Dogs

Goodbye my friend

April 7, 2008

More than a dozen years ago it was clear this day would come. But in the knowing it would arrive does little to dam the torrent of tears it brings. Between there and here is was so easy to forget. Even in the last weeks, reminded by Sam's passing, and knowing that the time was near doesn't really prepare one for what will be. The deep sadness that comes with the passing of a friend. A couple of decades back Linda Rondstat sang:

So goodbye, my friend
I know I'll never see you again
But the love you gave me through all the years
Will take away these tears
It's okay now...
Goodbye my friend

Life's so fragile and love's so pure
We can't hold on but we try
We watch how quickly it disappears
And we never know why

But I'm okay now
Goodbye my friend.
I can go now
Goodbye my friend.

Indeed goodbye my dear friend. The memories are so plentiful that it's hard to know where to begin in telling the story.

In passing... remembering Samantha

March 10, 2008

one fine dogWhen we are young we hold on to this belief that things get easier when you "grow up" or at least the more times you face them. Once we are grown up we come to understand that things don't get any easier when it comes to the passing of a beloved dog. We know our dogs have a good life and are well cared for. We know from the time we are young that we will throughout our lives face the passing of our beloved companions all too frequently. We know the pain of watching an aging dog reach the end of their days. Yet through all of this we know too that we must have these wonderful companions in our lives. And so it comes that in remembrance of Samantha I write here.

More pet food recalls

March 31, 2007

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company announced Friday it is recalling some of it's ALPO Prime Cuts wet dog food. The food is contaminated with melanine, a plastic substance, that contaminated many recalled foods made by Menu Foods in Canada. Hills Pet Nutrition also recalled m/d Feline dry food on Friday over concerns of contaminated wheat gluten. The Hills recall marks the first recall of dry pet food. Hills did previously recall canned cat food.

Before switching to human food for pets, pet owners would be well advised to see the list of recalled foods.

Rational pet food diets

March 26, 2007

Recent deaths caused by contaminated pet food at from Menu Foods have pet owners wondering what to do to best care for their pets. There are some who would suggest throwing out the whole pet food industry and going with human quality food or the B.A.R.F. diet. Fortunately Newsweek has an article on it's website discussing the sitution with Dr. Tony Buffington a professor of veterinary medicine at Ohio State University. He concludes it would make as much sense to stop using pet food as to condem the entire human food chain because of the E. Coli problem.

We should call upon the FDA to step up their work on both the human and the pet food supply chains, but we also must resist the temptation to run to the rumor mongers at the expense of our pet's health.

Apache crosses the rainbow bridge

March 16, 2006

The following passage written by a mutual friend pays homage to Apache, a wonderful dog I had the pleasure of working with on a couple of searches. There is never a good time for such a passing. Humankind is drawn from our very primal core to "man's best friend"? only to find that their days are much too short when measured in human lifetimes. Those who are fortunate enough to live life with these beautiful creatures spend a lifetime reconciling how such magnificence can come and go so quickly. All the thought one can muster, however, cannot erase the pain of their departure nor will it diminish the glow of the memories.

December 29, 1993--March 11, 2006

Apache has crossed that rainbow bridge to join the other search dogs and searchers whom have gone before him. He has other dog friends to chase ball or stick with and someone there to throw them for him. He is now free of the ailments of old age that brought him down rapidly the past few months. Unfortunately, it is probable that his illness was accelerated by things he was exposed to while doing his work as a search dog.

Not so neighborly

May 20, 2005

For the last couple of months we've been trying to work with some vicious dogs being kept by a neighbor. After several requests the neighbors have chosen to do nothing about the constant barking. Recently Sarah was told that the constant barking of the pack of dogs is a desired trait. As you can clearly see in this brief movie these vicious dogs are continuing to come through the fence and have already attempted to bite or bitten ourselves, our dogs and our horses. Yet, in our neighbor's action this is our problem.

Update: Vote about what you think about this situation.

The text at the end of the video points out that our neighbor emerged during the taping of this video and proceeded to do nothing more than watch.

ODE TO ZEPHYR

September 27, 2004

11 years ago the Gods of the Universe blessed the humans on earth with Zephyr, God of the West Wind. His duties were to assist the mortals of Earth, using his talents with wind and nose, in finding those that were presumed lost or missing. Among the many talents given to Zephyr to accomplish these goals were abilities to work through the human contaminated world, through land, water, snow both in mountains and populated zones.

To assist Zephyr in his duties he was given a mere mortal, Julie Weibler. The Gods determined that she should arrive at a Petsmart just when Zephyr was there and willed her to take the black and white Wind God of unknown background and many "ghosts"? in his young past and assist him in moving past those. The mortal Julie endeavored greatly, having already survived the challenges set forth by the Gods with her previous search dog, Tassie. Zephyr overcame the difficulties of daily life in the mortal's world where people had physically and mentally abused him before the Gods directed him to Julie. For years they lived in harmony, both at home and as a search dog/handler team.

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