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Right now we have two dogs, Cuddles and Chloe. I love them both equally, and they are very different personalities. Neither of them are attached to me as much as they are to my husband, however they are very protective of me.
Years ago, I adopted a racing greyhound. I named him Merlyn. He was two when I got him, and I had him for ten years. I was the center of his universe. He was a sweet, funny, gentle soul, and I adored him. He got blood cancer, and had to have surgery and a couple of blood transfusion, and somehow his throat got damaged and he had trouble swallowing. He lived another four years after his cancer, but then it came back and he was suffering and vomiting blood. We could not save him. Losing him was like a piece of me was cut off.
Although I truly love all of my animals, there will never be another like Merlyn.
Having several dogs, is similar to parents having several kids. You love all your kids equally, but there is probably one or two that you can relate to more than the others. It’s the same with dogs, I love mine, but with a new puppy, I’m drawn to him, he’s fuzzy cuteness and needs more care. When he’s grown, I’ll fuss more with the yorkies, they insist on my time, the big guys are usually asleep in the living room.
I've had 5 rescues over the years. All were beloved but the reasons why they were such good matches differed. They were individuals. Don't see any point trying to compare them or measure the level of love. Its not a competition.
We recently lost our 14 year old Golden to cancer. We now have a 10 year old pit mix and a 6 year old GSD. We raised them all from puppies and we've enjoyed their individual personalities and how they have each fit so well into our family dynamic, including they way they have gotten along with each other.
I have loved every dog I have owned and feel truly thankful for each one as each one has taught me something different . I find the sad thing in owning a dog is not the fact they do not live as long as we do but rather it would be sadder if I had not known each one of them.
That all said yes I did have one favorite dog and that was Jazz. She was the most difficult puppy I ever met and was not an easy dog but working with her taught me so much about dogs and made me a better owner. I had her for 14.5 years and the bond she and I had was so special. I have never had that same bond with any other dog. I always thought how will I live without her but the truth is life does go on, the sun comes up the next day and we continue on our journey. Rather then focus on the loss I chose to be thankful for those 14.5 yrs we did have. When I get a new dog I do not waste time comparing it to previous dogs as it will never be like any other dog as they are such individuals.
We've had so many dogs during our forty years of marriage and they've all been loved by us unconditionally. There were a few "standouts" for sure - but they stood out for their unique (crazy) personalities, not for being loved more than the others.
We've had many fosters in our home and I was surprised to find that I didn't automatically love all the dogs that came to us but by the time we found homes for them, we did love them all and missed them all too. Some dogs are harder to love than others but I've never met a dog I couldn't love.
I've written about one of our fosters who has been with us for 8 years now!! We officially adopted him after he was with us for 9 months - it was clear that no one else was going to adopt him. It took 7 months for him to let my husband pet him. He had come from a severe abuse situation and men were the enemy in his mind. Now, he and my husband snuggle next to each other every night to sleep. That little boy is definitely a "standout!"
I've had several dogs over the years but of course a few stand out.
The first standout was a long haired chihuahua. My kids grew up with him and he lived a long and happy life. My dad used to call him "Little Man" and that's what he was. He was just a terrific dog.
The second standout was a mutt, sort of a red cur dog if that makes sense. She was a rescue and when my parents got her, she had just had a litter of puppies (nowhere to be found sadly). They named her but as soon as she saw me, she decided I was her person, and I ended up taking her home with me (she would get in my car right before I left when I was visiting my parents - pretty obvious!). I think she was about five when they found her and the vet agreed. She lived a long life too.
I currently have two dogs (one was "raised" by the red cur dog). They are both rescued mutts. I adore them both. However, one of them is gnarlier than the other and chose me to be "his person" when he was just a puppy. He is a weirdo but he's my weirdo if that makes sense. I get a big kick out of him and he's just so freaked out by other people (he doesn't bark at or bite anyone else but he just leaves their vicinity and goes somewhere and pouts). He also does things like gather up all his toys and stand guard over them if a stranger with a dog comes over. GOOBER!
His "sister" (who is not his sister) is big and fat and old and probably has dementia but wow, she lives to do nothing but try to make her people feel better. She gives love and attention all day every day to anyone and everyone. Pitifully, I tripped over her because she laid down behind me and I didn't realize it, and I fell and absolutely shattered my right (dominant arm) elbow a few months ago. She knew she had "hurt me" and I felt so sorry for her that I could almost (but not quite) be dismissive of my own injury! So now, in spite of her age and arthritis and all that, she is always worried about me tripping over her, so as soon as I move, she gets way out of my way. It's sad to see that months later, she is still distressed by it. Oh she HATED it when it happened. I remember trying to get up off the patio and having to push her away because all she was doing was licking and licking and licking me and she was so distraught! But so was I!
Both are worthless monetarily but they mean the world to me.
I've definitely had favorites and also ones I didn't care for as much.
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