A New Lady

Stuart Ablett

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Location
Tokyo Japan
We don't have a dog, we have a bird :rolleyes: I really want a dog, but honestly, in Tokyo, well, I don't think it is going to be the best place to have a dog, plus, we are VERY busy........... or at least that is what I tell myself :doh:

My Dad had a really great dog for a lot of years, her name was Brandy.

She was a rescue dog, a Britney Spaniel. My brother rescued her, an older friend had Brandy, and when the older friend passed, his widow asked my brother to help her sell his workshop stuff. When he went to the house, the widow gave him the key. Locked up in the workshop was Brandy, on a very short leash, no food, no water, and hand been so for maybe a week. My brother asked the widow what she was thinking, locking up the dog like that, the widow basically said that it was her husband's dog, not her dog, and the dog lived in the workshop, NOT in the house. My brother told me it was the only time in his life he wanted to punch a 70 year old lady in the face :rolleyes:

He took Brandy to a vet friend, and they nursed her back to health, she had worms, and all kinds of problems, but they got her back on her feet. Then, my brother and family were going to Disneyland for a vacation, so they asked my Dad to take care of Brandy for a couple of weeks.

My dad had always had dogs, but once he was married to my mom, well, they found out she was allergic to dogs and cats, so no dogs at home when I was a kid. For whatever reason, as my mom got older, the allergies have faded, and the doctor gave her the OK to have a cat or dog, she got two cats. My dad decided that he did not want a dog, but after taking care of Brandy for two weeks, he told my brother to not bother coming to take her back, she was a "Keeper" Brandy was a a really great gal, the first dog that my daughters got to know well.
Last year, just before Christmas, we lost Brandy. Se had bad arthritis for a few years, but still got around, but then they found a tumor the size of a grapefruit in her, and she just went downhill, it was a piece of kindness to end her suffering, she was so very sick. :(

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Brandy, and my daughter Mizuki goofing around

When we went to Canada this last summer, it was really odd to NOT have a dog at my parents house. My dad just turned 75, and he was not sure if he wanted another dog. After my wife and I came back to Japan, while the girls were still in Canada, each week, they would go down to the SPCA and take a look. At one point they found a dog that was in the running, and my daughters REALLY wanted grampa to get that dog........ his name was "Stu" :eek: but my dad has always preferred bitches, so he did not find the right dog, until this last week.:thumb:

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This is Lady, she is a 4 year old Shepard/Malamute cross.

My mom reports that my dad is really happy with Lady, gives him some constant companionship, but my mom's 14 year old cat, is NOT very happy to have another dog in the house :rofl:

Now, my daughters are wanting to go to Canada for Christmas, just to see the new dog :D

I'm just so happy for my dad, I wanted to share.

Cheers!
 
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I take it the 70 year old lady was not proud of or a supporter of the old man's wood habit! What a shame.

Congratulations to your dad and Lady. I prefer female dogs in the house and around the shop also for obvious reasons.
 
Great post Stu. We have the debate ongoing in our house about a dog. LOML and i feel it is very difficult to keep a dog when one is living a busy life. Our small lots and cold climate mean you have to consider the dog in the home and we dont want a small toy type dog. To us a Dog is a real decent sized dog like your Dad has just found. Fine to keep one when retired, life is less hectic and you get to spend more time around it. But when you are running around all the time and the kids get older and are not at home, then the poor dog is left all alone. Not prepared to do that to an animal.
 
Good looking dog. It's always heartwarming to hear about a lonely abandonded dog getting a second chance at life.

They really demand so little and give so much of themselves.

Ah, but then, I'm a dog person you see and would find it hard to imagine life without one of the smelly, dirty, little chaos engines around me... :D
 
awwwwwww!

our two dogs are still in adjustment with the kittens, with our younger dog in an armed truce with them, the older one gets along well with the smaller little guy, but the larger one still swipes at him occasionally.
 
It's a medically proven fact that having pets is beneficial to the elderly and helps them to live longer lives--because they have someone/something else to take care of and worry about besides themselves. I have a similar story---

When my dad was growing up, his mother would never let him and his sisters have a dog because they were "nasty" and "might bite"--so he grew up wanting an animal. We had dogs at home the entire time I was growing up, and every time we had to put one down, Dad would cry just like the rest of us. They inherited a dog from my sister--a little terrier who ruled the roost. They had the dog for about 15 years, until she finally succumbed one day just after New Year's 1990. They went without a pet in the house for over 10 years, and said that they would NEVER have another one. Some higher authority had other plans for them--Right before Thanksgiving of 2000, Dad walked out the back door on a Sunday morning to go to church to find a kitten sitting on the top step. He sort of shooed the kitten out of the way and went on to church, but he hurried home after church to check on the cat. He opened the back door and the kitten walked in, and has never left. Mother initially objected, because she had been allergic for years, but like Stu's mom, she outgrew her allergies and has no problems with the cat. Tiger has become my dad's constant companion, especially now that he can't get around very well; Tiger sits and sleeps in Dad's lap or on his chair next to him, and Dad just can't get enough of his antics. Pets for the elderly are a boon to their good health.

Great story, Stu!
 
Congratulations to your Dad. Looks like they both came out winners. My current crew of 2 cats + the dog are all either shelter adoptions or neighborhood strays that adopted me. Older rescues are the best. Everybody goes for the cute little puppies and kittens, but the older ones turn into the best pets. My dog is a real neighborhood favorite. She's a magnet for all the kids that know her by name and want to come out and give her some strokes on our walks. I've met neighbors that have turned into good friends through her that I never would have without her. For sure they are a lot of work but the ROI is pretty high.
 
Thanks for the story, Stu. I believe I would have been saying some very unkind things to the widow you mentioned. (Had it been a man, he'd have likely been picking himself up off the ground as I said them.)

Rob, we've got three big dogs (the little one is 60 pounds) and they stay inside during the day and night, even if we're gone. We acquired each of them as adults, so we didn't have to do any house training, and we do make sure they aren't left alone more than about a half a day at a time. Since we have no kids, they tend to get a lot of attention. One of these days I'm gonna make a t-shirt for my wife that says "Dog Spoiler" on it. :p
 
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