A bunch of you have left comments about Wolfgang - thanks to everyone, it means a lot. One comment that comes up repeatedly is whether we are going to get another dog. The short answer is no.
Wolfgang was quite an unusual dog. He was literally the best socialized and friendliest dog that I have ever seen. He was super friendly with both other dogs and people - particularly children, who he always thought would want to play with him. He was almost always right.
But he also lived to do what we wanted him to. I've never had a dog that was so well trained, and I give all the credit to Wolfgang. We've had a couple times since he died that we dog sat, and while we liked the dogs they were conspicuous in how they were not well trained like he was. And this includes two German Shepherds. Not at all as well behaved and eager to please.
I was surprised at how annoyed I was by this. Make no mistake, they were all good dogs, but I was spoiled by Wolfgang. Spoiled rotten, in fact.
And so, to bastardize Paul Newman's phrase, I don't want to have hamburger after having a steady diet of steak. Maybe we'll change our mind, but not any time soon.
14 comments:
It seems like asking a parent who just lost a child if they will adopt another one or create one the old fashioned way.
libertyman, I think that people have been trying to sympathize and suggest ways to get past this. That's why I put up this post.
- Borepatch
In your own time.
I too do not understand those who lose a dog and immediately get another one.
I may well never get another dog. As you said. Steak vs hamburger.
B, yeah. And he wasn't just a dog, he was perhaps the ultimate dog. We think we spoiled him, but he sure spoiled us. That's the problem getting a new dog, boiled down into a few words.
- Borepatch
Dogs bring out the best in good people. I'll not discuss the bad folks here.
Dogs tend to be a reflection of their PEOPLE.
Like untrained children, untrained dogs can have bad habits and even go feral.
We have to make time for our dogs, our dogs have all the time we need ready.
I'm still searching for my old Sadie. In your own time Friend, in your own time.
No more dogs for my wife and I.
I am at the age the dog may out live me and I don't need the heartache if they die first.
“It seems like asking a parent who just lost a child if they will adopt another one or create one the old fashioned way.”
Yeah - hey BP: I didn’t mean to nag or tell ya what to do or step on your toes.
Libertyman is both right and wrong. I see it slightly differently: I recently lost a piece of my heart the way you did, and I replaced it as best I could. The fit is painful at times but I don’t regret it for a second. I’m a retard farm kid who’s always had dawgs so I don’t know anything else. Whadda I know?
Stick to your guns.
I lost my heart dog almost 13 years ago now. I still can't commit to getting another dog. I toy with the idea now and then but I know I will regret it if I do adopt another, there is no way they can compare to what I had with Diva and it's not fair to them to set them up for failure.
I've had to shepherd (see what I did there...) two other dogs through to their ends since Diva (not my choice, but I had to step up to the plate) and I felt guilty that I couldn't love them like they deserved. I did the best I could but I was relieved each time when it was over.
Here's a link to Diva's story:
https://thedailycorgi.com/2010/08/in-memoriam-diva.html
I still cry when I read that. Not ready.
Diane
Understood, and agreed.
I understand. The emotional ties with a good dog are awesome. There is no hurry, if the right one comes along, do the right thing.
I'm like Filthie, I've always had a dog. Now that we live in the sticks of Tennessee, we have an old dog, a new dog and two in between. All females except the new one. Females are protective, territorial, and stay close to home (no fences). The new one is our first male, he's being raised, trained differently than the females. All are well mannered and well loved.
We have had 5 GSD's. All were/are superdogs! I had reservations about getting another one due to my age. Now, we have family nearby that love our boy as much as we do. Texson
Diane,
It took me a week to screw my courage to the sticking point and read that link.
But thank you for posting it.
- Borepatch
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