Puddin came into our lives by chance. I had just put our beagle to rest and vowed I would never own another dog again when this beautiful border collie mix came into our lives. She was abandoned by her owners but of course my heart melted when Puddin sat on my lap and gave me kisses. She was a wonderful companion. for many years. Of course good things always end and so did Puddin. She become weak and winced everytime I brushed her coat. When I took her to the vet I was t old she had Cushings disease. We tried to keep her well but her age got the better of her. We finally took her to the vet and at the age of 16yrs she was at rest. As I write this it is still very emotional for me to come to terms with this angel. She was the best dog I have ever owned and I miss her so. She was a love. I tried to replace my loss with Sophie an Ilalian Greyhound, and Sallie a mini Austrialian Sheppard. It’s been 13yrs since she’s been gone and I cherish the 14yrs I had her in my life.

— Nancy from Cape Coral, FL

From the time I saw Sydney run head first into a tree and then wake up in my arms she was my dog. Never mind the fact that the wife was losing her patience puppy training Sydney during my business trips. I recall a phone conversation when she was in tears and told me “I think we made a mistake”. That was the day Sydney chewed through the baby gate and pooped on the carpet.

When the wife kicked me out of the house all I could think of was if I was ever going to see Sydney again. As it turned out she got the house and I got Sydney. There were so many very special memories of Sydney we had together. How that one strand of Sydney fur got inside the glass of the cars’ dashboard I’ll never know.

At age 11 a tumor grew to the size of a golf ball in Sydney’s front left leg. It was soft tissue sarcoma; it didn’t originate from the bone, and it was isolated just to her leg. I had just lost my job, but there was never any doubt that I was going to save Sydney’s life. I just wasn’t ready to let her go yet. The surgery to amputate her front left leg was a success and it melted my heart the look of joy Sydney had when she saw me for the first time after surgery.

It is amazing how well a dog adapts so quickly to having three legs. Also the amount of attention they get. When children want to pet Sydney, sometimes I ask them; “do you see anything unusual?” When I ask them to count the number of legs most still count four.

Then at age 12 Sydney started experiencing some coughing. The x-rays determined there was a spot on her lung. The vet determined it was either an infection or tumor. After a few weeks when the coughing persisted new x-rays determined it definitely was a tumor and that it grew very quickly. At this point it was just a matter of days. Sydney and my ex-wife are considered very special members of my family. Once I notified my ex-wife about Sydney’s condition she made the time to travel from Indianapolis to Chicago by bus to be with us four days later. My neighbor who is a photographer took some photos of all of us. We will cherish them forever.
Three days later Sydney’s condition weakened significantly and it was obvious the tumor was winning. There was one thing I wanted more than anything else, I did not want Sydney to suffer. When Sydney had trouble walking and she wouldn’t take any more treats I called my neighbor and said; “it is time to let Sydney go, I need your help (to take Sydney to the vet)”. I then saw those big brown eyes close for the last time. The ex-wife may have got the house, but I got the better of the deal.

— Tom in Evanston, IL

Named so because I adopted him from the SPCA shortly after moving to Texas from Canada. Deriving from “Shikia”, an Inuit term translating to Most True Companion. And so he was for 15 1/2 years.
Shikean started his life as a homeless shelter dog, but quickly became known by all as “The King”. He was spoiled with love and returned it twofold. He enjoyed swimming the best of Texas ponds, lakes and pools. Hiking and running miles with me; sneaking up on the bed and couches (he ate 3 couches, not kidding) and most of all, eating – his single greatest pleasure in life.
As a young adult, Shikean required ACL surgery on both knees. He healed well and continued being an active boy. Into his golden years, we managed his arthritis and changed our activities to a slower pace.
Last saturday, our boy lost all use of his hind legs. We knew the time had come. We watched the sunrise one last time together and then I held him in my arms while he passed on.
I am lost without this precious soul. I look forward to a time when the memories bring smiles and not tears.

— MY from Frisco, TX

You heard me right. Nobody. That was the name my coworkers named a stray beagle mix. Somehow, and why I don’t know, followed one of my coworkers to our job site.

I came into the office and was formally introduced to Nobody. I have to honest when I first laid eyes on her, I was not too impressed. I remember saying, where in the world did you find this ugly dog.

The days and months passed by and this ugly dog become one heck of a beautiful dog. She was gentle, warm, and so very humble, if one could attribute humility to a dog. She became so very special to me. In fact, I would take her on the weekends to my apartment, of course all with my wife’s permission.

Nobody stayed as the office mascot for seven years. By then, I my wife and I had saved enough for a down payment on a house, we said Nobody should come with us. Now I never did like that name for this “ugly” dog who won me over. In 1984 she moved in with us and became part of our family.

When we moved in, the name Nobody was forever gone. On that day, Nobody became somebody. She was our dog and very deserving of getting rid of that awful name. Her name was changed forever to Buddy.

Buddy’s gone now, but she will always have a special place in our family. I still miss her. In fact, as I write this blog, I have tears welling in my eyes. She was the best.

Buddy, this one’s for you.

— Robert from Queens Village, NY

I have two dogs: Liberty and Charlie. I got Liberty from the Jacksonville (FL) Humane Society in early 2000. I thought about getting her a buddy and about a year later I saw a red Chow running the streets near my job. A few days later I saw him again. He was limping badly and appeared to have been hit by a car. I called the pound and they told me they had been chasing him for weeks. I caught him. He was on his last legs, so to speak.

The pound (Orange Park, FL) was going to wait one week and put him to sleep if no one came to claim him. I called every day to check on him. After one week I had him sent to my vet for an exam. He wasn’t the old mean Chow the pound thought he was. He was between 1 and 2 years old. He had no major injuries or illnesses. So Liberty had her buddy. That was in 2001.

In December of 2010, on my birthday, I found out Charlie has an inoperable tumor in one of the glands on his backside. It was too big to take out but there was a chemo drug to try. The drug is Palladia and it is made by Pfizer. The tumor is growing and makes it hard for him to have bowel movements. Soft food and a prescription stool softener take care of that. The tumor is ugly but Charlie doesn’t appear to be in pain or uncomfortable. The Palladia is expensive, relatively. But we are on month 9 of cancer survival. I look at it as year 10, since he should have been gone a week after I found him. I try to make myself feel better by looking at it that way. I sure don’t look forward to the first morning after he is gone and it is just Liberty and me on our morning walk.

— Mark from Kemah, TX

Kobi and Dakota, our Miniature Schnauzers, gave us many years of love and friendship – Kobi 11 years and Dakota 15 years. They came into our family as our son’s dogs while he was still single. When he met his girlfriend, later to be fiance and wife and mother of 3 daughters, we adopted the brother and sister Schnauzers at the age of 6 months. We took them everywhere with us and they learned to enjoy all dogs and people they met. Because they were so well adjusted with other dogs and people we were able to have them stay with us at many hotels, even those that do not officially accept dogs. As Kobi aged he developed diabetes, within a few months he was blind. He learned his way around 3 different houses with ease. After 4 years of twice daily insulin shots Kobi started having frequent severe seizures from Cushing’s disease and we took him to our long time vet and he was put to sleep. Dakota looked for him in the house for several weeks – she then adjusted and lived a full live with us until she was 15 – a few months ago she developed a number of sores on her benign cysts and they would not heal and it was time again to have our vet step in and we put Dakota to sleep and join Kobi in doggie heaven. We have their ashes and collars in safe keeping and still think of them often. One of our favorite photos of them with curious cocked heads is posted with this story.
Enjoy your dogs, friends for a lifetime.

— Mike from Redondo Beach, CA