Do You Ever Wonder...?

[jennifert9]

I didn't know where to post this....

For those of you who have adopted your dog...
Do you ever wonder what became of the others in the litter? Or the mother?

I sometimes look at Duncan and ask him "Did you have brothers and sisters? Where are they now? Do they look like you? Did you like them? Did you get along with them? Were you the bully or the runt or in-between? Do you miss them? Do you even remember them?"

"What were you doing for the 6 months before I met you? Where were you? Why did someone give you up? Why, why, why.....?"

"Are you happy with me? Am I a good mom? Do you ever wish some else adopted you? Are you the way you are because of me or in spite of me? Who are you really? What have you seen? What can I learn from you?"

I look at him sometimes, right before we go to sleep, and he curls up next to me, with some part of his body touching mine(because he knows I can't sleep otherwise;))...and I think these things...I wonder how he got so smart, I look into his eyes and I KNOW he knows something I don't...he knows ME.

I would give anything to know how I was so blessed to have him. When everything else seems to go wrong, I think to myself, "Well, I have Duncan to go home to so God hasn't completely forgotten about me, he sent me an angel and that angel is waiting at home for me and will make me laugh and smile and go on no matter what..."

I hope this doesn't sound dismal because it is not the way I feel...I just am constantly amazed by my good fortune and I wonder what brought this particular dog to me.....

I know alot of you must feel the same way...please share your stories here....

For those of you who don't already know, Duncan has a scar about 2 inches wide all the way around his neck. The vet thinks that he was tied up somewhere and left and the collar/wire grew into his neck and he finally escaped this prison and was wandering the neighborhood eating garbage until the SPCA in my hometown found him...

And then he found me....

What has he seen? How can he possibly wag his tail all the time....?
(If this was a human being, we would give them 25 years of counseling and STILL make excuses for them....I am just amazed every single day at my brave dog...at EVERY dog.)

God, I wish he could talk! Please, God, when I die, let me get the answers to these questions...

Please share your questions/answers/thoughts/feelings...let me know that I am not the only one that does this....!

Please!! (Otherwise, I may have to go get some counseling!!;)) :)

[aly]

I do it all the time too. Not only with my own dogs, but with all my fosters as well.

Even though I know some of Lolly's background, I still wonder things. I wonder what she looked like as a young puppy. I wonder how she acted before she endured the 5 years of abuse from that @#$*(#$@(. I wish I could see Reecie as a puppy too. Reece's past is more hazy than what I know about Lolly's. He was at the kill shelter once and the no-kill three times before I adopted him (he was just a year old and I was his 5th home :eek: ). I wonder what all of his homes were like, how long he was in each one, etc.

I know that fate brought me to my dogs. I wasn't planning to adopt either of them, it just happened. That is the only thing I know for sure. I know I will always wonder, but when I look into their eyes, a lot of things are answered. I know they love me and they're grateful to be out of the terrible situations they were in before. Nothing compares to the love of a rescued dog.

[Oggyflute]

Possum is our only rescue pup, and her details are unknown. I'm just happy we are able to give her a loving home.:)

[gemini9961]

I got my 2 as pups so I know pretty much all of their history except where they came from before I got them. I have UKC registration on Sadie so I know who the breeder is and I have Sadie's mom and dad's name but I have no other info about them. Maggie well, not to sure about her mom and dad. I know that they love me so much, well me and my fiance. I know they are happy to have such a loving and happy home with cozy beds, meals and treats and lots of doggie family. I wish they could talk because my oh my I bet Maggie would never stop. She is so hyper she would probably talk and talk. Sadie on the other hand would more likely carry on a conversation with me. The things they would tell us if they could talk would be amazing. But if they could talk it would take the mystery out of it and it wouldn't be the same. God made them this way for a reason and as neat as it would be to have them talk, I don't think they are meant for that. They are meant to be our faithful loving companions to love us unconditionally. (Too bad not all people realize this and abuse the poor pups :mad: ) Ok that's all from me. :)

[k9krazee]

Jack is my only rescue pup and I got him when he was about 3 months old. I do wonder where he came from, how many brothers and sisters he had, what his parents looked like...ect. There was someone I "met" on dogster though that has a pup the same age as Jack and we think that they could probably be brothers. His name is Jake and they got him from a rescue when he was about 8 weeks old and they only live about an hour away from us. It is quite possible that they are related, they look a lot alike but why didn't Jack get adopted until he was 3 months old and Jake when he was 8 wks? I will probably never know but I am soo glad Jack is a part of my life!

[finn's mom]

My RB boy, Bruno, wasn't in a shelter, but, I was his third owner and he was a year old. I know the people that had him prior to me were really good to him, but, they were a much older couple and knew they couldn't give him what he needed. I know his first owner wasn't that sweet to him, and, I always wanted to see baby pictures of him. That's the only thing I ever really regreted, was not knowing what he looked like as a baby. :)

[chocolatepuppy]

I often wonder about Lacey and Mandys littermates. Why was Lacey the only one left? Why didn't anyone want her? She was at the shelter a month. :( And with Mandy, her and her 3 littermates were thrown in a dumpster. :( I often wonder if any of her littermates have a bad heart like she does. I called the shelter when I found out about her heart and they said no one had called and told them if the others did.
These are things I'll probably never know, but I do know this, they are loved now. :)
This is a great thread jennifert9 and just gotta tell ya,your Duncan is absolutely adorable! :)

[sammy101]

Kodie is my first rescue.He was dumped with his sister at 3 weeks old,under a bridge on the highway.We adopted Kodie the same day another family adopted his sister,Billy.I dont know where his first few weeks of life were spent,how someone could dump him like that...i really dont know.I love him so much.
I have no idea is Lucy has siblings.A lady brought her into the shelter.If she does has siblings,she ws the last one to be adopted...(by us;) ).i love her so much too.
The only thing i would really like to know are their True mixes...what breeds are they!?Thats all i want to know really:p :)

[K9soul]

This is an issue close to my heart, because when I went to the pound and adopted Tasha, she was there with one other littermate, her sister. I could not take both of course, but it broke my heart to take her and leave her sister there, it truly did. And I frequently think of her sister when I look at Tash, and wonder where she ended up and if she's ok. When I first saw both of them, I actually was more attracted to her sister because she was more reddish and I just love red coloring in dogs, but then after her initial interest in me, she ran off to play with toys, while Tash sat next to me gazing into my eyes and wagging... I took her up in my arms and never let go. She left with me.

It is hard. I still feel guilty too, six years later. I hope and pray with all my heart that Tasha's sister also found a loving forever home.

[wolfsoul]

I got to see all of Timber's sisters. I even met the owner of one, but I never saw her dog. She had one sister who was identical to her except bigger and not as fluffy. I always look for that dog. I would love to see if they still look the same.

[lute]

i wonder these thing all the time too! Beanie was 3 when we got him, so a lot happend. i want to know who his previos owners were. if i knew it would answer a ot of questions like why he's terrified of linoleum floors, why he has had to LEARN to play, why he is scared to eat in front of people, etc.

[JenBKR]

I just adopted my dog a few weeks ago and I want so much to be able to ask him if he is happy with us...although he seems to be!:)

[Kfamr]

One thing I always wonder about, but am grateful for...is WHY?
Why were they left in the shelter?
Why was Simba a stray at 4 months, and then never adopted until 8 months?
Why was Nala left there with her littermates?
Why was Kiara left to wander on a busy road?
Why didn't anyone else care enough to take them home?
Did they not like them? Were they not cute enough?
Why was Simba left to die?
Why did Kiara choose ME?


I especially think about Simba. Kiara and Nala were young puppies so I bet they would have gotten adopted if I didn't. Simba was 8 months old and was going to be put to death if he wasn't adopted soon. He was there for 4 months. WHY???

[LauraT7]

"I look at him sometimes, right before we go to sleep, and he curls up next to me, with some part of his body touching mine(because he knows I can't sleep otherwise)...and I think these things...I wonder how he got so smart, I look into his eyes and I KNOW he knows something I don't...he knows ME.

I would give anything to know how I was so blessed to have him. When everything else seems to go wrong, I think to myself, "Well, I have Duncan {Tristan for me} to go home to so God hasn't completely forgotten about me, he sent me an angel and that angel is waiting at home for me and will make me laugh and smile and go on no matter what..."

that was said so beautifully - and is exactly how I felt about my precious Rainbow Bridge boy - Tristan.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/p32e6e05ecbe25a4a440dcd3482582f75/f3dc14e9.jpg

Tristan was turned over to a county shelter at about 18 mos because he was "too mouthy and jumpy with our 3 yr old"

the shelter placed Tristan with Golden Rescue, and he was in a foster family and then their shelter facility for SIX months. this amazes me, because he had such charming personality that many of the rescue volunteers loved him and followed our story with him for years after we adopted him.

Why was he passed up for so long? he was a charmer - affectionate, playful and funny. A golden mix - his 'handsome stranger' half was unknown. he had an adorable 't' cowlick on his nose, and a curly coat that looked like a dark golden with a bad trim. Heavy callus' on his elbows and knees told that he may have been kept for a long time in a kennel or hard floor. Tristan may have been neglected, or abused - I don't know. what I do know is that it wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge - he loved everybody and everything!

I figure his long time in rescue had to be because he was destined for us. Tristan fit our family like we were made for each other. "jumpy and mouthy"? no - Tristan simply needed to be a part of a family. once he felt secure in our love, the mouthiness and jumping simply vanished. Tristan was the most gentle, sweet and loving dog.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid171/pa2f4041df3e8eb6fc211b2c43d72adcf/f3d8517d.jpg
Tristan making 'new friends' on the trail at Devil's Lake

Easygoing, friendly, and always happy - Tristan made friends wherever he went. And he 'went' everywhere with us - he went car shopping with me the first week we had him - he LOVED car rides and helped me pick out my van. He went on many scout outings and some campouts with us - the boys adored him. He loved water - he'd play in a water dish or the whole lake - it didn't matter to him!

Sadly, we were only granted a short time with our lovable clown - a little over three years. In Sept of 2004 we found he had Lymphoma. Every attempt was made to extend his life with chemo- he responded well - we had a bitter-sweet fall of adventures together. In Dec, however, he relapsed and we could not get a second remission, and he crossed to the Bridge in January 2005. Tristan was only 5 yrs old.

Tristan will always be my heart-dog. And I will always wonder about those first years of his life that I missed, and I will always look for any dog that might have been a littermate, or have a 'spark' of his charming personality, his quirky cowlick, or his laughing golden eyes.

Laura

[jennifert9]

I just found this thread again....I rejoined Pet Talk again after many, many years and Karen was kind enough to restore all my "old" settings since I forgot my password. I have been going through some past posts of mine, reflecting, remembering and looking for old friends...and I came across this...

Brought me to tears. As some of you may know, I had to put Duncan to sleep on 12/16/10 and I still miss him terribly. This thread is bittersweet to me.

Thought it might be nice to bring this back up again as everyone seemed to like it then and I am sure there are new members that would like to post their stories.

I have not been able to bring myself to get another pet yet. However, someday I may have another dog and I hope to be able to have these questions again...let my heart love again. Let adoption and rescue be Duncan's legacy.

[Taz_Zoee]

You do not need counseling because I'm sure there are a bunch of us out there.
I got Taggart when he was also 6 months old and I always wonder what his life was like the first 6 months. I have a feeling it wasn't all that good. He cowers/flinches when you raise your hand above your head. He doesn't like it when we yell (even if its not in anger).
But now (almost 3 years later) he is the goofiest dog I've ever met. He also likes to be touching me when he's on the bed. I just recently tested this. I had my hand over his paw and I slowly moved it off his paw and put it on the bed next to his. Five seconds later he lifted his paw and put it on my hand. :)

All I do know is he was meant to be our dog. When I first met him at the shelter I squatted down to see him and he laid his head on my leg. That was it. He was mine. I had to wait until the next day to get him and almost didn't make it. Luckily I volunteer at the shelter so the adoption counselor took me abck right away to see him. Another couple was also interested in him, but we beat them to him. :D


I am so sorry about Duncan. It made reading the original thread very emotional. :( I'm sure someday when you are ready you will find another dog that will fill that hole in your heart. Not to replace Duncan, of course, but just another pup to love.

[Varga]

I got all teary eyed from reading that original post and then realising when it was written and that Duncan had passed on. I'm so very sorry for your loss. It's very clear that you two loved each other a lot! :love: And even if you didn't know about his past, I'm sure the years you did have together were precious to both of you.

I gotta say I wonder about my Taggart sometimes too. I got him when he was about a year old or so and I know a few things about his previous "home" but obviously I don't know anything about his mother or potential litter mates. I wish I could see a picture of him as a puppy though. He's so darn cute as it is that I'm sure a puppy picture would just be total cuteness overload!

When I got Taggart he was wearing a collar that his previous owners put on him, which was clearly too worn and too old to have just belonged to him. Was the dog who owned the collar before him worth more love than he was, or did they just abandon that dog to a lonely life on a chain too? If they did treat that previous dog the same way... then why did they get another one?? People don't make a lot of sense sometimes.

[kaycountrygal]

I read all the posts for this thread and was dismayed to read that Duncan has passed on. I am sorry for your loss.

I dont know anything about Annie's life before she came here as a stray. The vet thought she was a year old when I took her for a checkup and shots etc. I was going to have her spayed but she found a scar from previous spay.

I've often said to Annie:

Why would anybody spend the money to have you spayed and then throw you away?

Why are you so scared of loud noises, especially thunder and guns?

Why are you so skittish around people, especially men at the beginning? I think she was abused in various ways.

Why did they get rid of such a sweet dog as you are?

Where did you come from?

Why did someone probably bring you out to the country and turn you loose? You must have been so scared and you lived off the land and you were skinny and covered in ticks but luckily you found me.

How could they do that to such a good girl?

Then I tell her she's a good girl and nobody will ever hurt her or throw her away again. A pat on the head or a hug makes her go happy and round and round. She really is a sweet good natured dog.

[wolf_Q]

So sorry to hear about Duncan. :(

I've had all my dogs except Killer as puppies. But I still wonder what happened to their parents and siblings. After having Nebo for a year I contacted the lady who bred him and went back to visit. Recently before someone had brought back his brother...it was just that pup and Nebo left when I picked Nebo so I remembered seeing him as a pup. As pups he and Nebo looked like twins...it was weird to see how much different they looked at a year old. The brother (Rusty) wasn't neutered and had been an outside dog, his fur was much thicker and ragged looking and he was somewhat aggressive. I don't know what happened to him after that the lady was trying to find him a new home. Another couple years after that when I was looking on petfinder all the time because I wanted another husky I found his parents on there for adoption. :( I know it was them for sure their names were Kiara and Kovu which aren't super common names plus I had pics that matched their markings. At least they were with a rescue not a kill shelter, hope they found homes.

I have no idea what happened to any of Keva's parents or siblings, the city I got her in isn't really close so it's unlikely I'd run into any of them. I still talk to the lady who gave me Skya her parents are loved and spoiled pups she keeps in contact with at least some of the pups owners too. I ran into one of her siblings at my work one day, at least I'm pretty positive it was he was the same age, close to the same size, and looked just like her except for brown eyes.

Corby got Killer from a guy who was moving out of the country. He had two lab/pit mixes one was a puppy but he had rehomed that one first. Corby doesn't know too much of his history but I believe that guy was his only other owner and the guy let him sleep in his bed at night so he couldn't have had it too bad. ;) I'm glad he didn't end up in the shelter I don't imagine he would have made it out of there being a big black dog and a mix of two of the most common breeds in shelters. :(

[Alysser]

I am so sorry to see Duncan has passed on. :love: May he rest in peace. The first post was great. I can tell Duncan was loved greatly by you. Hang in there.

I got Mikey from a women who's husband had just died and her kids felt bad and bought him for her. I know he was bought from a pet store originally, however, I really hope his mother and father are not sitting in a crappy puppymill somewhere. :( As for his siblings, I don't know how much he had or anything like that. I don't really know much about his puppyhood either, I know he wasn't abused or anything, at least not physically. He was stuck in the cage for most of the day and night though, and when we first got him he absolutely HATED his cage. Hated the thought of EVER going in it again. We had to re-crated train him. He now is a good boy and only goes in his cage at night or when there's a thunderstorm coming and we're not home. :) Usually he stays out, even when we aren't home and he's such a good dog. He's terrified of thunder to. But that's not anyone's fault.

I also wonder if he ever misses his old owner, she was a very sweet lady. I don't think he misses his old lifestyle of always being in his crate, not getting walks, etc. but he might miss her. When I e-mail his owner she never really responds back, which is a shame, because she said she'd love to see pictures of him. I know she was heartbroken having to give him up.

He's the love of my life, I only hope he feels the same!

[dab_20]

Both Molli and Sammy I got as puppies.
Molli I have known since she was 3 days old. She was my friend's accidental litter. I picked her out because she had spots of apricot and the other puppies were white, and she had such a lively personality. She had two other brothers, I know one went to my hockey coach at school at the time. I don't know where the siblings are now. I know her dad, Lucky, died about a year ago. Her mom, Lily, still lives with my friend.
Sam I found through a newspaper ad. (I know it's bad that I purchased, I know better now) I knocked on the person's door and a friend from school answered the door! Sam had 8 brothers and sisters. Only 2 of them, including him, lived. I think it was the mom who rejected them and they had to be hand raised. He was the last one left. His parents were so beautiful and friendly. His dad was a chocolate parti and his mom was buff.

Springen is the mystery pup. We got him around 7 months old. He was very skinny and had a few illnesses. We know after he grew out of the tiny puppy stage he was put on a chain outside. What amazed me about him is what a HAPPY dog he was. Just absolutely loves people, such a kind dog. He obviously wasn't treated well his first few months. That family lost an amazing dog.

That's the thing about dogs. They are intelligent, but simple minded. They don't dwell on the past. They see whats here and now. Humans need to learn a thing or two from them.

[IRescue452]

I wonder who the heck had purebred cocker spaniel puppies and turned at least two of them loose instead of selling them. Wallace was a stray and so was his brother and they were just about 4 months old.

I wonder what Naylee's past was really about. I know she was bred in MI and I know her sob story from her last owner who adopted her from the Humane Association was that she was tied outside in a backyard starving and abused. But that story seems too much for her. Yes, she eats poop and maybe was hungry, but her info from the shelter said 56lbs I think so she was only 10 pounds underweight. And the owner they got her from complied with vaccinations and getting her spayed. And it looks like she was never bred which might be odd for an unspayed female who was supposedly left outdoors. And she's not afraid of people. I just think she wasn't treated so bad as the sob story. I always wonder if her fear of thunderstorms and loud noises came from being tried as a gun dog or protection dog.