My beloved and sorely missed Kylo, caught mid-yawn
Photo: Chronica Domus
Today is National Dog Day, a day to reflect upon man's (and woman's) best friend. What is it about our furry companions that endear them to us forever? Is it the fact that they remain loyal to the every end, offering their fortunate humans a brand of unconditional love rarely to be found elsewhere in the animal kingdom? Is it their endless tail wagging and
Whatever it is that makes us go all goo-goo eyed over our faithful canine companions, take a moment to celebrate our best friends. Lavish them with extra hugs, treats, and walks throughout the day. I plan on doing exactly that for my beloved Mavro.
Puppy Love - A first glimpse of Mavro at the adoption center as he awaits his new home twelve years ago
Photo: Chronica Domus
Tell me, do you (or did you) have a dog that has worked its way into your heart?
I have always wanted a dog. Always. And yet I still don't have one because I thought it would be unfair to get one as I didn't have a steady routine. I dogsit though! I love them - and I love all breeds. I'm so happy to be a doggy auntie. I am thinking maybe next year I might get a rescue dog. Mavro is so cute - black in Greek! :)
ReplyDeleteHello Naomi,
DeleteNothing better than a Doggy Auntie, or Furry Godmother as I call them. It is wonderful that you've opened yourself to dog sitting, which allows you to get a perfect dose of doggie love. Beware, however, as this is the first symptom of wanting a dog for one's own.
All my dogs have been rescues and each has repaid me one hundred fold in love and licks. I'm mad for them all! Oh, and yes, Mavro does mean black in Greek, and is also a varietal of grape for Cypriot wines.
CD,
ReplyDeleteWe have two rescue dogs that are dear to us. One is very large and one if pretty small but their antics keep us entertained.
Your sweet dogs are both lovely.
RIP Kylo.
xo,
Karen
Hello Karen,
DeleteAlthough Mavro is a large dog, he has always favored little dogs - He adores them! My husband and I have joked that Mavro needs a little pet dog of his own.
Your two rescues are lucky to have you.
Hello CD,
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of National Dog Day - apparently it was celebrated (yesterday) here in Australia too.
We've never owned a dog (cat people, I'm afraid) but were Doggy Godparents to the late Mac, our neighbours' much-loved West Highland White Terrier. My husband opened an email account for Mac so that he could 'personally' reassure his travelling folks he was being well cared for in their absence.
Your post reminded me that, years ago, my husband somehow convinced himself that our cat's birthday was the day that ALL cats celebrated their birthdays (if all horses share a birthday, why not cats?). Funny in itself ... and then he confessed he'd been spreading the word to other cat owners!
Spud
Hello Spud,
DeleteMake no mistake! There are plenty of cats in my life. The thing is, they own me, not the other way around. They have trained me to feed them twice a day, on schedule! They are actually a little group of local cats that have somehow found their way to my house. Several are completely feral (untouchable), some allow me to stroke them when being fed. I had one that decided it wanted to be my pet and attempted to sneak into the house on several occasions, (that one passed away a few years ago). I've fixed them all, thank goodness, so no more stray kittens.
Glad to hear Australia marks National Dog Day too.
Our dog was a cockerpoo named Henry (our last name is Ford). He was also known as Mr. Friendly. After he passed away, we heard from so many people whose lives he had affected. Our neighbor's son called him Henery Bennery. He passed away 2 years ago at the age of 13 1/2 years. Mom was a cockerspaniel and Dad was a red poodle. I had never had a pet growing up and he taught me so much about life. He was my best friend and showed us what unconditional love was like, as well as loyality. He was a great dog and we miss him all the time. Our next dog will be a rescue and I hope it's another cockerpoo.
ReplyDeleteHello slf,
DeleteI don't think we ever get over our dogs, no matter how long they've been gone. You were fortunate to have known Henry and experienced the sheer joy dogs can bring to our lives.
Sheer joy says it all. I hope I will never spend a day without a dog. We have three; all rescues....and they are grateful beyond words. I go right to the shelter and pet finders when one "goes up"; because the shelters are filled to the brim with wonderful dogs looking for love and warmth. So many die. I can't stand it!
DeleteOh yes, Bandit was my very best friend as a boy. He waited at the bus stop for me to get home from school, followed me everywhere, slept with me every night and had an unusual habit when wound up that will feature in my book series upon which the lead pup character has been based.
ReplyDeleteYour Mavro also looks like quite a character.
Bandit sounds like every boy's best friend GSL. I'm sure his character will animate your book series very nicely. Long may he reign.
DeleteI'll give our Frenchie Serena an extra hug. She is a brat but we would not have her any other way. Will think of our dear Riley too who gave us 7 amazing years and is now eating endless bowls of non-diet dog food somewhere in the ether. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteHello Jen,
DeleteSerena will surely appreciate the extra hugs you'll be lavishing upon her today in honor of NDD, and it is lovely to take a moment to reflect upon Riley's life with you too. We never forget our little furry friends do we.
That is a fabulous photo of Kylo!
ReplyDeleteHello J.W.,
DeleteThank you, it is a particular favorite of mine. It looks as though he is belly laughing but he's actually mid-yawn. I do miss him so. He was very leonine in appearance but had the temperament of a mouse.
What beautiful dogs, past and present. My late Jack Russell, who passed last year, is still in my heart. All my friends sent me lovely notes yesterday and made my National Dog Day a bit weepy. She was almost 19 and ready to cross over, but like the book of the same name, she was a true "Heart Dog" to me.
ReplyDeleteHello Michele from Boston,
DeleteThank you. Yesterday must have been so very special for you reflecting upon your Jack Russell. I must say, you have exceedingly thoughtful friends to have made the day so memorable with their notes. You are fortunate too to have enjoyed your dog's company for so many years. We never forget them no matter how long they spend on this earth.
Love your dogs so much... Well, frankly, I just love dogs. Being with them makes me the happiest and if I could, I'd have a big country house and a dozen of dogs and pups. My boy is the joy of my life, my baby and everything in between... He is my third (and most likely last - as I would not want anyone after him) pup, the most spoilt, the most wonderful sweetheart I could dream of. x
ReplyDeleteHello Natalia,
DeleteWell, your love for dogs has forever been declared with your ebullient comment - a true dog lover through and through!
Dogs are irresistible so I'd be careful about declaring your current pup as the "last". I speak from personal experience. They always find a way to your heart.
I so hope and pray it won't be your "last"! Each one is so different and we love them for different things in their personalities! Please have another! A dog lover should never be without one!!!!
DeleteJust my strongly held opinion!!!
My dear pup, Connor. I got him as a rescue when I moved back from the UK, and he was five. I had him for nine years. Although he could be very bad, I loved him dearly and miss him every day.
ReplyDeleteHello Meg,
DeleteAh, yes, dear Connor, whom you so lovingly featured many times in your blog. You are right, we do miss our dogs each and every day. Connor was indeed a most fortunate pup to have found you.
Oh Meg......please ! time for a new one! So many deserving divine dogs in shelters waiting for the likes of you!!!!
DeleteWhile I like dogs, we've always had cats in our lives. Three of them currently let my husband and me share their house with them. However, I must admit to falling in love with an acquaintance's leonberger. They are a large mountain dog with the most endearing personality. Unfortunately, like many large breeds their life span is short-7 or 8 years. It would break my heart to lose a beloved canine companion in such a short period.
ReplyDeleteMavro, BTW, is a very handsome and dapper gent!
Best,
KL Gaylin
Oh, if you fell hard for a handsome Leonberger, you would have enjoyed Kylo, who was a Eurasier. A little smaller than a Leonberger but with a personality that would melt hearts. The photograph of Mavro is an old one. He is now in his maturity enjoying a salt and pepper face.
DeleteAs I wrote in my comment to Spud (above), my life is also filled with cats. As you've discovered firsthand, cats have a way of owning you, not the other way around. I enjoyed them as pets during my childhood, and would love to have them as proper pets now, but I'm afraid my allergies do not allow for such an indulgence. I do the next best thing and feed the strays around my house.
My father loves his white labs, there have been two, with total devotion.
ReplyDeleteHello LPC,
DeleteHow sweet! He must treat them like they are his second set of children.
that is exactly what they are! Perfectly said! My husband calls me from the car and tells me which dog is sitting where in the car on the way to the "feed store" (we have chickens!) He is just delighted that they are now "sharing the passenger seat; and the other one is on the median!" (we have 3!) Seriously, if they are tapping our phones......they will think we are not dangerous, just "daft"!!!!
DeleteOur Grand-Dog (now OURS for the past five years, inherited during a long stay when the children could take only two of the three with them on an overseas assignment, with the stipulation that if I fell in love with him during his long visit, he could stay) is FuzzyPup.
ReplyDeleteHe's what WOULD be a show-class Peke, save for that snaggly little picket of teeth protruding from his bottom lip. In Winter, he's all flowing auburnish locks-to-the-floor; when Chris wields the shears in April each year, he becomes a close-clipped little high-and-tight fellow, except for a cute pair of monkey-pants, a rather unfortunate toupee, and a little flaunt of lion's-tip on his otherwise-slick tail.
He never barks, save when a neighbor's cats make free to cross the lawn (or worse), and has a miracle of a schedule which would be the envy of any regimented aesthete: Stand waiting for dinner at 5:30-by-the-clock, changing instantly with the turning of the seasons, partake, up and out to the business at hand, and back in for a treat---all in less than ten minutes.
Clipped close as he is, he has a definite air of Pug to his countenance, leading one of the sons to christen him a "Puke," and there it is. He has but one toy---a misshapen, years-gnawed stuffed pink mole, which had little pinking-edged felt feet and a round curtain-ball nose, all chewed into unrecognizable wads, but he and mole have the most energetic romps together on occasion, tossings and grabbings and shakings, and then mole goes back into the bed, for a quiet bedmate.
Sweet little useless, irreplaceable fellow we wouldn't have missed for the world.
Hello racheld,
DeleteWhat a splendid ode to one special dog who was lucky enough to have found his furry grandmother.
This is a book! Please write it!! YOU write it! No one else.....and then get a great illustrator.....but you have to write a book about this dog and his toy! The whole thing!!! I mean it!!! This is NOT a suggestion!!!!
DeleteUp until the last couple of years I have always had a dog in my life - the last one I adopted from a neighbour who had to go into an old folks home. The poor dog was neglected as the old gentleman was going senile - I took pity on it and gave it the best life I could for his remaining time on this earth. He was a sweetie but very old and stiff in the joints but I think he enjoyed his time with us.
ReplyDeleteHello elaine,
DeleteIn my second life, I'd like to come back as your adopted dog. How wonderful of you to step in and help your old gentleman neighbor's dog. You are a woman after my own heart. I can't tell you how many animals I've helped in my lifetime. Somehow, I always get involved.
My current dog, Mavro, is also stiff in the joints from maturity, poor thing. I walk him each day hoping it will limber him up a little.
Are you considering another dog at some point in the future?
No not really but somehow they seem to cross my path - I once took in a stray that was wandering the village I think it had been dumped, another time I found a whippet wandering alone, luckily I contacted the dog rescue people and they were able to contact its owner as the dog was chipped.
DeleteElaine,
DeleteIt really does make all the difference in the world to these animals when we get involved. I recall one Christmas Eve, we found a German Shepherd Dog who was eager to climb into the Volvo along with our two. It was so odd that the dog somehow knew we could help her. Turns out she did have tags with phone number and her name on it. Upon calling, we discover her owners were doctors who had closed their practice until after Christmas. We took the dog home with us that night and managed to return her a few days later. We've since become friends with the owners and adore their dog, Zena.
AWWW so CUTE dogs haha :) and your blog is very cute to.
ReplyDeleteCheck out my new Londoner fashion post :)
have a fab weekend dear.
LOVE Maria Inredning - it's Swedish for decor
Thank you, Maria at inredningsvis. I'm off to check your blog now.
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