Andrea Rosebrock 
A dear friend of mine passed this along to me and when I read it I knew I had to share it. I don’t knew who wrote it but you will definitely feel the connection… that is if you are a true dog/pet lover like myself and so many others who are friends and readers here.
I have three dogs, one is 130+ lbs, he’s a Komondor, loves to play, will pick up the brush when/if I drop it and give it back to me. He has a ghost we call Boo.. he likes to carry Boo around. Great with kids, protective over his family.
A female Weimaraner that is 60+, very pretty, shiny coat, blue in color. Can be protective, but is generally outgoing. Can put a treat on her nose then usually catch it. Sometimes the big dog grabs it before she gets it though.
A 5lb Yorkie, he’s 10 years old, and cranky. Pees in the house if he’s upset, and will occasionally leave other “gifts” for you. Things that upset him are, not sleeping in, rain, other dogs, other cats, not giving him enough attention, anything new in the house, when I’m upset, when I leave and don’t take him, and a few other things. But he does dance for a treat and catch mice and will do agility courses.
My dogs are all neutered/spayed and current on their vaccinations. They get fed holistic food, it seems expensive but is really only $1/day for all them. That’s less than a bottle of soda.
My dogs are not up for adoption.
- I have moved 6 times in my life, including college and a divorce, they always come with. We’ve lived here for 4 years, and if we move, they’ll go with.
- I have two kids, I still have my dogs. They were here before the kids, and I took the time to teach them to be gentle to kids, even tiny babies.
- My little dog doesn’t like kids that much, he likes them when they’re sleeping. So I trained my kids to leave him alone.
- I don’t have a job, haven’t for the last three years, my job has been being a mother. I still have my dogs. I just don’t buy other things I don’t need.
- I have a 130 lb dog who needs to be groomed… I brush him twice a week, it takes less than 5 minutes a day. I don’t feel bad for people who say they “don’t have the time” to groom a shih tzu. It doesn’t take that long.
- My dogs shed, but so do I, so I think we’re even.
- I’ve had dogs my whole life, and have never “suddenly” acquired a strange allergic reaction to them, nor know anyone who has, and I know a lot of people with dogs.
- My dogs do not destroy my house, because I don’t let them. I have two breeds that are commonly referred to as strong willed and destructive. I simply have rules and make the dogs listen. They do not eat until I tell them they can. This makes me the pack leader. I do not share my couch or bed with the big dogs, I will not fight over where I get to sit.
- I do not have to lock my dogs out of the kitchen when we eat. I simply taught them they’re not allowed. A flyswatter being smacked on the table has a lot of power in a dogs eyes, used with the word “out” it’s amazing.
- I have two cats, and a leather living room set. The cats are not declawed. I simply give them other things to scratch that are acceptable. They enjoy them.
- I have three dogs and two cats. Sometimes they get fed up with each other. I still have them all. I just remind them this is my house, and separate them from each other for an hour then everything is okay.
- I have an old dog, and I got a new dog. I did not get rid of the old dog because he didn’t like the new dog.
- An end note to all the dogs who have spent the best 3-10 years of their lives in the only home they’ve known to be replaced by a child, other pet, move, new job, etc. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine your heartache of being disowned by your parent who loved you for years.
So, is this basically you? Can you identify with the sentiment here? Sure maybe the details are a little different but I know my babies will be with me regardless of where I live, what I do or who is in my life. I have two dogs, two cats and an African Gray Parrot, I took responsibilty for them when I brought them into my life and they will be a part of my life until the end. To me, that is just an intrinsic part of have a pet as part of you life.
What do you think? Tell me your story and about your babies 
What a great post! I identify with everything your friend said about her babies. I have two pit bulls, Domino and Rootbeer that are both 18 months old. I also have a cat named Padre. He is 11 and was there first. He runs the roost and the boys respect him as the leader even though they could easily “take” him. The three live happily together with my husband, son and myself. I have trained the dogs to be kind to other dogs as well as people I invite into my home. They are kind, gentle and the most loving, loyal breed of any dog I have ever owned. I do not and will not ever understand the bad rap they get and the way they are judged on appearance alone. They will be with me until the end and all three of my babies will always know that they are safe, loved and wanted, NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!
What a beautiful post. It brings tears to my eyes! We are the same – although my kids are grown and married, we have the 3 labbie boys, ranging in age from 5 yrs to 9 mos, and an adopted blue tip amazon parrot who was abused, and does not like anyone except my husband and I. The dogs are not allowed in her room because she was so abused by her former owners. When we are on vacation, I have a bird caregiver come by to take care of her. But we will not take any vacation unless our dogs are allowed to be with us. They are our family, and when our grankids start arriving in this world, the boys will be taught that they must be gentle. And I have no doubt in my heart that they won’t be, but they will probably also be protective to the babies.
Your friend is one special lady with a heart of gold; and certainly is a mouthpiece for all us animal lovers.
i have 5 dogs and 2 cats. i lived in a condo for 10 years and never had a complaint, most people never even knew we had that many dogs. we’re good dog owners and clean up after them always. then the tenant from hell moved in downstairs and realy had no complaint about the dogs, but he didn’t likd the fact that we walked up and down the stairs 7 times a day. so i sold the condo and moved. (they now have the tenant from hell living upstairs with extra doses of police and drug dealers. they should have been more carefull what they wished for)
finding a lace to live with 5 dogs is not easy since so many towns now have breed restrictions and restrictions on how many pets you can own. but we found a place. i put up a stockade fence so i could continue being a good neighbor. we/ve been her for a year and my next door neighbor’s jaw dropped when i paraded everyone out to the van for their vet session. she never knew i had that many dogs. couldn’t believe it.
i would never not take my critters with me. i made a commitment to them the day i brought them home. they live with me for the rest of their lives.
I’m so glad this touched all of you the same way it did me. I knew I had to share it and that the message would be something that so many who read here would easily connect with. Thank you for just confirming something that I knew. We love our babies and they are a part of our lives and family forever. Hugs to you all!
Deanna
I AM THE SAME WAY I WOULD NEVER ABANDON MY DO BRANDY. IF A PLACE CAN’T TAKE HER THEN THEY CAN’T TAKE ME PEROID END OF STORY!!!!!!!!
Hazel – spoiled but educated American Staffordshire Bull Terrier (4yo next birthday), Jackson and Magda – 8yo cats, littermate sisters but jack is tiny, sleek and black, Mags is a slightly woolly and much bigger tortie. Both spoiled…but educated. Thomas, big black feral cat who finally agreed to come share himself with us. We think he’s around 10yo. Took 4 yrs to get my hand on him and he’s difficult to deal with if he’s crook since you can’t pick him up, but what a pleasure to see him change from terrified wild cat to almost domesticated spoiled boy who massages the floor with his front feet when I talk to him.
Don’t you feel sorry for those who don’t get it?
@Karen – Yes, I do, Karen, I feel very sorry for them because they have never truly experienced the love of a pet the way all of us have for some reason. Maybe they don’t understand or have anything in them to receive it but yes, I do feel sorry for them because they are missing out on one of the greatest gifts and joys!
I have a true story about about 4 dogs, our fur kids, that we had in our lives when we had a lot of problems in our lives. First husband was down sized. So we lost our house. So we had to move We moved out of state. We had 4 dogs at the time. They moved with us. We moved 7 times the 3 years after. We lived in 3 different states . Those 4 dogs, a 100 lb plus,female, German shepherd, Bear, and, Nugget our extra big male Doberman and 2 smaller mixed breed Terriers, Rags and Buttons. All went with us. Even though we had no job where we were moving. One time in those 3 years we almost became homeless. We just decided even if we became homeless the dogs were going to be with us until we couldn’t feed them anymore. We sometimes ate things we didn’t like just so our dogs could have their food. One time when we were moving from CA to Las Vegas we had to leave our Dobie, nugget with a man that had Dobies. He was a good man. We had to leave him because we couldn’t rent a place with the 4 dogs. We were broken hearted we had him as a little puppy. He was 11 yrs and in good health. We didn’t want to put him down. So this man that called himself Dobie Dobie took him. He loved Dobies. He was good to our Nugget. SO had a job there so we had to go. We lived in Vegas for over a year then wages got so low we moved back to CA. As soon as we got back to CA we went to see Dobie Dobie. He said he finally had to euthanize Nugget due to old age hip displaysia. He couldn’t walk anymore. So he lived to 13 yrs old.Dobie Dobie told us that his son and our Nugget had become companions to each other. He said Nugget went every where his son went in the front seat of his pick-up. I started crying then. I was so thankful that Nugget had a good friend up to his time of death. We still had our 3 other dogs. During that time we scrimped and pinched to make sure our dogs had plenty of food and good care. We took them to the vet if they needed shots or any other care. Their food was always bought before our groceries. We bought toys for them too. We always made sure they had toys. So we lived on a lot of hamburger then. If we hadn’t had those dogs with us those years of hardship, I don’t know how we would have made it. Because when we moved . We had to move away from family and all of our friends. So they were all we had. That was several years ago. Those 3 fur kids are gone now. Our precious babies, Rags lived to 11 yrs old, Buttons was 13. Sadly our Bear had to be euthanized at 5 yrs due to cancer. Even though that was years back, we still miss them. They will never be forgotten.
@Dee – Thank you so much for sharing your story. It sounds like you did everything you could for your babies and made sure they were well loved and taken care of, even if you couldn’t take care of them all yourself.
Sometimes the hardest thing is admitting that a furbaby that you love may be better off with someone else but you took the time and care to make sure he really was.
Yes, their memories will live forever in your hearts and memories.
I send you my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your babies, even though time had passed but it sounds to me that they had the very best that everything you could give them, love most of all! You have some wonderful angels now keeping an eye on you and surrounding you with their love.
Deanna
Although my story is not nearly as harrowing as Dee & her husband’s was, I will say this much. In no way, shape or form, will I ever get rid of my pets as a convenience, or for any other reason. I will always find a way to provide for them, no matter what. My heart broke for Dee when they had to give up their Dobie, but, luckily, the dog lived a long and very happy life with the gentleman who took him in. I cannot understand how anyone could ever give up a beloved, loyal pet because they have a new baby, or decide they want a different dog which is what happened when I rescued my little miniature poodle, Blazer. The lady who owned him told me she never liked him and that he bites. She threatened that if I didn’t take him she would put him in a shelter and label him a “biter” which would have quite possibly meant a death sentence for him. This lady didn’t know me from Adam; she had no idea what a true lover of animals I am; frankly, she just didn’t care one way or the other. As it turns out, her little dog hit the jackpot coming to live with me, but that lady will never know it. This little guy has been with me for 5 glorious years and I have an older kitty whom I rescued when he was just 5 weeks old. Those two get along so well together, they act like littermates. I am very thankful that I am able to provide a loving home for my two “children” and I would go to my death to protect them from harm. So, to the lady who never liked Blazer, it’s no wonder he bit you. He knew you didn’t like him because you treated him accordingly. Poodles are exceptionally smart and sensitive little dogs and Blazer did not deserve to live the life he did until old “Grandma” came along and took him under her wing. He is the love of my life and when I take an animal into my home, each and every one of them will get the very best of the love I have to offer, as well as good vet care and quality food. I’d rather starve than see one of my “babies” hungry. They have given me so much I can’t begin to explain what that means to me. Thank you so much for listening. Your friends, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Vicki T
I forgot to mention, Deanna & Admin, thank you so much for sharing that wonderful story so we could all write our stories in return.
@Vicki T – Thank you so very much for sharing your story with us. I can definitely agree about why Blazer bit the person who used to have him. Animals are so smart, they know when they are cared about and loved and they give that in return. And yes, poodles are notoriously smart, they actually rank in the top ten of the most intelligent dogs, so you’ve definitely got that right.
He thanks you every day in the only way he knows, by loving you and giving you every bit of his loyalty.
So for every one of the babies we save, they also save us in their own way, they are heroes in our life.
Thanks Vicki! I know if Blazer and Kitty Kimber could with words thank you, they would too!
Hugs,
Deanna
We didn’t leave Nugget for convenience. My husband didn’t have a job. And a friend in Vegas found him a job. We were running out of money and couldn’t pay rent. The friend in Vegas found us a place to rent. The landlord of that place at first didn’t want to rent to people with pets. But our friend talked him into letting us have 3 dogs. And he allowed only one big dog. Our friend payed all our expenses to rent the house. Our only other choice for Nugget was to euthanize him. The day before we moved I was told about Dobie Dobie by a feed store owner. I called him and told him about Nugget . I told him was older but still in good health and we didn’t want to put him down. I told him he was our last chance to save him. He told me to bring him to his house. We did. He said he would take him. Although heartbroken we were relieved. That was the saddest time in our lives. Because we also make comittments to all of our fur babies. They will be with us until death. He is the only one we couldn’t keep that comittment to. We have had many dogs since and before Nugget.We were so sorry we had to leave him. We cried a long time for him. I am crying as I write this. It still hurts. He was our precious little boy.
@Admin -
Dee, in no way shape or form was I referring to you when I mentioned that some people DO get rid of their pets as a convenience. I am rather shocked that you would even think that I meant you, at all. Your story is what touched me so much in the first place to write what I wrote. Perhaps you are still feeling very sensitive about the situation that you absolutely could not avoid doing. No one blames you for that, at all, and least of all, me. I am very sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I was not trying to do that at all.
Vicki,I’m sorry what i said. I do feel guilty because we had to give Nugget up. it still hurts. We had his mother, Kelly. We bred her and Nugget was one of her pups. The man that had the male, Nugget’s father was supposed to get pick of the litter. After the puppies were born, we tried to find that man. We couldn’t find him. So we kept Nugget for him just in case he came back later. We never saw him again. So we kept Nugget. He was the biggest pup in the litter. He was such a big sweetheart. When our 2 grandaughters were small. They lived with us for awhile. Nugget was their buddy. he was with them all of the time. The youngest was really close to him. When she started walking she would put her arm through his collar and away they would go. And when Nugget would go under our kitchen table . she would bump her head on the table and she would laugh. One day we were all outside and she was sitting and playing with Nugget, she took his long ear and rolled it up and bit into it. All he did was yipe and move away from her. I asked her why she did that. She said she was eating a tortilla. Nugget came right back to her and laid his head on her lap. God it really hurts to remember what good companion and what a sweet dog he was. A few years later we had to move to CO. After we moved there we lost Kelly.One day somebody either tried to steal Nugget and Kelly or just let them out of our yard. We found Nugget at the pound but we never found Kelly. Kelly was my constant companion. She went everywhere with me in my car. she was my protector. I was broken hearted. i never knew what happened to her. We looked every where. But we got our little boy back. He was upset about Kelly. So we got Bear. They became good friends. Again I’m sorry For what I said.
@Dee -
Dee, there is absolutely no reason for you to apologize. I just felt bad that you had misinterpreted what I was trying to say and I can see where you might have thought I was implying it was you who got rid of your dog as a convenience. I think I could have chosen different wording and there wouldn’t have been all the confusion that my post left in it’s wake. Just so you know, I was really overwhelmed by all the tragedies the befell you and your family and I know how hard you tried to keep the family together and that includes the dogs. You are a woman to admire for your strength and courage and I was just horrified that you were thinking that I would think any less of you. I’m watch my wording more closely next time. Mea culpa. Vicki Tankersley
There was another incident with Nugget just the year before he and Kelly got out of the yard. I was taking him to the vet to get his rabies shot so we could get him licensed. I had a car crash on the way to the vets. He wasn’t hurt but I was. And i didn’t realize he had gotten out of the car after it crashed. He was out in the middle of traffic. I was in a lot of pain but I got out of the car and took him out of traffic because the police that were on the scene were afraid to get him. Then they had animal control take him against my wishes. I told the police that i could call my husband to come get him. They told me I had to go to the hospital. They wouldn’t let me wait for my husband. So I really worried about Nugget. I didn’t want him abused or something to happen to him. This happened in the morning. After i was released from the hospital my husband took me home. Then I told him to go get Nugget at the pound. The same pound he ended up in, the next year. I didn’t want antything to happen to him.We got him back home that night. I was so relieved. Nugget was the biggest Dobie I have ever seen. But he was such a sweet gentle boy. He was our gentle giant.
Thank you, all of you for your support. I haven’t talked about Nugget for a long time. It hurt so much. Nugget and i went through so much together that I feel I abandoned a good friend. But when I posted this I feel maybe others might have done the same thing I did. When we found out we could have only 1 big dog in Vegas I started praying that I would find another way for Nugget so we didn’t have to put him down. Then the day before we were to leave for Vegas, I went to the feed store where I always bought our dog food. The feed stores had the better dog food. I talked to the owner like I always did. I told him about Nugget. That is when he told me about Dobie Dobie. He said he raised Dobermans and he was a good man and he had beautiful Dobies. He got the nickname because he loved his Dobies and took good care of them. Then he gave me his phone No. I went right home and called him. He said he wanted to see Nugget. He saw that Nugget was taken good care of and said he would take him. I was so thankful. God had answered my prayers. When we were in Vegas I called a lot to see how he was doing. Then we started having job problems again and had to quit calling. But I knew Nugget was being taken care of.We thought about taking im to Vegas with us any way before we found out about Dobie Dobie. But I think it was better this way. He lived out his life until he got too old.
@Dee -
Hi again, Dee. Honey, I feel your pain so much over having to leave your beloved Nugget behind, but I truly believe that you DID make the best decision for him and you even say this man, Dobie Dobie, was a kind man and he’d let Nugget ride in the passenger seat of his truck down the road with him. You are a very sensitive person who has nothing but love for animals and I can see why this has been so traumatic on you. Life had dealt you and your husband very large problems and, somehow, you managed to get through it. Just know that Nugget understands why you had to do what you did and he’s patiently waiting for you at the “Bridge” because he loves you. In the meanwhile, he is happy and has lots of furry friends and the other dogs you have now lost to old age and cancer. None of them will ever hurt again and I’ll bet they’re just playing their little heart’s out. You were a good Mom to your dogs and you did everything you could to make sure they were #1 in your life. I feel bad that you have so much pain left over from needing to give Nugget to someone else, but that dog was loved more than a lot of dogs are ever loved because of you. Your friends, Blazer, Kitty Kimber & Vicki T