Where to bury a dog.

[Don McCarron]

I found this in an English newspaper in Spain.

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There are various places in which a dog may be buried.

I am thinking now of a setter whose coat was flame in the sunshine and who, so far as I am aware, never entertained a mean or unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam and, at it's proper season, the cherry tree strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree or an apple or any shrub is an excellent place to bury a dog.

Beneath such trees, such shrubs he slept in the drowsy summer or gnawed at a flavourous bone or lifted his head to challenge some intruder. These are good places in life or in death.

Yet it is a small matter for if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, laughing, begging it matters not at all where that dog sleeps.

On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and trees are roaring or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture lane where most exhilarating cattle grazed is all one to the dog, and all one to you. And nothing is gained, nothing is lost if memory lives.

But there is one place to bury a dog, if you bury him in this spot he will come to you when you call, come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death and down the well remembered path and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they shall not growl at him nor resent his coming for he belongs there. People may laugh at you who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper, people who never really had a dog. Smile at them for you shall know something that is hidden from them and which is well worth the knowing.

The best place to bury a dog is in the heart of his master.

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I always send this to friends or relatives when they have lost a dog. I think it's a lovely piece and very true.

[Aspen and Misty]

O I loved that!

Ash

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

That is so sweet. Thank you for sharing.

[Twisterdog]

Oh, that made me cry. :( Thanks for sharing it.

[Cookiebaker]

That is so sad, and makes me cry for my M'lady pups. That really touched me. Thanks for sharing...

[Sudilar]

Beautiful! (sniff, sniff)

[sammi]

Tearjerker. Thanks for posting.

[koxka]

Don MacCarron are you spanish or just do you live here?

I'm asking that because, there's only 2 spanish members in this board one is me an the other one is Sirocco.

Anyway, WELCOME TO PT :)

[Don McCarron]

I'm English, I was working on the Costa del Sol.

It seems like so long ago now, I'd wish I was back there if I hadn't missed my dogs so much.

[Cookiebaker]

Welcome to pet talk, Don! Tell us about your dogs!! Do you have any pictures?? :D

[Don McCarron]

Thanks to you cookiebaker and thanks to everyone else for your welcome.

I was trying to explain to my daughter about terrorism and got myself quite depressed about the state of the world but then it occurred to me that it's just the bad people who get in the news and that there's an overwhelming majority of good people out there. Finding this site confirmed that to me.

We have two German Shepherds who are both now old ladies.

Heidi is ten years old, handsome, brave, intelligent and totally devoted to me.

Penny is nine, pretty, not very brave, a bit dim and loves everybody.

Unfortunately, despite our going to "reputable" breeders they both developed hip problems quite early but we discovered a wonderful product called Metacam which has kept them both supple and pain free for years.

This was the first time I'd been to a breeder but I think I'll be going back to the rescue centre (probably for cross-breeds) when the time comes.

I'm afraid I haven't looked at my scanner's manual since I got it, I'm a bit low tech, but I'll put some pictures up soon.

Thankyou again for your warm welcome.

[Logan]

Don, I'm a little late on the welcome to you. But you have found the same special group that all of us enjoy so much. And I must say, your first contribution was surely a special one.

I live in SC, USA and I am blessed by the presence of two beautiful (muddy at the moment) Golden Retriever girls. I am interested in learning more about this miracle medication you have obtained to help your Shepherds and their hip problems. I have never heard of it before. Do you get it at your vet's office or at a health food store? Please enlighten us!! So many of these large breeds have so many hip problems!

Welcome to Pet Talk. I hope you will contribute regularly and keep us up to date on your senior girls, who I know must be very spoiled and very beautiful.

Logan :)

[anna_66]

That really hit home for me. I knew exactly where my dog should be burried & that's where she is (in my heart), and will always be:) Thank you for sharing.

[Don McCarron]

Metacam comes as an oral suspension with a little syringe for squirting onto your dog's food.

There is another word on the front of the box, Meloxicam, I suspect this is the generic name for the drug.

It's for the alleviation of inflammation and pain in both acute and chronic musculo-skeletal disorders.

The manufacturer is -

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma KG
55216 Ingelheim/rhein
Germany

It also says on the box that it's subject to veterinary subscription but I don't know whether that applies in the US or not.

Penny showed signs of chronic arthritis at only 12 months and certainly couldn't have managed without it. Although she is, understandably for a nine year old GSD, now looking a little stiff she has had a very energetic and happy life. We once ran out of Metacam just before a holiday weekend and the rate of deterioration in her was alarming. I have no doubt that the drug has given Penny her life and I now keep two spare bottles.

Heidi was diagnosed with hip displasia (sp?) at two years old and I decided to give her Metacam too. The weekend we ran out proved to me how much she also benefitted from taking it. She is, like many dogs, ball crazy and she just wouldn't have been Heidi if she hadn't been able to run around like an idiot. Although she now occasionally sits down without meaning to she and Penny are very good for their age and I just feel that every year is a bonus considering their genetic disadvantages.

I wouldn't recommend Metacam for mild or temporary pain relief, but it's an absolute lifesaver for dogs with joint conditions like Heidi and Penny especially those more usually associated with the onset of old age.

I hope this is of some help. It's awful to think of dogs suffering uneccessarily especially as they can't tell us.

Please let me know if you find out how to get it in the US.

Don.

[stacwase]

That was beautiful. Did you write it?

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Welcome to Pet Talk!! I will save your post for future reference since I have a GSD/Wolf hybrid and the vet says that he may develop hip diplasia as time goes by. Drake is only 2 so I hope we still have a while.

I look forward to seeing pictures of your GSDs!

[Don McCarron]

Much as I'd love to lay claim to the piece I found it in an English newspaper in Spain.

I must dig the original out and credit the authour on this board. I didn't realise it would cause such a stir!

[Sudilar]

Hi, Don! Welcome!!! I also have two rescued GSDs. Thanks for the info. I copied it and will save it because since I will always have rescued GSDs, I'm sure the info will come in handy in the future. At the moment, Killian (my 8 1/2 yr. old) has good hips, but he has liver disease. Shiloh (my 4 1/2 yr.old) has never been x-rayed, but seems fine.

You will enjoy this site. It is addictive. Again, welcome. Woohoo, more GSDs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lizbud]

It's a beautiful poem.

It's from the book "Old Dogs Remembered" by Ben Hur
Lampman. It's on many Pet Loss websites. It was a great
comfort to me, still is.

[ramanth]

That was lovely!!

I join the others in saying, WELCOME TO PETTALK!!! :D

I live in Michigan and have a Husky/ACD mix. :)