For Faithful Friends, Part IV

Thought for the day:  The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. [George Graham]

This is the fourth, and final, post I'll be doing to depict the incredible loyalty of dogs. (At least for now.) No wonder they're called man's best friend, huh?

In the picture is our son Tony as a youngster, along with his Springer spaniel Dumpling, a super gentle dog, and a super duper Frisbee player.


Now, then, ready to look at our last batch of pictures?

There is  no faith that has yet been unbroken except that of a truly faithful dog. [Konrad Lorenz]

This is a picture of our last dog, Buck. After Dumpling died, I was considering going to the shelter to find a Boxer to adopt, until one of the fellas on our bowling league told me his sad story. When he saw a van stop by the river, toss a puppy out the door, and then take off, he picked up the puppy  and took it home with him. The problem was, he lived in an apartment, and his landlord gave him two choices: get rid of the dog, or move out. 

So, he wanted to bring the pup over to our house. Just so I could meet him. Right. We ended up having that pup... and loving  him... for almost seventeen years. Buck was the first pet I had to carry to the vet for that awful last visit. By that time, he could barely walk, couldn't see or hear very well, and had what I'd equate to dementia. Still, on that last trip to the vet, he and I stopped at the park for one last visit. I had to lift him out of the car, but he managed to walk to the bench, and he sat beside me, almost like old times. Seemed happy to be there, but it was almost as though he knew this would be the last time. So trusting. So loyal. Broke my heart. But it was the right thing to do.

And, dammit, I still miss him.

                                  Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

Uh-oh, my cats have been reading over my shoulder, and had a few choice words about all this dog talk. So, better give them a little loving here. Best cats ever! Okay, they're happy now. All they wanted is a little more respect from their staff.