So sorry…

Damn ninjas cutting onions here again.

Sorry for your loss. It just sucks that dogs live such short lives.

R.I.P. Maddie. There will be a big hole in your heart for a long time Patrick but you gave each other much joy in life.

Very sorry for your loss, it is never easy losing a Fur Baby

Me too. I voted against another dog for this reason (and lost the vote) so now I dread the day when Bosco’s number is up. Condolences.

Ever since losing two dogs in the last two years, I can't read one of these threads without crying. A well written post to your lifetime friend, who I would imagine would not have traded one second of their time with you for more time here on earth.
My condolences to you and your family.

There's no joy like the kind dogs bring. Personally, I'd rather they go first rather than me and worry if the dog will get the same love when I'm gone. I would rather have my heart broken than for them to suffer the same loss.

This has been a very hard week. We got Maddie's ashes back today and I feel better knowing she is near me again. Vicki says when the Lord took Maddie's pain away it had to go somewhere, so he put it in our hearts. I am grateful that I can take that burden from her. It is a lot to carry.

Thank you for the posts and the PMs. It really helps us with the pain. Several people suggested we get another puppy to fill our hearts. I have a different idea, I am going to focus on Owen Walter and make him a better dog.

When Vicki's grandson died she wanted a puppy to help her with the grief. That's when Owen Walter came along.

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Mads was 5 when we got Owen Walter

She and I have very different philosophies of how to raise a dog. I was very engaged with Maddie. We went to puppy school and two levels of obedience school. We took a walk together every day, went to dog parks so she could be with other dogs, and I went out of my way to find adventures that would stimulate and amuse her. She was calm and self assured and I think it is a result of the way I raised her.

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This is my idea of how to raise a dog. I would take them to the horse park and have them jump up on all the jumping obstacles.

Vicky has treated Owen more like a baby doll. He is cute and cuddly to look at. He has never had any real discipline or had anything asked of him. As a result he has a high strung and sharp edged personality. For example, when Maddie saw one of our cats in the yard she would go up to it and it would rub against her, they would bump noses, then the cat would take off running and the chase was on. As soon as Owen sees a cat he goes berserk and immediately tries to run it down and kill it. The cats tease him by letting him get close and then jumping over a fence or going up a tree. They are having fun, but he's just out of control crazy with rage.


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This is her idea of how to raise a dog.

So instead of getting another dog I am spending time with Owen. I hope with some training and discipline and some fun adventures I can give him more confidence and self assurance over time. Already we're working on waiting for permission before going through a door. He is a smart little fart, and is already catching on.


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That's awesome Patrick... after you retrain Owen .... Vicki is next :D.

Best to you both... err three .... y'all make a great team .... but you already know that :)!

My allergies are suddenly acting up.

To be frank, one of the attributes of this place that keeps me here is the way posters treat their companions...four as well as two legged:cool:

There is just such a wonderful humanity in that greatness of spirit that crosses any boundary that we artificially erect between us.

Stand by, Owen, you are about to have some fun!

Great pictures, btw...someone knows what they are doing:D

Great idea. And probably a good idea to not bring a new, young puppy into an environment with a pup with behavior/personality traits like Owen Walter.

Incredibly painful to read your story, WD. I've loved and lost many of my beautiful dogs over the years. All took a piece of me with them when they passed. Rest in Peace, Maddie.

It's been 13 days now since Madison left us. I've given an hour or so of exclusive attention to Owen every day, but he seems lost. Maddie was the alpha dog of the pack since day one and that was certainly so when she was 5 and he came into the family as a pup. I didn't think it would be hard for him to step up a notch once she was gone. But he just seems lost. We have a golden retriever who is old and has always been "just there" - sweet and lovable, but on the bottom of the doggy hierarchy with no ambition, so she hasn't stepped up. Dogs need a pack with a hierarchy and I'm the human boss, but he seems to need a dog boss. Any insights from anyone here??

I'm sorry for your loss. We had to say goodbye to our best boy Ozzy a few weeks ago. He was my best friend for 14 years. Never not happy to see me. Never not ready for a walk. Never not ready to look for a pheasant. He was the best boy. We don't deserve dogs. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d6da7a85e7.jpg

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Man this stuff really tugs at heart strings for sure and makes me think about when we lost Bentley. It has been 2 years now, the pain of loss has diminished with time but we still miss him terribly.
Bentley was 9 years old when we got Paisley, our Yorkie, it took a little adjusting but the two boys became best buds. Bent was 14 and a half years old when he passed away and Pai was really lost, you could tell right away that he was just...lost. He would lay in the floor where Bentley had layed the last night he was alive, it was gut wrenching to watch. We showed Pai so much attention, he was already a spoiled boy, but after losing his brother, he needed to be spoiled with attention.
It has been two years and Pai is now playing and has come into his own I think.
Just give Owen some time. Our four footers mourn also and it takes time to heal from the loss of a family member. Time heals all wounds, or so they say anyway.

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I believed in having two dogs since I lived alone and went away to work for the day. Then I thought three is good in case one goes and there's continuity. I had Gromit as the older boy and two younger ones, Zeke and Bodhi. Zeke and Bodhi weren't great pals, they liked Gromit, and Gromit let them hammer him a little, even though he was the alpha. When Gromit passed, Zeke and Bodhi became best pals, which was nice. I was up to five dogs, which was crazy. But fun. Now I'm down to four with Bodhi rounding third base. He's not pals with any of the others, but I think he likes having them around. The other three adore each other.

Any advice is of course, related to my experiences with my dogs only and may not be appropriate for Owen.

We are a two dog minimum family mainly, I think, because dogs do better in a "pack" as you wrote and because we have the room. When Cassie , our Red Heeler, died our Jack Russell Terrier, Perry, went into a bit of a listless funk.

We found Dottie in Charleston a few months later and brought her to Maryland. She loves Perry and he is like a new dog with her around.

Best.

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Some good replies here so far, Patrick.

I think giving it more time makes the most sense.

After all - that's what we humans need too. More time to process, grieve, adjust.....

As long as Owen is still functioning as needed to maintain his physical health - eating, drinking, poo poo and pee pee, and sleeping - the rest will just take more time, I suspect.

Also, regarding the comments about having a multiple dog household..... Every situation is different because every household is different. So it's not like one size fits all.

That said - I do like the idea of having more than one dog - where feasible.

You, the human, will always be the pack leader. Then (normally) as you stated - one of your pack takes over as the Alpha - the rest will follow.

Things happened in reverse here - with Billabong going first - followed by the Alpha - Winkipop. So I never experienced what you are experiencing.

I dunno - I guess just give it some more time. I give you much respect and admiration for your caring for these little innocents. It's the highest calling for us lowly humans.

Much love sent your way.....and massive hugs for little Owen......

We do have 2 dogs, although Grace could be mistaken for a sloth or some hairy form of vegetation. She would never be an alpha. Maybe with time Owen perk up. Vicki thinks he is in mourning. This morning we got out Maddie's old toys and he learned to jump through the hoop and over the hurdle. I'm working with him, but it's not the same.
Here is a picture of Owen and Grace in better times, doing what they do best.

Thank you for letting me go on and on about this. I do so appreciate the kind words.


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