August 11, 2009

Dearly Departed Doggies

Dame Patches was our first dog.
She became our deputy in charge of kid defense, demonstrating decency and discipline.
Her young masters might check her ears or her dentition, and never did she complain.
She played along with childish whims, and did not disappoint.
Her only drawback was ... well, once, when we kept chickens, the chickens kept disappearing.
We thought a neighbor dog was responsible...until the day I detected Patches inside the chicken coop with feathers in her mouth. This, she could not deny. She seemed desolate and distressed in her dishonor. We fixed the coop and forgave her the disastrous lapse.
Patches was our family companion for 14 years.
Then came damsel Molly,dashing, darling, and sweet.
She loved to play in snow, hike with the family,
swim in any water, and fetch anything in sight.
She was ideal... Except... well, there was the matter of the disappearing hot dogs, but who can blame her? Dinner was served, and no one else was around...
Almost always, she was demure, in bark and deed, a dream dog.
And even to her last hike, she was willing, until she had to defer to her diminishing energy.
We had our damsel Molly for a delightful 14 years.
Gone, but not forgotten.
But we could not descend into the doldrums, for dynamic Daisy took up the post, a disciple of dame and damsel who demands our dependence, and will not let us down.
Being a dog owner may be daunting, but never dull.

For more of Denise Nesbitt's ABC's, click here.

49 comments:

  1. What lovely dogs! We never had dogs when I was young, or any other animals (not counting our one goldfish or one canary) and I would have loved to have either a dog or a cat.

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  2. Dogowners does also learn a dauntingly dramatic dose of D-words! :-) D-Impressive...

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  3. What a lovely story about your doggies! Thanks for your visit.

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  4. I don't remember ever seeing a puppy picture of patches before, she was such a cutie! Great collection of doggie photos. :)

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  5. I adore doggies of any kind. Lovely images. Very personal poignant post.

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  6. Down right delightful. A great tribute to your canine friends.

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  7. Delightful indeed! A lovely, poignant tribute to your lovely canine family members! And, of course, Daisy! I've been meeting up with her in several posts lately! Love it!

    Enjoy!
    Sylvia

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  8. During the doggie duration you've done decently.

    All the dogs are delightful and Daisy is dynamic.

    Excellent post.

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  9. Is that a special dog caring backpack or just a normal backpack? I've been considering getting one for my trip but haven't seen any.

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  10. Oh I love seeing your pictures through the years ---of your boys, and of your doggie friends. LOVE it.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  11. Howdy
    Oh my this was a very beautiful post ,but I must confess
    I have lots of tears flowing down my face.
    Your photos spoke volumes !
    Dogs are so amazing.
    We have had our share .
    Currently due to landlord rules we have none and my heart yerns for the companionship of a faithful side kick daily.
    Thank you so much for your wonderful post and a fitting tribute to the furry family members.
    Blessings to you and yours.
    Happy Trails

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  12. What good dogs!All long-lived, especially for their sizes.

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  13. What wonderful companions you have had through the years.

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  14. Beautiful dogs. You really treasure the memory. Beautiful post Janie.

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  15. It's bittersweet to remember our dearly departed canine friends but they live in our hearts always. I can't imagine life without our dogs.

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  16. This is a delightful documentary of your delightful dogs. Dogs demonstrate devotion darn-near every day.

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  17. For sure never dull! Wonderful memories and photos!

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  18. Delightful doggies! And doggie lovers!

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  19. Cute faces, sweet and lovable people!

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  20. You've been so fortunate to get to keep your pets for so long. We grew up as cat people but our cat Pepper was with us all through my childhood. He made it 18 years.

    And that's an impressive use of the letter 'D'. I didn't realize it was one of those types of posts until I was dumbfounded by the dozens of D's in the descriptions.

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  21. Oh my, it's very obvious there are a lot of precious memories in this post. So very sweet!

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  22. Hello Janie

    the photo of your husband backpacking Molly shows me what a wonderful nature he must have...

    We have been a four dog family ...and now are dogless for a break...

    Happy days

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  23. What a nice tribute. Beautiful story and pictures.

    Anne

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  24. Dogowners:
    First up in the morning and latest to bed.

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  25. Everytime beautiful photos...

    Happy WW!

    kisses,

    irina

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  26. What a wonderful tribute to those charming ladies...

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  27. I'm glad to see Molly got you well trained! The question is...what does Daisy purloin?

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  28. A beautiful tribute! My first dog Bamse, mother of Dennis, Aslan, Baloo and Baghera (and now grandmother of Sheba's pups!) lived to be nearly fourteen. I hope Sheba lives a long life too!

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  29. Haven't had a dog since I was seven - we were cat people - but your love of your canines shows through.

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  30. The photo of the dog being carried on the hike is a classic!! Love it. And the rooster is a beauty.
    All nice memories

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  31. What a great post! My heart breaks every time we lose a dog, and I have always had one. Wish they lived longer.

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  32. Nice way to remember your dog pals.

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  33. Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed all of your doggie family members. How sweet, all of them. The picture of your husband carrying Molly made me a little teary...

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  34. Wonderful, wonderful. when I am down on my knees scooping up wet poop and I am asking myself 'WHY?'I shall remember those lovely pictures and the ones I have of our all dear departeds, and know the reason why. Unadulerated love, that's why.

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  35. Thanks for sharing them with us here.

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  36. What a lovely post! Thank you for your memories. Such lovely sweet dogs you have had!

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  37. Whoa, that's a lot of "d"s, and a great story. Lots of memories ... even more than the "d"s!

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  38. Beautiful post - love the pictures

    Love,
    kelly

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  39. Dog is such good companion for us. I dream about having a dog when I was a little boy. I did have one for a few weeks. Later, my daughter wanted one I total agree with her. He kept us company for many years, after our daughter left home. Now we travel so mush that we cannot keep any pet any more. I often still think of him.

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  40. What a great post. You speak for all of us. We grieve so and think we've lost the very best dog in the world and then we find another...different but just as great.

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  41. Lovely tribute...I just got a new photo frame for my cats over the years..different animal, but just as loved...

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  42. Darn dogs just don't live long enough. Losing them doesn't get any easier as I get older. We have had quite a string of beloved dogs also. I doubt we'll either be without one, or two.

    I have trouble relating to people who don't like animals.

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  43. LOVE this post... I was smiling and tearing up all at the same time. I'm a dog addict and can't imagine not having a dog in my life.

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  44. All beautiful dogs, and such a wonderful D-tribute. I've always had a dog (or two) in my life. They are amazing and always leave such an imprint on our hearts.

    Great post, I enjoyed it immensely.

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  45. I had to quickly skim through this post because I was afraid something had happened to Daisy! Looks like you've had some really great dogs!

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