Send a dog out on a night like this.

[Eamonn]

Her That Must Be Obeyed doesn't at times share the same enthusiasm about things like I do.

I think she thought that once I completed my District Chairman term that I would be home a little more. She was right, only now we have Sea Scouts in and out of the back yard all the time. She hasn't said that she doesn't like the idea or that she has anything against Sea Scouting, she does however call us the "Boat People".

One love that we both share is Dogs.

We were both broken hearted last week when we had to say goodbye to Shane our collie.

He was up there in years and wasn't doing that well.We had met with our Vet discussed it, but it was still very hard.

This means that we now only have two dogs. Joey, our very lazy English Setter. Who is the kindest most loving dog we have ever known and Rory.

Rory was my Christmas present from Her That Must Be Obeyed, last Christmas.

He is a thoroughbred Golden Retriever AKC,the whole nine yards.

There were times this past year when I really thought that I could have done without having a puppy.

I had two operations on my back and spent a week in ICU, so coming home and having to take him out was something that I thought I could do without. In fact having to take him out was the best therapy for me.

He isn't anything like his parents.

They were on the small side. He is close to about 80 pounds, they were darker than he is in fact some people have said that he is blond or English Cream.

The high point of his day and sometime the high point of my day is when we go for what has become known as The Big Long Walk.

We do about three miles and it doesn't matter what it's doing outside. He loves to get wet and loves snow even more. I look like Nan Nook of the North, but we never miss a day, unless I'm away.

Normally we are gone for about an hour or so.

Most of the time is his and I'm happy to let him do dogie type things. He loves to play in the creeks and is fairly good at catching crayfish. We spent about fifteen minutes going over training type things. Nothing very exciting just things like Heel, walk with me, sit, stay , down and come. Come is the one that we have the most problems with.

We have had a really super year. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or what? But I seem to be a lot more aware things than I used to be.

Very often I will take my camera. I have bored all my family and friends to death with e-mailed Rory pictures. But have also got some fairly good photos of our Owl, who lives in a Toby tree in the back yard and some crows giving a hawk a hard time.

During the summer we found three deer hanging out in the corn field. Rory gave chase but they were far better at getting through the corn field then he was.

I seen them a few more times but he was busy doing something else, so he never noticed them.

We have all the grounds posted. So there isn't any hunting (Sorry hunters!!)

I only seen them once during the fall, but there was ample evidence that they been eating the wild cherries.

We have had a really strange winter.

An early blast of heavy wet snow in October which came before the leaves were off the trees. We have also had some very mild days. So mild in fact that I noticed the dandelions are still in bloom.

We did get a dusting of snow last week and on one of our long walks I seen some hoof prints. I have to admit to being pleased that the hunters didn't get "My Deer"

As a rule the last thing OJ does before he goes to bed is to take the dogs out.

Tonight he came in without a coat. I asked him why he didn't have his coat on? He said that there had been a bomb scare at school and he wasn't allowed to go back into the school and get his coat.

Tonight was one of them cold miserable nights. It had rained and the rain was freezing to the car, the ground was so wet that a ground fog was everywhere.

I thought I'd be the nice Dad and take the dogs out.

Joe didn't hang about he did what he had to do and was back on the porch like a shot. Rory and me went further into the back. The grass was crunching under foot.

I looked up to see three deer about one hundred yards away. Rory seen them and was after them in next to no time.

I never seen him run so fast.

I gave him a few minutes to give chase and called him.

I was really surprised when he came.

I thought we'd go home. But he had other plans. He wanted to go back and sniff out where they had been.

We arrived home. Me with very cold feet and him covered in mud and more than a little upset that I wouldn't let him any further than the mud room.

Joe thinks it's great he has the run of the whole house.

Eamonn.

[SemperParatus]

I am still recovering from putting my dog down a few months ago. I still expect to see her lying in her favorite corner, waking me up with her morning alerts of prowling squirrels and being greeted at the door.

 

Have you read A Life With Dogs by Roger Welsh? Great book. Its helped me get over some of the sadness of saying goodbye to a good friend.

[msnowman]

I'm sorry for your loss. When my Hank is sick I'm a basket case, I can't even imagine losing him. Your Rory sounds like a beauty boy.

 

Sometimes the dogs pick the worst weather to wander in. Last weekend we had snow and ice and my beagle decided it was the perfect time to snap his collar and go "visiting". We live right in town (though its only a town of 3000 or so), so I was more worried about him getting run over than shot. He is a good boy but doesn't have a great grasp on Come...being a beagle he gets a scent in his nose and is gone.

 

He does have great house tricks though like falling over dead if you shoot him and say "Bang". Guess that wouldn't make him a great hunter huh?

 

YiS

Michelle

[Prairie_Scouter]

Hi Eamonn,

 

We have a Golden as well, Buddy, who's 6 years old now. Still a pup, all 85 pounds of him. He's kinda big for a golden; not a pudge ball, tho, just a big moose of a golden. We do our best to "keep him a dog", but to be honest, he's a member of the family. I don't think non-pet owners understand the bond between a family and their dog. Golden's, by their nature, are gentle, intelligent beasts. We had a big Scout whoopdeedoo at my house this past weekend, and one of the younger siblings (old enough to know better, tho), decided to whack Buddy in the face a couple of times, pretty hard. A lot of dogs would have defended themselves, but Buddy just turned around and walked away. That's just who he is. It's probably better that I didn't hear about it until later; I probably wouldn't have been as kind as my Buddy.

 

Can't imagine life without a dog around. I'd like to get another Golden, but The Boss says that for now, we've got enough members in the family, with 3 kids, Buddy, 2 Spiney-tailed lizards, a leopard gecko, and 2 red-eared sliders. Can't imagine why she'd think that

[SR540Beaver]

I've had to put a dog and a cat down within a few months of each other in the past and it was no fun. I've got two cats (Spanky and Lily) who are both around 5 years old. They could easily live another 10 years. But my buddy Jake is getting on in years. Jake is a 150 lbs. great dane/bull mastiff mix that I took in as a stray when he was about a year old. Jake is around 10 years old now and that is close to the life expectancy of a large breed dog. He does moan and groan when he has to get up and go outside for the night. It is part act and part real. As old as he is, he spins around and bounces like a puppy when he realizes he gets to go out front and thru the neighborhood on a walk. He is a big baby and wants to be a lap dog. Unlike Eamonn's Rory, Jake will sit at the door and whine loud enough for the neighbors to hear if there is even a hint of rain in the air. He does the same thing if he sees you thru the window going out in the front yard without him. He is one of the best behaved dogs I've ever had. I took him to a free obedience school when I first got him. I've never seen a dog so intelligent and eager to please. He has always looked to me as the alpha dog. Wy wife and son both get frustrated that he won't obey them like he does me. I could bore you with a million stories about his antics, but I won't. I know that someday (sooner than later) I'll have to put him down, and the thought almost brings me to tears everytime.

[Kahuna]

My sympathies, Eamonn. I have three schnauzers waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge. The loss of every one of them was like a child to me. In each case, I have gotten another one asap. They don't replace the one that's lost, but they add a lot to my life. I'm glad you have other dogs to share your grief and your life.

[lynncc]

okay anytime your family says enough is enough no more stories or pictures. You can e-mail me. I love dog/animal stories. Amy the dietician/nutrition lady at work is always showing me pictures of her animals. So cute.

 

You write very well. Very descriptive I can just picture everything going on. so again if you need to share don't hesitate.

 

Tonight I am taking one of our many animals to one of the other cub scout packs in town. Will be interesting to see how many remember me. I cleared the room of most of the adults last year. Had several knocked over chairs. The boys loved it. This year my little friend is bigger. A little over 3 feet and as big around as a sivel dollar....The cubmaster missed it last year and is looking forward to it this year. My friend is getting harder to hide. Last year he was under my neckerchief.

 

Yes, Yes I own a snake. A boa constrictor. The joke at my house is that everything is in someones food chain. fish, Birds, cat, dogs and snake. The frozen mice in the freezer don't count.lol.

 

lynncc

jacksonville, TX

[Eamonn]

Back when I was a Cubmaster, we went to a county park. We were there to look at tree frogs.

The Nature Director said that three was a lot less tree frogs as there were a lot more ducks and geese, the reason for the over population of the birds was that there wasn't enough snakes. With that he produced a black rat snake. You should have seen the adults move toward the back of the room.

The Cub Scouts thought it was cool.

Thinking back to my Cubmaster days, there were a couple of parents who needed a good close encounter with a very large boa constrictor.

But I suppose that doesn't meet the criteria for being kind? Still at the time it would have helped with cheerful.

Eamonn.

[Lynda J]

 

Sorry about your loss

We have had two big black cats at our repair shop for the past 18 years. Since May we lost both of them. They were desk cats and customers would come in and play with them. It is hard.

Over the year I don't want to even remember how many I have lost.

 

I also understand about deer. My dad's farm was posted and you always knew a couple of days before deer season starter without looking at the calendar. Because all the deer seemed to join forces at our place. They would come right up into the coral around the barn and eat with the horses. The funny thing was that only during deer season would they do this.