On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:24:06 -0700, "
wrote:

Hi, Tom.

I think I was closer to my old German Shepherd than I am to some of my
family. When I was a young man he went with me to work every day when
I was a house framer, so we literally spent all day together. He was
a buddy, a companion, and never wanted anything more than my company.

Yep. I've got an old collie/shepard mix that I've had for about 5
years longer than I've known my wife... he was my work buddy when I
was doing construction as well, and it'll be a hard day when he goes.
He's definately on the far end of his life, but hopefully he'll hang
in there for a while yet- I'll sure miss him when he goes (with the
exception of the constantly shedding coat, of course.) But, we've got
two more (beagles this time around) that are much younger, and here's
to hoping that helps take the edge off.

The thing I found when I got another dog is that they are all
different and endear you to them in other ways. My old Shepherd was a
mean old cuss, and we suited each other right down to the ground. But
after a trip to the Humane Society to get another pup, we found a
slightly abused animal that was timid and nervous, but really sweet.

He loved to play, just hang around, and was glad to be doing anything
you were doing as long as that wasn't giving him a bath. He blossomed
like a flower with some good care and attention. He was actually more
of a companion to LOML than he was to me, although he was a friend to
anyone with a doggie treat.

That's one of the better things in life- watching a shelter dog come
out of his shell and start displaying a personality. We got one of
our beagles after a fire at the pound, and he was a wreck for quite a
while- biting at the least provacation, and generally afraid of
everything. But now that we've had him a few years, he's really
turned into a fine pet.

Anyhow, sorry to hear about your loss, Tom- I know our dogs are part
of the family, and it's always hard. Seems like they live just long
enough for you to get really attached to them, and then they've got to
go. On the bright side, with only a few rare exceptions, there are a
million good dogs to choose from- sometimes it seems like they're
better people than we are!