This card is quite similar to one I made a couple weeks ago. I find this Phyllis Harris Unity stamp so endearing. My family of Golden Retrievers, my husband, and I sent this card to a very special person this week, and this card seemed perfect for the occasion.
And now, for the story. I am an activity director in a 97 bed nursing home. For the past 6 1/2 years, we've been blessed with a beautiful Golden Retriever named Sophie. She has lived there day and night, roaming the halls freely, sleeping in whichever residents room she chooses, and spreading much joy. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of her.
Isn't that one with Santa the best? I just KNOW she believes!
Well, one of our long-time residents died in June. He and Sophie had been very close. She would go to his room if she needed something (like going potty when she couldn't find any staff). Although it shouldn't happen, we relied on him more than we knew. During the day, when I was at work, Sophie was with me. But when I went home, no other staff stepped forward consistently to watch out for her. So, about 2 weeks ago, enough was enough. I wanted to bring her home with me at night and on weekends, and bring her to work with me when I was there. It was time for her to become an 8-5 dog. (OK, a 7:30-5:30 or 6 dog most days). The problem was my 2 Goldens at home. My male, Sammy, isn't always good with other dogs. This is where the special person comes in. A local dog trainer who worked with Sophie last Spring (donating 6 weeks of training), willingly volunteered to help me introduce our 2 families. It was a little tricky because Sammy and Molly think I'm their "mom", and Sophie thinks I'm her "mom". My husband brought our 2 dogs to the training center on a Saturday morning, I picked up Sophie and we all met there. After a long walk, some time off-leash in the big training room, it was time to bring the new family home. The trainer answered all kinds of questions, spent the entire morning with us, and NEVER charged anything. She knows how special Sophie is, and wants the best for this dog.
The new family is meshing beautifully. Sophie is joining me at work each day, spreading love and harvesting treats, then comes home to her brother and sister. Sammy is so accepting of her it brings tears to my eyes. I'm so proud of my Golden boy! And Molly at almost 12, is taking it all in stride in her own quirky way. I just have to make sure and share my affection evenly between the 3 of them.
So, that's the story and the reason for the card. We put a gift card inside, and sent it out. It was sent with MUCH gratitude.
I used Echo Park For The Record 2 (6x6) purchased at cropchocolate.com for this card.
And here's where the blog candy comes in. I'm so excited about having Sophie, Molly, and Sammy melding into one Golden family, I want to share with you, my FWF peeps and CC friends. To win this blog candy (it's got some Unity, some cropchocolate.com, and some Close To My Heart goodness in it), please follow my blog, and leave me a comment telling me your favorite pet story. You have all weekend to comment. I will choose a winner using random.org on Monday. Also, please leave me a way to notify you. Bears and Vikings fans are not eligible for this blog candy ;)
(I'm from Wisconsin -- there's some stiff rivalries going on and a lot of smack talk -- but I'm only kidding). Thanks for your stories -- I love to hear them.
Great story! I love seeing your cards up on CC---you`re very talented!
ReplyDeleteJulie... it's such a nice story. And I'm sure the card will bring joy to the recipient. I wish there was a Unity stamp with a Rottweiler...LOL! By the way, I have my own story... and so far my favorite pet story. I will send you an email with it... Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a touching story and a beautiful card! So happy that Sophie is adjusting to her new family, having adopted new pets with existing ones in the home I know how challenging it can be!
ReplyDeleteJulie... I am so sorry ... I don't find your email address to send you the story.. so here's a short version: I'm learning about dogs' unconditional love everyday. I used to "not like" (I was afraid) dogs at all... all my life. All dogs sensed that and I was not welcome by most during my childhood and until 5 years ago (no need to say my age right?)... My husband wanted a Rottie since forever but he understood perfectly I was afraid of dogs so he always said that IF I decided to try, the only condition was that it had to be with a Rottie. Long story short I decided to try this adventure of having a dog and got information on internet, read, asked people, etc. I learned that the dogs sensed my fear and that's why I thought they did not like me but they were just trying to interpret the negative feeling I had about them. To my surprise, all bad things said about Rotties come from people who never had one... But Rotties seemed to be loving, caring, intelligent, obedient, etc... So I decided to try and adopted a Rottie. I was determined to be a great mom... go to training, love him, and learn... His name is Malbec and he arrived in my life since he was 8 weeks old, and HE IS MY SON. I love him so much... We have such a great bonding together. He's such a blessing. We've won contests together and we've been topic of interview in local media because is a real story about how possible is to determine to change and overcome fear of dogs. Malbec has been with us in good and bad; he's always ready to love us; and he's been great comfort during so many struggle we've had during the last several years. He's 5 years old now and he's our best friend, and as you mentioned about your dogs... he thinks I am his mom and I think he is my son (I don't have any children). I now regret not having a dog in my life earlier... and I really tell everybody that no one should live this adventure called "life" without having the experience of being loved by a dog. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! A couple that live 2 doors down from me is afraid of dogs. After they had a baby they started noticing how friendly my dog is, so instead of passing their fear on to their son they're teaching him not to be afraid and dealing w/their own fears by interacting w/my dog and encouraging their son to do the same. I seized the opportunity to teach them how to approach a dog and what to look for to determine if a dog seems to be open to their attention.
DeleteAww, how sweet. So happy it is all working out for your family. We had a sweet male pug for 11 yrs. We got him b4 kids. So when our 1st child arrived, it was quite an adjustment for him. One of the sweetest pictures I have of Gumbeaux is of him sitting in front of the closed nursery door. Or of him next to the car seat looking down at that strange and noisy creature in it. Or of him sitting on the back of the couch with his head on my shoulder while I nursed the baby. He was a sweet dog and we never had a problem with him and the little ones when when they tried to straighten his tail!
ReplyDeleteTFS
Darlene S
desaucier at bellsouth dot net
I don't know why but your story brought tears to my eyes. I have been very emotional the past couple of days. We lost someone very close to our community and will probably be saying goodbye to another in the near future. Anyway, my favorite dog story is of the German Shepherd dog that we grew up with. She was always extremely maternal and very protective of me and my siblings. My dad was Navy and eventually was stationed in Hawaii. We couldn't take her there so we left her with an uncle who had a farm. Once we returned to the mainland, we went back to get her, his cat had had a litter of kittens. (Now, Narda, our dog, and this cat did not get on well, Narda was always chasing the cat). Of course us being kids, we couldn't resist the kittens and kept picking them up and playing with them. However, we started to notice that the kittens would disappear if we put them down. That's when we realized that Narda was picking them up in her mouth and taking them back to their beds whenever we turned our backs! No one had any idea where the mother cat was, but the Shepherd was on the job!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome story!I've read all the comments so far and they are great stories too.
ReplyDeleteWell since getting married,we hadn't had much luck with dogs.We rescued our first,a black lab cross from a barn but soon learned he had major anger issues.With two little kids,we didn't think it was a good idea to keep him so we found a home for him with a friend who had no kids and he simply thrived there.
Our next dog was a jack Russel and I have to admit,we bought him partly because he was so cute and partly because he match our cats markings..exactly!So weird..however he was so hyper and had broke free a few times ,he was hit by a car..three times and still jumped back up unhurt...or so we thought.We think he may have suffered brain damage because he could be fine and then suddenly he'd snap and bite you.After my baby was born,he went to live with my mom and brothers who totally loved him.
We got to visit with him on a regular basis.He was the smartest dog I had ever seen however when the baby was just a year he attacked her with no provocation.That was the scariest moment of my life.
Just when we thought we had given up on being dog owners...we bought a new house that well..it came with the two Goldens that lived there.The previous owners were downsizing and just couldn't take them,we said they could stay until she found them a new home but within the week they were ours,fell for them,hook line and sinker.
They have been the best dogs.They were 4 when we moved here and had never been around kids,they stayed outside most of the time..and now..they are the biggest sucks,they stay inside as much as they can and the kids can climb all over them.
They turned 11 this year and with that,the oldest has lost her eyesight.She is completely blind and the vet says there is nothing that can be done but to see her most days,you wouldn't know it.She maneuvers around like she can still see,most of the time,we have noticed her running into things a lot more lately and I fear it's almost time to say goodbye.
So I hope you have a wonderful life with your Goldens,I think they are the best.
What a beautiful story of Sophies life and her new family. Even knowing the story it makes me cry with joy for the balance it brings to the nursing home (they need their Sophie time) and the positive outcome in your home (go Sam go). Congrats to you for your hard work, patience and all the love that goes with it. It is always repaid! Of course your card is ADORABLE! The innocence of kids & dogs always make us smile. My favorite dog story is of Susie, my puppymill rescue Golden. She was first my foster who struggled with the very basics in life due to her 5 years of being alone and just breeding for profit. Long story short she blossomed into a beautiful Golden who learned how to be a dog. Although her life with me was not nearly long enough (she passed away in March) she taught me a lifetime of lessons. In our family it happens to be that Rescues Rule! 3 Goldens and 1 Lab have blessed our home. How lucky are we. Happy Weekend Julie.
ReplyDeleteAwww...this is the sweetest story....actually tears me up....we just lost our sweet Golden Retriever Rosie this past spring. Rosie was always nudging us for pets and attention....lol. She loved to get out and run around....we really miss her! We still have a cockapoo and a "dawg"....lol. We picked up the "dawg"...Sock, in WV on vacay....we go to a mining place every year, and he had a litter of pups he was giving away....we took one....stopped at a vet (to clear up the fleas!) and then gave her a bath in the Walmart parking lot!....lol. And she has been a sweetheart! Loving all the dog stories, and thank you for sharing yours, your beautiful card.....and for the chance to win too! (PS I've been a follower!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story. I think dogs should be allowed in all facilities. The comfort they give is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have had many dogs in my life. Including Christina's crazy Jack Russell. All my dogs were special to me. But the one that stands out the most is my Pembroke Corgi. We rescued her, after a pet store owner was asking around for a family member, who was trying to find her a home. (for some reason he thought she would be a good one for me.)She was a show dog at one point in her life, but had been retired and from there she was passed around from person to person. So we went to meet her. If she got along with our other Corgi I said we would give her a trial run. (I knew it wouldn't be an issue as the other one got along with everyone and every dog he ever met) Well she was such a sweet little dog. I could not understand why anyone would not want her. I soon found out. She was about 6 and having been in a crate most of her life, she wasn't house broke. She also had a few health issues. When I brought her home she went directly under an end table and stayed there. She spent most of her first year with us hiding under the table. It was a glorious day when I realized she was no longer hiding under the table, but sitting at my feet. From then on she never left my side. She had adopted us. After a little advice from a trainer and a lot of patience. She was housebroke. Sadly she passed away 2 years ago. I still miss her everyday!
What a great card and story! Love your pics, looks like our Darby!
ReplyDeleteI haven't forgotten about you, I've just been in the tractor every waking moment this last week. I'll try my best to get your winnings in the mail soon! I might just send the stuff I have and send the diecuts later if that is okay.
I loved your story. *sniffle*
ReplyDeleteWe have a dog named Pete. When we went to the SPCA to see about getting a dog (about 5 years ago), I told my boys that I wanted something small. Well, as we looked around, we walked by Pete who was leaning against the gate towards us. He's a lab/german shephard mix. Small, he is not. We walked past him... When we came back around, he again was leaning on the gate. We couldn't resist.
The funny part: we thought Pete was leaning on the gate to let us know he wanted us as a family. Turns out, one of his front legs is shorter than the other. He always leans.
Pete came home with us that day, and I haven't regretted getting my big silly boy once. Pete's aliases include: Petey, Peter P Peaches, and Mr. Peaches.
lol that's funny...lad he found a home with you..
DeleteALRIGHT!!!!! No pet story for you "smacky!" ;)
ReplyDelete(...besides...we like cats, so that's probably ANOTHER strike against me!)
Smack atcha later, Mrs. Claus! ;)
-------->> GO BEARS!! GO BEARS!! GO BEARS!! <<--------
...seriously...glad things are working out well & I think it's a GREAT thing to have animals/pets in nursing homes!! Keep up the good work!! ;)
Julie! Lovely story and great card!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had pets much but when I lived in Los Angeles a friend came to me with a dilema...there was a dog that was to be put down on Thanksgiving. So I made arrangements and got myself a dog. As you may know when you adopt a pet they will 'fix' it for you, we went to the vet and straight away the dr. came back out to tell us that he couldn't 'fix' her because she was about to have pups. He said 2-3 so we went back home to prepare...2 weeks later she had NINE, yes NINE puppies. You couldn't even tell she was pregnant. Of course the puppies were adorable and it was quite an experience in a one bedroom apratment (I did have my own yard though).
Hey Julie! What a sweet story. So glad you are one family and things are going so well! We got our cat, Jack (she's a girl, LOL) when my youngest was 2. She was so excited when we went to the shelter and found Jack! I love going to check on our girls (6 & 2) before I go to bed and I see them sleeping together, curled up, with Jack between them. SO CUTE!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Go Pack!!
Jen in WI :)
Such a sweet story! I can't imagine sharing my house with 3 goldens! You must trip over them (and their hair) all the time! Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a dog story as my dog was perfect in nearly every way except he was scared of going in a car. (And given how my Ex and I drove, maybe he had a point.)
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely story and your facilitator was just wonderful. And you get to go into work with one of your buddies! (I bet the other dogs are jealous, too.)
Now, if you want a cat story -- my late kitty Amelia Bedelia knew exactly when I came home into our apartment. She would hear the door open, know somehow it was me downstairs and wait by the door. (My ex would be home to witness this.) One day, we came home and no A.B. I said, "Something's wrong." Ex dismissed this. I looked and looked and it was a tiny apartment. He told me to calm down and not get so excited (grr). We decided to go out and since it had gotten chillier, he changed into a sweater. He opened up his drawer where the sweaters were and Amelia Bedelia was on his sweaters and looked calmly up to him. She slowly stretched out as if to say, "Well, it took you long enough!" but she wasn't at all scared or anything. Literally she just woke up and she had been there all day long since the morning rush. Never again did my ex ever tell me that I was wrong about A.B. :-)
What perfect Amelia Bedelia story. I loved reading those books w/my DD. She never did get flustered and never realized she'd done anything wrong. lol.
Deletewhat a beautiful card - and such a wonderful story - I love the colouring you did on the fur.
ReplyDeleteWe introduced a 2yr chocolate lab rescue to our 6 month old chocolate lab years ago - they are actually 1/2 brothers and it's amazing the bond they have. I love how even though there is so much room in our house, many evenings they still end up laying so that they are touching each other.
What a sweet story of a dog's unconditional love for people. I think it"s sweet you took on the challenge of another kid at home. Such a beautiful card for a beautiful story
ReplyDeleteLove your card and love your story. My story is not nearly as touching as yours, but it does show just how much character dogs have. We have a mut -rescue dog . . .sweetest dog ever named Harley and a mini poodle named Teddy, a little dominating to be so small, but aren't all poodles. They both get along great, they actually act like brother and sister, pick on each other all the time, but very defensive for the other. When we leave the house for any length of time (say a couple of hours), we put them in the large bathroom with food, water and pee pad. They eat Kibbles and Bits (actually demand it), but they don't like all of the parts of it. Harley likes to each the brown cirle ones and Teddy likes the X's. Neither of them like the twigs. They will sort the food, with each dog picking his favorite and putting it in a pile to eat from and they take the sticks and put them on the pee pad to be discarded. They have done this for years. We just think they are so funny. BTW I am bkrejci on CropChocolate.
ReplyDeleteThat is both hysterical and cute!
DeleteThat's funny! I once had a dog that we gave table scraps to . If he had peas in his bowl , he would like them clean but not eat them. it was the funniest thing.
DeleteLovely card and story.
ReplyDeleteI Love you cute card. great color and the story is great too
Deleteawe what a sweet pooch & a perfect stamp to remember all those great things
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartwarming story! Perfect card, too.
ReplyDeleteLovely card! And, here's my story. I had a cat named Kelly and a dog (Cocker/maltese) named Sandy. My kids wanted a kitten and a when they asked the hubby he said"I don't care" So we ended up with a new kitten named Tiger. Kelly did not like Tiger at all. She would hiss at her every time they crossed paths. Sandy though, loved Tiger. She would bark at Kelly whenever she tried to intimidate Tiger. So..we had a cat that 'owned' a dog and a dog that 'owned' a cat.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful card and a beautiful story. I LOVE Golden's, we had one for 11 yrs and lost him last fall. 4 weeks ago we brought home our new golden baby. Bosco is 11 weeks old now and doing well. They really are the best dogs! You don't have to enter me in your blog candy give away, but I still wanted to share my story.
ReplyDeleteYour card is beautiful and what a beautiful story too.
ReplyDeleteAbout 2 years ago when we diecided to finally get a pet, we all agreed to get a small dog, my husband and kids when out to look for puppies one day and came home with a black lab puppy - not a small dog at all. I was really upset and spent several weeks trying to convince them to find him another home. A few months later my husband had to deploy for a year, and during that time the dog became very protective of the kids and he was an amazing companion when I felt sad and lonely, he really helped make time pass by faster, and early morning runs are so much better with a "friend" than going alone in the dark too. Now I cannot imagine having any other dog than Ranger and I am really happy that he is the dog that we ended up with.
It's amazing how dogs know what we need and step up to help.
DeleteI am already a follower, and I love your card, I too love goldens! One of my favorite stories about dogs is when our golden that we have now, Ella, was small. We let her outside to play with our Old English Sheepdog, Maggie. We hadn't had her too long and didn't realize that she was a digger until she came to the patio door with her muzzle and paws covered in mud! The look on her face was priceless. I have a picture of her posted on my profile on Crop Chocolate. She is just the sweetest dog and she grew out of the digging phase. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
ReplyDeleteThe card matches your story perfectly!! How touching and heart warming... I always love dogs!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI think I'm following now... on the google friend connect, because I don't want to authorize an app on fb... I shared it on FB and Twitter :)
I remember my kitty, Diogenes (we called him Deege). We had windows at the very top of our front door, and when he wanted to come in he would jump up and hold on to the little ledge til he could see one of us coming to open the door to let him in.
The marks are still there, but we lost him to diabetes probably 10 or more years ago. He was such a sweet cat! We even have a picture of him from inside :)
(Btw- this is CaveChick)
Blue from CC here. LOVE the story and the card. When I was a kid my Mom volunteered at a nursing home. She often would drag my dog and I there b/c the residents loved kids and dogs.
ReplyDeleteBefore I share my dog story I'm going to share a kiddo story. One Christmas when my DD was around 7 or 8 she and I made soaps to give out to residents of at 3 local nursing homes (including the one my Mom used to take me to). At the first home my girl hid behind me and didn't say a word; at the second home she helped and spoke up a little; at the third she took the lead and just enjoyed watching her interacting w/the residents. While we were in the last home it had started to snow. When we were done she burst threw the door and ran outside where she began to jump up and down shouting, "This is great, just great!" Wanting to enhance my enjoyment of her celebrating the snowfall, I asked what she thought was so great. She immediately stopped jumping, turned and looked at me w/a shocked expression on her face and said, "What we just did Mommy."
Now my dog story. My current dog is a teacup schnoodle (schnauzer & teacup poodle mix) who at 10 lbs is smaller than many cats. When I first brought my 9 week old rescue home my neighbor was out w/her lab. My little guy, who fit in one of my hands, took off running and barking w/his tail wagging right at that lab. Completely fearless.
He's been consistently fearless and friendly. The neighbor on the other side of the lab has two dogs who didn't like other dogs. That is until my guy gradually wore them down. Once they accepted him they slowly started accepting other neighborhood dogs and gradually came to where they'd initiate play w/my dog!
Ya know I don't recall ever reading replies on a blog post before. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's pet stories! Thanks for asking us to share them.
DeleteSophie sounds so amazing! How lucky you are to work at a facility that allows her to spread joy to the residents! That tender love is so important to many! Our household is a Black Lab home, but I can relate to the love of these breeds. Your card is just perfect!
ReplyDeleteI just checked out all the stories on here and they are great. Lots of dog and cat lovers on CC.
ReplyDeleteJulie that is such a sweet story. Dogs are the best and Sophie sounds like such a sweetheart. Love the card too!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness!! Your story brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart!!
ReplyDeleteI am so humbled that you used my stamp art for this special card you created! You did a beautiful job!!
I have a huge LOVE for goldens(obviously with all my Brandy and Emma stamp line, lol!) but I love to hear these stories behind giving the cards.
Thank you for sharing!!
Phyllis Harris
http://www.phyllisharris.com
http://phyllisharris.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PhyllisHarrisDesigns
Love your card and your story was so touching!
ReplyDeleteMy dog story I have always been a cat person but a couple years ago a friend talked me into taking a dog from one of her neighbors she said they were mean to it so I said I would try. Zoebear we just call her Zoe she was about 6 months old and she is a Pomeranian she weighs 6 lbs and she has became my baby she is always by my side.A couple months ago I bought some bubbles for my daughter who is 20 lol she still loves bubbles well Zoe was afraid of the bubbles it was so funny to watch her bark and run from the bubbles but after about a week of being scared she started chasing and popping the buubles it is so funny to watch. But anyway I love having a dog now and wished I had gotten one sooner. (I am already a follower)
I love your story. No doubt about it. Labs area great people dogs.
ReplyDeleteMy cat, Candy, is a music critic. Early mornings we would go downstairs to my scrap area and I would put on music for us to listen to. Had to put it on softly so it would not wake up my husband who sleeps late. Candy would climb up into her tall tree/bed and watch the birds out the window or sleep while I scrapped. One morning I put on a CD of the "Oldies" music. She proceeded to jump up on the table where the CD player was playing some of my favorite music and walked across the top of the player, releasing the CD. I thought it was a fluke, but I tried another oldies CD and she did it again. Then I put on my usual instrumental music CD and she climbed up into her tree. I have experimented several times and find that she chooses soft music to sleep by. Gota love a music critic cat...
Awesome story!!! So happy that Sophie was accepted into the family with open paws!!!
ReplyDeleteMy Sophie and Stephanie will be getting their own puppy soon and hopefully I will have some awesome stories to share!! We had a German Shepard When I grew up that lived for 15 years!! She was the best dog ever!!!:) ok for me anyway!!
This is so precious!
ReplyDeletewhat a great story!! and awesome card.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely story. I am so glad someone was available and helpful in your transitioning of her into your family.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog and great story pets are very special we had a chocolate lab named Brownie for years he died a few years ago and is still missed by all of us but he was 18 years old so that is old for a large dog. Thanks for the chance to win some blog candy
ReplyDeleteLove your cards! I am a follower already. I grew up with dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteWe decided to get a cocker spaniel when my 2 oldest daughters were younger. The problem was, she was a bit cranky with little kids. In fact, she would growl and nip at my 2nd daughter.She would growl at the neighbor kids when they came over. It got bad enough that when I was pregnant with my youngest, I started thinking we needed to find her another home. I just couldn't bear to think if the dog would be trying to bite my newborn! By the time dd#3 was born, the breeder had found a widower who had no kids who had just lost her cocker. They were a perfect match. Fanny got to travel and be number 1 with her new owner!
A few years later, we wondered if we should try another dog. I looked in the paper and saw an ad for an approximately 6 month old mixed breed in a shelter about 30 miles away. Why I decided to go that far, when there was a humane society within 10 miles of us I don't know. Must have been fate, because I went to see her and she was beautiful, calm and receptive. They think she was part german shepherd/ part golden or maybe collie. They found her and 2 siblings in a forest preserve-probably abandoned by someone. We were getting ready to pick her up and we got a call. The dog that was next to her had mange. They assumed that we didn't want her since the other people brought the other dog back. I said we absolutely wanted her! I told them to shave her (she had thick fur) and treat her for the mange. We waited a week and she was fine. She was a great pet-was great with kids, barked when she heard noises in the night...a perfect mutt! We were so glad we found her :)
Great card!
ReplyDeleteAdorable card. Thanks for the wonderful story.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat card and heart warming story. I did have my story posted and it was cathartic to do so, but I decided that it was too personal. So here's a short and happy one. I had a terrier mix that my mother had actually hit with her car. He was luckily unhurt, but we realized that he had been beaten, so we kept him. Years later, I moved out west and always took him hiking with us. One time, we were in a canyon, following a stream, when my dog who was ahead of us turned around and bared his teeth at us. All his fur on his back was standing up, and he was snarling, at us. He wouldn't let us past so we had to turn and head back, with my dog snarling behind us. Turns out that there was a bear futher up, and when we caught sight of that, my dog had no problem hurrying us stupid people along. This was the only time he ever acted like that toward me in his entire life, and I will always be grateful that he did.
ReplyDeleteI believe that every day with a dog is a gift.