I've been gone too long as well
I've been gone a long time - missed you all. I think of all the friendships I made over the years and the vast knowledge I gained since 2003. I first logged on a few days after losing my beloved Shaggy. You heard my stories of "Ole" Blue, then his eventual passing at the grand old age of 19, you shared Merlin's puppyhood with me, next was Panda's rescue, then along came Gilligan the ole boy whom people on this forum contributed to his medical expenses when I was asked to pull him from the shelter. You shared his passing with me too. Eventually it was Panda's turn. It was so painful after I lost Panda I never did write his memorial...then it was Merlin's turn to go to the bridge last year and my heart hurt so much. Merlin was the only one of my shaggy crew whom I had since puppyhood and was not a rescue but purchased from a reputable breeder. He had never been sick a day in his life unlike the others from humble beginnings but managed to live long lives.I thought I'd have Merlin for many more years. Sadly at age 11, he was diagnosed with cancer and the tumor was in his palate. My vet and the oncologist did not think surgery was an option so with a lot of heartbreak I had to let him go after a few weeks. I see some of you on FB ,so you may know I still share my life with Snoop (my Pitbull/Mastiff) who is an honorary Sheepie as he was raised by Merlin and Panda since the age of 13 wks, eventually sharing his life with Panda and Gilligan as well. He's now nearing 11 years old and has always had Sheepie siblings. A year and a half ago we adopted Sally- a silly 125 pound OES/Newfie mix who was roaming a town for 2 years and then spent the next 5 months in a shelter. I still have my assortment of rescue animals many who are special needs,cruelty seizures and aged - cats, bunnies, guinea pigs and chickens and Snoop who has always grown up with them all loves and protects his little friends. Sally...not so much........We were told she was "good" with small animals but we realized quickly she viewed them as a food source. I do understand her reasoning as she survived on her own for a long time but the little ones safety is also a priority so it made for some adjustments in our yard and home. The kitties have an outdoor catio attached to their foster cat room (safe from Sally) the chickens no longer take leisurely walks around the yard with Snoop but are behind a 10 foot fence in a 50 foot enclosure. The bunnies and guinea pigs still enjoy outdoor time on sunny days (they have a huge Mastiff cage in a heated indoor garage) but Sally is brought in when it's the bunnies turn to go out. Whew! However, we've made it work as luckily we have the room for all the animals to have their own space and are all safe. I'm sure I'm soon be sharing stories again of Snoop and Sally. I can't wait to catch up on stories of your furkids and I'm so glad to see so many familiar faces and can't wait to meet new friends. Cheers! Marianne |
|
|
| Hi Marianne, Great to see you posting here. Sorry for the losses of your furkids. |
| So sorry to hear about your losses also but awfully happy to see you back on here. I'm not on FB much but was really wondering about Sally. Does she still swim thru the shrubs? Sorry that she doesn't take kindly to small animals but as usual you have it under control. Our neighbors have two chickens about 2-3 years old. They've decided they like it here. Roost under the grill that I put a heavy blanket around to keep the warmer in the winter and I do put some food and water out for them as don't know what the neighbors are providing. Poor husband gets the pleasure of scraping the deck, didn't know they could poop so much. Hope to see more of you on here. |
| Thank you for the welcome back from you both! I truly missed all the kind people who visited these forums. Loved hearing about the chickens and that you are looking out for them. They are incredible little beings with loads of personality. Can't wait to hear more about them. |
| Holy cow Marianne!! I was so glad to see your post. Sounds like you are still so so busy with all the animals. I have to say I was so sad to hear of your dear Merlin's passing - it's never easy to let them go but especially hard with some. Vic and I recently were talking about you at the dinner table! We recently got a new puppy and were thinking back to the beginning years of the forum. I'd love to catch up more. (and I do have a facebook page but I almost never visit facebook - too much hassle and drama!) Shellie |
| Hi Shellie! You and Vic were talking about me. Hopefully it was all good stuff...ha ha! I can't wait to hear about your new pup and you have to know I'm going to be green eyed (oh wait that is already my eye color) with envy. I am trying to convince my sweetie that yes 3 dogs are doable. We've had up to four. The SPCA in my area recently had two nationwide cruelty seizures of puppymills in our area and it involved some OES. Extremely rare in my area - OES that is....as I've only seen 5 in shelters in over 30 years in my area and I adopted 3 of those. I'm currently in contact with OES rescues in BC and the SPCA in my area as I'm on the list to foster when they can be released. The court case is pending so none of the dogs are free to go to foster or adoption at this time. My personal life took it's toll on me with the destruction of our home from an unscrupulous contractor who then left the country and our home almost unliveable. During this time my son contracted Meningitis and nearly lost his life. Sadly it left him with brain impairment and he was recently in a care facility. Lately, I am dealing with an aged mom and my sister who 3 wks ago was diagnosed with NH Lymphoma . Luckily my animals keep me sane as well as a job which I love and am passionate about. (I work with at-risk youth). I feel the same way about those kids as I do with my four legged pals. I don't discuss personal stuff on FB and try to remain upbeat on post. I'm glad I found my way back here as it's a great place to share happy stories . I can't wait to see photos of your new furkid. Boy? Girl? Name? Personality Traits? Oh I can live vicariously through you all those joys of happy a pup in the home. Take Care! |
| A Newfie sheepie??! Sounds like a delightful mix as both of those breeds are close to my heart. Sorry for the loss of your beloveds, but it happens.........far too soon. We do fill our hearts again as life w/o a furball of some type just doesn't seen possible. Welcome back!..........and no, still haven't joined FB. susan |
 Nice to hear from you again Marianne.......many of us are absent for long time. I still love this place and the forum. So much knowledge and so many nice oes-people. Sorry for your losses, its the bad side that our dogs have such short lives. Sorry you've got a tough time with your sun and mum - then it's so good to have some furry friends.  |
| I didn't realize Snoop is 11, oh my, how time flies. I remember when he first came home to you. I'm happy to hear Sally is keeping you on your toes, that girl. lol |
| It's great to see you back!!! I still read a lot here, but I don't post much. We added a third sheepie back at the end of July, and he keeps us very busy! I look forward to reading more about your adventures! |
| Thanks again for the Welcome Back! Yes, Sally aka Silly Sally is a Newfie/ Sheepie or Sheepie/Newfie- gasp can you imagine? Probably not unless you've either had a Bull in a China Shop or an Elephant in the room. A Third Sheepie! Oh more to love. I can't wait to read stories of your crew. I hope to catch up on the post. Have a great week everyone! |
| Remember Harry was a sheepie x coonhound.........and an absolute perfect dog. Do have to laugh about a Newf period, I was younger and more forgiving, but absolutely LOVED having the big black bear. DH and I only sigh when we see a Newf -- we keep thinking a bitch really isn't that big....................but DH uses a cane now and isn't as mobile so a Newf could do damage. At least Kdog, the grey bear, has learned how to maneuver around him. |
| Hello Marianne! So good to hear from you! I am sorry for all of your hardships and losses since we last met, but glad to hear that you are still loving up all of the planet's furry critters! Sadly, though, our forum has lost many wonderful pups recently, and our Oscar was one of them.  With the help of our amazing vets, we were able to keep him going for over 11 years, which was a miracle. Degenerative neuropathy, a drug resistant infection, and pancreatitis all at once proved to be too much for our boy, so we let him go in November. Still sucks. Really bad. Maybe someday we will be able to get another pup, but not now. Oscar is an incredibly tough act to follow. Hugs to all of your "creatures, great and small"  !!Laurie |
| Marianne, I was thinking about you the other day. Must be psychic! |
| It always saddens me when I hear of the passing of our beloved furkids, Oscar, Harry,Yuki and so many more. Each were so special and I , like others in this great OES family grieved their passing as we knew them for many years from stories and photos. We grew to love them all and share their loss. Hugs to each of you. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|