Post pictures of your animals

[Justpassingas]

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[DFB5.0]

I would say your mom, the photographer, is the real hero here...

That is such a lovely thing to notice and make mention of.

I know exactly where my dog empathy comes from, it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing because as you can see, Mum introduced me to dogs from a very early age, from birth actually. A curse because I get so emotional about them, particularly when in distress, I can't even bare to see posts of lost dogs.

I know for a fact dogs can tell who they can trust from the moment they meet someone. With Faych, he was such a trusting soul, he loved just about everyone. But then there were a few instances where he immediately took a disklike to a few people and he never trusted their presence.

 

[DFB5.0]

Professor Faych......................

 

[DFB5.0]

Faychie came back home this afternoon. On the way, he rode next to me in the passenger seat, as he always did. And while I’m still heart broken, there is now a sense of contentment.

I chose blue for his paw print, the colour of his first collar.

I remember the day we first me. After discovering a littler of puppies local to me on a Thursday morning, I procrastinated over the course of the day, then phoned up that night. There was one puppy left by then and I made the commitment. On Friday I could barely contain my excitement, the next day I went and met my little buddy for the first time.

When we arrived, mumma dog met us by jumping up on the back of the couch, then followed us and jumped up on the kitchen table, she wanted pats and affection. My little buddy wanted to do the same thing. I mention this because Faych went on to also have this strong need to be close to his humans, just like mumma. There was no need to make a decision, that had been made two days prior, and cemented the second we met. He made the ride home resting in my arms. And from those first few moments together, I fell completely in love.

The big challenge centred around a name. For a week, every name that was suggested just didn’t sound or feel right. Then, out of the blue, an obvious name surfaced. When I was born, mum and dad had a cocker spaniel called Hafey. As I grew and began to talk, toddler DFB couldn’t say Hafey, instead I called him Fayche. Looking back on photos from that period in the late 1980’s, I can clearly see where my love of dogs comes from, cocker spaniels in particular. I’m so thankful for what my mother did here, giving me the gift of empathy and total, unconditional love for dogs. And that’s where my little buddy got his weird name.

Early on, there were a few odd moments that we didn't fully understand. On one occasion when he was still a puppy, we noticed him crouched down with both paws across his eyes with a look of terror. Naturally that led to a visit to the vet, but nothing was found. A few years later, I discovered him sitting of the couch with this strange slime across his nose and jaw, at the time I had assumed he had gotten into something, wiped him off and thought nothing more of it. Then one day when he was about 3, I got a phone call saying he had just had a seizure and was taken to the vet.

From that moment onward, trips to the Vet were a frequent occurrence. Early on, the meds did absolutely nothing. It got to the point where I could see when the seizures were about to happen, he’d get up and begin to wander aimlessly, then a flash of terror would flash through his eyes in the seconds before he’d go down. And there was nothing you can do other than make sure he doesn't hurt himself, clean him up and let him recover. He would perk back up in a few minutes, but they were getting longer and longer each time. This was extremely hard to watch over and over again.

Eventually, the Vet added an extra medication to the mix................................and he stopped having seizures. The only one he had since that change was in 2020 when Covid supply lines were limited and we had to ration the meds to get through. Not one since though. The meds did have some drawbacks, chiefly liver troubles that would surface on and off. But……………I did everything in my power to give him the best life possible, not everyone would have been able to do that. I honestly believe he was sent to us, that we would give him every opportunity.

In his early years, Faych was not a confident walker. We’d get to the end of the street or block, he’d put on the brakes and insist on going home. No doubt this was separation anxiety, and it would drive me crazy. But slowly but surely, he became more and more confident…………..and more and more excited to go for walkies! As soon as he spotted the harness and lead, the excited grizzling and rapidly wagging tail began. It was the cutest thing in the world and made me so happy to see him so happy. And those little snorts and whimpers he’d do melted my heart every time, so cute.

Over the last year, our midday walks became a new routine, something that helped me massively as I came to terms with what had happened to me at work. In his own way, he knew what was going on, he knew I needed his company. It’s around this time he began to enjoy swimming, to the point where he’d pull on the lead as we headed towards the river or lake. Afterwards, we'd find a nice green patch of grass for him to have a roll. Again, it was so sweet to watch him discover this new pleasure so late in his life. I have videos of this that will live on forever.

While animals can’t read, they somehow know the time of day. Faych would pace up and down the hallway an hour before I came home from work. As soon as he heard the garage door open, he’d be waiting for me at the door, which meant it was time for pats, a little doggie treat followed by a barking session in the backyard. An hour later, he knew it was time for dinner, he’d canter around in excitement. After food, it was time to play with his toys, usually a destruction session.

Speaking of food, Cocker’s inhale it! And it doesn’t matter what it was, if it smelt good, he wanted it! For example, the night I discovered he had plucked a bag of flour off the pantry self, dragged it into the living room and proceeded to cover himself and the living room rug is flour. My little black doggie had turned himself white………….and wasn’t he pleased with himself. If I wasn’t annoyed, I would have taken a photo of it because in hindsight, it was actually quite amusing. Or the time he snuck up and nicked a bag of bread rolls off the bench, then ran out into the garden to get his fill……………..that didn’t go down very well, but I thought it was hilarious!

Where possible, I’d take him to work with me in the garden. He’d roam around while I weeded, trimmed, and watered. Often this would be two golden retrievers, which I thought would be good for him to socialize………………..but just like me, he would have none of it and preferred to his own company. I was once told dogs take on their humans character traits, well I suppose that would explain the anxiety and social awkwardness.

Just like humans, Faych had his funny habits and quirks. Cockers have a daggy nature that, depending on what they’ve done, can be extremely annoying or just too cute for words. When he had his hearing, every time the phone would ring, he’d begin to howl. No idea why, but you’d have to explain the situation to the caller every single time. Or when chewing a squeaky toy, he’d do that repeatedly until he’d thrust his head up in the air and begin to howl. In his early to mid-years, he’d sit and watch the sparrows on the back lawn, they’d tick him off until you let him out to go round them up. Or sitting and guarding the front door, waiting for the neighbour’s cat to strut across the garden, it would drive him nuts! The barking at the fence for no reason at all would drive some insane, but I thought it was quite amusing. He loved a good toilet roll to chew on and was extremely efficient at destroying political paraphernalia come election time. Even in his old man years, Faych still had that playful, puppy temperament.

But the best thing about Faych was his loving, gentle, and caring nature. He just loved to be with his people, side by side. Be that in the garden, hanging out the washing, going for a drive, walks, sitting on the couch, washing the car, or just being by your side in a time of need. No judgement, no complications, no explanation needed. He needed us, and we needed him. And it wasn’t just us, he loved pretty much everyone. A truly angelic soul that touched many.

And its that last paragraph that hurts the most, the simple fact that he is no longer by my side. Faych was my shadow, my little brother, my partner in crime, my best friend. But most of all, he taught me how to love. And I couldn’t have asked for more. While my heart is broken and the pain has been unbearable, I know that he wouldn’t want me to feel that way. While his physical presence is no longer around, his memory will forever be with me.

Thought that I was going crazy
Just having one of those days, yeah
Didn't know what to do
Then there was you

And everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one
Was tired of running out of luck
Thinking 'bout giving up, yeah
Didn't know what to do
Then there was you

And everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one (Meant to be as one)
'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one

Everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight
Love at first sight, love at first sight
Love, ooh, it was love, it was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one (Meant to be as one)
'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one

It was love, it was love, it was love, it was love
Ooh, it was love, it was love, it was love, it was love
Ooh, it was love, it was love, it was love, it was love

 

[Stage_3]

Sorry for your loss @DFB5.0

 

[The Demon]

Faychie came back home this afternoon. On the way, he rode next to me in the passenger seat, as he always did. And while I’m still heart broken, there is now a sense of contentment.

I chose blue for his paw print, the colour of his first collar.

I remember the day we first me. After discovering a littler of puppies local to me on a Thursday morning, I procrastinated over the course of the day, then phoned up that night. There was one puppy left by then and I made the commitment. On Friday I could barely contain my excitement, the next day I went and met my little buddy for the first time.

When we arrived, mumma dog met us by jumping up on the back of the couch, then followed us and jumped up on the kitchen table, she wanted pats and affection. My little buddy wanted to do the same thing. I mention this because Faych went on to also have this strong need to be close to his humans, just like mumma. There was no need to make a decision, that had been made two days prior, and cemented the second we met. He made the ride home resting in my arms. And from those first few moments together, I fell completely in love.

The big challenge centred around a name. For a week, every name that was suggested just didn’t sound or feel right. Then, out of the blue, an obvious name surfaced. When I was born, mum and dad had a cocker spaniel called Hafey. As I grew and began to talk, toddler DFB couldn’t say Hafey, instead I called him Fayche. Looking back on photos from that period in the late 1980’s, I can clearly see where my love of dogs comes from, cocker spaniels in particular. I’m so thankful for what my mother did here, giving me the gift of empathy and total, unconditional love for dogs. And that’s where my little buddy got his weird name.

Early on, there were a few odd moments that we didn't fully understand. On one occasion when he was still a puppy, we noticed him crouched down with both paws across his eyes with a look of terror. Naturally that led to a visit to the vet, but nothing was found. A few years later, I discovered him sitting of the couch with this strange slime across his nose and jaw, at the time I had assumed he had gotten into something, wiped him off and thought nothing more of it. Then one day when he was about 3, I got a phone call saying he had just had a seizure and was taken to the vet.

From that moment onward, trips to the Vet were a frequent occurrence. Early on, the meds did absolutely nothing. It got to the point where I could see when the seizures were about to happen, he’d get up and begin to wander aimlessly, then a flash of terror would flash through his eyes in the seconds before he’d go down. And there was nothing you can do other than make sure he doesn't hurt himself, clean him up and let him recover. He would perk back up in a few minutes, but they were getting longer and longer each time. This was extremely hard to watch over and over again.

Eventually, the Vet added an extra medication to the mix................................and he stopped having seizures. The only one he had since that change was in 2020 when Covid supply lines were limited and we had to ration the meds to get through. Not one since though. The meds did have some drawbacks, chiefly liver troubles that would surface on and off. But……………I did everything in my power to give him the best life possible, not everyone would have been able to do that. I honestly believe he was sent to us, that we would give him every opportunity.

In his early years, Faych was not a confident walker. We’d get to the end of the street or block, he’d put on the brakes and insist on going home. No doubt this was separation anxiety, and it would drive me crazy. But slowly but surely, he became more and more confident…………..and more and more excited to go for walkies! As soon as he spotted the harness and lead, the excited grizzling and rapidly wagging tail began. It was the cutest thing in the world and made me so happy to see him so happy. And those little snorts and whimpers he’d do melted my heart every time, so cute.

Over the last year, our midday walks became a new routine, something that helped me massively as I came to terms with what had happened to me at work. In his own way, he knew what was going on, he knew I needed his company. It’s around this time he began to enjoy swimming, to the point where he’d pull on the lead as we headed towards the river or lake. Afterwards, we'd find a nice green patch of grass for him to have a roll. Again, it was so sweet to watch him discover this new pleasure so late in his life. I have videos of this that will live on forever.

While animals can’t read, they somehow know the time of day. Faych would pace up and down the hallway an hour before I came home from work. As soon as he heard the garage door open, he’d be waiting for me at the door, which meant it was time for pats, a little doggie treat followed by a barking session in the backyard. An hour later, he knew it was time for dinner, he’d canter around in excitement. After food, it was time to play with his toys, usually a destruction session.

Speaking of food, Cocker’s inhale it! And it doesn’t matter what it was, if it smelt good, he wanted it! For example, the night I discovered he had plucked a bag of flour off the pantry self, dragged it into the living room and proceeded to cover himself and the living room rug is flour. My little black doggie had turned himself white………….and wasn’t he pleased with himself. If I wasn’t annoyed, I would have taken a photo of it because in hindsight, it was actually quite amusing. Or the time he snuck up and nicked a bag of bread rolls off the bench, then ran out into the garden to get his fill……………..that didn’t go down very well, but I thought it was hilarious!

Where possible, I’d take him to work with me in the garden. He’d roam around while I weeded, trimmed, and watered. Often this would be two golden retrievers, which I thought would be good for him to socialize………………..but just like me, he would have none of it and preferred to his own company. I was once told dogs take on their humans character traits, well I suppose that would explain the anxiety and social awkwardness.

Just like humans, Faych had his funny habits and quirks. Cockers have a daggy nature that, depending on what they’ve done, can be extremely annoying or just too cute for words. When he had his hearing, every time the phone would ring, he’d begin to howl. No idea why, but you’d have to explain the situation to the caller every single time. Or when chewing a squeaky toy, he’d do that repeatedly until he’d thrust his head up in the air and begin to howl. In his early to mid-years, he’d sit and watch the sparrows on the back lawn, they’d tick him off until you let him out to go round them up. Or sitting and guarding the front door, waiting for the neighbour’s cat to strut across the garden, it would drive him nuts! The barking at the fence for no reason at all would drive some insane, but I thought it was quite amusing. He loved a good toilet roll to chew on and was extremely efficient at destroying political paraphernalia come election time. Even in his old man years, Faych still had that playful, puppy temperament.

But the best thing about Faych was his loving, gentle, and caring nature. He just loved to be with his people, side by side. Be that in the garden, hanging out the washing, going for a drive, walks, sitting on the couch, washing the car, or just being by your side in a time of need. No judgement, no complications, no explanation needed. He needed us, and we needed him. And it wasn’t just us, he loved pretty much everyone. A truly angelic soul that touched many.

And its that last paragraph that hurts the most, the simple fact that he is no longer by my side. Faych was my shadow, my little brother, my partner in crime, my best friend. But most of all, he taught me how to love. And I couldn’t have asked for more. While my heart is broken and the pain has been unbearable, I know that he wouldn’t want me to feel that way. While his physical presence is no longer around, his memory will forever be with me.

Thought that I was going crazy
Just having one of those days, yeah
Didn't know what to do
Then there was you

And everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one
Was tired of running out of luck
Thinking 'bout giving up, yeah
Didn't know what to do
Then there was you

And everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one (Meant to be as one)
'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one

Everything went from wrong to right
And the stars came out, filled up the sky
The music you were playing really blew my mind
It was love at first sight
Love at first sight, love at first sight
Love, ooh, it was love, it was love at first sight

'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one (Meant to be as one)
'Cause, baby, when I heard you
For the first time, I knew
We were meant to be as one

It was love, it was love, it was love, it was love
Ooh, it was love, it was love, it was love, it was love
Ooh, it was love, it was love, it was love, it was love

I don’t tear up a lot D but I just did. You gave him a great life.

 

[Dai Uy Ted]

Mojo and Lucy, patiently awaiting Santa (and trusting that his suit is flame-retardant).

 

[Mach VII]

Frisbee fun!

 

[WD Pro]

Well I didn't want to say anything until we knew we were out of the woods, but Jess has recently consumed another of her nine lives ... lol

About three months ago she switched of her eating, had massive weight loss (she was never a big cat anyway - circa 3.0 Kg), and became virtually unresponsive, barely being able to lift her head and pretty much doing nothing but drooling ...

After multiple consultations, tests, scans, and finally surgery, things started to look up - glad we had pet insurance (but we still exceeded the claim limit)

Fast forward a few months and the fur has grown back, the weight has gone back on, and she is probably the most content (and mischievous) that she has ever been

A few photos of her over that progression :

Post opp, when she returned home :

Our eldest, tricking her into having her drugs :

Finally fully recovered, sleeping whilst I watch TV (last night) :

Lets hope she doesn't plan on using up anymore of her nine lives anytime soon !

WD

 

[Joshinator99]

Well I didn't want to say anything until we knew we were out of the woods, but Jess has recently consumed another of her nine lives ... lol

About three months ago she switched of her eating, had massive weight loss (she was never a big cat anyway - circa 3.0 Kg), and became virtually unresponsive, barely being able to lift her head and pretty much doing nothing but drooling ...

After multiple consultations, tests, scans, and finally surgery, things started to look up - glad we had pet insurance (but we still exceeded the claim limit)

Fast forward a few months and the fur has grown back, the weight has gone back on, and she is probably the most content (and mischievous) that she has ever been

A few photos of her over that progression :

Post opp, when she returned home :

Our eldest, tricking her into having her drugs :

Finally fully recovered, sleeping whilst I watch TV (last night) :

Lets hope she doesn't plan on using up anymore of her nine lives anytime soon !

WD

Ahhh…so glad she’s back and doing well. Sounds like she had a good scare there. When cats stop eating more than one missed meal it’s ALWAYS a bad sign.

Edit: forgot to post the obligatory animal pic! Here’s Sadie “helping” me make the bed

 

[Mach VII]

Lent a helping hand to this poor guy today. Heard him smack into our deck door and found him totally disoriented so picked him up and brought him inside. Held him in my hands for about ten minutes then brought him back out though he held on to my finger for a bit longer before finally flying away...

 

[Joshinator99]

Lent a helping hand to this poor guy today. Heard him smack into our deck door and found him totally disoriented so picked him up and brought him inside. Held him in my hands for about ten minutes then brought him back out though he held on to my finger for a bit longer before finally flying away...

Nice work my man! Golden-crowned kinglet, my wife just informed me. Thanks for taking care of the little guy.

 

[DFB5.0]

I was sent this video on Monday night, I'm told he's got quite the personality already.

 

[Mach VII]

Work is on a reduced staff schedule for the holidays and today is my day to hold down the fort. I'm always on the road, going into peoples houses so highly unusual to be sitting at a desk available to answer the phone. Winslow meets me at the door every work day and looks at me "I'm going with you today, right?" and I always tell him not today, I need him to hold down the fort and take car of his (dog)ma.... Today was different, should have seen the look on his face when I didn't leave right away and came back for his leash & water bowl!

 

[WD Pro]

Had visitors last night - 13 of us in total including two (noisy) under 5 year olds.

Jess kept herself out of the way / out of reach, and just chilled on top of the kitchen units :

Jasmine stayed out of the way completely and hid in one of the bedrooms.

It’s the other side of the family tonight (11 of us total, and not quite as noisy), maybe the cats will be a bit more sociable … ? lol

WD

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