Walkin' in a 'Winter Wonder Land' (with my pooch).

[Black Dog]

Temps finally got back in to the double digits today, and the sun was setting...  Bruno (our 5 1/2 year old Lab mix) wanted 'outside'...  He's a good boy, letting us know when he 'needs' to go out...  This time, he 'wanted' to go out...

We've got a family of squirrels living in the big ol' Hickory tree, right next to the house.  They love torment Bruno, and he, I'm sure, has a vision of one day catching one of them...  It will never happen    He's not the most graceful dog, and makes enough noise to wake the dead, as he goes charging after them, once out the door.

Bruno's view of the squirrels, 99% of the time...



After giving up on the squirrels, we decided to take a walk down by the river.  The 'Bark River' is our back lot line, and there is wildlife in abundance...  Deer, squirrels, Rabbits, fox, ermine, and birds of all feathers (Geese, Ducks of every type, King Fishers, and lots of smaller sparrow and nuthatch types).

We were almost to the river, when Bruno kicked up a Rabbit...  Again, he sort of does the 'looking' thing the best.



There is a natural Dam, made from 'dead fall' trees, and a pair of ambitious Beavers.  Won't stop the flow, but makes a nice sized pond on the top side...

View from below the Dam...



View from above the Dam...



We continued to walk a ways along the river, and Bruno was 'snuffing' like crazy...  He had found a fresh deer trail, and was almost frothing at the mouth.  I kept him close, and he just looked down the trail, wanting to go bounding off so bad...



The sun was setting rapidly, and we headed back to the house.  Snow can be beautiful, and peaceful (as long as yer not shoveling or snow blowing the driveway)...  Temps hovering in the mid 20's , sure beat the - zero wind chills we've had the past two days, ever since we got the 10" - 12" of snow Tuesday night, in to Wednesday...

Thanks for looking.  Every year, I get to dislike the cold and snow a bit more...  An afternoon like this, makes me appreciate the beauty that is winter in Wisconsin.

Black Dog

[RTaz]

...Nice pictures Steve...if you didn't like the change in scenery each season brings you, you wouldn't live where you live...winter can be really beautiful if you take the time to look around...heck we still get to run powerful machinery even in winter ...though most of the time its throwing snow out of the driveway....good hearing from you....

[Tundra]

Nice pics, beautiful dog

[~ Timbrwolf]

. . ....and a fine looking pup he is Steve....gotta love his dedication, in keeping ..Dad...and the entire family "safe"...from the menacing ..Killer Squirells..  


. .....been almost 6 years since I had to put my boy.....Prince Warrior Sierra...down....right before I moved to Michigan....broke up my heart....bad...


.....finally feel like it,s time to have a new guy in our family....been looking at pure bred Shepards for over a year now in the papers....this Christmas just may the moment we pull the trigger on it.....lil puddles and turds on the rug...mixed with that great puppy breath and licks......Im thinkn..  

[X Ring]

. . ....and a fine looking pup he is Steve....gotta love his dedication, in keeping ..Dad...and the entire family "safe"...from the menacing ..Killer Squirells..  


. .....been almost 6 years since I had to put my boy.....Prince Warrior Sierra...down....right before I moved to Michigan....broke up my heart....bad...


.....finally feel like it,s time to have a new guy in our family....been looking at pure bred Shepards for over a year now in the papers....this Christmas just may the moment we pull the trigger on it.....lil puddles and turds on the rug...mixed with that great puppy breath and licks......Im thinkn..  

WOW!! He was a beautiful Black and Tan.

Marty

[~ Timbrwolf]

........Thanks Marty


....His father was a Champion.....he was a beauty....120 lbs....so gentle with kids and others.....but dont come unannounced.....he was a gaurd dog du jour......used to always sleep by the side of my bed....one night I woke up and my bed was shaking....thought he was scratching...so I told him to knock it off...he always listened...but the bed kept shaking....told him again to knock it off....bed kept shaking.....reached over and turned on the light....there was my Sierra curled up in a giant ball....having a seizure....his teeth were chattering a mile a minute and he was sparying urine across the room....took him to the vet and the diagnoisis was ...epilypsy.....he went on Phenobarbital .....and valium....over the next two years he kept having seizures with more frequency and severity....idiot vet just kept doublong the dosage until he had effectivly turned my sweet Warrior into a zombie doorstop....he used to gaurd the front door with zeal....no one came in until Si gave his approval.....one night a policeman came to the door about a disturbance in the neighborhood....he knocked...Si was laying right up against the door....he groggily looked up at the cop....laid his huge head back down...went back to sleep.....finally right before I was to move to Michigan....Si had a series of really bad seizures that lasted off and on about 3 days....his brain was usually fried for a day or two after these episodes and he would wander around the house like a zombie and just knock down anything in his path.....one valium used to make him lay down and sleep in the beginning...I gave him 4 valiums over a period of 5 hours......but he would not go down....he defecated all over my new kitchen floor and then proceeded to track it all over turning my new white floor...brown.....and covered himself in feces...I knew it was over...I had to do something...Chili was back in Michigan...the house was being shown for sale...I bathed him one last time....put him in the Blazer...he was totally out of it...took him to the vet...they made me wait in the waiting room....guy comes in with a cat and sits down next to me...turns and tells me that....that is one of the most beautiful shepards he,s ever seen.....I thanked him...I couldnt bring myself to tell him why we were there..almost lost it in the waiting room....they finally took me in the back...I handed his leash to the vet...his assistant took it off and tried to hand it back to me....told her no...I didnt want it....I had stayed for the two previous dogs that I had put down...held them in my arms until they were gone...But Sierra was only 4 years old...he was in his prime...he was magnificent...he was my baby...I told the vet I had to go...I couldnt stay.....turned and quickly headed for the back door...I made it half way through the parkinglot before I lost it....I cried like a baby all the way home and all the next week ...Sierra would not make the trip to my new life in Michigan as I had planned....


....been almost 6 years now...and yet I still feel myself getting misty even now as I type this...that same picture is on our refridgerator door....he will always have a special place in my heart...but I think its time for his legacy to continue....


. . ....yeah.. . ...I truly think its time




. . ....Prince Warrior Sierra....the pup..

[ArmyValker]

........Thanks Marty


....His father was a Champion.....he was a beauty....120 lbs....so gentle with kids and others.....but dont come unannounced.....he was a gaurd dog du jour......used to always sleep by the side of my bed....one night I woke up and my bed was shaking....thought he was scratching...so I told him to knock it off...he always listened...but the bed kept shaking....told him again to knock it off....bed kept shaking.....reached over and turned on the light....there was my Sierra curled up in a giant ball....having a seizure....his teeth were chattering a mile a minute and he was sparying urine across the room....took him to the vet and the diagnoisis was ...epilypsy.....he went on Phenobarbital .....and valium....over the next two years he kept having seizures with more frequency and severity....idiot vet just kept doublong the dosage until he had effectivly turned my sweet Warrior into a zombie doorstop....he used to gaurd the front door with zeal....no one came in until Si gave his approval.....one night a policeman came to the door about a disturbance in the neighborhood....he knocked...Si was laying right up against the door....he groggily looked up at the cop....laid hie huge back down...went back to sleep.....finally right before I was to move to Michigan....Si had a series of really bad seizures that lasted off and on about 3 days....his brain was usually fried for a day or two after these episodes and he would wander around the house like a zombie and just knock down anything in his path.....one valium used to make him lay down and sleep in the beginning...I gave him 4 valiums over a period of 5 hours......but he would not go down....he defecated all over my new kitchen floor and then proceeded to track it all over turning my new white floor...brown.....and covered himself in feces...I knew it was over...I had to do something...Chili was back in Michigan...the house was being shown for sale...I bathed him one last time....put him in the Blazer...he was totally out of it...took him to the vet...they made me wait in the waiting room....guy comes in with a cat and sits down next to me...turns and tells me that....that is one of the most beautiful shepards he,s ever seen.....I thanked him...I couldnt bring myself to tell him why we were there..almost lost it in the waiting room....they finally took me in the back...I handed his leash to the vet...his assistant took it off and tried to hand it back to me....told her no...I didnt want it....I had stayed for the two previous dogs that I had put down...held them in my arms until they were gone...But Sierra was only 4 years old...he was in his prime...he was magnificent...he was my baby...I told the vet I had to go...I couldnt stay.....turned and quickly headed for the back door...I made it half way through the parkinglot before I lost it....I cried like a baby all the way home and all the next week ...Sierra would not make the trip to my new life in Michigan as I had planned....


....been almost 6 years now...and yet I still feel myself getting misty even now as I type this...that same picture is on our refridgerator door....he will always have a special place in my heart...but I think its time for his legacy to continue....


. . ....yeah.. . ...I truly think its time




. . ....Prince Warrior Sierra....the pup..

Man. That's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard. At least you did your job and helped him stop suffering. I'd have done the same thing.

[~ Timbrwolf]

........Sorry Steve......didnt mean to hijack your thread....always coveted your back yard....nice and secluded....wooded....nature.....having your own..sancturary..is very important to keep that level of sanity we all seek...

[Sodbuster]

Thanks for sharing your stories .... dogs have a way of making us humble and connecting us to a simpler side of life.
Sorry for your loss there Timbrwolf. Losing a dog friend like that is gut wrenching, but, looks like the little guy is raring to go .... congrats !!

[~ Timbrwolf]

..Thanks Army....he was a great dog...and I loved him more then most in my own family....but it got to the point where I was questioning whether I was keeping him alive for his sake...or mine....he,s in a better place...but I,ll never forget him..

[Sodbuster]

Sorry for the confusion in the earlier post .... was meant for Timbrwolf

Nice pics Black Dog .... reminds me of our Golden Retriever trying achieve the "Squirrel" catch

[Black Dog]

........Sorry Steve......didnt mean to hijack your thread....

Hey Bro...  It's all good.  Never heard about yer pooch, before now.  Looks like a mighty fine friend.

Bruno, is our second Black Lab.  The first, Brutus, was with us for almost 13 years (got both, through 'Lab Rescue' agencies).  Never easy to say good bye, but once their quality of life does not give them the dignity they deserve, it's time  .

I don't know what lies on the 'other side', but I'd like to think that where ever that place may be, Prince Warrior Sierra, Brutus, Smokey, Copper, Buddy, Shasta, and all the 'four leggeded furball friends' we've had over the years, are raising hell with all the squirrels and rabbits they can find... 

Bruno, waiting for me to share whatever it is I'm eating...



Black Dog

[Chili Pepper]

They laugh; they cry; they feel love, sympathy, and joy; they feel guilt (at least they sure look like it sometimes)...ya can't tell me dogs don't have a soul. I like to think they're just a little part of God.  

hmmm...Black Dog....black dog....wait...it's coming to me...uhhhhhh heheh

[rmrc51]

I'm right there with all of your regarding our furry kids!!!! I love them more than most people!!!

[Spirited-6]

Bruno, is our second Black Lab.  The first, Brutus, was with us for almost 13 years (got both, through 'Lab Rescue' agencies).  Never easy to say good bye, but once their quality of life does not give them the dignity they deserve, it's time   .

Great sharing of love ones. Been there with several of my dogs. My rule is when they stop having fun it may be that time.

[Jabba]

I always marvel at the loyaltu people have to their breed.

Know what the BEST breed of dog is?

Yours.

Ask anyone... and whatever dog THEY have, is better than ALL others for loyalty, friendliness, protectivness, good with kids etc.

Me... I am a German Short Hair guy.

Here's one of mine on a bird in training...



Hey Steve... you got any grouse in yer backyard you need rid of?

I am a forest rat eliminator too.



Jabba

[Charlie]

My good buddy was also a Black Lab, named Shamus Duffy.  He was a great dog, but you had to watch him like a hawk.  One time, I cooked a turkey and put it in the fridge to cool down.  I was gonna carve it up for sandwiches.  The wife asked me to take her to the store, so off we went, leaving Shamus at home alone.  I came back about two hours later and went to the fridge to start carving up the turkey.  cursed if Shamus didn't beat me to it.  I opened the fridge and the turkey was gone.  There wasn't a single drop of juices, a bone, anything to be found.  I don't know how he did it, but he got in the fridge, took the turkey out and ate it complete.  He never got sick, and I never found a trace of that turkey anywhere.  This was Shamus:



Shamus died a year ago last November.  I vowed I would never have another dog, but the Misses had a different plan.  About two months ago we got our new little buddy, Doyle.  We picked him up from a animal rescue near Ground Zero for this coming years Inzane X.  He is a great little guy, three years young.