Happy Pet Blog

DUKIE© My Blind Dog In The House

Firstly, allow me tell you how my dog actually became my dog. Dukie belonged to my husband’s son; he was a birthday gift to my stepson from his girlfriend. Unfortunately my stepson was not able to raise a dog, so he was given to my husband.

Dukie is a black Labrador, a big but lean black Labrador. He is exceptionally lovable, gentle & very funny. He absolutely thrived in our household as we already had two other dogs; one Golden Retriever & one other black Labrador. We were very fortunate in the fact that they all became the best of friends, no fights, just playtime all the time!

Dukie going for a walk- dropped leash- Freedom! Early on a Sunday Morning. This is one of the times he could freely roam around the park and he loved it.

I began to notice that Dukie had started to bump into things & was becoming ‘lost’ when out running around, he already had one bad eye which he’d hurt on a stick whilst he was a puppy.

Read the rest of this entry »

My Rusty And Dasher And Thumper (Rusty and Dasher Are Miniature Long Haired Dachshunds)

When I first married, many many years ago, we lived in an apartment, so we could only have small dogs. But, one of our small dogs barked too much, so we found a house! And, here are my first 2 dogs included in our marriage I don’t think I shared this before, but, if I did, here it is again.

They were so cute and lovable, but I never realized they were so goofy

My Nikki & Benny. And, My Wonderful Dukie!

We had 3 dogs in our home. I nickname it MyDogHouse.

- A 14 year old black lab, Dukie, blind for 13 years - A Poem For Dukie

- A 7 year old black lab, Benny ( St John Therapy Dog), - A Poem For Benny- and a

- 4 year old golden retriever , Nikki (A “Therapeutic Paws” Therapy Dog).

In Late October I had to put my Benny to sleep; he had thyroid cancer. This was totally unexpected. It went so quick I am still in shock over this. This hit me like a kick in the stomach.

Yesterday, I had to put my Dukie to sleep. We knew this was coming. He was old. But, age makes it hurt no less!

After Benny left us, Nikki went into a very deep depression. They were best of playmates and did everything together, including visiting the elderly. She drew ever closer to her Dukie. But, we knew that Dukie would also leave us very soon.

So, we decided to bring a new dog into the house BEFORE Dukie left us. That way, Nikki could get bonded with the new dog before losing her Dukie.

We picked one out at the Humane Society - The Pound. Her name is “Shorty”, she is a 3 year old black lab. This is another long story in itself. But, I am happy to say that both Shorty and Nikki bonded by the time my Dukie left us.

Bringing a dog into the home, especially an adopted dog, always brings issues with it. But, they are solvable issues.

It is an exciting moment when you bring a new dog into your home. A little scary, depending on the circumstances. It is a happy moment, a new moment in time, but, it is also stressful, especially if there is another dog in the home already.

I will share moments of loss, of bonding of fighting and of love in future articles.

Our new “Shorty” will not only be Nikki’s friend and playmate, but also a “service” type dog for my husband, who has advanced MS.