Doggy Days

  Out of all the dogs we had throughout the years, Lady was the most gentle, ladylike, and loving dog. She was abandoned after giving birth to a litter of pups, which were probably gorgeous  if  they looked anything like Lady- talk about the height of cruelty!  Even after being adopted, Lady mourned the loss of her pups for a couple of months.  She had such a mother's heart. All I could do for this sad doggy mother was talk to her, pet her, and hug her. And in return, Lady gave us many years of her love and loyalty  for  the rest of her life. Her heart was as big as her body. She became a contented and happy dog. Lady, a long-haired, golden German Shepherd, was the   largest dog we've ever had and yet was so soft and kind. The name Lady, which we chose for her, fit this dog perfectly.  She was intelligent and curious, but never bothered  or hurt any of the animals. The ducks and chickens  could run loose  around her safely...

We got two eight-week-old German Shepherd pups from   someone who  bred German Shepherds.  While both had golden  legs,  chests, and necks. Shep had the darkest  face. Natasha, whom we called Tasha, the sister, had more golden  highlights. At  first,  we made a pen in our dining room for these  two   fat,  furry puppies, but within a month, we had to move them outside as Shep and Tasha grew so fast. From their very first winter, my pups loved the snow. Their thick, coarse fur kept them nice and warm. They just couldn't understand why their human mama didn't  live outside too, when playing in the snow was so much fun. Shep and Tasha both were full of energy and loved running in the  woods  and around our two-acre property line, even when small. As they grew, I could always spot Tasha, even from  a  distance, because one or both of her ears would flop over. My German Shepherds were double trouble whe...

How could one dog who was abandoned, found shaking in the middle of a road beside another dog that had been run over, and rescued, still have so much capacity for love? I didn't just adopt Lucy Lou; she adopted me and changed my life. Her beautiful dark brown eyes didn't miss a thing; from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she slept beside me in bed at night. Lucy Lou loved tummy rubs... being outside with me as I worked in my gardens... begging for food; if you ate it, she thought she needed some too... and playing in the snow even when it was higher than her. In short, Lucy Lou loved life! Lucy Lou was also great at posing for pictures. I have so many photos of her taken through the years. I even used photos of her in some of my weekly cooking,  newspaper  column. But when she had had enough posing and primping, Lucy Lou would plop down with a sigh and let me know that enough was enough. She was dog tired. Lucy Lou got along with all the other pets that cam...

  Sandy was chosen by our son, Dwight, who had inherited severe hemophilia.  He asked for a dog every so often during his eleven years growing up, but to me, I was already run off my feet dealing with Dwight's internal painful bleeds that averaged one to two a week. I thought dogs were big, took lots of care, and were a trouble to have. I was a cat person.  At my wits' end, trying to decide what to do after two knee surgeries had gone bad to correct chronic internal bleeds that kept flaring up,  I remembered Dwight's wish for a dog.   By now, Dwight had to use a wheelchair or crutches to get around, his left knee was stiff and bent, and he spent the days doped up from constant pain meds needed to keep his pain under control. I missed my fun-loving, hyper boy and desperately wanted him back. The orthopedic surgeon had given us six weeks before he insisted on doing another knee surgery. I ached to see the spark of life once more in Dwight's eyes. So, I agreed to g...