Friday OT #2 - Man’s Best Friend
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
All of them.
It seems like a copout answer, but they've all been the best. I had four dogs growing up, but since I've been on my own, I've had four cats. They all had personality elements that I enjoyed (and some that drove me crazy), and they provided the exact companionship I needed at the time they were in my life.
It seems like a copout answer, but they've all been the best. I had four dogs growing up, but since I've been on my own, I've had four cats. They all had personality elements that I enjoyed (and some that drove me crazy), and they provided the exact companionship I needed at the time they were in my life.
We have had a lot of great animals growing up, and my husband and I previously had a rabbit. (I’d had a rabbit before that who was an amazing pet.) We now have our nuclear family’s first dogs - and Stuart is MINE. He shadows me, lays on me, sits by me, etc. He is the sweetest little boy and so adorably dumb.
This is Otis our third golden retriever. Esau and Sunny were or first pair of hunting goldens. Great dogs- Esau's tail would go in a circle for hens and straight up and down for roosters. He was amazing gone too soon at 8 years old. His buddy sunny lived to be 16.
Otis is as goofy as this picture suggests but he is a smart one. Too smart for his own good sometimes.
Otis is as goofy as this picture suggests but he is a smart one. Too smart for his own good sometimes.
Growing up, we had a farm dog named Champ. We cycled through so many dogs growing up due to them running away, getting hit by a car, rabies, etc (farm kids can relate I'm sure), but Champ stuck around for 4 years. He would always be by my side when I was doing chores. He'd wait outside whatever door I went into and then trot along with me to my next task.
He would wrestle with me without biting and was the friendliest dog you could ask for. When my cousin committed suicide, he nuzzled up to me extra lovingly for several days and kept me together.
One day, I was out doing chores and he was nowhere to be found. I looked and called for him, but no luck. As I was finishing up, our neighbor drove into our yard and he had Champ's body in the bed of his truck. Someone had hit him on the road and left him there. I was completely devastated.
He's the last dog I've had and the only dog I have ever buried. I still miss my buddy 30 years later.
He would wrestle with me without biting and was the friendliest dog you could ask for. When my cousin committed suicide, he nuzzled up to me extra lovingly for several days and kept me together.
One day, I was out doing chores and he was nowhere to be found. I looked and called for him, but no luck. As I was finishing up, our neighbor drove into our yard and he had Champ's body in the bed of his truck. Someone had hit him on the road and left him there. I was completely devastated.
He's the last dog I've had and the only dog I have ever buried. I still miss my buddy 30 years later.
My current dog, Murphy. He's the first dog my wife and I have owned. He's a Border Collie with a sensitive persona. Normally he's hyper but can sense when someone is feeling sad. When that happens, he'll go lay with them to try to make them feel better. I trained him from when he was a puppy so him and I are best buds.
Here he is doing a lure course and jumping an obstacle.
Here he is doing a lure course and jumping an obstacle.
We had one next door when he used to come over he would herd Esau and Sunny or goldens into a corner until they were falling all over themselves. Intense really smart dog he would help my kids with calc homework because I couldn't
Yeah I'll take him to my friends house where they have a horse and a donkey. They also have a Border Collie so we let them run and they'll herd the horse and donkey back and forth.We had one next door when he used to come over he would herd Esau and Sunny or goldens into a corner until they were falling all over themselves. Intense really smart dog he would help my kids with calc homework because I couldn't
I had a bright yellow cockatiel in high school that would ride around on my shoulder at home. She would sit on my shoulder while I handed out candy on Halloween and freak people out when she moved.
My senior year I was away on a trip and my mother was playing with on her bed and with no warning she just keeled over and died. I miss having a bird, but the wife is staunchly against it.
My senior year I was away on a trip and my mother was playing with on her bed and with no warning she just keeled over and died. I miss having a bird, but the wife is staunchly against it.
We're definitely the "dog people" in our group of friends. Our golden 100% runs the house and has first dibs on where he is sleeping in our bed at night and we just mold around him, wouldn't have it any other way.
Bernese Mountain Dog. Lost him to multiple defects around this time last year. Still miss him.
Great dog but bad genetics. Would look to get another some day but probably needs to be bred with something else to help it's lifespan and overall health.
Great dog but bad genetics. Would look to get another some day but probably needs to be bred with something else to help it's lifespan and overall health.
We always had dogs growing up but Dad hunted with them a lot and it wasn’t the same somehow as the non working dogs that my husband and I have had join our family.
We started with a cat we had for 20 years and he was fine when we added our first lab mix. We’re now on the third lab mix and he doesn’t seem to want to leave the puppy stage.
Second dog was the easiest sweetest fiercest pet ever. Even as a pup, he never chewed up things that weren’t dog toys and he really didn’t care much for those except bones. He was heroic. He didn’t bark much so when he went nuts in the middle of a weekday out on our front porch, the neighbor looked out and saw a guy trying to break into his garage and called the cops. Our boy also protected the postal carrier from another neighbor’s German Shepard, who had gotten loose and charged at her. Our little neighbor girl who passed away from cancer would come lay in the grass with him and look at clouds and rub dandelions on his face and he put up with it all. And he and I walked 5-8 miles per day in the heart of Covid. And when a creepy guy was asking me all kinds of creepy questions out on a trail about how often I walked and when, he must have sensed my fear. He growled at the creep and the guy finally moved away. We lost him to cancer after 13 years of being a perfect boy. Our vet cried when she ended his pain.
We started with a cat we had for 20 years and he was fine when we added our first lab mix. We’re now on the third lab mix and he doesn’t seem to want to leave the puppy stage.
Second dog was the easiest sweetest fiercest pet ever. Even as a pup, he never chewed up things that weren’t dog toys and he really didn’t care much for those except bones. He was heroic. He didn’t bark much so when he went nuts in the middle of a weekday out on our front porch, the neighbor looked out and saw a guy trying to break into his garage and called the cops. Our boy also protected the postal carrier from another neighbor’s German Shepard, who had gotten loose and charged at her. Our little neighbor girl who passed away from cancer would come lay in the grass with him and look at clouds and rub dandelions on his face and he put up with it all. And he and I walked 5-8 miles per day in the heart of Covid. And when a creepy guy was asking me all kinds of creepy questions out on a trail about how often I walked and when, he must have sensed my fear. He growled at the creep and the guy finally moved away. We lost him to cancer after 13 years of being a perfect boy. Our vet cried when she ended his pain.
I have a dog currently I will happily give someone. She is far from my favorite. Convince my wife and she’s yours.
When I was young, I had a pet duck for about a month or two. Dam raccoon killed it. Made me hate those bastards my whole life. That duck was my favorite.
When I was young, I had a pet duck for about a month or two. Dam raccoon killed it. Made me hate those bastards my whole life. That duck was my favorite.
We have a neighbor with two of those. One has wanderlust and winds up all over town. He’s huge but sweet and gentle and frequently plays with our dog when he gets loose.
Similar to what @MJ29 said, I don’t think I can select a favorite. Each has/had noteworthy traits/personality specifics.
I could list memorable (or notable, for those still with me) for almost all of them, and maybe I will later if more time permits.
I do have a special place for my first cat, Douwe, who lived to be 18. (I’m sure I’ve referenced him plenty of times in CF pet-related threads), and the first family dog I remember, Penny, who we got when I was ~4.
I also can relate to @coolerifyoudid about the cycling of farm dogs. A bittersweet situation, such close companions in that atmosphere, but high risk of losing them in unfortunate ways.
I could list memorable (or notable, for those still with me) for almost all of them, and maybe I will later if more time permits.
I do have a special place for my first cat, Douwe, who lived to be 18. (I’m sure I’ve referenced him plenty of times in CF pet-related threads), and the first family dog I remember, Penny, who we got when I was ~4.
I also can relate to @coolerifyoudid about the cycling of farm dogs. A bittersweet situation, such close companions in that atmosphere, but high risk of losing them in unfortunate ways.
The wife and I did the traditional "get married, then buy a house, then get a dog, then have a baby" thing years ago. Got a wonderful beagle puppy. He was fairly chill by beagle standards once he grew out of the puppy phase, and was really good with our babies that followed in the next few years.
But over time he developed this weird condition or allergy where he just kept itching. As it progressed, he eventually started rubbing his back on the underside of the deck to scratch himself, up until he broke his skin open and bled. We'd have to crate him to keep him from bleeding all over the house. We tried everything we could think of - special diets, steroid shots, you name it, all in consultation with the vet. Nothing worked.
Naturally he grew irritable, and finally it reached a breaking point when, in fairly short order, he got angry with the much smaller neighbor dog through the fence - a dog he had always approached with curiosity and friendliness - and then started growling and nipping at the fingers of our young children. We had no choice but to put him down. (A subtext here is that when I was a kid, our family dog who had otherwise been friendly broke free and mauled a neighborhood kid trying to help capture him.)
Not long after, we moved, and with the chaos of young kids we just didn't want to take on a dog again, and we haven't had one since. I still miss him though.
But over time he developed this weird condition or allergy where he just kept itching. As it progressed, he eventually started rubbing his back on the underside of the deck to scratch himself, up until he broke his skin open and bled. We'd have to crate him to keep him from bleeding all over the house. We tried everything we could think of - special diets, steroid shots, you name it, all in consultation with the vet. Nothing worked.
Naturally he grew irritable, and finally it reached a breaking point when, in fairly short order, he got angry with the much smaller neighbor dog through the fence - a dog he had always approached with curiosity and friendliness - and then started growling and nipping at the fingers of our young children. We had no choice but to put him down. (A subtext here is that when I was a kid, our family dog who had otherwise been friendly broke free and mauled a neighborhood kid trying to help capture him.)
Not long after, we moved, and with the chaos of young kids we just didn't want to take on a dog again, and we haven't had one since. I still miss him though.
