If you don't cry at this story...

There's a whole lot of operator error involved with ATVs. I think the problem is that they seem stable and safe when they are really a lot more dangerous than they seem especially when you are tempted to traverse areas with hills, ditches, fences, etc.

 

for everyone here: read "the story of edgar sawtelle". great novel, right up your alley.

 

Seconded. Gave that book to every dog lover I know.

 

I keep clicking on this thread, but I can't bring myself to read the story. I can hardly get past the headline and graph slappy posted. Damn.

 

My right-hand gal (to the left) has been through thick and thin with me. She's almost 7, graying, but a lot of life left. Yet sometimes I can't help but think about how shitty it'll be when she's gone. Thanks for the link, Slap.

 

biggest mistake in my life was 32 years ago, when i panicked and gave up the mixed breed (part shepard) i came across in the catskills in the summer of '77, obviously abused and in need ofwith the help of co-workers at the hotel i worked at, we loved 'skippy' back to life and trust. i took her back to school with me for my senior year; she knew more people on campus than i did...

anyway, when i returned in the summer of '78 for my last summer job, i was threatened with being fired unless i rid myself of the dog. instead of calling my parents to plead with them to take skippy for the summer, and needing the job, i foolishly took skippy to a local shelter in the catskills. as soon as i returned to the hotel, i could take it no longer. i called my parents, sobbing, and pleaded with them to take skippy for the summer. of course, they urged me to bring her home, and a buddy agree to drive skippy and i home to brooklyn.

so i called the shelter and told 'em i'd be right over to get skippy back. too late, they said. a couple with a 5-year-old son had already adopted her.

good for skippy, i told myself. 32 years later, i still can't get over letting her go...

never had another dog until the three stooges convinced us they were old enough to accept the responsibility 7 years ago, when we rescued a 2-year-old lassashit. 'shockey' has been a perfect addition to the family and a wonderful companion for me during my disabled period. the boys aren't likely to still be living with us when it's time for shockey to go to puppy heaven; i have no idea how mrs. shockey and i will manage when he's gone... it's too horrifying/depressing to even imagine.

i know people, like my sister and her hubby, who couldn't bear the thought of having another dog after watching their black lab pass away 20 years ago. i know others who had to replace the dog they lost with another asap.

dunno how i'll feel about getting another dog once shockey is gone. but amen to the sentiment that the unconditional love affair between anyone and their dog is not something that can be easily replicated.

oh, and count me among those who is afraid to read the story which leads this thread. it's sure to raise images of doggie past and doggie future for me. and why 'my dog skip' and 'marley and me' could be viewed only once by me, and i only saw the latter because i ignorantly did not know how it ends...

 

Shockey,

You didn't let Skippy go. You shared her with another family, and I bet that she got a lot of love and attention with them.

 

Another must read book for dog lovers: "Tell Me Where It Hurts."

Basically a day in the life of a vet.

One passage from there I carry with me daily: (paraphrase) It takes a special person to love something like a dog that they know they are going to outlive. Dogs last 10-15 years. We are around much longer. They are going to die, but we love them anyway, with all of our hearts.

 

thanks, man. and that's been my reassurance for 32 years. i am confident that skippy made the family happy and that they filled the rest of her life with all the love she deserved; guess my point is that the loss was all mine. giving her up left a much bigger hole in my life than it did in hers, i'm sure.

just the fact i can still be moved to tears when revisiting skippy's one year in my life, 32 years later, is what this thread is all about. incredible, right? and when my family's together for holidays, skippy's name invariably comes up.

it even makes mrs. shockey roll her eyes and say, "enough about skippy already!"

sadly, after shockey is gone, she'll understand only too well. and i'm sure that in future years, when my boys and their families get together, shockey's name will invariably come up. yup, the impact man's best friends has on us is astounding. in a good way.

DAMN, I JUST CLICKED ONTO THE STORY. JUST A PEEK AT THE PICTURE GOT THE TEARS FLOWIN'. I'LL READ IT LATER...