Dust Angel

What a lovely idea - good for you

118 now

Teebs that is a wonderful thought, i think you should go right ahead and send it anyway. I think it would be a comfort to her to know that there was a special start out there to mark the passing of her angels and her heroic act. If you dont feel comfortable sending it from you specifically send it annonymously and Pacers can pass it on? Or maybe just send it from a DOL member? Its a lovely idea Sending all my come home vibes to Magnus and all my get well vibes to Jed.

How abosolutley devestating. My heart breaks for your Jed, sending all the combined healing thoughts of Bythorn Park your way may you make a full and speedy rocovery and may those that have survived be waiting in sound health and with wagging tails to help ease some of the pain of those lost.

There is a really old movie called The Bellstone Fox wich is about the friendship of a fox and a hound. Its very sad but worth a look if you can find it. We have it on video - need to get transferred over to DVD.

Awesome idea i LOVE it! :D

:D Our local cafe has the same sign!

Atlas wins - no other colour looks so good with a garbage bin over the head

Im still hating that we are so far away and BUSTING to see the photos

Bhahahahahahah I can sympathise http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?show...c=154195&hl=

percyk this is so well written! Thank you for sharing Im loving everyones stories its just beautiful to know that moment that you first set eyes on each other means so much to others as well!

Im on the lookout for a tea cup blue merle GSP i really want it so i can breed and make lots of money and my kids can experience the miracle of life. Can you help me please?

I can't even express how much I want your Wolfie. So, so beautiful X2 Im loving theses stories BTW! Thanks for sharing everyone! ;)

Corvus you had me giggling with your stories Niques - Do you still call him warthead? That's cute! Janba - there is no resisting the collie stare is there! Furballs - any day you will never forget for whatever reason is always a day worth sharing. Thank you. Do you have any photos of your girl? bertandsally - thats so cute and just such beautiful dogs Shell - Zero is just gorgeous and certainly landed on all four paws with you - he is a credit to you!

So beautiful Longclaw - i bet he knew right away you were his forever home . Now you need to complete your story with a photo of the Divine Tommy boy ETA - for some reason the photo in your quote didnt work the first time i can see it now..... but how bout some more.....

Oh for sure - i would as well!

Naw thats sweet - but probably why At ate your jeans. Thanks Kimigirl - The Tassie Devil certainly isnt that small and cute anymore Ever Since Flute arrived Sienna suddenly started taking herself a lot more seriously - i think to go with the frosting around the snout

Thats gold - hope it didnt cost too much!

Aww thanks - Sienna really did think we got Lunar for her . Im loving these stories guys really a nice way to spend the evening reading.

Thank you thats a lovely thing to say ! You might not think you have a wonderful story but im sure it is. Id love to hear how you met your dogs or cats or whatever creatures are in your life.

Heartwarming stories guys! Its amazing how sometimes its just meant to be isnt it. Lunar came to us in a similar fashion we found her entirely by accident, a friend of ours mistook Sienna for her and asked how we had got the rental house dog . We asked what they meant and they told us about the dog that was living in a bird cage in the backyard of the rental property they had looked at. Apparently it was supposed to be part of the package that whoever rented the property needed to feed the dog as well. We rushed around there and sure enough was the skinniest GSP with cuts all over her from trying to dig out of the wire, living in a bird cage. No bed (just frozen mud) snow in the back of the cage and no clean water or food. Mum harassed her owner for a week until he relented and let us take her home and the local pound man harassed him until he legally signed her over to us. She has lots of issues still (she lived there for five years since puppy hood)but we love her special little heart. If it wasn't for Sienna we would never have known about her existence. Funnily enough if it wasnt for Lunar and someone hearing how we took her in we would never have found Rueban who was so afraid of life he was too scared to eat and was two days away from being shot. After we had him desexed and began looking for a new home for him we found out that he was actually an Australian Champion! we also found out just how many homes the poor bugger had been through. He now lives in the lap of luxury with the lady who runs the dog club two towns over and he has finally found his forever home. So many stories im really enjoying hearing them, thanks for sharing and whos next!

Dug up some of the old hunting photos for you Monah Im sure i have some more of the hounds alone - ill look for them for you! They truly would have to be one of the most happiest breeds around! ETA some DOLers have actually met Ben (the horse my grandfather is riding) he is still (much greyer) at 42 this year!

There are quite a few threads at the moment in regards to the end of a partnership and whilst its important to discuss i thought we might have a thread about the first time you met your dog. There have been many dogs in my life but they have always chosen me. Id like to relieve all those moments but ill stick with my two current pooches! I met Sienna when i was not even looking for a dog, my best friend at the time heard about some puppies for sale and was looking for a dog, she wanted me to come with her to pick one out. I never knock back a chance to squdge puppies and inhale that delightful puppy breath so went along with her. German Shorthaired Pointers were a breed i had never heard of before and i could not believe the divine cuteness of these puppies. They were everywhere, a litter of 14 GSP = CHAOS! Out of the black and white flood one little liver and white bundle of heaven waddled over to me and sat down on my feet. She looked up at me and into my soul - i could just about hear her say "im coming home with you" she sat there for a moment longer and went trotting off to sit in her dinner bowl and watch me. It took a lot of arguing but finally i got the all clear from the home front withdrew the money and went back to get her. As soon as she saw me she came running over and sat on my toes again. I took her home and from that day on she has been my heart dog, she didn't once cry for her litter mates or her mum. Flutey was the result of many years of education, the desire to show (need to pull my finger out on that one ) and milestone birthday. I met her over in Tasmania had her placed in my arms and told that if i wanted her i could have her .... damn cruel that - who could say no to the irresistible charms of a GSP puppy. Thus four weeks later The Tassie Devil flew away from her homeland and came screaming up the runway and into our hearts. So lets relieve those first moments and share with us how you met your current K-9!

Not everyone is blessed with the time to make such investigations. Dust Angel gave some examples of instances she's had to decide to euthanase in emergency situations. I have, unfortunately, gone through similar things, with a dog and two cats (all separate occasions). In an emergency, you just don't spend time ringing around getting quotes and deciding between burial and cremation. You trust your vet - you really have little other choice in an emergency. I agree that when your pet is old and you've watched him/her decline in health over a period of time, it is a good idea to do your homework and prepare yourself practically and emotionally for the inevitable. But not everyone is lucky enough to have that preparation time. If you are going to use words like 'irresponsible', please try to have some consideration and respect for those of us who have had to make on-the-spot decisions to prevent our beloved animals suffering. Well said Longclaw, better articulated and more diplomatic then me, but my sentiments exactly.

At the risk of igniting the age old hunting debate my grandparents had at one stage 22 couple. They had The Bythorn Hunt club and used to hunt out of a property near Ludnhem. They were remarkable to watch when working and to this day the memory of them in "full cry" sends shivers down my spine. I have many many fond memories of helping grandad with them when i was a kid. They had delightful natures and would do anything for a pat! Although they were wonderful at their job they weren't extremely bright (may be a generalization i was only a teenager) and the nose ruled everything. They were all bred and trained to hunt except for Sassy who was never really very good at anything except following my grandfather around adoringly and eating. I adore them and still do!