CHAT “Just a dog”

Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
Ran across this and wanted to share.

Just a dog.

From time to time people tell me “chill out, it’s just a dog” or “it’s a lot of money just for a dog.” They don't understand the distance traveled, the time invested, or the costs incurred by "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have occurred with “just a dog.”

Many hours have passed being my only company "just a dog", but not for one moment did I feel despised. Some of my saddest moments have been because of “just a dog,” and on those gray days, the gentle touch of “just a Dog” gave me comfort and the reason to get through the day.

If you also think “it’s just a dog”, then you’ll probably understand phrases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

For "just a dog" I will get up early, take long walks and look forward to the future. So for me and people like me, it’s not “just a dog,” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the memories of the past, and the absolute joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out the good in me and takes my thoughts away from myself and daily worries.

I hope one day they can understand that it’s not “just a dog”, but the one that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile because they “just don’t get it”.

“Just A Dog,” by Richard A. Animals.



"Master bedroom," (1965) Andrew Wyeth

1693503783084.png
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
A repeat, I'm sure, but worthy of periodic reading.

The closing argument regarding the killing of a dog, from the late 1800's in Mississippi.

"Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stones of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

"Gentlemen of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fierce, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come from encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.


"If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of his company to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in his embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even in death."
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
And of course, Rudyard Kipling would have something, something deep, to say about dogs:

The Power of the Dog, By Rudyard Kipling

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie—
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet’s unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find—it’s your own affair—
But … you’ve given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!).
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We’ve sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we’ve kept ’em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long—
So why in—Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?
 
Z

zeker

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I feel the same way about my cats.

PS

luke showed a few min ago

he (new cat) had been missing for 3 days now

he never was an outdoor cat but he managed to hang around

I lost a lot of sleep looking for him

he has a full belly now and is snoozing on the ft of the bed

much to the chagrin of my old cat, at the head of the bed.

he never made a peep in the 10 days I owned him

even with the old cat hissing and farting at him

since he came in the house today, he hasnt shut up.

thats a cat's thank you
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
112867032-3a67f514178a8fe63b4fc9d20fb8c036.jpg
 
Firebird

Firebird

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Dennis Olson said:
Ran across this and wanted to share.

Just a dog.

From time to time people tell me “chill out, it’s just a dog” or “it’s a lot of money just for a dog.” They don't understand the distance traveled, the time invested, or the costs incurred by "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have occurred with “just a dog.”

Many hours have passed being my only company "just a dog", but not for one moment did I feel despised. Some of my saddest moments have been because of “just a dog,” and on those gray days, the gentle touch of “just a Dog” gave me comfort and the reason to get through the day.

If you also think “it’s just a dog”, then you’ll probably understand phrases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

For "just a dog" I will get up early, take long walks and look forward to the future. So for me and people like me, it’s not “just a dog,” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the memories of the past, and the absolute joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out the good in me and takes my thoughts away from myself and daily worries.

I hope one day they can understand that it’s not “just a dog”, but the one that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile because they “just don’t get it”.

“Just A Dog,” by Richard A. Animals.



"Master bedroom," (1965) Andrew Wyeth

View attachment 432795
Click to expand...
Truth!!!!
 
D

Dozdoats

On TB every waking moment
Famed outdoor writer Corey Ford weighed in on the topic also- I first read it decades ago in Field and Stream, iirc.
======================

www.michigan-sportsman.com

Just a Dog

Saw this posted on another board. Thought I would post it here..... From The Corey Ford Sporting Treasury 1941 Ray P. Holland Editor of Field & Stream New York, NY Dear Ray: I know this is a kind of unusual request; but I'd like to borrow some space in your columns to write an open letter to...
www.michigan-sportsman.com www.michigan-sportsman.com

Just a Dog

midwestfisherman
midwestfisherman Discussion starter · Dec 12, 2006

Saw this posted on another board. Thought I would post it here.....

From The Corey Ford Sporting Treasury 1941

Ray P. Holland Editor of Field & Stream
New York, NY

Dear Ray:

I know this is a kind of unusual request; but I'd like to borrow some space in your columns to write an open letter to a man I do not know. He may read it if it is in your columns; or some of his friend may notice his name and ask him to read it. You see, it has to do with sport-a certain kind of sport.

The man's name is Sherwood G. Coggins. That was the name on his hunting license. He lives in Lowell. He says he is in the real estate and insurance business in Lowell.

This weekend, Mr. Coggins, you drove up into New Hampshire with some friends to go deer hunting. You went hunting on my property here in Freedom. You didn't ask my permission; but that was all right. I let people hunt on my land. Only, while you were hunting, you shot and killed my bird dog.

Oh, it was as accident, of course, You said so yourself. You said that you saw a flick of something in the bushes, and you shot it. All you saw was the flash of something moving, and you brought up your rifle and fired. It might have been another hunter. It might have been a child running throught he woods. As it turned out, it was just a dog.

Just a dog, Mr. Coggins. Just a little English setter I have hunted with for quite a few years. Just a little female setter who was very proud and staunch on point, and who always held her head high, and whose eye had the brown of October in them. We had hunted a lot of alder thickets and apple orchards together, the little setter and I. She knew me, and I knew her, and we liked to hunt together. We had hunted woodcock together this fall, and grouse, and in another week we were planning to go down to Carolina together and look for quail. But yesterday morning she ran down in the fields in front of my house, and you saw a flick in the bushes, and you shot her.

You shot her through the back, you said, and broke her spine. She crawled out of the bushes and across the field toward you, dragging her hind legs. She was coming to you to help her. She was a gentle pup, and nobody had ever hurt her, and she could not understand. She began hauling herself toward you, and looking at you with her brown eyes, and you put a second bullet through her head. You were sportsman enough for that.

I know you didn't mean it, Mr. Coggins. You felt very sorry afterward. You told me that it really spoiled your deer hunting the rest of the day. It spoiled by bird hunting the rest of a lifetime.

At least, I hope one thing, Mr. Coggins. That is why I am writing you. I hope that you will remember how she looked. I hope that the next time you raise a rifle to your shoulder you will see her over the sights, dragging herself toward you across the field, with blood running from her mouth and down her white chest. I hope you will see her eyes.

I hope you will always see her eyes, Mr. Coggins, whenever there is a flick in the bushes and you bring your rifle to your shoulder before you know what is there.

Corey Ford
 
pinkelsteinsmom

pinkelsteinsmom

Veteran Member
Dennis Olson said:
Ran across this and wanted to share.

Just a dog.

From time to time people tell me “chill out, it’s just a dog” or “it’s a lot of money just for a dog.” They don't understand the distance traveled, the time invested, or the costs incurred by "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have occurred with “just a dog.”

Many hours have passed being my only company "just a dog", but not for one moment did I feel despised. Some of my saddest moments have been because of “just a dog,” and on those gray days, the gentle touch of “just a Dog” gave me comfort and the reason to get through the day.

If you also think “it’s just a dog”, then you’ll probably understand phrases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

For "just a dog" I will get up early, take long walks and look forward to the future. So for me and people like me, it’s not “just a dog,” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the memories of the past, and the absolute joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out the good in me and takes my thoughts away from myself and daily worries.

I hope one day they can understand that it’s not “just a dog”, but the one that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile because they “just don’t get it”.

“Just A Dog,” by Richard A. Animals.



"Master bedroom," (1965) Andrew Wyeth

View attachment 432795
Click to expand...
Thank you Dennis, made me cry.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
Dogs will never stab you in the back. And they always trust you and love you enough to give their lives in your defense. I wish I was half the man my dogs think I am. And I mean that. I’m not worthy of that much love. I’m only here today because of them.
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Yep, our TBear sleeps in between us at night. If something goes bump in the night he's up immediately! To investigate. If it's an animal on the porch or anything else, he barks and slams his body against the patio door until I get up to take a look.he really shakes that door too! I'll tell him it's ok and we go back to bed, he's back in between us, on his back or snuggled tight against one of us. Or on his back, all 4 sticking up in the air. Crack an eye open and there's an upside down dog with his beard sticking up snuggled beside you....
His wakeup call if we aren't up first thing is puppy kisses-in my ear and licks to my wife's face. And I never go to the bathroom alone anymore. He gets and sits on the rug beside the sink, or brings. A toy for us to play tug of war with. His GOP elephant plush toy is a favorite go fetch toy...

Being childless he is our child. Spoiled utterly rotten but what a joy to our lives!
 
B

bassgirl

Veteran Member
To my shame it was a long time before I actually looked at cats and dogs as souls.

I randomly noticed one say that they do have emotions. The get depressed, anxious, happy, smile, etc.

Only a truly aware soul can do that. And Jesus comes back on a white horse. So we know there are horses in heaven.
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
This one is called, "Compulsory Education" by Briton Riviére (1887). One of these days, I'll get the Cross Stitch of this done.

241f658fb4c07ef93137b191e2f3c8f4--dog-books-big-dogs.jpg
 
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