool! And I always like seeing Deogee's pictures because Deogee reminds me of my Job. Well, he actually belonged to my husband's family but he was really mine. You know how that goes. (Long story short is that I lived with them for about a year and we had Job, Noah, Rhema and a truly cool black cat named Lucky all living with us.) Anyway, Deogee reminds me of Job because Job was a mutt who was predominately german shephard and because Job was a total snuggler. I think that was because he had to lay still for soooo long because when that car hit him it broke every major bone and it took him months and months to heal. That happened before I moved in and it was my brother-in-law who nursed him back to health. The only thing anybody could do for Job to soothe him during that time was to put his head in your lap. Even after he was all better that was his #1 favorite thing to do. I have such fond memories of those times sittin' on the back porch with Job-ry's head in my lap just stroking his check and watching the day go by. Man. Good memories. If I had any time to spare that I could spend properly training a pup, I'd go get one tomorrow. Soon, I hope.
Originally Posted By pennyring Awwww there's nothing sadder than a hurt puppy. I'm so glad Job and Deogee both recovered. What snuggly guys!
Originally Posted By Deogges Mom Deogee just came back from a birthday party for eight-year-old twins. He had a good time wishing the boys "Happy Birthday" and I think the boys enjoyed having him there for a few moments at least.
Originally Posted By chickendumpling <a href="http://laughingplacestore.com/Product-3512.asp?R=LP" target="_blank">http://laughingplacestore.com/ Product-3512.asp?R=LP</a> need I say more?
Originally Posted By pennyring OMG. Sheila NEEDS that Snow White costume. MissC, I shop at Three Dog Bakery *all* the time! We used to buy their dog food there, but it didn't agree with their tummies, so they're back on the Science Diet. We love Three Dog though! They do summertime Dine with your Dog fundraisers. Last summer we took Sheila and had dinner at the Barking Frog restaurant in Woodinville. Not only do the humans get a first class meal, but the dogs get a 5 course meal themselves! There's even a doggie dessert tray!
Originally Posted By Labuda I love doggies, but have never had my own. Grtew up around them, though. Granddad had Toby & Rusty when I was little (best... dogs... EVER!), and now has Sandy, a sweet little Jack Russell terrier mix. Next door neighbors had golden retrievers - Sioux being my favorite of those. And numerous other neighborhood dogs I knew, but Toby & Rusty are my favorites. DH & I will hopefully have a puppy dog one day, but not anytime soon, since we have kitties right now.
Originally Posted By Labuda If only I could get my cat into that Mickey costume without losing a pint or two of blood...
