It made me cry for I have had to put down my sad little friend, too, in a manner similar to you. And it made me think about how my current friend is going to age and move onward. It made me weep and runny nose as I did laundry and made that comment. I'm sorry you lost your buddy nine years back. This is a sweet and kind memorial.
anyways... Let's shift this to a happy post. I have two awesome healthy dogs named Hemingway and Harrison. Hem is a Vizsla and Harry is an English Pointer. What about your "current friend"?
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6930553649_d6b289fc00_b.j... I got him at the pound as an adult.
Harrison and Hemingway [edit] did you take that photo? It's fantastic.
smooches Hemi and Harri on their wet noses & scratches ears Good boys. Harrison looks very solemn and serious. And Hemingway's coat is gorgeous. AND that looks like a real-grown-up-house. Like responsible adult stuff! Well played, tng.
That's great about the Great Sand Dunes National Park, it's difficult to find dog-friendly places. I find it particularly difficult to find dog friendly places to have them off-leash. I was taking them to a dog park but twice now they've been attacked by shitty dogs. Not just minor dog-fights but all out I'm going to crush your larynx type of fights. My dogs are not fighters and they get their asses kicked each time. I'm not taking them back there. There is a River we like to take them to but we have to be there by 7:30 am and leave by 9. After 9, the families roll in and they're remarkably anti-dog. -bummer. Any suggestions for dog-off-leash activities?
- attacked by shitty dogs
Oh yeah. That is why I quit the dog park, too. I split my time in Colorado and Washington. I'm not sure where you are (Michigan?) ... but national forests generally allow off leash on their trails. But that means wildlife like mama bears and skunks. So you have to have good voice command over your bubbies. Do you do clicker training? Even older dogs get into it. And you can play mind games like "find it" where you make them lay down in another room out of vision. Then in the room you are in ... hide a treat. Then call them to "find it". It requires some time and work with the clicker ... but it gets the dog using its nose which is a good thing for the dawgs. Especially when dealing with older dogs that don't have the get-up-and-go that they did ... but you still want to activate their minds.
Our boys are pretty good about coming when I beckon. Have a good night psuli, I'm off to cuddle with the pooches and fall asleep. Take care, thanks for the conversation and good luck with that laundry!