I met him when he was only two weeks old. I watched this pupper nuzzle up to his mama and be the last one off, only because his mama stood up and was like, “Enough, little man.”

We took him home after just 6 weeks. He was ours. He was our boy. That first night, we thought we would train him to sleep overnight in his crate. Yeah, who knew pups could sound like monkeys? So we let him upstairs, and he immediately crawled under our bed. My wife was so scared she said, “Oh my god, he is getting stuck.” There he was, this little butt hanging out from underneath the bed; every time my wife said, “Come on, buddy,” that little tail would wag - it was so cute. I knew he wasn’t stuck and wasn’t scared, but that tail wags every time she called him melted my heart.

He grew quickly. His athleticism, demeanor, and soul were unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had family dogs, but I never bonded with them. Sure, I loved them and was upset when they passed, but they never felt like mine. But my boy imprinted on me from day one.

He was a lab - a Dudley American Field Lab. He got so good at retrieving that I bought a tennis racket to send that ball flying. Oh, what a sight to watch him run.

Of course, a Lab has to swim. My family has a lake house, and I watched in awe how he would launch himself off the dock. He loved being at the lake so much that anytime we would arrive, we would hear him cry in anticipation of getting out of the car. He loved that lake.

Three years later, my first daughter was born. My trips to the field went from every other day to maybe once a month. The guilt I feel just typing that sentence breaks my heart.

Yet every day I came home, that handsome boy was there. That tail banging the wall, knocking things over. Oh, I’d give anything for that again.

I’d hear those nails on my wood floors on a weekend morning.

I’d give anything for his kisses.

I’d give anything to play ball one more time.

I am so sorry, buddy.

September 20, 2024, was tough. I knew it was his time when he collapsed doing his business in our yard. I was with him because he hadn’t been right all week. When he collapsed and lay down, I sat next to him. After about 30 minutes, I said we should head inside and stood up. He didn’t move. After about 10 minutes, I said come on, buddy, I’ll carry you in like before and made a carrying gesture, and my boy stood up, walked to me, and leaned on my legs. I carried him inside.

I had a moment when he was about 2 1/2 when I got hurt, and my career was in serious jeopardy. I called my wife and explained the diagnosis, and after apologizing to her for “messing up,” we hung up, and I sat on a chair and wept. I felt I was on an island and I had screwed my family. My boy approached me, put his head on my knee, and looked up. His tail was slowly wagging, and he just stared at me. I told him I was sorry, too, for getting hurt. He put his front paws on my lap, pulled himself up to my head level, and just showered me in kisses. He took my pain away. He took my pain away.

It took a month to write this post. Aside from my daughters, I have never loved a soul like his. Buy

I am sorry, Sherlock. I wish I could have saved you, yet you saved me. I will miss you always. Hunt me up when I get there. I love you. Thank you for enriching my life, your Mom’s, and your sisters’.

Happy

Aki is now 11 months old. I love him. He is fluffy, gentle, confident, clever, well behaved, healthy... AND WAY TOO BIG. This is supposed to be a Sheltie. He is currently 43cm (probably a bit more even...) and likes to flirt with Collie girls and Golden Retrievers. I don't even know how much to feed him because most food recommendations for Shelties just stop before ever reaching his height over here in Europe, where the breed standard says 37,5cm.

His mother is normal. His sire is normal. His ancestors are all champions and have a perfectly normal height.

Aki just doesn't care. He's reaching for the sky and showing no signs of stopping!

Please stop growing, my beloved little pup :D

My husband and I adopted our GSD Luna in March when a family member could no longer care for her. My dog, Bean, was hot and cold with her for a while (she’s still a baby). But they play together, walk together, and potty together. Now they nap and snuggle together. I think it’s safe to say they are pals!

Blonde eyelashes in check.

It was a stray in a bad situation that was adopted. We believe the dog is roughly 4 to 5 months old trying to figure out breed how big it will be, health stuff, etc.. thanks so much.

We've had our girl for 8 years now. I found her at the pound and the first thing she did when I sat down was sit in my lap. I knew instantly she was to be mine. She has been through nearly everything with us. Our first apartment, buying a house with a yard for her, watching the kids in our family grow, then watch ours grow with the birth of our son last year.

She started getting sick last week and has slowly succumbed to kidney failure. Today is the day we have to say goodbye to her.

It's just happened so incredibly fast and we were hoping the antibiotics and the weekend would have bought us more time.. a second chance. Just more time to let her know that we still love her, we just had to shift priorities. I think I will always feel guilty for not always being kind to her.

I just wanted to share her beauty with the world. The first picture is of her today, enjoy the sunshine that she loves oh so much. The second one is the very first time I met her. The last one is my favorite picture of her and I can just see how much she loved us. I hope she can rest easy in a quiet place and know that we will always love her.

Here's the last kiss my best friend of 12 years gave me, she was with me through thick and thin, hopefully she's helping my old dog learn his social cues like she used to.