I have been listening to the dog stories over the last few days and figured I would share Cory’s story.

My Mom and Dad had two Collies (Clancy & Samantha) which they bread for puppies. They are not show dogs or anything like that. My parents just have a true love for the breed. I am 36 and my Mom has a picture of me lying in the driveway when I was around 8 using one of our Collies as a pillow.

So when we found out that Samantha was going to have puppies we were all excited. I was 23 at that time and figured I could handle having a puppy on my own. (I had no idea how expensive they are the first year!) I could not wait to pick out MY PUPPY!

I remember the day that Cory was born quite vividly. My wife (girlfriend at the time) had walked up the backed steps and opened the door and screamed “There is a rat on the floor!!!!” and she hightailed it down the steps like she was an Olym (more…)

My dog Yukon was 1/2 Shepherd and 1/2 Wolf. We got him in 1996 as a 6 week old puppy. On the first night we had him, we brought him indoors for the night. He howled incessantly. We let him out into the yard and he didn’t spend another night in the house until he was 16 years old. I figured I must have been the Alpha male because Yukon followed me everywhere.

I live on 11 acres of land with approx 6 acres wooded. I would go for walks in the woods and I’d look around and about 50 feet behind me, there he was, following me. As yukon aged, he began to have some trouble with his hips. On one particularly cold snowy day, I went for a walk and as usual, Yukon followed me. He could not keep up in the deep snow and sat down. I continued on my walk not knowing he had sat down in the deep snow. When I realized he wasn’t behind me, I went back to look for him. I found him sitting in the snow, he could not stand up. I could not lift him because he weighed nearly 130 lbs (solid, not fat) and I had a hard time walking in the snow myself. I went and got my teenage daughter and we put him on a blanket and dragged him to the house where he spent his first night indoors since he was a puppy.

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My dog Neptune, age 10, died a year ago. She’d been acting really old the previous couple of days… taking long naps, slow to awaken, not eating… and I’d decided to take her to the vet the first thing tomorrow.

I suspect that she had a heart attack, and may have had one a few days earlier when I wasn’t here to see (when she started acting “old”). I recall that when I first got her from the animal shelter, she had to be treated for heartworms, and I’ve heard that this can take years off of a dog’s life even if they fully recover.

Our pets become so much a part of our lives, becoming members of the family, and I’ve had many dogs. But this one was special to me.
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This is a story about my dog, Ralph. He was a Great Dane / lab mix. He was one of the most athletic dogs we have ever had. He had this “smile” on his face when we were outside working. He loved being around us.
We had to have him put down earlier this year. His back legs had started to go out, I’m sure you know this happens with danes. We had him on some medicine that helped for a while, but it only was temporay help. It broke my heart to see him dragging himself after us, wanting to go along, but not able to. It got so bad, his paws would get scraped and cut from dragging himself around. We finally made the difficult decision to let him go.
That day was one of the most difficult I have had. We have had other dogs, but there was something different about Ralph. He never gave up. I was in the vet’s office waiting while my dad filled out the paperwork. It took a while because it’s hard to write when you are sobbing out loud. There was a Rottweiler inside. Ralph had always been protective of us. Even unable to walk – we had to pick up his back legs to move him- he moved in front of me and barked at the Rott. What a hero!
The vet was very compassionate and gave us plenty of time. Then comes the peace, when you know its time. The vet pushed the meds and he was gone.
I still miss him, but now I remember the joy of having a dog who whole -heartedly loved us.
I love your show and I am going to get your book.
God Bless you,
Matt from WA

Princess, 6 year old female(neutered) Lab/German Shorthair Pointer Mix, a.k.a. Spazz-Girl or “Frisbee Dog!”
and Chance 7+ year old male (neutered) ?? mix, there is some German Shepherd in him.
Both are rescued dogs. Princess was dumped at a Vet’s office when weaned, and Chance we took off “death row” at the County pound.

from Maryland

My Ex-wife and I were offered the runt of a cat litter in 1992. Poor little thing was flea bitten. The first night she pooped all over our apartment. Shivering and crying as well. We took her to the vet the next day. The Vet thought we should think about putting her down. We decided on an option of medication and observation for a while. We didn’t even have a name for her yet. We told the Vet we just say, “come here Sweetie”. The name stuck! My Ex and I split in 2000. Sweetie went with me. She was always sick with something. One Vet said she was “ataxic”. Poor little one walked sideways sometime. It would always last for about a week and then go away! I was amazed at how tough she was. Always fighting. She taught me to be strong. So cuddly. Finally after twelve and a half years, she continued to get worse. I had her to the Vet six times in five weeks. She always fought back! After a Colonoscopy, she got so bad to the point that the Vet recommended I put her down. On Dec. 28, 2005 I had her put down.

I went to the pet store to get my now twenty-seven year old Cockatiel some food two days after I put Sweetie down. . I had to look at the Cats to be adopted. I knew I wasn’t ready. Of course there was a five month old kitten that came right up to the glass door and just stared at me. She looked just like my beloved Sweetie!! (She was the only cat that was roaming the room for the night. outside of her cage) . I thought there was a reason she was the only one out. I got a call from the friend that I got Sweetie from. I told her about this kitten that looked just like Sweetie. I didn’t think it would be right to get another cat that looked just like my last one. My friend suggested I wait about two weeks. Go back to the store and see if she’s still there. If she was it was a sign to take her home. I went back to the store and there she was!! Of course I met with her one more time and had to bring the little Doll home!! What a Cutie!!

I want EVERYONE to know that their pain will pass. Live goes on. There’s always a cat or dog that needs you!! Don’t hesitate to bring another friend home with you.

God Bless!!

Richard from Maryland