This little old dog lying on my knee...

Bobby1981

So, I am a dog sitter and I am all overcome with emotion right now so After Hours is getting it:)

I am minding the oldest dog I have ever minded, he is almost blind and a bit deaf and I have him for the first time. I have an awful affinity for old folk, I just love them, they are walking talking history books to me so this dog has stolen my heart . He is a little old man with a whole life of his own:) I was slightly nervous taking him, last thing my heart could take is an old dog dying while in my care but his owner is a lovely lady...so lovely that she left hm with me based on nothing but my reviews on a website and a meeting with myself and my heart is humbled by her for that.

Funnily enough, I got another message tonight from another owner with a blind dog asking me to take him and I couldnt because I have my little guy here. I wish I could take them all but I cant.

Anyway, my owner said the last person she left him with he whined and cried. I think I am overcome with emotion because this little old man is lying on me right now with his head on my knee...and his owner has gone away till Monday without even giving me the benefit of Whatsapp (I message my owners every day with texts and pics on Whatsapp)...this owner said 'I trust you', and her trust has not been misplaced.

This little guy is totally trusting me, his eyes have cataracts and I lift him up and down off the sofa etc as he cant manage. I hand feed him. I have no idea if I will get to mind him again due to his age and I feel kind of sad about it.

My first dog I ever minded as a sitter is gone now and I keep her on the site I 'sit' from. I also have never taken her off my phone either. She was a beautiful gentle old lady. Her owners found it hard to get anyone to take her just because she was a German Shepherd { some folk are afraid of big dogs}, In fact, I got my sister to name her new dog after this old lady. I still get sad thinking about her. You would have loved her, she was so gentle and trusting.

I mind all kinds of dogs from those with cute faces and silky coats to the most gruff looking wiry coat yokes....yet one of my wiry coat yokes is closest to my heart because he is the most loving little thing. I also have an awful closeness to any rescue dog which a few of mine are. Its all about the way their eyes look at you with pure trust. Fantastic animals.

So yeah...this post is for this little old man on my knee with his cloudy eyes and pure trust in me.....My heart is overcome with love for his little self.



My little man here is snoring here on me now...My heart feels such peace with a little dog around me. They really are the closest to us.

Sorry for the length of this post but it was necessary as I was 'in the moment'

If you have a dog you will understand:P

Stigura

Understood. Utterly, completely understood

Donald Trump

Dogs?
Bitches be crazy yo

Fathom

Bobby1981 wrote: »

If you have a dog you will understand:P

Don't have one now. Did. Understand definitely.

ThisRegard

I've a little old lad here, poor fecker doesn't even know what house he lives in anymore, his eyes and ears are in poor shape. Local kids say he walks like he's practicing for the catwalk as his legs are fecked too.

RustyNut

The karma pixies will reward you op. Doggy people are best people.

Donald Trump

RustyNut wrote: »

The karma pixies will reward you op. Doggy people are best people.

Doggy can be better for multiple reasons.

Particularly if you don't want her to be sickened by the sight of your rusty nuts!

(I'm assuming we're talking copperballs or gingernuts here :P )

Temptamperu

my dogs awesome.

RustyNut

Temptamperu wrote: »

my dogs awesome.

My dogs Rover.

Tilikum

Free advertising for your site, eh?

Tauriel

Bobby1981 wrote: »

If you have a dog you will understand:P

I do and I do.

You sound like an awesome rare breed OP

Fair play to you!

Yakult

Dogs are ****ing awesome. Much prefer them to humans.

McCrack

Dogs are great creatures, agreed.

aaronjumper

Wait until he becomes relaxed enough to let out the stinky farts and see how much you love him then.

Tauriel

Yakult wrote: »

Dogs are ****ing awesome. Much prefer them to humans.

I second that.

Donald Trump

aaronjumper wrote: »

Wait until he becomes relaxed enough to let out the stinky farts and see how much you love him then.

Same goes for the wimmins

hairyslug

Bren has 3 more days of the cone of shame on him.
Lucy is making the most of it by wrecking his head knowing he can't run as fast her as he keeps bumping into things.

Dogs can be a bit mental but sometimes the mental ones are the best. Other times all you want them to do is relax.

Irish Guitarist

Yakult wrote: »

Dogs are ****ing awesome. Much prefer them to humans.

Ol' Donie

Yakult wrote: »

Dogs are ****ing awesome. Much prefer them to humans.

Dead right.

circadian

Dogs are fantastic. Love the wee buggers.

Also, I'm LOL-ing at the tryhard poster who is getting completely ignored.

Wesser

Dogs are good for your mental health. Those who are depressed should get some kind of pet.
It is totally underestimated as a therapy.
Part of our tsunami of mental health problems is that we have lost touch with nature and animals.

indioblack

Bobby1981 wrote: »

Sorry for the length of this post but it was necessary as I was 'in the moment'

If you have a dog you will understand:P

Stay in that moment for a while - it sounds like a rewarding place to be.
One of the most revealing and refreshing posts I've read on Boards for a while.

Spudgun

my 14 year old doggie is curled up beside me on the sofa. I know exactly how you feel

eviltwin

I'm sitting here with my old boy of 11 years, he's been with me through a lot and he's one of the loves of my life. Your post made me cry OP.

Gael23

Totally understand OP. Lost my spaniel age 15 two years ago. He loved nothing more than to sleep with his nose resting on your foot or just curled up near you. He was deaf and going blind towards the end but he still enjoyed life up to the last few days.
Caring for him in the last few months was a challenge at times but he trusted us as his family so much we couldn't give up until we had no choice. I remember knowing deep inside me at Christmas 2014 it would be our last, and he died 2 weeks after, but it's important not to dwell on those thoughts and enjoy what time you have left.

One last thing I'll say from an owners perspective is that when you have an elderly pet that needs extra care you have to really trust the person you leave them with. I remember the last summer before Andy died we had to leave him for 2 days very reluctantly but we found a place that gave him that special care and even put him in an area away from the main boarding kennels

eurokev

Thanks OP you've brightened up my night, and I've called little Woody out of his bed to join me on the couch for the evening, even though he is shedding mad in the hot weather, but he's such a legend. Dogs rock

CeilingFly

I reckon this is one of the best nights of your life.

Only those who have a dog that absolutely connects with you in every way will understand.

I currently have one with chin on my knee and one perched on my shoulder.

Wife is at other end of couch.

Junglewoman

I picked up a dumped malnourished pup riddled with mange. Three years later she is still with me, in full health, snuggled up on my knee.

Pique

I have one of those 'quote' mugs that says "The average dog is a better person than the average person".
I can't disagree.

Canis Lupus

Wait till he farts.

lulu1

It's funny even if a dog is blind they still sense things. MY Sisters dog has been blind for about 2 years. I live about half a mile down a lane. She has to pass the top of the lane when she takes the dog for a walk. When the dog gets as far as the lane he sits down and wont budge until he gets down to our house. One day she decided to carry him past to see if that would work but he took a fit of crying so she had to turn back and bring him down

Beyondgone

Tilikum wrote: »

Free advertising for your site, eh?

Really? I'm a horrible, rude person, and even I reckoned the OP was just a nice person, leave them alone.

retro:electro

Op your post is my favourite post on boards ever. Big love to you!

Gael23

CeilingFly wrote: »

I reckon this is one of the best nights of your life.

Only those who have a dog that absolutely connects with you in every way will understand.

I currently have one with chin on my knee and one perched on my shoulder.

Wife is at other end of couch.

That really is something you cannot understand until you have owned a dog. People that have never owned a dog thing its silly but when they are like a child to you its absolutely not. That happens even more as they get older and more dependant on you.

indioblack

anna080 wrote: »

Op your post is my favourite post on boards ever. Big love to you!

Bunch of old softies in this thread - I'm pleased to say.

DoozerT6

When they look up at you with that soft, trusting look.....

I miss our old boy.

Gael23

I keep coming back to this. Probably because it paints images that summarise 15 years of my life

Loopy

What a lovely post.
Thanks for taking the time to do it.
I really want to get a dog now, having put it off for years.
My brother has the most amazing dog ever. A short while ago, I arrived at his house and was very upset about stuff that was going on. The dog sat on my knee and literally put his paws around my neck and licked my face for a half an hour while I balled crying.
It was so special and he follows me everywhere, ever since.

Bobby1981

Tilikum wrote: »

Free advertising for your site, eh?

No. Just No. My post was heartfelt. Nothing to do with 'my site', which just happens to be a site I work from. I mentioned it only for context to my post. I don't need to advertise anything. I love my dogs and have to often turn down a dog I love because I have committed to minding another. So No.

To everyone else who responded to me here. I have no idea how to multi quote (can someone tell me) so I will do it this way..

Stigura ....It's a really overwhelming kind of love. I hear ya:)

Fathom...<3

RustyNut...Thankyou.

mustang shelley....they are feckin great animals to be fair. I just love them so much:)

Yakult...agreed:)

McCrack....Agreed. We would be so much worse off without them.

hairyslug.....I follow all your posts in the Animals and Pets forum. I love Bren and Lucy

Ol' Donie...:)

circadian....Thankyou so much and the rest of you for taking my post as it was meant.

Wesser.....your post struck a chord with me because I suffer from anxiety. I can write well and express myself that way, but struggle verbally. I pour so much love in to my dogs (not MY dogs but they are my dogs for a time) because they are just so loving and trusting. They TOTALLY are good for mental health. I am a better person having them around me.

indioblack....Thankyou so much

Spudgun....Thankyou. I hope your little man will be around for a long while yet,

eviltwin....I sent home another dog today that I have had for over a week. He was a great big galoot. Too big to be cute enough to sit on your knee or be carried around, but he would plonk himself right in the middle of my other half and me on the sofa and we would all make it work:) He would rest his head on your knee and look at you with big soulful brown eyes when he wanted something. A proper great big softy. Big Guys need love too. I got very attached to him and was tearful when he left...........not for the first time either so I hear ya.

Gael23....I loved your post about Andy. It made me tear up. Thankyou for sharing it. (And the fact that you had to come back and post several times because you get all in your feelings about dogs too.......I like that)


eurokev...I am SO glad you called Woody out of his bed. I have all black furniture and covers in this place so some of my dogs DESTROY it with hairs, but you know what...it's nothing that I can't hoover or wash and I would not trade a moment of all the moaning I do while cleaning up hairs for the absolute peace and contentment and pleasure I get from having a dog lay beside me. It is SUCH a nice feeling and they love it. They need it as much as we do. It's so nice my post made you do that:)

CeilingFly...your post made me laugh but I do that too:D

Junglewoman.....some of mine had a chit start in life too, I feel extra love towards them for that. I love people like you who take up for the likes of them:)

Picque.....I cannot disagree either:)

lulu1....that's because they are the most sensitive animals on earth. There is absolutely nothing a dog won't do for you if you treat him right. Your sisters dog obviously senses warmth and love in your house which is why he won't pass it without wanting to go in. Lovely really:)

Beyondgone.....You tell im':D,,,:(Thankyou)

anna080....Big love to you too. Thankyou:)

DoozerT6.....I just sent a boy home today who had the biggest softest brown eyes.....he epitomised 'that look'. I miss him beside me now. He would sprawl on me giving me a dead leg but he was so comfortable. A really really nice dog....just a heavy one:D....Rest in Peace to your old boy

Loopy....Thankyou. If you have the time and effort, you will never regret having a dog as part of your family.


I hope I left no one out that was kind enough to take my post in the spirit it was written. I sent another dog home today and I miss him beside me. He was lovely. Lucky for me, most of mine are repeat offenders which I am glad of as I would hate to not see some of them again. I cannot stress enough how much I feel that dogs are good for the soul and for a home. I have no doubt that I will get all in my feelings and post about them again:)

DrPhilG

Dogs are the business. Got 2 at the minute and Beth the Rottie is getting on a bit. She's nearly 11 which is a big age for a Rott. She's the most affectionate big sop of a dog I've ever met and it's going to be horrible when her time comes.

PS, if you've ever lost a dog in it's old age, never watch Marley & Me. Took 10 minutes for the cinema to clear after watching that, credits rolled and not a soul moved as everyone was too busy composing themselves before the place emptied in silence. Big red eyes everywhere.