Archive for the ‘dogs’ Tag
Our yellow labrador, Titus Maximus, my husband and I on a walk, taken over seven years ago.
When a dog steals your heart
it becomes that kind of love
where a bond of mutual trust
is formed from the start.
It grows stronger through the years
and when it is his time
and your heart is filled with grief
you watch through your tears
as he’s quietly put to sleep.
You’re thankful for what you had
and the memories that you keep,
but now you say goodbye
after his last and final breath,
and when it’s time to part
you clutch his collar, leash and tags
like they’re pieces to his heart.
__________
Joyce E. Johnson (2015)
Paw notes: Our beloved yellow lab, Titus Maximus was ten years old when we had to have him put to sleep. He had a cancerous brain tumor that caused epileptic seizures with other deteriorating side effects. We got him when he was just an eight week old pup, and he was the most mellow yellow lab we’d ever seen, easy to train, and so loving and affectionate with everyone. Titus was the second lab we owned as we had a black lab once too before getting Titus. Blackjack became paralysed due to deteriorating hip dysplasia and arthritic joints. Although they both were not our only dogs owned through the years they all were very special and we have good memories of all. It never becomes any easier as time goes on when you have to make a difficult decision after they’ve lived a long time, then have to say goodbye and have them euthanized.
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Buddy trying to catch the bubbles my grandson was blowing at him. Buddy is my daughter’s dog.
BUDDY!
What is brown, funny and fast?
Has a wet nose
Won’t sit still
For a picture, or pose?
Buddy!
What has big feet,
speeding tail,
stuffs a shoe with his toy,
and lies on his back
all innocent
and coy?
Buddy!
What is energized
Never tired,
Always moving
Always wired?
Buddy!
What pushes his paw
Up on a warm lap,
Drool dripping from his jowls
Like a tree
Oozing sap?
Buddy!
What won’t hunt
Cause he’d rather play
Is good entertainment
And brightens my day?
Buddy! 🙂
_______________
Joyce E. Johnson © 2014
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Maggie Mae
Maggie Mae is a mix; a bit of Australian cattle dog,
With a bit of Shar Pei and Chow, we think.
Her coat is the color of cinnamon and honey,
and her tongue is spotted, all black and pink.
We laugh at her antics; they’re just plain funny.
We watch to see what next she does
with her pointed ears raised to the sun.
Everyone loves her; it’s not just because
she’s such a smart dog, trained and fun,
but her rambunctious perspective of life that’s sweet.
A born hunter; she loves chasing squirrels,
watches for prey and is fast on her feet.
But with a scolding to let them be
she understands the rules and command
so with reluctance will set them free.
______________
Joyce E. Johnson (2014)
Paw notes: The picture above was taken just a few days after Maggie was bitten by a rattle snake and was fortunate to even be alive. Last fall she and my husband were up on our mountain property and Maggie came across a rattle snake, something she had never seen before. Because of her curiosity she could not leave it alone so smacked at it with her paw and it bit her on the muzzle above her mouth. When my husband heard her yelp and saw her jump twice when struck he knew what had happened. We have a lot of rock and boulders on our lot there where snakes and small game hide and nest and large game (deer, elk, black bears, cougars and coyotes are sometimes seen, the deer almost all the time which we love). My husband immediately stopped cutting and clearing wood piles to get her into the back of our car and hurried down to the CSU veterinary hospital where she was treated and anti-venom injections were administered. She was kept over night for observation but, released the next day and doing much better so was able to come home. It was a scary experience for her and for my husband as he rushed her down to Fort Collins over twenty miles away. The shaved part on Maggie’s leg can be seen here where they inserted an IV tube and one of the two puncture wounds can be seen near her nose. She is a survivor as well as a ‘hunter’, but we hope she will be more wary and careful of snakes and game in the future. It will no doubt make our whole family more careful as we hike, walk around and camp out as it is a favorite retreat for ourselves and our kids and grand kids.
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