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I just got back from a trip to Bonners Ferry to see my youngest son who lives and works in Calgary. I took a ton of pictures and will post some in the picture thread when I get some time.
Our dog died yesterday. She was 13 years old and I have had her since she was a pup. She traveled all the way from Tennessee to Alaska to Wyoming to Tennessee to Wyoming to Idaho with us. She was my traveling companion, my trail dog (we hiked trails, climbed mountains and crossed rivers all across the country together), my bed warmer, my beloved friend and a family member. It's been a very tough couple of years recently and now my friend is gone. We buried her in the back yard yesterday afternoon, and as I write this my husband is in the workshop making her a headstone. His way of trying to honor a pup who brought so much love and joy into both of our lives.
Up to a few weeks ago, I was certain I would never own another dog. My old guy gave me 15 excellent years, and I missed him for many, many months.
By excellent brother talked me into looking at a puppy he thought would be a lot like my last dog. I was very reluctant at first, but he was right. After he finally convinced me the new kid would really make a difference in my life, I took him, and I have had a very wonderful 2 weeks.
This pup resembles my last dog, but more importantly, he is even more responsive and tightly bonded to me at his age that my other fine dog was, and is getting more fun and joyful for me every day.
It will happen to you to, when your'e ready. Dogs understand us better than anything.
MSR, thank you very much for your condolences and kind thoughts. She was very loved and we miss her.
Juneau,
You're very welcome for any comfort or simply knowing someone in ID acknowledged your loss. I do know you have experienced significant loss in your life. So many memories, thoughts and feelings of others lost earlier in our lives become fresh again when we loose another friend or family member.
I hope you and your husband have been able to remember the happy, funny things your constant companion, who was probably a good listener, would do.
If this is too personal no need to answer. What was your bed warmer and hi king buddy name? I don't remember if you told us how she adopted your family to be hers. I hope you have found some comfort and peace thinking of your shared years together.
We are your neighbors now, please let us know how we can help you and your husband because you and your loss matter to us.
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your understanding and you taking time to acknowledge the death of my pup. Her name was Jamie and yes MSR, she adopted us, we didn't adopt her. I was living in Tennessee at the time with my two boys and husband (now ex), and we had just adopted a dog from the local Humane Society two years earlier.
We lived in the country, and dogs were regularly abandoned out there. We had already taken one other dog to the HS by the time Jamie showed up at our door. I told the boys "don't feed her, don't give her water, she'll go on".
It was January 2001, and for the next few days this cute pup of a few months old wouldn't leave. Every day I would come home from work and she would come bounding like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh from behind one barn or another to greet me. After four or five days of this I realized that either she was a) drinking the goat's water and eating their food to survive or b) the boys were subversely feeding her.
My youngest son Chris had a habit of throwing his jacket and hat down on the covered porch in back of the house before coming inside, and after this dog had been hanging around for almost a week I looked outside one evening and she had bunched the jacket and hat into a ball and was sitting on the porch using the jacket and hat as a pillow. Oh geeze.
The next morning I looked out the window again and pup was licking ice off the concrete. Oh geeze. I gave her a bowl of water and a bowl of food before heading for work, and by the end of the day had decided that she wasn't going to leave and that we now had two dogs instead of one.
The next day I took her to the vet, just to make sure that she was healthy before introducing her to our other dog. She threw up all over the back seat of my car. I put a sign up in the front yard for another week just in case somebody had lost her instead of abandoning her, but by that time she had wormed her way into all of our hearts, I had an appointment made to get her spade, and she was our dog. I named her Jamie after a TV show character I was watching at the time - a comedy about a newly married couple, with the lead womans' name being Jamie ("Mad About You").
Maybe we'll get another dog at some point but I guess we'll know when and if the time is right. Jamie was always up for an adventure. She loved to go for a drive, and would walk anywhere with me. My husband nick-named her Point Dog because she always had to be out front (walking point). We hiked up to glaciers in Juneau (and one day she alerted me and my husband to a grizz). I was trail running in Tennessee one day, and my husband and Jamie surprised me on the trail (they had found my truck and tracked me). Sometimes I had to cajole her during our walks. Sometimes I had to lift her. Sometimes I had to give her a butt-push to get her up and over an obstacle in our path. Sometimes I had to turn back because the going was just too rough for a pup. But Jamie would follow me anywhere. I miss my girl.
Thanks again guys.
Last edited by juneaubound; 10-20-2013 at 10:22 AM..
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your understanding and you taking time to acknowledge the death of my pup. Her name was Jamie and yes MSR, she adopted us, we didn't adopt her. I was living in Tennessee at the time with my two boys and husband (now ex), and we had just adopted a dog from the local Humane Society two years earlier.
We lived in the country, and dogs were regularly abandoned out there. We had already taken one other dog to the HS by the time Jamie showed up at our door. I told the boys "don't feed her, don't give her water, she'll go on".
It was January 2001, and for the next few days this cute pup of a few months old wouldn't leave. Every day I would come home from work and she would come bounding like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh from behind one barn or another to greet me. After four or five days of this I realized that either she was a) drinking the goat's water and eating their food to survive or b) the boys were subversely feeding her.
My youngest son Chris had a habit of throwing his jacket and hat down on the covered porch in back of the house before coming inside, and after this dog had been hanging around for almost a week I looked outside one evening and she had bunched the jacket and hat into a ball and was sitting on the porch using the jacket and hat as a pillow. Oh geeze.
The next morning I looked out the window again and pup was licking ice off the concrete. Oh geeze. I gave her a bowl of water and a bowl of food before heading for work, and by the end of the day had decided that she wasn't going to leave and that we now had two dogs instead of one.
The next day I took her to the vet, just to make sure that she was healthy before introducing her to our other dog. She threw up all over the back seat of my car. I put a sign up in the front yard for another week just in case somebody had lost her instead of abandoning her, but by that time she had wormed her way into all of our hearts, I had an appointment made to get her spade, and she was our dog. I named her Jamie after a TV show character I was watching at the time - a comedy about a newly married couple, with the lead womans' name being Jamie ("Mad About You").
Maybe we'll get another dog at some point but I guess we'll know when and if the time is right. Jamie was always up for an adventure. She loved to go for a drive, and would walk anywhere with me. My husband nick-named her Point Dog because she always had to be out front (walking point). We hiked up to glaciers in Juneau (and one day she alerted me and my husband to a grizz). I was trail running in Tennessee one day, and my husband and Jamie surprised me on the trail (they had found my truck and tracked me). Sometimes I had to cajole her during our walks. Sometimes I had to lift her. Sometimes I had to give her a butt-push to get her up and over an obstacle in our path. Sometimes I had to turn back because the going was just too rough for a pup. But Jamie would follow me anywhere. I miss my girl.
Thanks again guys.
What a wonderful story of how she chose you. MSR and a few others know where I stand in the animal kingdom and are probably surprised at how long it has taken me to respond to reading about your Jamie (loved that show!!). Thank you for allowing her into to your world and keeping her safe and healthy
What a wonderful story of how she chose you. MSR and a few others know where I stand in the animal kingdom and are probably surprised at how long it has taken me to respond to reading about your Jamie (loved that show!!). Thank you for allowing her into to your world and keeping her safe and healthy
Thank you so much cleosmom. For quite a few years I've believed in the old saying "the more I get to know people, the more I like my dog". She was a beautiful girl, and had a beautiful spirit with a heart full of love. The house seems very empty and quiet without her.
The picture I posted further up-thread was taken about six years ago. Jamie and my husband had kept a huge campfire going all day while I spent the day training with a new team-mate up at Bull Mountain in north Georgia. It was freezing cold, and there were a bunch of teams doing training that day. My husband and pup kept the fire going and everyone who came in during the day and at the end of the day gravitated to the fire. She loved everybody. I didn't even know my husband had snapped the picture until we got home and downloaded all that we had taken. It's always been my favorite of me and James. We put that picture on her headstone.
Thanks guys. I really appreciate your understanding and you taking time to acknowledge the death of my pup. Her name was Jamie and yes MSR, she adopted us, we didn't adopt her. I was living in Tennessee at the time with my two boys and husband (now ex), and we had just adopted a dog from the local Humane Society two years earlier.
We lived in the country, and dogs were regularly abandoned out there. We had already taken one other dog to the HS by the time Jamie showed up at our door. I told the boys "don't feed her, don't give her water, she'll go on".
It was January 2001, and for the next few days this cute pup of a few months old wouldn't leave. Every day I would come home from work and she would come bounding like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh from behind one barn or another to greet me. After four or five days of this I realized that either she was a) drinking the goat's water and eating their food to survive or b) the boys were subversely feeding her.
My youngest son Chris had a habit of throwing his jacket and hat down on the covered porch in back of the house before coming inside, and after this dog had been hanging around for almost a week I looked outside one evening and she had bunched the jacket and hat into a ball and was sitting on the porch using the jacket and hat as a pillow. Oh geeze.
The next morning I looked out the window again and pup was licking ice off the concrete. Oh geeze. I gave her a bowl of water and a bowl of food before heading for work, and by the end of the day had decided that she wasn't going to leave and that we now had two dogs instead of one.
The next day I took her to the vet, just to make sure that she was healthy before introducing her to our other dog. She threw up all over the back seat of my car. I put a sign up in the front yard for another week just in case somebody had lost her instead of abandoning her, but by that time she had wormed her way into all of our hearts, I had an appointment made to get her spade, and she was our dog. I named her Jamie after a TV show character I was watching at the time - a comedy about a newly married couple, with the lead womans' name being Jamie ("Mad About You").
Maybe we'll get another dog at some point but I guess we'll know when and if the time is right. Jamie was always up for an adventure. She loved to go for a drive, and would walk anywhere with me. My husband nick-named her Point Dog because she always had to be out front (walking point). We hiked up to glaciers in Juneau (and one day she alerted me and my husband to a grizz). I was trail running in Tennessee one day, and my husband and Jamie surprised me on the trail (they had found my truck and tracked me). Sometimes I had to cajole her during our walks. Sometimes I had to lift her. Sometimes I had to give her a butt-push to get her up and over an obstacle in our path. Sometimes I had to turn back because the going was just too rough for a pup. But Jamie would follow me anywhere. I miss my girl.
Thanks again guys.
Juneau,
Thanks for sharing such wonderful memories of Jamie with us. I could relate to some parts of how Jamie was patient with you becoming her new family. You have some wonderful memories of Jamie.
I'm impressed with your pics of Jamie and the love you and your husband have shown by honoring her with such a heartfelt final resting place.
Cleosmom works with animals and many of are more the servant to our furry family members.
I hope you know that we can't take your pain away, but we are 100% sincere with our comments. In some ways I think Jamie let you know that while WY had much of what the three of you loved, she somehow knew her journey could end once you got settled in Atomic City. Not that we could ever replace Jamie, we can't, but I hope you will continue to be an active participant.
I believe it's tmp4 that came from the same region of the US to the I.F. area.
I hope you and your husband are starting to heal as you grieve for Jamie.
I've been thinking about the past couple of years of my life lately.
I have had some serious troubles with a job I took on last year, shortly after my old dog died. There have been many times when I came to avoid working on the job, as it was just too trouble filled for me to bear often-times, and it is now very far past the time it should have been finished.
I realized for the first time just today how much my attitude toward it has changed in the past 3 weeks since I got my pup. He's a very cheerful little guy, always up for whatever I want to do, and even though he's just a baby still, knows that when he makes me laugh, I'm happy. I laughed while watching TV today, and he roused from a nap to come play with me, knowing I was in a happy mood he was certain he caused.
I think I was more depressed than I ever thought, even though I sure knew I was depressed after losing my old dog. I did have some physical problems over that year- a bad case of shingles, appendicitis, and a broken toe- all which did affect my mental state a lot, but all came and went soon enough. I really believe that getting the puppy lifted my spirits out of a depression that may have played a part in my illnesses.
He hasn't made the job any easier; I'm still encountering problems, but now I'm back at it and have my typically good working mentality going again. I'm the type of guy who typically enjoys challenges presented by what I do, and I found myself re-engaging positively again for the first time in months over the past week.
I'm not giving Lefty all the credit, but he sure deserves a lot of it. While my health is good now, there are family member who are having very serious problems, and they have really affected me lately. My mind has lifted on them too.
It's remarkable what a little dog that likes to sleep with his head on one shoe can do for some people.
Yep. Pets, especially puppies will do the trick. Best of luck to you with you and your new best friend. BTW, I forwarded your text, anonymously, to my brother who lost his dachshund of 16 years last year. I think with dogs, a year is a good time frame to consider a new companion. My brother said never again, but I think he is wrong.
Juneau, I've read your posts with tears in my eyes--it hit too close to home, so I delayed responding. I'm so sorry for your loss of Jamie; she must have been a wonderful friend and companion. It's been 6 years since we lost our "First Dog" (the name I use for her over in the Dogs forum), and I still get teary-eyed when I think of her and how much she meant to us. She was almost 13 when she passed. Another dog (our "Present Dog," Sweetie), came into our lives six months later, and it was a little too soon, but there she was, needing us, and some decisions just happen all by themselves...
Mike, so glad to hear your new pup is turning things around for you! Sweetie did the same for us.
The emotional impact of a dog in one's life can be of such a magnitude that I don't even think our smart psychologists of today have begun to explore the true extent of such a bonding. The more I read about dog research, the more I'm amazed at how well suited they are for us, and we for them--they understand our pointing and facial expressions, and we understand the pitch of their barking! Even without being dog owners! The other day a news story came out that verified, through MRI images of dog brains, that dogs have emotions at the level of a 4-year old child. Didn't we suspect that all along?
If it hadn't been for my brother, pw, I wouldn't have gotten this dog.
We're close, and he pushed me to get this little guy. Like your brother, I was thinking never again.
But we are both dog people. My whole family are, and even though I grew used to not having a dog around, my bro knew me better than I knew my own self in this one. He was right!
I hope your brother takes your advice. Life without a dog is easier, but it's emptier, too.
Speaking of dachshunds... a good friend of mine in Bozeman just sent me a picture of him holding Killer. Killer is a miniature dachshund who must be 21 now! All his dogs have lived long lives, but Killer just keeps on ticking! They should have named him Timex.
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