Montys_Mom

On Sunday it will be exactly one year since my best friend Lady died. She was the sweetest dog I ever met, and I was so lucky to have her. I had her all my life, and she died at 16.5 years, a pretty long life for a dog her size. She cost $5 and we brought her home in a little box, along with her brother. A family had adopted a mother and daughter dog from the SPCA, not knowing that both were pregnant. So they both had their litters on the same day, 16 puppies in total, and we got first picks of the litter and chose Lady and her brother. I have way too many memories with her to count. It was so sad seeing her body waste away, when her brain was still 100% there and in her mind I knew she wanted to prance around like a puppy. The vet didn't say, but I think she passed away from degenerative myelopathy due to paralysis and other such symptoms. When she died, it was like a part of me died. But she made my life so great, and every minute I spent with her was well worth it.

In her old age:


Potty training:


At Pearson Airport the day we moved to BC.. she was terrified


Loving the beach




4 or 5 years ago


snuggly sleeping dog


posing


Last summer, a few months before she died.. I love this pic cuz her eyes were so bright and happy when she looked at me and knew she was going for a walk!


lady and i, around 1992


happy stretch!


beating up her brother

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Boxers and windows were made for each other.

Kaiser_Titus

Oh my goodness she looks amazing. What a strong beautiful eyes and so many nice pics. I am so sorry for your loss. 16.5 years is a looong time. You're lucky you were able to have her that long. I feel your pain. In 2 years I lost 4 of my most beloved pets and it kills me every time. I don't have a supportive family, so my babies are my family. They mean the world to me! When my last bunny Maxi died. I loved him to death he was like no other...he brightened every day of my life and as he left me I cried for months...couldn't get over it and that's where I decided I need to do something about it and got Titus. He helped me be distracted and very often I see Maxi in Titus. Oh I am getting so emotional and tearing up already...not good. Better stop talking about him.
Two things I would like to know tho' is what happened to her brother and what breed was she. She's such a beauty!

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My Family: 1 Boxer, 4 Bunnies, 2 Guinea Pigs, 2 Cockateils, 3 Parakeets.

Montys_Mom

Aw thank you.. I know what you mean.. my family is not that supportive either, and my dogs are always the closest to me. Her brother Beethoven, we had for about a year, before we had to move out across Canada because of my dad's job. I actually was more attached to him than Lady at that time. He was opposite Lady.. bold, clownish, alpha... a real character. My parents decided it was best to leave him with the new owners of our old house, because he needed miles of countryside to roam free. I was absolutely heartbroken but I guess it was a good decision in the end. I was really mad, I remember my parents sent me to go tell the new house owners any details about him I could think of, and I just sat there and refused to talk.. lol. When I said bye to him I thought I'd see him again but I didn't.. around 4 years old he was put to sleep.. when I went back 7 years later it was to visit his grave.. his new owners said his seizures had gotten so bad they had to put him to sleep. Both he and Lady had seizures their whole life.

Here's a pic of Beethoven as an adult (around a year maybe)


As for breed.. we don't know, since we never saw the dad. The moms looked very german shepherd. We always thought maybe a husky shepherd cross but I personally see some sheep herding dog in them, and they had collie type markings...

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Boxers and windows were made for each other.

Kaiser_Titus

Oh poor thing... we have so much in common, when I moved from Germany to the US I had to leave my dog in Germany..that was definitely a heart breaker, I was only 16 and my mom thought the transport and all the testings would be too much for him. So we had to put him back to the shelter and even my older brother who never, I mean never cries, cried really bad then.
How cute you didn't want to tell them anything lol. It's so interesting to get to know what other ppl went through in their life. Like I had no Idea you had this beautiful girl before Monty. That is an amazing mix, I really like their looks

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My Family: 1 Boxer, 4 Bunnies, 2 Guinea Pigs, 2 Cockateils, 3 Parakeets.

Montys_Mom

Sighhh.. yeah.. so sad eh.. and yeah it does sound like we have quite a bit in common..

Well I guess your mom was partly right.. the transport IS kind of hard, especially for an adult dog that's never travelled before. We had a one hour layover and Lady was in the cargo area of the plane. We had to sit there the whole hour listening to her and the other dog cry and bark, before the plane finally took off again to continue the 5 hour flight. Germany would have been quite a bit longer! 10 hours I think? Would have been stressful for your pup. On the other hand, if you really wanted to make it work I'm sure it could have been done.. I guess parents have to make efficient and practical choices sometimes.. c'est la vie..

You grew up in Germany, that's so cool. I briefly visited there on one of those package tours, and floated down the Rhine while gazing at castles on the hills.

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Boxers and windows were made for each other.

Montys_Mom

I'm such a sap, I also have a blog that is dedicated to Lady... I wrote down everything I could remember about the day she died (the post at the bottom of the page) and I post little things I remember about her life now and then...

http://www.secretgiggle.blogspot.com/

I actually recommend not reading it though, unless you want to bawl your eyes out.

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Boxers and windows were made for each other.

Kaiser_Titus

Yeah it's at least 13 hours, but my mom told me that he would have to stay in Germany one month to be tested and checked then be transported to the US and stay there another month and be tested again. So he would be in those place for two months, forgot how those were called Dunno... hope they didn't make it up
I hope you like the trip... I've been like all over europe already... when I was little. Next you should visit Berlin, that's where I am from... there's soo much to do and see like historical and high tech stuff. I was only gone for a year and a half, went back to visit and was amazed how high tech everything was...I felt like a dummie...lol
Oh Vancouver...my dad keeps trying to convince me to move their...he's says he liked it there the most and they're suppose to be a lot of Germans
Ooops this went really sorry

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My Family: 1 Boxer, 4 Bunnies, 2 Guinea Pigs, 2 Cockateils, 3 Parakeets.

Montys_Mom

It's okay, off topic is fine.. I don't think Lady would have minded much...she would have liked hearing the humans talk.. hehehe.

Yeah that quarantine thing does sound believable. I think it was harder to import dogs but I'm pretty sure they changed the laws now so that if you have all the documentation of shots and doctor's note, you can import dogs to the US and many other countries without the quarantine.

I absolutely loved the euro trip. I went to about 10 countries.. 8 in the west and 2 in the east.. spent about 6 weeks in Romania and Hungary.. I loved the post-communist eastern parts!
The Black Forest and scenery is gorgeous in Germany. And the traditional architecture. You must miss Berlin!

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Boxers and windows were made for each other.

Kaiser_Titus

quarantine...that was the word... I wasn't sure if it was the same in English lol. but isn't it amazing how every country is like a whole nother world??!!? I loved the most Rom, Spain, France and we had a house in Sweden...very beautiful lot's of nature and fresh air lol...
Yes I do miss Berlin and my Dad he still lives in Germany and I haven't seen him for 10 years but we talk every week now. One thing I sure don't miss is the mostly cold, cloudy, rainy weather... Now it rains here for one day and I get frustrated...dunno how I made it in Berlin for soo long

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My Family: 1 Boxer, 4 Bunnies, 2 Guinea Pigs, 2 Cockateils, 3 Parakeets.

gritty

RIP lady. GLad you still have the good memories of her and how she made your life special. She is a beautiful girl.