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Topics - cataria

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Grief, Beacons, and Poems
« on: September 24, 2006, 02:54:49 am »
I am still having problems here folks.  I've had a headache since Tuesday night and I'm trying to function but sometimes it's really hard.  Good boyfriend is giving me some space to grieve, which I appreciate. I'm taking Bella with me to the barn to feed horses, which she enjoys...Both girls used to go, but when Shade could no longer get in the truck to go, I quit taking them.  I wouldn't do with Bella and leave Shade behind.  Sometimes I feel like I haven't done Bella justice all these years, always keeping her "second."  But as Heather (Navarre) said, it did help the recognition of Shade's position as alpha dog in the household. Bella goes down the ramp, turns and sits and looks at the door.  I tell her the old lady isn't here, and it breaks my heart.  My vet says that Bella will figure it out.  I was concerned that because of the stress, she would have a demodectic outbreak.  He said that unlike other breeds, Dobie's are "people" dogs and while she will miss her companion, it wasn't about Shade, that I am her beacon.  I liked that phrase...I am her beacon.  It's just my light isn't shining very bright right now. 

My family and friends are sending their favorite Shade memories.  Some are hilarious.  My niece wrote a poem and sent me a plant. Heather also sent me a poem.   

Poem from my Niece:

I am her with you -
In the receses of your thoughts -
In the remnants of my being -
Left in our house.

In the night sound -
Like me breathing in my bed -
In the warm night wind -
Like my breath before a kiss -

And in that sparkling place -
At the front of your heart -
I am here for you -
Never leaving -
Until you join me on the Rainbow Bridge.

----------------------------------------------------

Author Unknown. Heather (Navarre) sent me this, which is comforting.
 
You're giving me a special gift,
So sorrowfully endowed,
And through these last few cherished days,
Your courage makes me proud.

But really, love is knowing,
When your best friend is in pain,
And understanding earthly acts
Will only be in vain.

So looking deep into your eyes,
Beyond, into your soul,
I see in you the magic,
That will once more make me whole.

The strength that you possess,
Is why I look to you today,
To do this thing that must be done,
For it's the only way.

That strength is why I've cared for you,
And chose you as my friend,
And why I've loved you all these years ...
My partner till the end.

Please, understand just what this gift
You're giving means to me,
It gives me back the strength I've lost,
And all my dignity.

You take a stand on my behalf,
For that is what friends do.
And know that what you do is right,
For I believe it too.

So one last time, I breathe your scent,
And through your hand I feel,
The courage that's within you,
To now grant me this appeal.

Cut the leash that holds me here,
Dear friend, and let me run.
Once more strong and steady now,
My pain and struggle done.

And don't despair my passing,
For I won't be far away,
Forever here, within your heart,
And memory I'll stay.

I'll be there watching over you,
Your ever faithful friend,
And in your memories I'll play,
... free and happy once again.

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The end of an era, as my sister said...she was an icon...

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Treatment & Preventative Meds / Update on Shade
« on: August 27, 2006, 05:29:13 pm »
Just a note here, life has been so busy...working a lot of overtime and have been sick with an upper resp infection.  Anyway... "good boyfriend, good boyfriend.."  My beau built Shade a "handicap ramp" down the back stairs into the yard.  He covered it with astro turf so that she wouldn't slide.  I wish you all could have seen her the first time she went up and down the ramp.  She got to the bottom, turned around and looked at us standing in the door and wagged her tail.  When she came back inside, she was almost giddy with excitement.  It was a wonderful doggy "thank you."  I called my daughter (Navarre) and told her that Shade knew it was for her!  It is so much easier on her going in and out.  Stairs have become so much of a challenge for the old lady.  Sometimes she could go down but had to have a bit of help coming back up. Of course, Bella, aka Tigger because she bounces, thinks it's just the neatest thing.

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General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Shade and Buyer Beware
« on: July 27, 2006, 05:31:22 pm »
First of all, I want to tell everyone that Shade is doing fabulous!  I can't believe how well she has recovered!  Again, I thank you all for sending us good thoughts and prayers.  In September, there's a Weim speciality show in the Atlanta area.  If they offer Veteran Bitches as a non-regular class, I do believe we'll enter.  Oh, our "up-and-back" and "go around, please" will be a lot slower, but I know from watching veteran classes before, it brought tears to my eyes seeing the old troopers strut their stuff.  And when that crowd clapped as they went round, you could see their eyes light up and maybe those chests puff out a little more.  Perhaps one last hoorah for the old lady, eh?  Which brings me to the second part of this novel.  Last night, I was looking on the Internet at a puppy finder site.  I was horrified at the description of a Weimaraner given by the Webmaster.  Could the standard have changed so much?  Shade is, after all, 15 now, so it's been a while.  So, I checked.  Nope.  I wrote the Webmaster and corrected the misinformation .  Whether it gets changed or not, we shall see.  Then, I started looking at the breeders advertisements .  I was shocked.  It amazes me that a "reputable" breeder would represent this wonderful breed in such a way...treating "long hair," "blue coat color," "green eyes" etc. as though these traits were badges of honor for the breed when, in fact, they are disqualifying faults.  Now, I realize that everyone doesn't want a "show dog," but every pup born in a litter isn't "show potential" so there are lots of opportunities for nice, pet-quality Weims.  Maybe that shoulder lay back isn't just what it should be for the ring but doesn't prevent that pup from being a wonderful companion. Sharing my home with Weims for most of the past 30 years, I feel it's my obligation to the breed to keep it true AND to educate potential Weim owners to the best of my ability, which doesn't include promoting undesirable (recessive?) traits.  We have BREED STANDARDS for a reason.  It alarms me that when folks read about "blue" Weims, they may think this is really fine.  I'm sure all our favorite breeds have such things happen.  It just really shocked me.  It's been a long time since I thought about a puppy...Course, when I found Shade, that was before "the Internet" was such a popular medium.  I resorted to spending weekends at dog shows and finally finding a male that I thought was awesome.  He was to be bred in a few months to a nice bitch.  So, I waited for my Shade to be conceived; waited until the pups were born; waited until the litter was graded, and finally had the pleasure of driving 3 hours to find my Shade.  Anyway, again, I know it's not just in Weims that this happens...and now folks, I'll stop venting. 

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Weimaraner Discussions & Pictures / Dog Bed and South Alabama
« on: July 07, 2006, 07:31:03 pm »
I replied to the question about the dog bed in the other thread, but for those of you who wanted to know, the bed came from Sam's Club.  I've been VERY pleased with the way it has held up.  The cover zips off and washes well.  I've had one before, don't know what kind of fabric it was, but I never felt like I got clean.  This one is great!

My daughter, Heatherton, met some of you at the dog park in Pensacola on July 1.  Her dog, Daphne, made friends with Bava.  Daphne is with me this weekend visiting Bella and Shade while Heather goes to B'ham.


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Weimaraner Discussions & Pictures / New to Big Paws
« on: July 05, 2006, 08:30:22 pm »
Here's a picture of my 15 year old Weim and her Dobie housemate, Bella.  Bella had demodectic mange so badly when she came to me as a pup, one line of thinking was that it would almost be more humane to put her down.  She's clear now and has only had one bad outbreak in 2 years...when I left her in a kennel while I went on holiday.  The stress of Mom being gone was just too much to bear.  There's a simple cure for that...I just don't leave her anymore unless it's with my daughter who she adores.  My daughter lives in Mobile, 3 hours away.  The logistics is challenging sometimes to get the girls to Mobile, so unless it's absolutely necessary, they travel with me.

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