rtr Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Sorry to hear of your loss. Take comfort in the fact that you did the right thing at the end and gave Winston a great life. Really enjoyed the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PINMAN44 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Sorry to hear about your loss. Such a beautiful, sweet looking animal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinMike Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Dave, I'm very sorry to hear about Winston. As a fellow "dog person" I know this is real tough. He was a good little guy and I'm going to miss seeing him around your house. If you need anything, give me a shout. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks for all your support, everyone. Means a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Sorry brother - tough situation. I put all mine down within the last few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intel6 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Dave, as a fellow Dachshund lover I send my condolances. I have lived with them all my life and certainly know how attached you get to them. Here is our full sized shorthair Heidi in the Christmas spirit: And here is the newest addition to the family, Maximillion: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 So sorry to hear of your family's loss, Dave. My first dog of my own was a miniature Dachshund I got for my 10th birthday, named Tobie. I see yours was still very lean for such a long life as mine was. Many end up resembling me and have back problems as a result (too much weight to carry over such a long spine, I guess). I later learned they were bred for hunting badgers, and from my experience that gene is still dominant. I raised Dobermanns as house pets/guard dogs for over 20 years, and occasionally worked with some trainers as an 'agitator' (you know, the half-baked guy in the protective gear who deliberately lets dogs bite him?). I can say without hesitation that Dachshunds are pound-for-pound just as tenacious, proud and stalwart as any larger breed I've seen. Don't ever doubt that Winston (cool name, BTW) would have risked his own life in battle for you, and given half a chance, would have prevailed in the fight. It's about impossible to ever be as good a friend to them as they are to us but you came through and did the right thing. Y'all take your time and let the hurt pass knowing the good memories will remain. Take care, buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Man....... I am sorry to hear you have lost your friend and family member.... I Know he had a good life with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 My first dog of my own was a miniature Dachshund I got for my 10th birthday, named Tobie. I see yours was still very lean for such a long life as mine was. Many end up resembling me and have back problems as a result (too much weight to carry over such a long spine, I guess). Yes, exactly - we keep them all fairly lean. They stay fit by all the running around, anyway, so you control portions, and they stay in good, solid shape... I later learned they were bred for hunting badgers, and from my experience that gene is still dominant. ... I can say without hesitation that Dachshunds are pound-for-pound just as tenacious, proud and stalwart as any larger breed I've seen. Don't ever doubt that Winston (cool name, BTW) would have risked his own life in battle for you, and given half a chance, would have prevailed in the fight. I completely agree about the tenacity of the breed. But, you don't know Winston I have no doubt that he would bark fiercely... from under a blanket on the couch... He wasn't the most macho guy in the world, but he had a lot of heart, and put up with a lot of various health problems through the years (we finally figured out that he had food allergies, and that fixed most of it, but it took going through a couple of vets, and about 3 years of gastritis to get there for him). I keep remembering little things about him that I'm going to miss. Grieving and mourning sucks total ass, but it occurred to me Sunday night that I wouldn't feel these things if I didn't deeply care for him. For the time that I got to spend with him, I suppose that's a small price to pay. I'm ready to stop remembering those last two days, and I know that part will fade in time... I really wish there was a dimmer control on it, though, so I could fade it out faster. The longer terms memories will remain brighter after a while, and I look forward to that, from where I'm at now. Winston actually enamored me to dachshunds enough that we ended up with a small pack - we were up to four, having recently adopted a purebred longhair pup (named Angus) that we were fostering (my wife put up this blog to help get him adopted out... http://angusangle.blogspot.com/ - and we then decided to just keep him). We have another 12 year old shorthair, named Annabelle, and an 8 year old short hair named Pfoebe (these two are on that same smugmug site above). We have a lot of company and love around the house, luckily... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 "I can say without hesitation that Dachshunds are pound-for-pound just as tenacious, proud and stalwart as any larger breed I've seen." Boy, he's got THAT right. Friendly and affectionate, for sure, but no fools when it comes to intruders, alertness and exercising their discriminating senses. Unlike many 'small' dogs, they don't have that frenetic deer-in-the-headlights look in their eyes. The eyes of a dachshund will communicate seriously much of the time. Our two females were outstanding. I got my first one when I was eight yrs old, and after she lived out her time, we got another one in rapid succession. They are apt to have spinal injuries if they gain weight, though, so diet is important with these little guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Jane Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Just got the sad news I'm sorry about your loss. I looked at your pictures of Winston and my most favorite is the one where he is just about to take a bite of the rose. Winston knew how to take a bite out of life. You were brilliant to capture his spirit on film. Wishing you and Beth healing and comfort in your time of grief. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Glad you have a pack Dave. The grief process was once described to me as a wheel. Early on it turns rather quickly through the stages of grieving but it slows down over time so the cycles come slower and slower. Seems about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ima45dv8 Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I completely agree about the tenacity of the breed. But, you don't know Winston I wish I had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenTX Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Sorry to hear about Winston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS_A18138 Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Sorry to hear about Dave! It amazing how attached we become to our Pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Dave, Your a good man who gave Winston a good life. Your lives defined eachother and will not diminish. Take Care, Anders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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