For the Love of Dogs

Life is not always easy.  It is a shame that we can not continue to share our lives with the pets that mean so much to us. Unfortunately our beloved pets do not live as long as we do.

My first dog that I owned was Cedar a reddish  golden retriever. I had never had a dog before.  My parents were always worried about a dog tripping me up.  We had had several tabby cats.  My new husband wanted to get a dog almost as soon as we had come home from our honeymoon.  We checked through the ads in the newspaper and he found an ad for golden pups.  I had not wanted a big dog.  Goldens were not but so big he said.... We went to look at the puppies.  There was a large box filled with cedar shavings and twelve adorable puppies.  The parents were handsome animals, both were descendants of national field trail champions.  We fell in love with an fluff ball, who was reddish in color and smelt like cedar.  That is how our Cedar was named.  She was so small that she had to jump off curbs.  We were careful to make her stop at corners and sit before we allowed her to cross the street on her leash.  Tink would take her where ever we went and show her her boundaries.  She never went out of her space.

Cedar was our first child.  She loved and protected all of our sons.  She taught me to love dogs and thus began the understanding that I began to see between man and his dog.  Cedar lived to be around 12 years old.  She was rarely sick and was active up until a few days before she died.  I would see dogs with their heads out a car window and tears would come to my eyes.  I missed her so.  Why is it that dogs get so close to your heart?  I have had other dogs.  My parents and I had several Shetland Sheep dogs.  All have places in our hearts.  My second golden that stole my heart was a beautiful blonde Samantha, who my boys and I rescued.  She was beauty in motion and her heart shown through her eyes.  There was another bond that just captured my heart.  She also lived to be about 12.  Her companion was Shep another Shetland sheep dog, also a rescue, together they kept our tabby rescue in tow. 

Lewis' first dog of his own was Cesar, a pup whose original owners had given him the temporary name of Mr. Big Spot.  Even as a small puppy he was big in many ways.  He was one of a kind part Dachshund and part Chihuahua.  Lewis traveled all the way from Virginia to Missouri to retrieve this irresistible pup.  On the way home Lewis raced to beat the Hurricane Isabel.  They barely made it home before the storm hit.  Cesar started his life in Virginia peeing outside in the full winds of that storm.  He never let Lewis out of his sights.

Lewis carried Cesar everywhere with him.  In our shop the floors did not have rugs. His little feet just spread out not quite able to manage the slippery floors.  Everyone adored him.

When My Father and Lewis' grandfather died.  Cesar was full grown and the protector of the family.  We had a memorial service on the lawn.  A single bag piper stood to the side and started playing Amazing Grace.  Somehow Cesar escaped the house and ran in circles around the Piper until we were able to capture him and return him to the house.

He remained the family protector.  So much so that we had to stop bringing him to the shop. He loved his cats and dog friends, and the rest of the family, but most of all he loved Lewis.

He developed Chronic Kidney Disease in January 2012.  At the time we thought that we would be lucky to keep him alive even for a little while.  We looked into special diets.  Lewis took him every week for fluid injections, sometimes twice a week.  He managed to remain a happy dog, if anything he became sweeter.  Cesar fought a brave battle for six months to stay with his family he loved.  We will never forget him. Now he is running in the fields of heaven reunited with his friend Samantha.

Shep also fought a good battle living on after Cesar with cancer living a year longer than we thought possible. We adopted a miniature dachshund named Tinker from the Humane Society in Gloucester Virginia.  Tinker was to keep Shep company after Samantha's passing.  Tinker had been found running in lost in Gloucester Va. Tinker took over retrieving toys like a golden.  It was love at first sight.  Unfortunately Tinker ate a knee high stocking belonging to my mother while she was spending the night.  Over a weekend I realized that he was ill and took him to the vet.....Long story short, emergency surgery......over the weekend.  Too much money, but worth it in love. Dachshunds are part billy goat.

For the love of dog/dachshunds between Lewis and I we have 3 Tinker, Oscar, and Buddy, all of whom we love greatly.  I have come to understand that the connection between man and his dog is more than we know deeper and closer than we can understand.

Oscar too has crossed to the other side.  What a brave dog.  He is much missed by all the family dogs as well.  We could tell that the pups were really missing him as were we.  Lewis and Phoebe decided to look for a puppy.  That is how Duke, DoDo, entered our lives.  He has liven things up for sure. He is part Dachshund and part Chihuahua like Cesar.  He has a bigger than life personality.  He has bonded with phoebe and Lewis.