If dogs were our teachers.....

[MazeRat7]

If a dog were your teacher, you would learn stuff like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
And finally, never trust anyone until you sniff their butt.

MZr7

[coloradodem2005]

1. Interesting

[autorank]

2. ...We'd hump each other in public! Oops, we already do that.

Well, we'd be a hell of a lot nicer and would clearly thing of others more (perhaps in a neurotic way but what's neurotic about companionship and love). Great post.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. You forgot a couple.......

Always turn around at least 2 times before lying down. This lets you see the most comfortable angle to lay your body.

If running after thrown items is your thing, bring the item back to the thrower once in a while.

The lap of a seated person on a couch is an ideal pillow.

Sunshine often feels best when it streams through a window

And lastly, From the late Mr. BB
Nothing makes me feel better than a good, old fashioned thumb suck while snoozing in a sunbeam and i dont give a damn if i AM all grown up!



Yes, that's his right front paw/wrist he has in his mouth and he would suck on it just like a little kid sucks on a thumb!

I miss him so

[Vektor]

5. OMG, I am in love.

I have the hugest soft spot for Boston Terriers. What a handsome pup he was.

I am sure there is a warm, cozy sunbeam just like that one forever shining down on him in doggie heaven.
:hug:

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. Thank you so much for the lovely sentiment. He is buried with his back to

the rising California sun. He was the most gregarious dog i have ever met. He just simply loved everyone and didnt have a mean bone in his body.

Thanks once again. At almost 46 years old, i am sitting here, teary eyed, looking at that picture. I had to put him down last September and, believe it or not, i can still smell him.

I do miss him terribly.

[Vektor]

7. I am so sorry...

...and I love my dogs so much that it breaks my heart. They are still young, (three years) but I know there will come a day when they will reach the end of their lives, and I tell you, if I think about it too long, I lose it. I try not to dwell on it, but I can't help but be reminded when I see an aging dog, or someone shares a story about the loss of a pet.

It sounds like BB had a wonderful life with you. Do you think you might get another dog someday?

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. I'd love another dog right now! But it isn't possible with the work i do

these days. I work in mobile marketing - tractor trailer based displays and promotions and unfortunately, dogs and corporate image making don't seem to mix too well. When i finally get off the road and get a regular 9 - 5 job.....well.....you can bet the next day will be the first day of looking for another dog.

When i got him i was working in the specialty car-haul business and he traveled with me all over. I owned a Harley at the time and the 2nd day i had him i took him for a ride on it, tucked inside my jacket. It soon became "His" bike and he would jump right up on the seat when i would say "Load Up!" I worked for a time for Ferrari North America and they let me take him along. We did the Ferrari Concours D'Elegance on Rodeo Drive and we both stayed at the Beverly Hilton! When i Checked in, i had to sign a pledge in his name that he would be a "Good and welcomed Pet guest of the hotel". During those few moments, he sat about ten feet behind me, staring at the front desk in a VERY busy hotel lobby, not moving an inch despite the noisy crowds that constantly passed by. He was, "The elegant tourist" as i named this pic;

That weekend we met Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top who took to BB immediately. BB of course, saw this person as just another in a long line of people in his life that deserved to be made to feel good.

About a year after the photo in my previous post was taken he became diabetic. He went blind from cataracts and developed an unquenchable thirst. The Diabetes affected him to the point that in the later stages he was a shell of his former self, doing little more than sleeping, drinking and staring into space. I was hauling cars at the time and was away from home 4 days out of the week. It was heartbreaking to come home and have to go get him to give him a hug because he was so lethargic that he wouldn't come to the door to greet me.

I cried like a 4 year old on the way home from the Vets office with him in the van and when i buried him, i couldn't watch the dirt fall on him as i pulled it into the grave with my hands.

My family has had Bostons all my life and i have shown others and had one get Champion points but BB was the first dog i had ever bought and picked out. I feel privileged to have known him.


Once again, thank you so much for your kind words and don't let a day go by without slathering love on your pets. They give so much to us and we might not realize just how much till they are gone.

[Vektor]

9. Aw man -

Geez, I am crying now. What a beautiful, stately dog he was. I am so sorry that he became sick, and that you had to go through this terrible ordeal. My dogs are not nearly was well mannered as BB was. They are sort of rambunctious and defiant clowns, but I love them with very fiber of my being.

Did your vet ever suggest insulin injections? I know this works with diabetic cats, but I am unsure about dogs.

Thanks for your kind words too...I will hug my dogs right now. And here's a pic for you. I don't know who these little tykes are, but this is sure to cheer one up. I especially love the pup's one Terminator eye, and portly belly.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Aww!!! That pic DID make me laugh!

Such a cuty cuty pie pie!! (Both of them!) English, Frenchies and Bostons just seem to be the cutest puppies!

To answer your question, by the time i realized he actually had diabetes he was pretty far gone. Bostons tend to be very susceptible to cataracts and when he got them i just didn't put 2 and 2 together. When the other symptoms began to manifest themselves (Incessant thirst, overeating, weight gain followed by severe loss, etc.) it was, I'm afraid, too late. His condition was i am quite sure exacerbated by my own denial that there was anything more severe going on than just a hungry, thirsty, blind little dog.

Thinking back, it was really only a matter of weeks for him to lose most of his eyesight but again, i didn't do the math and for that, i probably contributed to the downturn in his health.

[Vektor]

12. Please don't blame yourself -

most people don't actually think about pets being diabetic. My Mom had a diabetic cat, but luckily they caught it early in a routine exam. She was able to use insulin, but when I learned of the cat's condition, I was surprised that pets could be diabetic. I never knew this disease struck animals!

I am sure that you didn't do anything to harm your sweet little dog. You loved him immensely, and had no way of knowing how sick he was - only a vet can determine that, and if the onset was so quick - well that only makes it harder. Sadly, poor little BB had some bad genetics when it came to his diabetes and cataracts. (Obviously, he had some great genes too.) It sounds like he would have fallen ill regardless. I can tell by the caring way in which you spoke about him that you loved him very much and never would have knowingly contributed to his ill health. It sounds like you did everything you could to give him the very best care a pup could ask for.

[orleans]

4. if i was my dog

i'd lay around on the couch a lot more than i do now
i'd bark at my mailman
i'd hang my head out the car window
i'd spend half my day in the back yard watching for squirrels
and the other half i'd spend dreaming i was chasing them (from the couch)

[Jamastiene]

10. I'm primarily a cat person, but

I also love dogs. I am actually gearing up for the day that I am in a position that I can afford to build a doggie playground. I don't have a dog right now. I probably won't get another dog until I can build the playground and buy a good digital camera and prepare a little better first. That's the plan any how. It may be a couple of years, but the dog I do get is going to be spoiled rotten and probably the most photographed dog I've ever had. I miss my poodles, but never liked having to put them through the grooming, so it'll be a palm springs haircut (trimmed kind of close except for the pom poms on the ankles and tail, and a little hair on the ears and top knot) if I do get a poodle. I'll probably go to the pound when the time comes though.

[kwassa]

13. Only teachers would have dogs?