A Pets 10 Commadments/ Dogs Plea

[brad2008]

i found this on a Dog website.....the last one is sad, and my boy is gettin up there in years so one day i'll have to watch him go......sucks




A Pet’s Ten Commandments

-My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

-Give me time to understand what you want of me.

-Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

-Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

-Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

-Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

-Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

-Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

-Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

-On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.


A Dog’s Plea
Treat me kindly, my beloved friend,

For no heart in the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I might lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things that you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you know by the fierce wagging of my tail when the sound of your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.

Please take me inside when its cold and wet, for I am a domestic animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements.

I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side and stand ready,willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see to it that my life is taken gently.

I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I draw that my fate was always safest in your loving hands.

Author Unknown

 

[RKH]

That was beautiful and so true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RKH

 

[PropThePolecat]

More people should read this....Maybe theyd start treating their pets right. Thanks for posting. It was a good one.

 

[krankkall]

Thank you!
Those were VERY moving!

Steve

 

[beau5278]

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[DNK]

Thanks for posting that. Reminded me how much I miss my dog. Here is a poem my mother-in-law told me about called The Rainbow Bridge.

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
There the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
(1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky)

That and this song called "Old Dogs" by Bill Staines can make me cry like a little girl.

Old dogs lie beside the door, they toss and turn and scratch and snore,
They fight again their puppy wars of playful battles raging.
Old dogs lie alone at night, they tuck their tails, they curl up tight,
They howl when moons are full and bright and recall when they were lovers.
Old dogs have a song to sing, old dogs like most everything,
They care not what the weather brings, except when it is thunder.

Old dogs look you in the eye, they hold your heart, they never lie,
They bark at planes up in the sky and wish that they were fliers.
Old dogs dream about the past when they frolicked fields of golden grass,
And chased the icy winter's blast, to lie by home fires burning.
Old dogs wander off alone but old dogs know the way back home,
The slightest scent, the buried bone, the hunter home returning.

Old dogs come and old dogs go, old dogs always seem to know,
That love is life's most precious flow and love is worth the waiting.
And when their time on earth is through, old dogs are forever true,
And ‘round the bend they wait for you come some tomorrow morning.
And when their time on earth is through, old dogs are forever true,
And ‘round the bend they wait for you come some tomorrow morning.

Hope this isn't a hijack. Just thought people who appreciate your post would like these as well. Take care of your 4-legged family.

 

[Pete1977]

beautiful post. having a pet is a responsibility but the unconditional love you recieve in return is priceless.

It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning" said the fox.

"Good morning" the Little Prince responded politely although when he turned around he saw nothing.

"I am right here" the voice said, "under the apple tree."

"Who are you?" asked the Little Prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."

"I am a fox", the fox said.

"Come and play with me," proposed the Little Prince, "I am so unhappy."

"I cannot play with you," the fox said, "I am not tamed."

"AH please excuse me," said the Little Prince.

But after some thought, he added: "what does that mean---'tame'?"

"You do not live here," said the fox, "what is it you are looking for?"

"I am looking for men," said the Little Prince. "What does that mean---tame?"

"Men," said the fox, "they have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"

"No," said the Little Prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean---tame?"

"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. "It means to establish ties."

"To establish ties?"

"Just that," said the fox.

"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you.

And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.

But if you tame me, then we shall need each other.

To me, you will be unique in all the world."

To you, I shall be unique in all the world. . ." "I am beginning to understand," said the Little Prince.

"There is a flower. . .I think she has tamed me. . ."

"It is possible," said the fox. "On earth one sees all sorts of things."

"Oh but this is not on the earth!" said the Little Prince.

The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious. "On another planet?"

"Yes"

"Are there hunters on that planet?"

"No"

"Ah that's interesting! Are there chickens?"

"No"

"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox.

But he came back to his idea.

"My life is very monotonous," he said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And in consequence, I am a little bored.

But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others.

Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music out of my burrow.

And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad.

But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat. . ."

The fox gazed at the Little Prince, for a long time. "Please---tame me!" he said.

"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."

"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox.

" Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me. . ."

"What must I do, to tame you? asked the Little Prince.

"You must be very patient," replied the fox.

First you will sit down at a little distance from me -like that - in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing.

Words are the source of misunderstandings.

But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..."

The next day the Little Prince came back.

"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox.

"If for example, you came at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am!

But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is ready to greet you..

One must observe the proper rites. . ."

"What is a rite?" asked the Little Prince.

"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "they are what make one day different from other days, one hour different from other hours.

There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all."

So the Little Prince tamed the fox.

And when the hour of his departure drew near---

"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."

"It is your own fault," said the Little Prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you. . ."

"Yes that is so", said the fox.

"But now you are going to cry!" said the Little Prince.

"Yes that is so" said the fox.

"Then it has done you no good at all!"

"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields."

And then he added: "go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."

The Little Prince went away, to look again at the roses.

"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made a friend, and now he is unique in all the world." And the roses were very much embarrassed.

"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you -- the rose that belongs to me.

But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is MY rose."

And he went back to meet the fox.

"Goodbye" he said.

"Goodbye," said the fox.

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
"What is essential is invisible to the eye," the Little Prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."

"It is the time I have wasted for my rose--" said the Little Prince so he would be sure to remember.

"Men have forgotten this truth," said the fox. "But you must not forget it.

You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose."

"I am responsible for my rose," the Little Prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember


The Little Prince
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

 

[Goldtanker]

Local foxes having a snack on the dry dog food I put out for them at night in the winter.

 

[BFH44]

I posted this last week in a different place but was reading the thread here and thought you all migh t like it

I love the picture of the Foxes eating the Dog food that is great - i think i will try that here

What great stories and poems - I do volunteer transport rescue dogs every weekend I have 15 to 25 dogs in my van - most are being saved from put to sleep and are on their way to new adopted homes or foster care waiting for adoption-- it is most times very sad and depressing because i see so many that have been abused or fought - on the other hand it can be beautiful if they have a good ending.

These are picture i took of a wonderful girl on her way going to meet her new daddy who saved her from euthanasia.

Really great story this one - I got to spend awhile talking with the new owner - his wife had died a couple years before and his son and daughter had suggested that he should get a dog to keep him from being so lonely.

Being an older fellow he didn’t want to get a young dog because he felt it wouldn’t be fair since he could not do a lot of playing and running as a young dog would need.

He found her on Petfinder.com - (no pun intended) she is an older dog, which means many younger couples or families with children had passed her by. I picked her up at the shelter and drove with her for 3 or 4 hours to meet her new Daddy and we had a great time she was so happy and at peace to be out of the shelter.

(It has been my experience that these dogs can sense that they are going to be killed - they are always grateful to get out of the shelter - they can sense that death waits behind the door at the end of the hall.)

We met at a large shopping center parking lot. There were lots of people walking to and from their cars to the shops but when we got out of the car she went right to him (she KNEW he was there for her). She is such a sweet girl and they make such a happy pair - it was an honor to witness such a beautiful union.

I am sure she will spend this winter warm and cozy on the couch. I am also sure that although he may still miss his wife he isn’t as lonely as he was before.

I have been a volunteer transporter for rescue Dogs and Cats for 9 years now and i also volunteer with several organizations also trying to get into position where i can be a full time rep for "Dogs Deserve Better"

helping abused dogs and cats every day - day after day i receive a couple dozen emails from different groups trying to coordinate getting help to hundreds of suffering animals

often it gets depressing and more often than not very sad -- but ---

Sometimes there is a happy ending.

Eric

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e...rt - a love story/Irishsetterdogrescue026.jpg

 

[Shann]

These posts always make me sad, and happy. I have this taped to my board behind my office computer.

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion”

- Unknown

I'm just sitting here trying to be half the man my dog thinks I am.

 

[Clydetz]

Have you ever heard Elvis Presley sing this one?

Old Shep

When I was a lad
And ol’ Shep was a pup,
Over hills and meadows we’d stray
Just a boy and his dog.
We were both full of fun…
We grew up together that way.

I remember the time at the ol’ swimmin’ hole
When I would have drowned beyond doubt.
But ol’ Shep was right there…
To the rescue he came.
He jumped in and then pulled me out.

As the years fast did roll by,
Ol’ Shep, he grew old.
His eyes were fast growing dim
And one day the doctor looked at me and said…
“I can do no more for him, Jim.”

With hands that were trembling,
I picked up my gun
And aimed it at Shep’s faithful head.
I just couldn’t do it;
I wanted to run.
I wish they would shoot me instead.

He came to my side
And looked up at me
And laid his ol’ head on my knee.
He was the best friend that a man ever had.
I cried so I scarcely could see.

Ol’ Shep he has gone
Where the good doggies go.
And no more with ol’ Shep will I roam.
But if dogs have a heaven,
There’s one thing I know…
Ol’ Shep has a wonderful home.


This dog touched me so deeply I wrote a rhyme...

A Remembrance…

We have had more good days than bad.
But my old friend, this one is very sad.
We must take this last trip to the vet.
This grieves me so, it’s the worst day yet!

I’ll be with you my buddy until the end.
My love & trust of you will never bend.
Please forgive me my friend; I hate to see you suffer.
Holding you in my arms has made our parting tougher.

I’ll hold on to you as you lay on the table.
Hugging you so as long as I’m able.
As tears fill my eyes that I can not end,
I’ll continue to comfort you, my best friend.

I’ll hold you and stroke you while you leave this earth.
I’d like to think of your passing as a brand new birth.
I will never forget the day I brought you home.
All nervous and shy, you were ready to roam.

I wasn’t sure what to name you on that very first day.
Patches or Rascal seemed like good names for a stray.
Your name was chosen when I made you my legal pet.
Bonnie was at home, so… Clyde was the name you’d get!

You didn’t seem sure I was the ‘human’ for you.
I now confess that idea crossed my mind, too!
But soon we tested each other’s strengths.
And found we both could go to great lengths…

To protect each other from what life sent our way.
All I can say is I’m glad you decided to stay.
You taught me to be patient, strong and brave.
I will always remember life’s lessons you gave.

I‘ll cherish the fun we had on our walks,
And the uplifting feelings gotten from our serious talks.
You always seemed to listen to all I would tell
And give me that look that said “I think you’re swell!”

Those floppy black ears always brought me a smile.
That ‘over the back’ curled tail just suited your style.
On our walks, I was very impressed with your strut.
In my eyes you were always more than just a mutt.

As the years passed and you grew less active and older,
You became more dependent and much less bolder.
You followed me around like a faithful brother.
Such a friend were you… I’m sure I’ll find no other.

I’m sorry to see your life come to such an end.
I’ve always considered you one hell of a friend.
Go my faithful pal and with the other dogs play.
We’ll meet again, my friend, on some fine day.

Clyde has gone to where the good dogs go.
And my tears… they continue to flow.
Although Clyde has been gone for several years,
I continue thinking of him and shedding my tears.

I have a new friend now but it’s just not the same.
He’s trying hard to fill the void and Casper is his name.
He is doing his best to show he’s brave and smart.
But Clyde is still the one I have in my heart.

 

[mongol8]

Eric - awesome story and work. Good on ya man.

 

[risen]

Here are my terrible trio.

Don't be fooled by the chocolate mutt. He's an excellent watchdog. Doesn't bark excessively, so when he does sound off, I check it out.

 

[b.c.molin]

"Until you have loved an animal, a part of your soul remains unawakened!"

Anon. as far as I know, but seen for the first time here on BF as a member's signature.