# The dogs of the fiber artists



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

So many of us have pets.
People are citing their dogs as blessings.

How about a thread dedicated to mans best friend.
Tell us about your dawgs, hey?
Past, present, and future even. 

Show us your puppies. 

:teehee: die:


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

This is my puppy, Tiger, who just went to heaven two weeks ago. I still miss him so much. :Bawling:

He liked to hang out with me while I knitted, or with my mom as she spun.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I know I have posted him before and my FB friends are probably tired of his dwarven self, but this is Sailor.
He was dumped here last summer and wormed his way into my heart.
Corgi cross and not much over a year old...


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I lost my good dog of 12 years recently too. She passed on Friday the 13th of December.
Her birthday was December 10th. I figured she chose her death date intentionally as a last laugh type of thing. LOL
My Border Collie, Pip. The best ball playing dog you would ever meet!
The dog I raised my kids with, the one who taught them not to run in the house. :heh:
I miss her every single day too.
Not much ever got past her. 
Sailor is just no replacement for a smart dog like her.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Svenska, 
That just sucks. Tiger was very beautiful!!

GAM,
Sailor is just the cutest little dog!! Its easy to see how he got into your heart!
Pip looks like a smart dog! Just something in the eyes that lets you know.
Im sorry she passed.



This is my Sierra. She passed away about 6 years ago. I tried to get another dog a few years back. It just didn't work out. Maybe someday. 
I still think of her often.

Ideally if I had dogs again, I would like a male black lab & a female german shepherd, both spayed of course. I think they would make an excellent team.






Sierra by hobbyphoto's, on Flickr


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

My little dog, Indigo, who is a Wired Haired Fox Terrier. One ear never tipped over. It is the ear that never sleeps...always on the alert for any little sound. The picture of the German Shepherd is my BF's dog, Jacob. Jacob came from a rescue and was in sorry shape when he got him - 1/2 starved and with the tips of his ears so covered with fly bites that they were bare and bleeding. He's doing great now!


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Love the pup pics!
Well here's mine.
Ya'll already know Maggie and Murphy, love my Pyrs!! Best dogs ever, they do an amazing job of keeping every thing off the property that doesn't belong here.
Then there's Pugsley, the blonde Pekingese, the love of my life, and his little brother Bogie, our "special" dog. We often joke that it Bogie were human, he would be that kid in the back of the school bus, licking the windows. Gotta love him,:hysterical:
We also have my Moms dog living here, but I don't have any pics of her on my computer, she's sweet, a beagle cross, about 12 years old.. Her name is Little Bit.
I have no idea why i seem to acquire my dogs as sibling pairs, Pugsley and Bogie were supposed to be Pugsley and Wednesday, but the onlt Black puppy they had was a male....


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here are my three current dogs sitting in front of my house last winter. They like to sit on the stoop and watch me shovel. From left to right, my beloved Pit Bull mix Belu (pronounced Bee Loo), my collies Sophie, and Tucker


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

MW, when I was a little girl, we were gifted a Dark Tri-color with long skirts from some friends of my parents in England. His name was, Lad's Highland Mist, we called him Laddie.
Bless his heart, he lived for 15 years, and was just a wonderful dog. Love collies.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Here's Gina.. ( Beagle / Chihuahua / boston terrier / dachshund ) She is the BEST dog , she gives kisses, she would sit on the stage in my guitar case and sleep while we played music when she was a puppy , and she sits up to beg ( Nobody taught her that ! ) She likes gardening too .....




and Boobie ..... my diabetic Yorkie ....he is WAAYYYY to much like a 3 year old, always on the go and into somethin' .... has little dog syndrome and attacks other dogs like Kujo ....... BUT he loves fiber !


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

RIP Maverick & Duke. Maverick was rarely without his cat, Duke. When we had to put Mav down, Duke followed within 2 weeks










Border collie, Heidi in her hey day (5 years ago). She's very arthritic now and would still love to be a pocket puppy.










Heidi's son, Tig (half English shepherd) at 1 year old.










And the puppy, Newt. He's Tig's half brother. Pic one at 8 weeks, pic two at 8 months. He's already the size of Tig and still growing!


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

The hound mix is my sweet Harold. We rescued him about a year and a half ago. He often acts as my arm rest when I'm working on fibery things, and he sleeps on my feet every night. He had a lot of behavioral issues when he came from the shelter, but we've worked a lot of them out and are still working on others. We love him lots anyways.

The corgi is Zoe. When I was 12, a family friend had a litter of corgi pups that had to be taken by C-section, and mom's milk never came in. That meant the pups had to be tube fed for a few weeks, 5 times a day. I volunteered to stay at their house and feed the puppies while they worked during the day, spending a goodly portion of my summer cuddling with 10 teensy weensy pups. They were going to give me a couple hundred bucks initially, but then she talked my mom into letting me have a puppy instead. I read every corgi book in their house (quite a few since they've been breeding corgis for the last couple decades) that summer in preparation for having one of my own. The first night she got to come home, I put her in her crate for bed right beside me, worked on an afghan for a while, then dropped it on the top of her box before I went to sleep. She yanked the whole thing into her crate and shredded it during the night.

We lost Zoe 3 years ago to a snake bite, but she and her siblings gave me my first taste of real responsibility and what it is to be trusted with little lives. She was my first baby and I wouldn't be half the momma I am today without the experiences she gave me.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

love all the pics- most of you have seen pics of (some) of my dogs but here goes...

this was my boy- brought him into the world and nearly died when he did. 










he was the awesomemest companion and show dog and he did everything I asked of him










we travelled all over together - he loved flying and he was as comfortable running in the pasture with the cattle and the other dogs as he was running around Madison Square Garden at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show or at the International Kennel Club Dog Show in Mexico City. 










There were others, Gordon Setters, rescued Greyhounds, a couple of nice German Short-haired Pointers, Italian Greyhounds










and the world's most adorable English Bulldog - Tackle. 










We are currently dogless- but once we retire- look out.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

WIHH - you are indeed a woman of many talents! Beautiful dogs. Westminster, too?! Wow! I am impressed! 

I understand about "almost died when he did." I had a lab/pointer cross named Buck. He literally went to college with me...carrying my books in his dog back-pack. When I was out of school and working as a vet tech he came to work with me every day. In all his years we were together 24/7 for all but a handful of days. He was stricken with a chondrosarcoma in one leg and the vets at the UofMN said it was contained and they could save him, but it would mean amputating that one rear leg. We gave it a shot and he ended up spending many more years with me. He was quite a hunting dog and even learned how to do a proper point by balancing on one front leg and his remaining rear leg. When he died it was almost a year before I could even bear to look at a picture of him. It was just too painful. He was far and away the best dog I ever had. RIP, Buck.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, I never tire of your dog show pictures. 
You know I love the shoulder pad fashion statement too. 

I grew up doing dog 4H. My first project was my moms pet quality English bulldog, Elijah. 
He was about the most cantankerous thing you could possibly expect an 11 y/old to teach obedience to. 
He would *NOT* sit his testicles all the way down on cold concrete.
Instead he would squat down reaaalllly slowly, but I never could get a good solid "sit' from him. LOL

I did some showing, mostly obedience. MY first dog of my 'own' was a Schipperke.
Shadow, my best buddy. I put a CDX title on him when I was 14.
This was in the 80's before they had agility trials. That dog loved the obstacle course and he would have excelled at Agility. <sigh>

Then when I was in 8th grade I raised a guide dog puppy. (for the blind)
Her name was Molly, a golden retriever. 
I took her on the school bus for almost the entirety of my 8th grade school year.
Wewent to the mall, in elevators, over bridges, even to the top of the Space Needle. 
I had a little coat for her to wear that said "guide dog for the blind, in training".
She was quite 'socialized' by the time I was done with her. 
We were rather well-known in my hometown. LOL 

She ended up not placing as a guide dog,
because she had a rather nervous temperament. Not my fault at all though.
She was just a bit cringey, always was.
She was instead used for breeding more guide dog puppies. 
I honestly never understood why.
I never found out if she made any good puppies for them. It was one of those mysterious things that grown ups did. 
LOL


Now I am prepping to get another dog to replace Pip. 
I sort of want a Corgi, a purebred Pembroke.
But I also really miss that Border Collie brain. 
Either way, I am going to wait until the weather is better for puppy training.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

A schipperke, never had one but some day I think I will, or a corgi . Big dog brains in a little dog.

I had plenty of mutts growing up. My favorite was southern cur mix. 
Always had a dog or cat sleeping with me growing up.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

gone-a-milkin said:


> WIHH, I never tire of your dog show pictures.
> You know I love the shoulder pad fashion statement too.


 heee heee- I was a great believer in shoulder pads- even added an extra layer or two if I thought it was necessary to achieve that "hour glass" effect :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

oh mercy

those were the days

one of these days I will have to dig out and scan a few more dog photos. 

You tell your mama I said that having a kid take a bulldog through obedience was just cruel!

Bulldogs do pretty much what they want to do when they want to and no, no proper sits either. My daughter's greyhound does the same thing- sort of a very deep squat- but not a full, butt on the ground "sit". 

your mama has a naughty sense of humor. 

I have an acquaintance that is a veterinarian and she is trying to coerce me into taking on some pups to train as assistance dogs for the disabled. I told her when I retire I might very well take her up on that.

I trained "Dogs for the Deaf" a lifetime ago (Kasota, you should see my resume- it's hysterical and schizophrenic :shocked and I found screening dogs from shelters and rescuing them to train as one of the most satisfying things I have ever done.

GAM- those "brainy" dogs wear me out. I need "compliant" and trainable- I can't have a dog always staying one more step ahead of me. 

For this climate, we are having a real time deciding on what to do. Cabin Fever is a "Lab man". 

I am, clearly anything BUT a "Lab man". :umno:

I can see a nice Bernese Mountain Dog ahead for skiijoring and snowy rescues...and a French Bulldog. Ya know, for cuddling on my lap. They crack me up and I love dogs that make me laugh.


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## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

WIHH, your schizophrenic resume is what I've always dreamed mine will be like some day. It seems you've spent your whole life doing and learning incredible new things, and that is just plain awesome as far as I'm concerned.

For those of you looking at corgis, they make seriously awesome dogs for a homesteading life-style. Zoe was a goat herd, a kid nurse, and a pretty awesome guard dog when pushed into it. She spent her whole life running with boxers and had no idea she was much smaller than they until we got a goodly amount of snow that she had to plow through instead of walk through. She was a great working dog and an awesome companion, as were her mom, dad and siblings (I kept up with many of them for years).

My first obedience dog was a temperamental German Shepherd mix, not quite as bad as the bulldog we had a few years ago, but close. He always managed to make me feel like he was only listening because he wanted to. My mom has a sick sense of humor, too


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Kas, is that you or your friend with the GS??


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Cyndi - yep that is me. Egads but I look a little older every year. Jacob is seriously in love with me. Even though I only get to see him on my trips to Ohio, he never forgot that I was there the first night he left that rescue. He was so scared and we simply clicked. The first night he was like a cockle burr. I put a blanket down on the floor next to my side of the bed so he could be near me. He was still so anxious that I hung one leg outside the bed so he could touch me. After a few minutes I felt him very very carefully take my foot in his mouth and just hold it. He slept that first night holding on to my foot. 

Jacob had never had any toys of his own. I spoiled him rotten by showing up with a rather bountiful sack of them. He was sooo funny...he would gather them up into a pile in whatever room. If we were in the family room...he would gather up his toys and then settle down and just be with. If we moved to the kitchen he would bring them all along and put them in a pile where he could watch his toys and watch us at the same time. It was amazing, given his history, that he was not protective of food or toys...never showed any aggression if we needed to pick one up and set it aside. He just wanted to look at them! LOL!


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

I never had pets growing up. The closest I came to dogs was through my ex, who was into hunting and we had a couple beagles over the years. They were outdoor dogs, however, even though we tried unsuccessfully to housetrain one of them. I never saw cuter puppies than beagles. (especially those fat little ear pads, no bigger than my thumbnail...Oh my)

For some inexplicable reason in my adulthood I fell under the spell of cats and the feeling by and large seems to be mutual.

All that to say, G-a-M, that picture in your post ( # 3 ) just melts my heart. What an expression! You are very fortunate, as is everyone else.


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## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

What wonderful puppy pals you all have (& have had)!
Kasota, we had a Wire haired fox terrier named Sir Galahad. He was a real live wire!! I don't remember the details of how he came to be ours or how/when he left. But left a memorable impression, that he did!! 
We had a lot of dogs growing up, Dad just seemed to bring them home. Some lived a good long life, others were with us a short time--(due to the fact some liked to chase cars, or a couple decided to kill the sheep.
I remember my first 4H dog. A beautiful black & tan coonhound named Duke. He was sooo laid back. When he was told to down & stay, he took it literally and laid on his side and slept. When I showed him, at the county fair, he won the non-registered class, but the next class he escaped me and peed on the judges table. lol  His show career was short and Dad gave him to a neighbor. Someday I would like to have another.
All our married life, Dh & I have never chosen our dogs. They have been dump dogs that found us. Our first hound, someone dumped at my Dads' farm sale. She was still there at the end of the day and came home with me. She looked like maybe a dachsund, corgi, & a bit of cocker spaniel, long haired fringe on back legs and tail sort of cross. A beautiful brown, Missy was with us for about 10 or so years. During that time my Dh's cousin gave us a Samoyd named Sandy. After those 2, the cousin gave us a little American Eskimo named Sassy. One day she was barking her head of at something out by the goat pen. She had cornered a puppy of about 3 months old that someone had dumped on our road. The "puppy" was bigger than Sassy. Also of the Heinz 57 variety, a lab mix of some sort, she fit right in and our daughters named her Starry.
After these two, Dhs' other cousin, gave us a second American Eskimo named Princess Sheena. Her whole pedigree has several Duchess', a Lady; such a royal lineage. hehe  Well, we lived in town at the time, but when we took her out to the farm when we did chores, the first thing she would do (still does today) is find the richest, freshest greenest pile of cow poo she could find and become very, very green. A few years back our daughters' Dh had a friend who was trying to keep a corgi in his "no pets allowed" apartment and wanted to know if we wanted her. Well,,, I've always liked the breed but left it up to Dh. (I think he's a real softy at heart, he couldn't say no to those liquid brown eyes) and Princess, the pembroke welsh corgi became part of our family. This "royal" also likes a good roll in the poo, but her favorite is any dead thing she can find.
Another dog that was dear to our hearts was a black lab shepherd mix that belonged to my fil. He was partial to this type of mix breed and was in fact looking for a dog and we met a family who had some of those type puppies to give away. He went down and chose one. Now, the thing is, my fil was Sammys' master, & Sammy loved him, but our son, was Sammys' boy. They grew up together. They played fetch the stick for literally hours. Anything we threw that Sammy could get his mouth around was game on. Unfortunately, this past summer, we had to painfully choose to put him down. At 14, we knew he would not make it through the winter.
All our dogs have been the very best friends and we are thankful they were a part of our lives.
Thanks for allowing me to share and thank you for your stories about your special animals! 
God bless,
jd


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Stef I do the cat thing too :teehee: I have 8 at my house now, 3 of those are fosters. All were rescues or ones that had been dumped, or wandered in. Tell us about your cats.


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

Can I tell about my kitty?

This is Whiskers. He lives in Nebraska, and only has three legs. (There was a tragic accident with a hay mower some years back when he was still an outside kitty.) His hobbies include attacking your feet from under the bed, sleeping in wool, and following sunbeams.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

I had an awesome cat years ago - a big, fat, lazy, long-haired orange tabby named "Garfield". He was awesome. 

He made the transition from our city life to the ranch with amazing flexibility 

and - he never ran from a dog.

He'd flop over on his side on the ground and take 'em on from there - and he NEVER lost a run in with a dog - and there were LOT's of dogs that came through our place, lost hunting dogs, dumped dogs, strays, abandoned - and ones we bred and ones we just "inherited". More than 40 over the years. 

Garfiled was neutured and he would hunt for moles and wood rats and bring them home to the female cats. Or he would trade them to me for milk. 

My former husband was allergic to cats, but I would sneak Garfield into the house when the husband left for work and I would smuggle him out when the husband came home. :teehee:

he loved to sleep on the husband's pillow. :hysterical:

okay, that was mean. 


I just loved that cat.

If I ever get another one - I hope to get another just like my Garfield.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

It's too much to type out, but here's a blog post about my heart dog, Scooter. I got him when I was 15, and lost him 2 years ago after 15 years together. We went through everything, going to college, moving to Vermont and back, me getting married, etc. I still get really sad thinking about him, but I am starting to be able to think about him without crying every time. Oops, not this time. 

Now we have sweet Elmer (the big brown one), who is really DH's dog. Those two are very close. He'll be 5 this March. His mom was a Bullmastiff, and who knows what his dad was. He's the most laid back dog I've ever had, and a sweetheart. 

"My" dog is Buford (the scruffy one), who I got as a puppy because he looked so much like my Scooter. He was very challenging as a puppy, but now as a 3 year old he has turned into a very nice dog. He still has some quirks, but overall he's a good boy. I think he's a hound/terrier mix.


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## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

There were a lot of cats but one has stood out above all the rest. She was a lovely orange tabby. She had the most beautiful golden eyes and her purr was,,, well,, I knew it was her without even seeing her if she was purring.  Came to the farm as a kitten with her mother & litter mates. We named her Cheese Whiz. She nearly died from something --I don't really know what--probably distemper, but I held her in my lap for hours, fed her tuna juice, then tuna when she was able to eat it. Where ever I was working outside, & I mean where ever and what ever I was working on, she was there--in my lap. I lost her last winter, found her curled up on an oversized stuffed dog out in the shed. Dh buried her in the garden for me. She was 14.
http://s560.photobucket.com/user/haybaler/media/IMG_2057_zpsba695edf.jpg.html
The other cat in this photo is Muffin. He also wanted to be in my lap. We lost him last spring.
http://s560.photobucket.com/user/haybaler/media/IMG_1037_zps91e28af7.jpg.html
God bless,
jd


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## Tommyice (Dec 5, 2010)

I love all the doggy pics. They are truly a gift and I couldn't imagine life without one.

This is Porter and Fritz. Porter is mine and he's the blonde. Fritz is my Dad's and he's a German Shorthaired Pointer. They think they're brothers. Will even eat out of the same bowl without going at each other.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I just love the pictures and the stories. I love remembering all my friends who might be gone from this world but not from my heart. 

Tommyice, I used to have a German Shorthaired Pointer. He was really wired for sound. One of the smartest and most hyper dogs I ever had. He used to drink out of the water bucket (3 big dogs so the water 'bowl" was a 3 gallon feed bucket) by putting his entire face under the water, right past his eyeballs. One day when he was around 5 months old he got into the pantry when I wasn't looking and got into a bag of powdered sugar...which made him thirsty...which sent him to the water bowl...and then back to the bag of sugar that he stuffed his head into. I about died laughing when he rounded the corner to come and find me...and looked at me with pure puppy joy...and about 1 inch thick powder sugar paste all over his face...only his eyeballs showing!


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

This is Brutus and my DH. They were inseparable. Brut was a Rottie/Lab mix rescue pup that lived to the age of 12 1/2. We had to put him down when he came down with a nasty cancer. It tore my heart out that day. He saved my husbands life. May 22 1998 I was getting ready to go to MN to visit my sister. She called and wanted me to bring her some stuff from the groc store. I went outside to go get my pickup. Brutus came up to me and kept running back and forth to the barn looking over his shoulder. He grabbed me by the hand to lead me out with him. This was not normal behavior. What I found wasn't good. My husband was lying on the ground not moving. His face was the color of the concrete he was on. I ran up to him and he told me to call the rescue crew. The tractor had run over him and crushed his pelvis! Had that dog not drug me out to the barn, my husband would have died. It was 55Âº that day with a stiff wind. My husband spent 7 weeks in the hospital. I thank god everyday for that big gentle mutt of a dog. Later on DH told me the dog had laid down beside him and wouldn't leave his side..until he heard me come out from the house.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

This is Buddy. He was a rescue pup too. His dam was a purebred Australian Shepard..his sire a tramp! LOL Actually, I think he has a whole lotta Husky in him because he talks by rooooooing at me! LOL Buddy just turned two years old and he's a real character!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Talking dogs ... Newt is one. He's so comical!!

Such beautiful animals and stories!


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

this is not him but this is exactly what my Garfield looked like- like I said, he was huge, fat , and lazy.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I can't talk about dogs without starting with Thunder the Wonder dog. A rescue, $55 from animal control for a starved, scarred puppy, with lots of training he became a wonderful dog, and famous. He was in the newspaper 3 times, on TV once, saved my house from being robbed on several occasions - once coming back with a shoe, and then he danced around the officer who came to Take a report, and asked for a ride in the cruiser.
He was with me through my first marriage, my daughter's birth, my divorce, more moves than I care to count, and - like many people - my DH knew Thunder before he knew me. See, Thunder went with me everywhere, if I went to the store or library, both places had a shady spot where he could sit and wait for me. LOL, people would see him and come up and introduce their friends to him - more than once, one of those people would at some point, see me and give me that look; "Do I know you?"
"You know my dog."
"Oh! You're Thunder's mom!"

His great good heart stopped a couple of months before he turned 12. I was with him, and the last thing he heard was me telling him what a good, good dog he was.

When he passed, we had Scooter Beagle and Marley Golden. We lost Marley at 3 to a car. He was a sweet, wonderful dog, although he had every health problem a Golden could have. He wasn't destined to live long, with all his health problems, but I wish we'd had him longer. One day, I'll have another happy Golden dog.

In Oct, I went everywhere in the middle of a rolling dog pack - I know a bunch of you read in the pet forum about my heartbreak - I don't think I was even able to post when, on Thanksgiving day, Scooter and Cerberus were stolen. They were only outside for about 20 minutes, and our land is fenced. There have been a lot of dogs stolen here, taken off chains and from yards, all purebred or pure looking, all smaller breeds, there is a deputy assigned to the case, but so far, only one dog has been recovered - a female English bulldog who was stolen right from the family's driveway - their 7 yo was holding the leash. A week later, she was found, they think because the case got so much press she was too hot to sell, which is a good sign, it means that it's less likely the other dogs were stolen for baiting or for labs. We're still hoping to find them, and still looking.
Judd


In the meantime, even though Smiley was, and is, still here, the house was just so empty. While a big part of me didn't want another dog, I couldn't stand it. DH said I was already unlivable since Deacon had died and I was to find another dog or he was going to hand me one.
So I found Sunni. 
Sorry about the lack of pictures - I am waiting on a new camera cord to upload them. Just before Christmas, we brought her home, a 10 week old GSD puppy, with huge paws and ears, that she is rapidly growing in to. She has been a much-needed joy to our family. She is very smart and trainable, and has been a wonderfully easy puppy - a good start really does make a big difference, she's already been housebroken a week. She has learned her name, to not chase cats or chickens, what she is allowed to chew, and walking nicely on a leash. She is rapidly learning Come, Down, Off, Leave it, how to catch a stream of milk aimed at her as I milk the goats and how to travel next to DD and her pony when they ride. We really needed her.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

This is my Sasha. Sash never left my side, in the garden,the bathroom, at work by my feet, at my feet at night in bed. Fearless. She got sick right after my sweet Angel passed. We/the vet thought it was a couple of things and treated her for months,the last week he was at the vet on IV and we went each day to feed her as she would not eat for anyone but me. She got better we brought her home on Fri. Sat. night she woke me and I knew she was dieing. We took her to emergency vet, they would not let us stay in the room with Sash and would not treat her until we agreed to many tests, we said no, we knew she needed help right now,not after the 24 hours of tests they wanted to do. We said giver her to us so we could go home. Sasha died alone, they made sure of it, I hate them for what they did to my Sasha. I can't get over this, added to the loss of having to put my beloved Angel down. I second guess myself everyday about my Angel. I have lost any happiness for the things I used to love. I force myself thru the days. I know I should not be telling all this,but I know you all would understand and I just need to say it.Loosing them is one thing, how it happened, involved me and I failed them.Sasha while I picked chamomile, Angel in his Christmas ears. ps, we had an atopsy done on Sasha, she had Cancer.Sasha died March 2013, Angel Aug 2012 .


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

This is Shady, Sasha and him were like litter mates,but were not. Then we adoped a old Rottie, Cally, I know she was sent to me from Sasha. Cally never left my side for 3 days after we adopted her and she is here to take care of me, I'm positive of it. 2 weeks later we adopted Marty,Cally's "brother". Their mom could not keep them any more, Marty had gone to another home, and when that went all wrong, I insisted he come here.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

And Kitty boy, he died a bit after Sasha. He thought he was a dog. He would lay snuggled up right against my chest and mock the way I lay. His head resting on my arm.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

A girl and her dog on the way to work. Kimo the Wonder Woof. He'd go to my office and hang out under the drafting desk and then go to the Building Department with me and give kisses and shake feet and distract them enough that they'd just stamp the drawings "approved" without writing any comments on them. Good dog! 

An officer did almost give him a ticket for riding without eye protection, but the ticket would have had to have been written to the dog so the officer didn't. He thought about writing a cruelty to animals ticket, but Kimo had jumped off my Suzuki and onto the officer's Harley so the officer figured the only cruelty was that the dog didn't have a better ride.


This is his greatgrandson, Kimo Too along with Katie The Pest who is a fourth cousin.





































And then, of course, there's these guys who help me with all things fibery:









Even though there's twenty three of them, they all have names and manage to get spoiled.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

OMG! I have so enjoyed reading all this!! I went out to get pics, because I didn't have pics of all my babies! So, here we go - 

First is PJ. My big black bear. He hates cats, and desires to eat them all... He is mostly our guard for the goats, he is pyr and.... something. 







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Then we have Martha... my DDs dog. She is permanently grounded. She thinks sheep are snacks. DD has done some serious good begging to keep that dog on the farm. lol!







[/URL][/IMG]

Then we have Bandit. He is the son of the Pyr that my DH was soooo in love with. That dog slept in the bed with DH. When he got hit by a car, well It almost killed my DH. :awh: So, he has been very attached to little Bandit, who was born not long after Rocky died. Oh, and Bandit is grounded right now too. He took to staying away for a couple of weeks, (man the pyrs roam!) came home for a few days, left again for a few weeks. Next trip home DH grounded him. lol! He came back fat and sassy, so we are thinking someone was taking care of him.







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Now for the Young lady that started all those... Lassie. She is about 14 now, Pyr/Lab cross. She is the MOM of the farm. Takes care of all the babies. She even brought me a kitten once. It was a newborn, covered in ants. She kept licking it and licking it... lol...needless to say, we bottle fed a kitten. Which by the way started a whole new thing out here... We now have about 20 cats. :hrm: More on that in a sec...







[/URL][/IMG]
Here with Lassie is the dog that my DS#3 called about 2 years ago and asked if he could have a puppy. He rescued this dog from a drainage ditch, he was a tiny puppy. Yep, DS#3, the one away in college... but we love Bowzer (the brown dog), and he just fits around here. A mut and wonderful (accident prone) guy. He fell on the porch, catching his leg when he was just 9 weeks old and broke his back leg, in the growth plate. Has a wicked limp. Then he ventured too close to my hateful neighbor (my half brother) who pegged him in the chest with a shotgun. :grump: For his young age he limps along, but is the happiest dog ever, full of joy and jumps everywhere he goes, just happy all the time and full of energy. He gets to come in and have snacks every morning so he doesn't chase my truck down the road - he is absolutely convinced that anytime one of our trucks cranks he is supposed to be inside of it. He goes almost everywhere with DH. It's gonna be tough when DS comes home and takes his dog with him. 








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Those are the ones that are with us now. There have been lots of good ones that have already passed on.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

And, now I have to talk about my kitties. 
There have only been two special ones in my life. 
Liza was my first cat ever. I always always wanted one, but my mother hated cats, so it was always a no. When I was 25 and out on my own I got me a kitten. She lived a long long life, and was always with me. She was always there for me. Petted me when I cried and hated me when I had another baby! lol! It was sad when she died, but somehow we both knew it was time. We spent the last day together, just me and her. Then I found her on the porch, in the sun, gone forever. We had a good life together.

Then we had the kitten that Lassie brought home. I wasn't real fond of her...but she had a little yellow kitten that I got real attached to. He was always with me. We called him Garfield. He was huge. (maybe it goes with the name) One day he, his mom and sister just disappeared.... not long after that so did a sheep and goat. (small ones) The local game warden thought perhaps we had a big cat (cougar they call them) out here. Most of the small animals in this area disappeared that summer. I still miss Garfield.
Here he was - helping me knit. lol








[/URL][/IMG]


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I so love everyone's stories. The pictures of the Rotties especially tug at my heart. I have had many Rotties over the years and they brought me more joy and security than I have words for. I had one that was especially dear to me. Her name was Sydney and she would mother anything that squeaked. She used to steal the cat's kittens when mom wasn't looking. The cat had a litter she kept in my upstairs bedroom closet and the Rottie had her bed in the kitchen. She would go upstairs and steal a kitten...you would see her coming down the steps and all you could see hanging out of her mouth was a kitten's tail. She would go back for another one and so forth. Sometimes you would see momma cat bringing one back up while Sydney was headed down with another and they would pass each other on the stairs. Finally momma cat gave up and just moved herself and all the kittens into Sydney's bed. 

There was one orange tom I kept out of that litter. Best cat ever...so loving and so HUGE! Anytime Sydney would have a litter he would belly up to the bar right along with the pups. Somewhere I have a photo of her nursing pups and right in the middle is this big ol' Tom smack dab in the middle of the row. 

She once also raised three ducklings I had brought home. Stole them, too, and moved them into her outside dog house. She had a house and run inside the garage and a door to the outside fenced yard. The ducks were so little then and in a box with a heat lamp on it. She stole them and moved them into her dog house. I found them missing...and the dog in hiding in her house. The lid lifted off and I went to check. "Ok, where are they?" She tried to look innocent. "Show me the ducks." She was laying down...and ever so slowly she lifted one back leg...and sure enough there were the three ducklings tucked under her leg for warmth. She would take them to the fish pond for a swim...and it was so funny to see her walking out there...three ducks in a row behind her. She died in her sleep at the ripe old age of 15, which is a goodly age for a Rottie.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Here is a gratuitous picture of my BIG orange marmalade kitty. He was a stray from My son's apartment in Bemidji. His name is Baby and he is Belu's cat. Awwwwwww!


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

This is Axil, my sons dog who is 4 yrs old...but kinda mine too...he loves to be at my feet whenever I work on my projects...










This is my 3 yr old Dog, Loudo, who curls around my feet during my projects...he is my buddy who goes wherever I go....a rat/mouse killer...but looks so sweet and innocent.  The smell of wool makes him happy, he gets excited...










As I post this, Axil is nuzzled up against my left foot and Loudo is by my right foot...silly guys.

I can miss posting Ollie who is about 9 yrs old, the pug who survived 7 broken pelvic bones and permanent nerve damage in his right front leg from being hit by a drunk driver...in a Truck! He is my other sons dog....usually in my sons arms...this pic he is snuggled up on blankets near him, taken a year ago.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Hmmmm... one on the right and one on the left....I wonder if you could teach them to treadle a spinning wheel....


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Now don't ya'll even get me started on CATS!!
At one time we had 14 for goodness sake. We are down to just 4 now, and I really miss the others. When we moved we downsized, and re-homed them all. 
I have tons of pics, but doubt the server here has the bandwidth to accommodate them, lol!!
How about this one though,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/598971680/

This is my youngest, about 7 years ago, with his pet hen. She was just a little Cornish, not a CornishX, but and actual Cornish hen, and he named her Seagirl, as she looked like a Seagull, kids! She loved to ride around on his shoulders.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

lovin' all the sweet faces and stories of devoted companions!


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Kasota said:


> Hmmmm... one on the right and one on the left....I wonder if you could teach them to treadle a spinning wheel....


They are both smart dogs but that would require the spinning wheel I don't have. LOL Ok well truth be told, Loudo will fetch any rogue yarn ball that gets away and bring it right back. He does not chew up things like many dogs, only what he is supposed to. He will roll a ball of yarn around if I let him like a cat though. So I have given him some balls I did not want to use from the thrift store to play with. He always knows his from the ones I am using to craft with.  I just added Ollie but he is just so happy to be with my younger son...he has little interest in my crafting...LOL


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Romy, what a perfect reason to get a spinning wheel! It's not for you...it's for their education, their health and well-being! :cute:

Debi, I used to work as a vet tech for a vet who was on the board for a particular animal rescue. Somehow I ended up being the designated feeder of orphan kittens. I suppose I had a knack for it. At one point I had 21 kittens I was bottle feeding plus my own 6 or so. It was rather busy there for a while. Boy, was I ever grateful when they all got on solid food!!! 

I don't have any cats now. Sometimes I miss them but I don't miss litter boxes. LOL!


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

When I was very young, barely old enough to remember, I was bitten in the face by a huge, hairy, black dog (I later discovered it was a badly abused Newfoundland, they bite so infrequently, most people are appalled to hear of it). Anyway, that kind of trauma resulted in a pretty severe dog phobia starting to develop. My mother decided she wasn't going to have a child with a deep-seated fear like that, and we brought home Daisy, a brown Cocker Spaniel, my one and only real canine companion of my youth. She paved the way for my ultimate canine, 

Dax, who was a true companion, helper, and guardian (one of a kind), and sadly no longer with us. I doubt I'll ever have another dog like her. She wasn't just a constant companion, but was also a highly trained assistant. She was harness trained and did much of the work helping me get this property in shape. I really miss her, even now, 15 years after she's gone:


Our current dog just turned teenager (13) and was not the dog I would have chosen. In fact, I didn't choose her at all, she chose me. A purebred Miniature Pincher from a petshop, who came to me with a heart murmur, a skin problem, and kennel cough. I paid way too much for her, and she was far too old to still be waiting at a petshop (5 months old by the time she found me). The first time I saw her, I thought she was cute, held her, then put her back. Two months later I happened to be at the same shop and she was still there! This time, when she came out, I held her and she wrapped her front paws around my neck and squeezed, as though she wanted to crawl right into my skin with me. And that was it, she had to come home. I was told to not bother house-training her because the breed could not be housebroken, so I house-trained her. I was told the breed does not do well with children and to be careful with her around them, and she turned out to be the very best dog we've ever had with the kids. After everything I was "told", Ruby became one of the most loving and loyal family dogs we have ever had. Totally useless for anything practical, but on the affection side of things, she is gold.

Alright, so she could definitely stand to lose a few pounds, and I've been trying to help her do that (to extend her life, I'm not ready to lose her yet), but she usually does put on a few extra in the winter...


On the cat side of things, there really haven't been many. I'm not really either a dog or cat person, and my allergies and the kids' allergies have been getting worse. Still, the most notable here is Charlie, who came with a sad story attached. Charlie and her sister were very young kittens when their owner decided they were no longer wanted, so he/she took them for a ride in the car, got onto a busy highway, and threw them out of the window. Charlie survived the event, her sister did not. 

I came by Charlie through a friend, who claimed she was a couple of years old and was having problems with Charlie and another of her cats not getting along. Charlie would need a new home. I didn't really want any cats, but Charlie touched me, she was not a pleasant looking cat at the time. I showed her picture to my husband, and he fell for her. My friend lived in another state... an 8 hour round trip. My friend & I were going to meet up at one of the local rabbit shows to exchange Charlie, but it fell through twice. That's when my husband volunteered to go and get her. Her name was actually Charlene, but when my hearing-impaired spouse went to pick her up, my friend told him they sometimes used a nickname for her, "Char-leen", that's ch sound as in cheese. So when he put down the cat carrier and opened the door once home, he called to her, "Come on Charlie!" And it stuck.

At first Charlie was totally terrified. In fact, it was 3 days before we found her curled in a tight ball in a corner. It was 3 months before she realized we weren't going to "get rid of her." And it was another 6 months before she came to trust the kids. Now it's been over 4 years and she's become a fixture. I have since come to believe that Charlie was much older than the 2 years I was told. She has an "old lady" way about her sometimes. Though I suppose her life until she came to us might have caused that.


Nicky on the other hand is still a young, occasionally wild spirit! He's a blue & white Sphinx, totally adoring and affectionate. He's always burrowing under covers and blankets. And sometimes will try to crawl in your shirt! Especially in the winter. But he's a wonderful addition we've had the pleasure of enjoying for almost 2 years now. Before us, he was moved from home to home, no stability. After having enjoyed him now, I doubt I'll ever own anything other than a Sphinx again (no allergic reaction!! Hooray!!!) Incidentally, he is my fiber companion animal of choice... because I never have to worry about getting hair in the yarn! LOL (that and he really loves it)

And yes, I made him a wool sweater


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Falls-Acre, what a blessing you have been and are to your critters! It sure tugs at the heart as I think of them coming...slowly and bit by bit...to the realization that they are home and they have someone they belong to, someone who belongs to them.


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## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

Kasota said:


> Romy, what a perfect reason to get a spinning wheel! It's not for you...it's for their education, their health and well-being! :cute:
> 
> Debi, I used to work as a vet tech for a vet who was on the board for a particular animal rescue. Somehow I ended up being the designated feeder of orphan kittens. I suppose I had a knack for it. At one point I had 21 kittens I was bottle feeding plus my own 6 or so. It was rather busy there for a while. Boy, was I ever grateful when they all got on solid food!!!
> 
> I don't have any cats now. Sometimes I miss them but I don't miss litter boxes. LOL!


 
What a great idea K,...I can see it now..."Honey the dogs so need the spinning wheel honestly, for their well being, health and education...." Hehehehehe


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## Kris in MI (May 30, 2002)

We have been dogless since Dec 24, 2012 when we had to put down our German Shepherd, Rusty. He would have been 13 in Jan. 2013 but unfortunately developed congestive heart failure. We'd owned him since he was 4 months old. and he traveled all over the place with us. He loved to camp, hike and swim (even in Lake Superior!) He was also very protective of 'his' chickens.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Katie The Pest keeping track of the comings and goings in the front driveway. She didn't really mean to be hard on screens but there was just this tiny nose sized hole that sort of "expanded" with a little help. Arrgh!


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Hotzcatz, that's got to be one of the best pictures ever! I love it! I used to have a border collie named Katie, too.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

7thSwan: your Callie is the spitting image of my Brutus, the dog that saved my husbands life. I really miss that dog. He was one in a million.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

lathermaker said:


> 7thSwan: your Callie is the spitting image of my Brutus, the dog that saved my husbands life. I really miss that dog. He was one in a million.


She is 10 and has treated me like her long lost Mom from the moment we met. I know how much you miss your Brutus, my Angel was a one in a million.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

This is Ripley, our 4yo malamute/akita mix. Her hobbies include cutting off the blood supply to mommy's legs, playing in the snow, chasing moose and squirrels, cowering from bears and ravens, and photo-bombing. Her winter undercoat makes spins up into the warmest yarn!

And Jackson, our 4yo adoptee kitty. His hobbies include chillaxin' with mom, sucking his tail, tormenting the dog, begging for treats and attacking mommy's yarn.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

One of the best threads ever! Lovely stories about your dog friends and companions. 

So, late last night I was watching the Westminster Kennel dog show and noticed something that the handlers did (more than one): they put a small object into their own mouths, then they put it up to the dogs' mouth letting the dog lick or nibble on it, then they put the item back into their own mouths (!). They repeated this routine several times.

What were they doing? 

Please tell me I was not seeing what it looked like I was seeing!

I honestly don't want to insult any dog handlers or owners, but I know where those doggie noses and tongues have been. 

BTW: the show is back on again this evening at 8 PM. ( on whatever channel your cable company assigns to MSNBC)

I hope to remember to watch it. **


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hahaha! It's called baiting your dog. Typically it is a piece of liver or other treat. Some people use squeaky toys instead. But you were seeing it right :yuck: I never put it in my mouth. Some times they just have a big piece in their mouth and pull out a smaller piece for the dog. It causes the dog to focus on the handler and helps the handler to position the dog while the judge looks the dog over. I'm sure WIHH can tell you stories about it.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

you saw it right. I used to bake up a mixture of beef liver and garlic salt to make my own. I ran it through a blender :yuck: and then poured it in a greased pan and baked it until dry. 

I broke it up into pieces and kept it in a cooler until show time- then broke off a chunk and put it in my pocket. As I showed the dog, I would put a small piece in my mouth and then break off a small piece to give the dog.

yea


it was kind of yucky but your mouth makes a great pocket and keeping the goodies in your mouth draws the dog's attention "up" (which showcases the dog's intensiveness) instead of having the dog stare at your pocket.

English Bulldog owners sometimes licked their own hand then wiped that on their dog's tongue to get the dog to pull it's own tongue back in. 

yea

there are worse things we did. :grin:


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

Just a quick correction: the program is on the USA network right now.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

I've been watching that show, too.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

hee hee

the handler of the Best in Show dog is Gabriel Rangel.  

I first met him when I showed dogs in Mexico at the International shows down there.

I knew him when he was young and skinny (and I was too :hysterical 

Actually, I knew him before he could speak English - my dear friend and I travelled with him and a breeder that he worked for when he first came to Texas from Mexico. Before he was even a lowly "apprentice". 

Bless his heart- we went to some dog shows in Minnesota and Chicago together and he was trying learn to understand spoken English by participating in a raffle - with Texans and our goofy accents and Minnesotans and THEIR goofy accents. It is a wonder he can speak English at all. 

He is a class act

and he has come sooooooooooooo far in the dog show world from being "hired kennel help" cleaning up dog poo and exercising and bathing and grooming dogs - to exhibiting some of the countries finest breed representatives on "the big stage" and succeeding. 

He is an American immigration success story. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Good job, Gabby. &#9829; I am very very proud of you.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

There is something so perky about a those Wired Haired Fox Terriers. They have such a game spirit to them. My little one is painfully pet quality, but she has that same spunk and is always up for anything. 

WIHH - it's fun to hear your inside stories of the shows and the people in them. You must have had some real adventures over your years of showing.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Here are the official dogs of the household, a black chihuahua named Chloe and a toy fox terrier named Paco. They are totally Mama's doggies though.












They are as heroic as they are photogenic.










Sometimes they are just plain fun to have around.










On a walk by the river.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios
Sacramento, Calif.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

Franco - they are cute as bugs!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

GAM - thank you so much for starting this thread! It has kept me going during recovery this week 

I love dogs. I was at Girl Scout camp when I was about 11, and there was a golden retriever that followed me around all weekend. I was hooked, and DH & I got a golden retriever a month after we were married, and had her for 11 years. She was an awesome dog (before they became overbred and 'cool' dog to have).

We had to put her down, and didn't get another one for a few years later. The girls begged and begged for another dog, so when I cut back from full-time, we got another golden. She was a beautiful dog, but dumb and headstrong haha! We had her for 12 years, and lost her about 2 1/2 years ago. 

I had been researching 'farm dogs' and really wanted an English Shepherd. DH did NOT want another dog... well, we got Mo this past summer :bouncy:




I LOVE HIM!!!!! He's 2, and grew up as one of ten other dogs, so he comes with some baggage. But he's so smart, and a constant companion - he never leaves my side. He was supposed to help herd the critters here... well, he's definitely more of a 'guard' ES than a herder. He's getting better, but not anywhere near where I want him to be. He has quickly wormed his way into DH's heart! DH has even said that he thinks Mo needs a girlfriend... wooooohoooooo!! 

I checked on the availability of ES's in NC, where we're moving, and there's quite a few working farms that have English Shepherds. Seems to be an active area for that breed.
I see one in the future (after we get settled!) I need to look for a herding line, and hopefully she'll grow up with moving stock, and will be better! I've got a lot to learn though too...

I love this picture - pure joy!


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## raccoon breath (Aug 5, 2010)

This is my little man named Peanut. My little Peanut is one of many German shepherds that have been in my life since 1990, when I was hired by Arizona DPS aka Highway Patrol aka State Police and was first introduced to working dogs. I was in awe of what working dogs could do, and in particular, I was in awe of the close bond formed with this breed and their handlers. I started learning as much as I could and would help handlers when they were regularly train their dogs so I could learn how. Before I retired, I worked along the Arizona border in one of the roughest, high risk duty stations in Arizona. I had the time of my life working there, working with these dogs, and this breed felt like a kindred spirit. Although I'm now retired, I still have German shepherds (always will) and train them just for me. Peanut isn't protection material, but he has an excellent nose. His sister had excellent herding instincts. I began training her (Boo Boo), then found out she had a genetic heart problem and she passed away. Broke my heart.  Peanut's previous owner couldn't keep him and we adopted him 6 months after Boo Boo's death. He's been the best son. He loves the sheep and goats, especially the babies. We would leave him in the kid play area at night for safety since we had a bear and mountain lion problem here for a while. One of the local tracker/hunter just told my husband yesterday that they finally caught the bear that killed 19 rams in 19 days each night killing another. It was a black bear that was 350 lbs. I didn't believe the 19 rams in 19 days..seems a little inflated??, but then remembered a hunter during elk season tell me he found several sheep carcasses while out hunting. Ranchers run their sheep herd through the forest around our house and something killed several. It had the hunter afraid of what kind of predator we had because of the amount of kills in the area. Sidetracking...I'd leave Peanut in with the kids, but then noticed his poo had a whole lot of white hair in it from excessively licking the angora kids. lol


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