Just laid my 18 y/o Basenji Bella to rest in the back yard to the chorus of my five year old saying don't bury Bella Daddy, NO! and my Appalachian babes tears.

All I can say some days you have to be as strong as a Mountaineer.

So, Here's to Dogs! GAS sips Blue Label Scotch, goes back to mourning.

Go App!

It doesn't get much tougher than that. My husband and I always have to make room for our black lab on the bed. Thankfully, the Welsh Corgi sleeps at the door to keep watch over her flock by night.

Here's to dogs, indeed ... and I'll raise a glass of Balvenie to you and your Basenji.

Here's to dogs, for sure! Our son got a beagle pup on his second Christmas morn. Sixteen years later we clipped his APP acceptance letter to old Candy girl's ASU bandana and she delivered it to him. My favorite video of all-time.

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."

I thought the thread was going to be another negative diatribe about our team.....

Pets become family very quickly. Always tough to lose them....except for the goldfish that never quite bonded with me.

My last Lab (I've had 8 Labs total, including three that grew up with this last one, and this doesn't include the other breeds and mixes we've rescued) just turned 15 and is only weeks at best from having to be put down. He's my buddy and has been with me since he was a pup. Each time I have to put one down is a knife in the gut. No matter what's wrong in my life or how bad things are for me they are always there to love and be loved. Don't know what I would do without my dogs.

Here's to Dogs! I feel you! I had one of our dachshunds pass in my arms not too long ago. One of the worst things I have ever been thru, but I am thankful for the time we had with him. He was a Dang good dog and we loved him! His name was Dexter. He was kinda named after one of our favorite APP football players...even if he went on to play for the cowboys. Here's to Dogs!

Odd to see this thread. My dog, Baxter, white Irish Wolfhound died after being with me for 16 years a couple of weeks ago. Felt like I had lost a son.

There is nothing like the power of unconditional love. Cheers to all the great dogs past and present!

Well here we go again. It's taken a few days for me to be able to post it but Tuesday my family had to let go another of our close long time friends. Though He was just 9 1/2 in years He was probably our most precious. Found barely alive on the side of a road at 4 weeks old between Lillington and Fayetteville on July 5, 2005. That week had been 100 + degrees for days and he was covered with fleas and ticks. My App babe nursed him back to health My unimaginative self want to call him Bear, she saw things greater in him. With his long shiny black fur and apparent toughness for surviving she found a gold cloth, tied it around his neck and said his name is Yosef! He most resembled a flat coated retriever, once he was grown and was fitted with his first gold Block A collar. He wore the gold color on his black everyday of his life, from the day my wife first held him and put it on, to the day she placed it away for keeping.

We won our first DI - AA Championship trophy that year. Yosef was in attendance for the next 2 of them.

The rub is I have a 12 year old Great Pyrenees who may not have long to go either. Sometimes I really hate them thar varmits because I know in the end they are going to hurt me real bad. Here's to Dogs, again!

Being equally uncreative...I have a 3 year old Great Pyrenees named Boone! My wife had one growing up, and insisted we get one a few months after our black lab passed suddenly. We got him from The Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta as an 8 week old pup.

Have to say, they are a very interesting breed...stubborn, loud, and playful...but he is as friendly with kids, and new people, as you'd want. Definitely been great with our 8 month old.

Never had much luck with dogs growing up, so my family ended up with a lot of cats...so this is the first dog I've had from a puppy since I was probably 8 years old. Hope he sticks around for another 10 years, but I know it's going to be hard whenever he goes!

GreatAppSt wrote:Well here we go again. It's taken a few days for me to be able to post it but Tuesday my family had to let go another of our close long time friends. Though He was just 9 1/2 in years He was probably our most precious. Found barely alive on the side of a road at 4 weeks old between Lillington and Fayetteville on July 5, 2005. That week had been 100 + degrees for days and he was covered with fleas and ticks. My App babe nursed him back to health My unimaginative self want to call him Bear, she saw things greater in him. With his long shiny black fur and apparent toughness for surviving she found a gold cloth, tied it around his neck and said his name is Yosef! He most resembled a flat coated retriever, once he was grown and was fitted with his first gold Block A collar. He wore the gold color on his black everyday of his life, from the day my wife first held him and put it on, to the day she placed it away for keeping.

We won our first DI - AA Championship trophy that year. Yosef was in attendance for the next 2 of them.

The rub is I have a 12 year old Great Pyrenees who may not have long to go either. Sometimes I really hate them thar varmits because I know in the end they are going to hurt me real bad. Here's to Dogs, again!

Here's to YOSEF, I say Well Done! Here's to Dog's, who think that each of us is the greatest ever.
GAS, sorry for the family loss, I sure feel for you!