Dogs are your pet, your friend, your child, buddy, playmate, and emotional support. My best friend was Shotgun––a corge/aussie shepherd mut that my dad picked up outside the pound he worked next to. We named her Shotgun because she always insisted in sitting the passenger seat of our car. We grew up together and did everything together. She was great in every way possible...so long as she was the only dog in the house. 3 years ago she was 16 and we had to put her down because she couldn't get up anymore. Saddest day of my life. In 3 years we have adopted, bought, or fostered for 3 other dogs. All of them sucked for some reason or another (previously abused/injured and never warmed up to us). 3 years and I still miss her. 3 years and no other dog compares.

Go hug your friend. Be nice to them. Even when they do something stupid just remember they probably didn't do it to piss you off. Make sure to give them the attention they deserve. Even when you get super busy, put some time away for them.

Picture related, it's what I was doing 5 minutes ago.



ETA: Feel free to vent and/or talk about your living or passed animals.

you were doing a goth chick 5 minutes ago...  

Sorry for your loss.  

Now a little advice.  Good dogs are rarely found, they are made.  And it helps if you start with a dog that isn't already emotionally damaged.  Go get a Golden Retreiver puppy from a reputible breeder.  On your way home, pick up a good dog training book and a crate.  Start with the 1st chapter Bringing Home Your New Puppy and follow the instructions from there.  I'll say it again, follow the instructions.  Within 1 year, you will have a GREAT dog.  

dogs are so great because way back in the day when god created man he also created animal. Adams wife Eve ate from tree of the knowledge of good and evil and so did Adam.



guess who never ate from that tree? the dog. the dog, unlike man, is free from sin.



i just spent the last 20 minutes listening to my room mate and his wife argue over the stupidest fucking on planet earth and it all comes down the wife is an insecure petty catty bitch.

I buried this guy a couple of weeks ago and I felt like I was burying my best friend.  It was just crushing.

They love you with all their heart and soul. They would give their life to protect you.



They do not judge. No matter how callous you are towards them, or how mean you are they love you.



It is truly unconditional love. I see my dogs as a gift from God.
We have 5 Labs and at times they can drive you crazy.

 

"We give dogs food we can spare, time we can spare, and love we can spare.  They give us their all.  It's the best damned deal Man has ever made."

Paraphrasing, as I have been unable to find absolute proof of the source of the quote, or even its definite original form.

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<––- I plan on grafting her noggin onto a Galapagos Turtle to eek out an extra hundred years or so.

She's 12 now, a lymphatic cancer survivor and she breaks my heart every time I look into her eyes and see how cloudy they've become.

But she's my girl.

I understand completely.



I had a chocolate Lab named Rusty. He was like a friend and a little brother to me. We spent a lot of time together. He got a brain tumor and one day died in my arms. I was pretty messed up by this. His mate a German Shepard mix would spend all her time sleeping on his grave, she barely ate and had no desire to do anything. She died a month later. This broke my heart. So I swore off ever owning a dog again.



Well it took 10 years but now I have two awesome male Labs, father and son. Plus my brother and wife have 3 female Labs between them. So we have a 5 Lab wrecking crew.

14mos ago. His loss is still keenly felt.

True I love my daughter with all my heart. She is an awesome little kid. But I still love my doggies.

RIP Lady Hickory
At 2, d/xed with hypothyroidism and heart disease (enlarged heart).  Had the heart of a Great Dane at 2.  
Doc predicted that she wouldn't make it past 5 or so...  Had a heart the size of a Quarterhorse at 6.  
Used to carry around that little stuffed puppy (Pound Puppies) like it was her own.  
I miss her everytime I look at my pup.  
She used to know exactly what I was thinking: curled up with me in bed when I was sick as a kid, could walk off-leash.
The night she passed I bawled (at 18 y/o).





The good thing about dogs is no matter how many you've loved, each new one loves you like the first:

In at least one of the Native American traditions, the Creator came down and walked the Earth, and there is a story for each animal that he created.  However, there is no story telling the creation of dogs... you see, when the Creator came down to walk on the Earth, He brought His dog with him.  I don't care much for most of their religion... but I thought that story was pretty neat.