I am so sorry to hear of your loss.
Tom, we have never met but I wanted to express my condolences. I am very much a dog lover and have lost a few over the years and I know how hard it can be.
Hang in there and God bless.
Sam
OMG! So sorry about Henry! I would be devistated if I lost Lil G!
Sorry to hear that Tom. I have stopped counting how many of our dogs got hit by cars. But since the farm is hermetically closed on 3 sides things became much better.
Try to re-educate a dog from chasing cars is nearly as difficult as teach them not to chase chicken.
As we say: "A dog that eats chicken, not even burning its fang, you will correct it." (not for nothing in 22 years 5 of our 19 dogs that passed part of their life in our farm were poisoned or shot by the neighbours - and how many were killed by cars? minimum 3 y guess more)
As you live in a farm you will need a dog again. and hopefully it will learn the right way to behave.
I wish you to get a heart-full friend as Archie again.
Sven
Thanks Sven. And all others. Yes, there will be a "next" there always is. Don't know when or who but we're looking already. When Archie died, my first reaction was no more dogs because I knew there would never be another like him. Then after a few months I found Henry at the same shelter that Archie had come from. And like all the others before, each would not have come into our lives except to fill the void left in our hearts by the most recent departed. Henry was just beginning to show some maturity and I was surely looking forward to this riding season thinking he'd come into his own now. And I'd have changed my avatar photo to his finally. Damn. I can't believe he's gone.
I have had dogs all my life have put in 50 years showing dogs or vending at dog shows. I
cant count how many dogs I have owned and I can sympathize with you on your loss. It is
never easy to have one go and the only smart answer is to open your heart to another one
needing a home. Tom, you have the right perspective on this.
Wolfhound - 3/22/2012 7:05 PM
... It is never easy to have one go and the only smart answer is to open your heart to another one needing a home. Tom, you have the right perspective on this.Oh so true, Wolfhound. That's what got me started in sidecars. Jena rescued Maddie shortly after the loss of another dog. And within a couple of weeks I was thinking: Maybe I can teach the puppy to ride in a sidecar?? And so the journey began.........
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
We've had many very fine dogs over the years. Some found us, some we chose. But Archie was the first one that got me to consider adding the sidecar. That and the fact that Barb had decided to quit riding with me after many years and many, many miles on several different bikes. I thought perhaps she'd like a sidecar. And maybe Archie would. I sure didn't expect to like the thrid wheel. I got a Ural at first to see how things went. Well, Barb didn't take to it but Archie and I sure did. And so did the grandkids. So after a couple years riding the Ural while the Harley mostly sat, I sold the Ural, my Kwik Kamp trailer and an old parts tractor and ordered the Liberty. Seems that I had 85.000 on this bike at the time. It's got over 112,000 now. The miles aren't adding up as fast as they used to but I know there are still adventures ahead with a new riding buddy... Time will tell.
Tried to answer this post and I guess it got sidetracked..I got Lil G 3 years ago.. her 3rd b'day was on wednesday..I systematically trained her to be used to loud noises via hooking up at biker bars and walking near truck traffic near Chrysler's, near where we live..friends loved petting her and paying attention to her at the bars.. I used my CAR to get her used to just being around peeps..sacrificed many a riding night to get her trained.she also went kayaking and camping via the car from the getgo. Then she was ready to ride on the mountain bike and she took to that! By fall she was riding in her pink puppy crate on the bike passenger seat.. her training wheels as you might say.. the following spring I did not take a step back by usin gher pink crate and felt she was ready for the Tbag carrier I bought her the year before...she took to it immediately! She loves popping her lil head out the top and I only allow that when the bee count is down...she travelled on her 1st long distance trip to the Northwoods campout at Cycle more in Mich last august and now she is ready for more! I cannot be dogless again and WAS for about a year when my ex took his dog back to live with him permanently.. he stayed with me 5 days a week as customs told him NOT to bring him in the truck as he growled at an agent...I waited to get her and felt that void be filled!
I just got a call that I was approved to adopt another lil dog of my choice on a rescue site and will scan the site daily....so I will need a hack to take BOTH lil dogs with me on our trips! NO leaving them home or at a kennel for me!
I hope you get your dog soon and I know it won't replace Archie but you will have great memories to remember him by and positive thoughts for the new dog to come!
When Archie died (ruptured tumor on his spleen) in July 2010, my first thought was no more dogs because there would never be another Archie and it hurt too much to loose him. But by September I knew I had to find another and Henry came into our lives. From the same shelter as Archie. Well last Tuesday when Henry got hit and killed, I knew we had to find another. But just didn't know when. We started watching petfinder.com but photos don't really do the trick. So today we decided to go in and make a round of the shelters knowing this is a process that can on for weeks or months. At each of the first two we'd see dogs that would be OK for one or the other of us but we wanted a dog we both thought was "The Dog." At the third shelter, the same one that Archie then years later, Henry came from we saw a one year old Labradoodle. Very bright and friendly. But there was one more shelter yet to check over in north Idaho. So we left and headed east. Not far up the road, I told Barb I was tempted to turn around before someone else found the Labradoodle. She said we'd never know what was at the C d'A shelter if we did. So we kept going. A few miles later she said maybe we should turn around. I said no, we're that much closer now. So we went on. Nothing there caught our eye. We made a beeline back to SCRAPS (Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Society) and sure enough he was still there. We took him out to the play area but before we were even outside I knew he was the one. Barb had headed for the bathroom. When she came out and saw he was with me and not out exploring or running around she was impressed. I'd tryed throwing a ball for him but he just wanted to sit close and be petted and talked to. SCRAPS policy is to take them to one of their vets to be neutered. So we'll pick him up tomorrow afternoon at that vet clinic. Now I need to remember how to put a photo on here. This is Pete. Our new family member. I'd never have believed it would happen this quick, never.
Tom, God works in strange ways His miracles to perform. May Pete be with you for many years.
Thanks Wolfhound. I hope so too. Our old Penny who was a yellow lab/Australian shepherd mix lived to be 18. She holds the record for our dogs and she knew lots of others right up to Archie. Maybe Pete can come close.
Correct feeding and good vet care will do a lot to keep them going. We had a 13" Beagle who was 18 `1/2 when she passed. Have one
now that is 16. All of ours are the remains of our old show kennel. Average age is 12.5 years. Every morning as I start the day with them
I ask the same question:"areyou guys still here?"Their response is: "if you are still feeding we are still here!!!" Works for me!!
I just finished the book Amazing Gracie- A Dog's Tale this morning. Very good non-fiction. If you're a reader of books, I highly recommend it. Along with A Dog Named Slugger (also non-fiction) and A Dog's Purpose and One Good Dog. Both fiction. And there are so many others but those are recent reads. Stuck in a rut? Maybe. I put 1491 aside for Gracie... It was written by one of the founders of 3 Dog Bakery. I think I'll check out some of their offerings for Pete. All natural healthy ingredients.
Another good read, if you can find it is To Dance With The White Dog. It may be out of print but it is a great fiction read.
I discussed with a couple of my dogs,Mandy the Staffie Bull Terrier gal and her running mate, Solo the one eared Smooth
Fox Terrier, the possibility of riding the hack. They advised me that since no humans were willing to ride it then I was sadly
mistaken if I thought that they would!!
