Life of Gus 2001-2013

webmaster · 03-22-2013, 02:52 PM

I came across this today and it made me think of this thread:

Quote:

TAKE JOY IN…..OLD DOGS

Their joys are simple. A soft bed. A scrap fallen from the table that the younger dogs missed. The memory of a treed squirrel. A stormless night.

White whiskered faces and legs crooked as question marks.

Old Dogs…their sweet Buddha bellies hang over crossed legs as they fall asleep in a coveted patch of sun. Dreaming of out-racing their shadows down long, shady lanes.

Once they danced by your side. The very definition of joy unleashed. A perfect poem caught in shining eyes and wagging tails. They have followed you faithfully for years. And would plunge into fires, untamed wildernesses, raging waters if you asked.

Now, they struggle to catch up. Their pace slow but their hearts still valiant.
Their cloudy eyes are starting to dim and go distant, tuning in to some invisible world. Just beyond your reach.

Don’t go you say, as you scratch the tender part between their ears. Stay longer. I can’t imagine a world without your fur pressed close to my cheek. There are still so many roads we haven’t explored.

And they look up at you with a wisdom that just slays you.

Their backs are bent, not from the weight of years, but from the invisible wings they are growing
That will soon take them to a place where once more they are warriors of speed
Drunk with the sights and scents of a thousand meadows.
Able to leap high enough to touch the wing of the tiniest butterfly.

A place where they will now wait for you to catch up.

H/T Donna Swajeski / AnimalAidUsa.org

Chaselady · 03-22-2013, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

I came across this today and it made me think of this thread:

This made me cry...

Bear Island South · 03-22-2013, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webmaster

I came across this today and it made me think of this thread:

I can only hope when my times comes Gus will be there to greet me.

Coolbreeze · 03-23-2013, 11:35 AM

Ugh... this all makes one wonder why do we subject ourselves to such heartache. But then I step and I reflect back to the amount of joy a pet brings to our lives, and the heartache doesn't seem so bad...but it is still always there.

gillygirl · 03-23-2013, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze

Ugh... this all makes one wonder why do we subject ourselves to such heartache. But then I step and I reflect back to the amount of joy a pet brings to our lives, and the heartache doesn't seem so bad...but it is still always there.

Maybe this is why we do it. I couldn't make it past 3 weeks without a dog.

MikeF-NH · 03-24-2013, 09:43 AM

very touching thread. It brings back happy (and sad) memories of Casey and Jake and Bear will soon join his brothers.

One thing that I always see in pictures of dogs is they are a measure of the growth of our own children. Their lives are typically around 12-13 years and as we browse pictures of them with our children, they are a chronicle of large portions of our children's lives while our kids are still living at home. As we left go of our 4-legged friends, we often look back to these pictures and are reminded of them and our kids growing together.

dpg · 04-10-2013, 12:15 PM

Bear Island sorry to hear. I had to put my best buddy down Friday 4/5 and it really s!@#$...

After reading through this thread (which I didn't want to do) I need to go in the bathroom and cry so nobody at work see's me.

Bear Island South · 04-10-2013, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpg

Bear Island sorry to hear. I had to put my best buddy down Friday 4/5 and it really s!@#$...

After reading through this thread (which I didn't want to do) I need to go in the bathroom and cry so nobody at work see's me.

DPG - Sorry to hear about your loss.
I get teary eyed every time I see the pictures again.

Aguamenti · 04-10-2013, 11:08 PM

I'm so sorry for your loss. Looks like he led a very happy life with you. The best gift we can give a dog is to love them as unconditionally as they love us, IMO.

tis · 04-11-2013, 08:52 AM

So sorry, dpg. Why do we have to EVER lose our animals??? Or anything, people or pets for that matter!

KWilliams · 05-13-2013, 01:30 PM

My wife and I live in Pennsylvania and this will be our 22nd year in a row to visit the lake in Center Harbor. We have two black labs ourselves ... Lexy and Jitterbug. I always thought the picture of your boy on the blue tube was one of my all time favorite Lab pictures. We'll beep on the way past Bear Island in tribute to Gus when we come up in June. I'm a 56 year old grown man and I had to close my office door and cry upon reading this. They really do enrich our lives. Thank you for sharing this wonderful tribute to Gus.

BroadHopper · 05-13-2013, 01:36 PM

Sorry for the loss. The pictures bring back memories of my beloved black lab, Chammie. She loves the lake so much so, I can't keep her out of the water!

May they have happiness in Black lab heaven.

05-13-2013, 01:30 PM	#11
KWilliams Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 18 Thanks: 1 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts	Wonderful tribute ... My wife and I live in Pennsylvania and this will be our 22nd year in a row to visit the lake in Center Harbor. We have two black labs ourselves ... Lexy and Jitterbug. I always thought the picture of your boy on the blue tube was one of my all time favorite Lab pictures. We'll beep on the way past Bear Island in tribute to Gus when we come up in June. I'm a 56 year old grown man and I had to close my office door and cry upon reading this. They really do enrich our lives. Thank you for sharing this wonderful tribute to Gus.

05-13-2013, 01:36 PM	#12
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,600 Thanks: 3,237 Thanked 1,113 Times in 799 Posts	memeories Sorry for the loss. The pictures bring back memories of my beloved black lab, Chammie. She loves the lake so much so, I can't keep her out of the water! May they have happiness in Black lab heaven. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to webmaster For This Useful Post:
BaileyBecca (01-07-2014), Bear Island South (03-22-2013), Just Sold (03-23-2013), Nagigator (03-22-2013), Rattlesnake Gal (03-24-2013), upthesaukee (03-22-2013)

03-23-2013, 11:35 AM	#4
Coolbreeze Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 332 Thanks: 0 Thanked 51 Times in 26 Posts	Ugh... this all makes one wonder why do we subject ourselves to such heartache. But then I step and I reflect back to the amount of joy a pet brings to our lives, and the heartache doesn't seem so bad...but it is still always there.

The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to gillygirl For This Useful Post:
ApS (04-10-2013), BaileyBecca (01-07-2014), Bear Island South (03-24-2013), Janet (03-24-2013), SteveA (03-23-2013)

03-24-2013, 09:43 AM	#6
MikeF-NH Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 318 Thanks: 2 Thanked 120 Times in 80 Posts	very touching thread. It brings back happy (and sad) memories of Casey and Jake and Bear will soon join his brothers. One thing that I always see in pictures of dogs is they are a measure of the growth of our own children. Their lives are typically around 12-13 years and as we browse pictures of them with our children, they are a chronicle of large portions of our children's lives while our kids are still living at home. As we left go of our 4-legged friends, we often look back to these pictures and are reminded of them and our kids growing together.

The Following User Says Thank You to MikeF-NH For This Useful Post:
Bear Island South (03-24-2013)

04-10-2013, 12:15 PM	#7
dpg Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,618 Thanks: 157 Thanked 235 Times in 172 Posts	Bear Island sorry to hear. I had to put my best buddy down Friday 4/5 and it really s!@#$... After reading through this thread (which I didn't want to do) I need to go in the bathroom and cry so nobody at work see's me.

04-10-2013, 11:08 PM	#9
Aguamenti Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: MA/Tuftonboro Posts: 143 Thanks: 95 Thanked 36 Times in 21 Posts	I'm so sorry for your loss. Looks like he led a very happy life with you. The best gift we can give a dog is to love them as unconditionally as they love us, IMO.

04-11-2013, 08:52 AM	#10
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,807 Thanks: 759 Thanked 1,468 Times in 1,024 Posts	So sorry, dpg. Why do we have to EVER lose our animals??? Or anything, people or pets for that matter!