From commentor Sharon S:
When I opened the story about Detroit Marshall I had to blink a few times. The attached pictures will tell you why.
__
Coming home from my tap-dancing class, my car’s headlights illuminated this little dog by the side of the road. Rats, I thought. I have to stop. So I pulled over and approached. He was calm as could be — no collar — but looked to be in good shape. So I took him home. The next day I put up fliers with his picture around town and at the animal shelter. I was sure someone somewhere was crying their eyes out — he was just that cute. About two weeks later, I found out that he belonged to a family on the next street and I had to give him back. (This woman had a habit of getting dogs and then allowing them to run — no fence, not allowed in the house, etc.) I really was heartbroken.
__
The next morning she called and said “You seem so attached to the dog. I’ll sell him to you.”
__
“How much?”
__
“$225.”
__
“I’ll be right there.”
__
And that’s how we came to be owned by Dave, the Best Little Dog in the Whole Wide World. He had health problems — five bad teeth had to be extracted, eventually he needed surgery on both rear knees, and a collapsing trachea was eventually fatal. He cost us a fortune and was worth every penny. He loved everyone — large and small — but other dogs left him cold. I would take him to the dog park and I’d find him ignoring the dogs and sidling up to a human looking for a head rub.
__
Through him I got to meet everyone in the neighborhood. When his trachea started to block his breathing, a wonderful surgeon in the SF Bay Area devised an experimental surgery that gave us six more good months with him. Again, it was worth it and I’d be glad to pay more just to have him back.
__
I have two other adorable dogs now but I miss Dave every day.
stuckinred
Aw, they stay with you don’t they? When I wrote my doggie story I could only go back 15 years or so and it was still too long!
Hillary Rettig
what a wonderful, happy face.
Yutsano
IT’S A PUPPEH!! And a sweet soul just waiting to kiss you muchas on the other side.
stuckinred
@Yutsano: Up late huh?
Yutsano
@stuckinred: It’s bizarre for me to have insomnia after a week like this. I’m sure I’ll pass out here soon enough though.
stuckinred
@Yutsano: Tough week? It’s sposed to be 60 here today, gotta get out some.
Yutsano
@stuckinred: What I do is pretty taxing, since it involves people pretty much on the edge of falling off the cliff. I have to walk them back into the straight and narrow. (ironic, I know, but I digress) And they’re sometimes rather resistant to that.
ETA: gonna try to sleep, wish me luck.
stuckinred
@Yutsano: Winkin, blikin and nod
de stijl
What breed is this? I love these dogs – they always look so smiley and happy.
Culture of Truth
Cute dog.
magurakurin
For the curious, it might be worth clicking on Al Jazeera’s live feed right now. There is a curfew set to start at 4pm, about 10 minutes away, and no one is sure if the Army will be order to use force or not. Pretty intense shit really.
magurakurin
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/
Jebediah
Beautiful story, beautiful dog – Otto is the same way at the dog park. Rarely gives other dogs the time of day, but will circulate through the whole park to get petting from as many people as possible.
You were both quite lucky.
JPL
What a sweet story. Not everyone is a responsible dog owner and your story highlights that. You did a good thing by keeping Dave.
WereBear
@de stijl: Dave and Marshall are Pomeranians. They are cute as bugs! While high energy, they can also be worn out in small spaces. They make excellent watchdogs, but like all dogs with such tendencies, need to be trained to control their excessive barking tendencies. (I’m convinced most Poms with this problem are being ignored, and that’s why it happens. Until you tell the dog “Thank you for noticing” they will keep trying to get your attention.)
The double coat needs at least a weekly brushing.
Bright and very people oriented! They are actually shrunken sled dogs; and so they can be stubborn about having their own way.
And they usually get it; because just look at them.
Mitch
My pom died as result of a collapsed trachea,too. It’s pretty common for the breed, unfortunately. We managed to give him four good months thanks to U of Penn Vet Hospital, which inserted a stent in his trachea. They’ve done a lot of work on this.
http://www.akcchf.org/canine-health/your-dogs-health/collapsing-trachea.html
J.
Thank you for sharing that story. Dave was a lucky dog.
Annie
What a smile…I, too, would remember it everyday. Thanks
maody
when i read these posts, i sorely wish i had more money and so would be known as Ms. KittehDawg Woman.
wonderful story.
Cat Lady
I love when people give dogs man names. I was walking in the woods one time and a guy kept yelling for Kevin, and it was his dog. LOL.
Luci
Oh wow! I did not know they were shrunken sled dogs! How about that! They are the cutest of the cute! This is a great story, Dave looks like he’d have been the best doggie in the world, and he was sure lucky he found you.
The rioting and such in Egypt is amazing to me. I was there two years ago, and it was such a fabulous place in so many ways. I keep hoping they get some of that straightened out and people get a better government. I guess you can only hold people down for so long before all hell breaks loose!
Violet
Oh, what a sweetie pie! I just want to give him a hug and a head scritch. And it sounds like that’s just what he would have wanted too.
cckids
Love your story & pics, what a sweetie. We’ve got a Pom, too, who we also found running free. Amazing, isn’t it? He’s a lover, too. Also has the collapsing trachea, & the teeth issues. I wonder if they’re breed specific or just a little doggie issue. Our vet (years ago) told us the trachea was no big deal. . . hmm. . time to get another opinion.
Lysana
Awwww, Dave was such a darling! Just the kind of cutie you want in your lap to pet and love up. And thank goodness you were able to buy him. He got the owner he truly deserved in the end.
You Don't Say
What a sweetheart. Glad you two found one another and had such a wonderful time together.
Does anyone know what happened with the dog that was getting a CAT scan? I’m sorry I can’t remember names, I’m middle-aged and, uh, well, I barely remember my own name.
Triassic Sands
The former owner sounds like a class act.
wolvesvalley
@You Don’t Say:
I was wondering about Clover, too. The owner, Joe F., got some unfriendly reactions to comments he made in (I think) a Social Security thread a day or so after he posted about Clover, so maybe he thinks we don’t care any more, but we do.
You Don't Say
@wolvesvalley: Ah, Clover! And Joe F. Thanks. Now at least I know who to look for. Hope Clover is well.
Jeanne ringland
@Triassic Sands: That’s what I thought. She should have given the dog to Annie.
Beauzeaux
The teeth issues are typical of small dogs. The trachea is specific to Poms though there may be other breeds that are affected.
Dave was an “over-size” Pom. He weighed about 12 lbs. The breed standard is for them to be much smaller– about half that size at most. I thought he was just the perfect size. Big enough not to be scary small but still portable.
Now I will quote the inscription on the tombstone of Queen Victoria’s favorite dog, Dash The Queen wrote it herself”
“Here lies Dash, the favorite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by whose command this memorial was erected. He died on the 20th December 1840 in his ninth year. His attachment was without selfishness, his playfulness without malice, his fidelity without deceit. Reader, if you would live beloved and die regretted, profit by the example.”
Elizabelle
Wonderful dog. Thank you for sharing the story.
We have Pomeranians next door. They are noisy but adorable.
beckya57
We have rescue Bassets. We have 2 great ones now, Maggie and Molokai, but I still miss Maui, one of our previous ones. We called him the “Love Basset” because he loved everybody and everyone loved him back. Some pets (we have cats too) are just special.
asiangrrlMN
Awwwwwww! Dave is a cutie. Thank you for saving him and giving him a home of love. I can see why he’s stayed firmly in your heart.