Damn man, sorry to hear that. 😞

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I empathize with your pain, Foster. Dogs are great, great animals and it's always hard to lose one.

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Really sorry to hear this, Dave. It's the worst thing about being a dog person -- they almost always die before you do.

And I hear what you're saying about getting another one right away. I lost Happy way back in April, and I'm only just now contemplating getting another one (probably right after school's out so I have the summer to get him acclimated before going off to work every day).

So take whatever time you need to grieve. I don't give a damn what non-dog people say, you've lost a family member. You don't go out an adopt a replacement for a family member right away.

RIP, Max.

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Sorry to hear this. They help us a lot more than we help them.

I had to wait a while before I got a new dog. It took me a year or so before I was ready.

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how about this big boy? Caucasian Sheepdog/Doberman Pinscher Mix

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Dave, very sorry about Max. Tis tough indeed.

As someone a little long in the tooth, you may appreciate this from one of my favorite actors of all time...Mr. Jimmy Stewart.

It is about the loss of his dog, Beau.
It starts out a little light, then gets to some feelings.

Foster.....i am SO sorry to hear of the loss of your loved one. I have been there twice in the last 18 years, and know how hard it is to lose your pup.

Right now my "third child" Seth, is 11 years old, and i can't even bear to think what it will be like if he goes before i do.

I know it may be hard for people that don't have pets to understand just how much love they can give you, and how much it hurts when they die.
Especially when you have to make the choice to put them down. We had to do that once, and i and my wife stayed there with him as it was done. It's been 18 years since that happened, and i still can't talk about it for more then a few seconds, or i cry.

So my friend, LJ and i know what you are going through and our hearts go out to you and your family.

Oh....and Vikesrule.....I remember that clip of Stewart, and i still can't watch it without getting teary eyed.

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I got teary-eyed, too, again. Thank you Nick, thank you all.

I'm going to western Ohio Wednesday to an animal shelter in the town of Troy. We have made the decision to go ahead and give another dog a new lease on life. He is another Bassett / Rottie mix. He looks alot like my boy doodle, when he was young. We've decided. 16 hr. drive for me, back and forth... a "How in the hell do you find THAT "breed" combo in this country?" 😱 kind of thing. My wife did.


His name is blue, I've seen one pic of him, and he has the low-rider-kit legs like Maxi-doodle. I already love the the little guy, lol

I'll have to keep a close eye on him, he's a stray, which means he is very likely as not a run-away from home.

Thanks again for the kind thoughts... they really have helped.

arf ruff arrf

go get him daddy.

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We're home. 8 hours out, 10 hours back, the back in a constant snowstorm, complete with road coverage (snow) and a-hole TT-driver's flying low anyway. It was brutal, but this little boy is proving to be every-bit-worth the whole ordeal.

The shelter named him "Blue". He has a tongue that is about 40% blue. Yep, blue. We don't know why yet.

He is a very, very good boy. No accidents of the pee-pee or poopie variety at all, he is extraordinarily friendly and faithful, right from the start. I think we hit a major home run, and the idea that I had to go NW of Dayton to get him- in a snowstorm- well, it helps to honor the memory of my most faithful dog Maxi-doodle, in that we wanted a boy that was reasonably like him. This little guy is definitely a "small emergency back-up"*... Perspective-wise- Doodle on a big-league diet got way down to 125- Blue is currently 34, and I doubt he will ever hit 50. He is a tiny doodle.

* (Shout-out to Dave Barry, columnist and comedian... has two dogs, "large main dog and small emergency back-up dog."

I'm very happy, more importantly, my very good wife is happy, and so is my new boy Blue.

I think my boy Doodle would be happy, too. 😇