Who's got dogs? Post your pup!

Thank you, it sure isn't, she was only 62...

That's good. It's very hard on everyone, it's no different than losing a close human family member, they are a part of our families like any other.

For ours, she had a bad week and we made the decision, took the next week off work and did a lot of things with her, made an appointment for a vet to come to the house for her final moments and that whole week she did so good we wanted to call it off but ultimately didn't because we didn't want her to have another bad spell. That was 3yrs ago this past July and my wife is just now considering looking for another, she took it very hard.

 

I haven't thought about the option of having a vet come to our house...not even sure they'll do that here. I love that idea.

 

It wasn't our normal vet. I called a company, Lap of Love, and they scheduled it with a participating vet in our area. Our girl hated going to the vet, she would shake every time, so we knew we needed to do something different when that time came, 100% would do it again. Cost was a little more but not by much. It also included cremation, and transport to/from. The vet came to our house, she explained everything, gave us some time to process, came back in to start, after it was all done she did a paw print and took a clipping of fur and put into a holder, then we loaded her onto a bed and into the vets Jeep, she took her to the crematorium where she was cremated privately and placed into a wooden box with her name on it, and in just under 24 hours from when the vet came to our house the crematorium brought her back home. If they offer services in your area I would highly recommend them, at least the vet we got was very nice, the entire process was smooth.

 

I want. My wife thought I should just bury him in the back yard but I don't think I'd be able to handle him afterwards...just too much to look at.

 

It can definitely be difficult, but if you want to look at burial or cremation I'm sure you can find a local resource to handle transport and such if you're not comfortable doing that....

Some of the cemeteries are actually designed and used for people as well, so folks can eventually be buried w/their pets if they choose. This also means that the cemetery can never been re-zoned since humans are buried there as well...

https://www.westcoastpetmemorial.com/

Just something to consider if you are looking for options as I would think TX would have some places that are similar.

I'm sorry you're going through this

 

That could be hard but I can see why some do it. I have a friend that has a few of his past dogs buried at his property up north but it's been in his family since his grandfather and he never plans to sell it. My great grand parents had property and a few family members buried their dogs under a willow tree there, I remember being young and loosing our first dog while up there we buried him with the other dogs, every time we would get there I'd jump out of the car and run to that tree to say hi to him. When they past the property was sold, not sure what happened with the dog graves though. My wife doesn't like the thought of being buried herself so she doesn't want our dogs to be buried either.

 

Thanks, bud. I'm one of those people who will probably be in a small box somewhere when I go as I just wanna be cremated.

 

Yeah, grew up on 2 small ranches so I get it. We buried everything from rabbits, cows, calves, puppies, cats, etc....a veritable pet cemetery at my dad's place. I'm not against burying stuff - just can't bury Magnus.

 

This gave me a pretty good chuckle and think of Magnus.



And here he is as of now...

 

The look of "you better share what you're cooking"

 

I couldn’t say no to them!

 

Found this online today:

This story ends in Cypress, TX.

"It was the dogs. The dogs are what got me.

A few years ago we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and we saw a lot. Twisted steel girders. Baby-faced portraits of the deceased. Mutilated emergency vehicles.

But it was the dogs that wrecked me.

The dog exhibit is pretty small. Located in the far corner of the museum, with photographs of search and rescue dogs.

You see dogs nosing through rubble, wearing safety harnesses. You see them in their prime. They’re all deceased now. But they were spectacular.

There was Riley. Golden retriever. He was trained to find living people. But, he didn’t find any. Instead, he recovered the remains of firefighters. Riley kept searching for a live survivor, but found none. Riley’s morale tanked.

“I tried my best to tell Riley he was doing his job,” said his handler. “He had no way to know that when firefighters and police officers came over to hug him, and for a split second you can see them crack a smile—that Riley was succeeding at doing an altogether different job. He provided comfort. Or maybe he did know.”

There was Coby and Guiness. Black and yellow Labs. From California. Surfer dogs. They found dozens of human remains.

And Abigail. Golden Lab. Happy. Energetic. Committed. Big fan of bacon.

Sage. A border collie. Cheerful. Endless energy. Her first mission was searching the Pentagon wreckage after the attacks. She recovered the body of the terrorist who piloted American Airlines Flight 77.

Jenner. Black Lab. At age 9, he was one of the oldest dogs on the scene. Jenner’s handler, Ann Wichmann, remembers:

“It was 12 to 15 stories high of rubble and twisted steel. My first thought was, ‘I can't send Jenner into that…’ At one point, [Jenner] disappeared down a hole under the rubble and I was like, ‘Ugggggh!' Such a heart-stopping moment..."

Trakr. German Shepherd. Tireless worker. Worked until he couldn’t stand up anymore. Trakr found Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was trapped for 27 hours among the debris. Genelle was as good as dead, until the cold nose poked through the mangled steel.

Apollo. German shepherd. An NYPD police dog. Coal-black muzzle. Liquid eyes. The first dog on the scene, only 15 minutes after the attacks. Apollo worked 18-hour days. Once, he was nearly killed in a fire during his search. But Apollo had been drenched in water and he was quick on his feet. No injuries.

Jake. Labrador. As a puppy, Jake was found on the side of the road in Dallas. Abandoned. Left for dead. Like trash. He had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. They made him a rescue dog.

Jake worked until his body threatened to collapse from exhaustion. After his shifts, local New York merchants saw his rescue-dog vest and treated him to free steak dinners in upscale Manhattan restaurants.

And, of course, there was Bretagne. Golden Retriever. Easygoing. Dutiful. Obsessed with food. Her owner and trainer, Denise Corliss, a firefighter from Harris County, Texas, brought Bretagne to Ground Zero while the rubble was still hot.

Bretagne went straight to work. She worked for 10 days solid. Ten agonizing days. Bretagne never quit. She napped onsite.

Denise recalls: “...There are images of Bretagne going to where she was directed to search, into the unknown, the chaotic environment. But even then, she knew who needed the comfort of a dog, and which firefighter needed to hold her close and stroke her fur.”

After 9/11, Bretagne also helped recovery efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Ivan. She retired at age 9.

Old age finally overtook her, she had a hard time using stairs, so Denise installed an above-ground pool to keep Bretagne’s joints limber.

In retirement, Bretagne became a reading dog at a local elementary school. First graders, too shy to read aloud, would read to a white-faced, elderly retriever who looked them in the eyes and smiled.

Bretagne visited students with special needs. She visited students with autism. She visited everyone.

She suffered kidney failure at age 16. She was put to sleep on June 7, 2016, and became the last of the 9/11 rescue dogs to end her earthly career.

Bretagne hobbled into the Cypress, Texas, animal hospital, one sunny Monday, only to discover the sidewalks and hallways were lined with firefighters, first responders, and rescue workers who saluted her.

Her remains were later escorted from the hospital, draped in an American flag.

We do not deserve dogs."

 

Holy smokes man. Tears welled up as i kept reading.

 

Me too. Me too.

 

We don't deserve dogs. We definitely need them though.


Who's cutting the damn onions!

 

Onion sandwich over here - no bread even

 

Someone is cutting onions again in my house!!

 

Turns out there is a memorial to Bretagne (pronounced Brittany) in Cypress, at the entrance of the Fairfield subdivision where she spent her life. It's strategically positioned in front of flagpoles right near the site of a Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department station where Bretagne served.

 

We absolutely do not deserve dogs. They are one of the greatest blessings our God has given us.

 

Update on Magnus: I got the call about his Flow Cytometry results and it's the better of the two outcomes - he has Chronic Leukemia vs Acute so I can start his treatment right away and hopefully get another 2 years with him. The oncologist who initially reviewed his WBC was almost sure it was Acute given how high a count he showed, but they still gave me the option to do the test ($400) and I'm so glad I did.

I take him back to A&M Small Animal Hospital on Monday to get a baseline and start his prescription of chemo. I'm so happy about this.........

Here is a morning shot of him chillin today.

 

That's GREAT news! Enjoy the time you have left with him!

 

Awesome, he is a handsome fellow!

 

He is... Thank you

 

Random dog followed me this morning.
I wish I could've kept em. He was friendly, no collar, and I like his brindle coat. But I was afraid he wouldn't get along with the cat and the chickens. Hopefully he found his way back home.

 

So, most that know a little about me know I've got a few dogs... Rudy passed away earlier this year (age) and although I have other pups, the relationships w/them just weren't the same. Here's a pic of Rudy during his first week of retirement and being able to come in and free range through the house. In this pic, he just discovered Mrs. TCP's favorite pastime (cooking) and that some meals include bacon...




After several months (since Rudy passed) I decided it was time to find a new best friend/partner; yes, I love all my pups and spend a considerable amount of time w/them, but I was needing a little something more...

I started scanning through some of the local and not-so local rescues, and came across Buddy. A black mouth Cur w/such an awesome personality and zest for life. First meet and greet was incredible, and the rest is history...

His story is pretty F'd up, but that's all behind him now!!

Here's Buddy's first ride in the Pro (after getting the platform, etc. all sorted out for him):

 

For those that don't know... DC now has a permanent LE K9 memorial (it was temporary back when I had visited)...









For the AZ dudes (and anyone cruzin' through)....

The Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza also has a very nice LE K9 memorial

https://www.alecapolicek9.com/az-k9-memorial/memorial-plaza

 

I'll have to check out the memorial in Scottsdale. Thanks for sharing!

 

Just a heads up... I think the 'association' is out of Scottsdale, but the memorial is in Phoenix.

Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza
1700 West Washington St
(at the corner of 17th Avenue)
Phoenix, AZ 85007-2812
Phone: +1-602-542-4675

 

Thanks - I probably would have figured that out eventually haha. I saw Scottsdale listed somewhere on the page but did see the map that looked more Phoenix-ish.