Tag: Promises

Promises To My Dog

Esther’s writing prompt: 17th September : Promises

Click here or here to join in.

Dogs are domesticated wolves. To survive in our human society, they need to be taken care of. We often get them as puppies and all they know is how to live with people. When you get a dog, this is a lifetime commitment. Despite this fact a lot of people buying puppies bring them to shelters and many irresponsible breeders bring unsold puppies to shelters. In addition, 7% to 20% of dogs adopted from shelters are returned to the shelters, mostly due to behavioral issues or owners’ unrealistic expectations. Dogs who were returned for behavioral issues were also more likely to be euthanized.

Some dog owners don’t even bother to turn their dog into a shelter, they just abandon them. In the U.S., approximately 3.1 million dogs enter shelters each year. Many of these are abandoned, the offspring of abandoned dogs, or lost pets. In the U.S., about 60% of dogs entering shelters are strays. As a side note, abandoning a dog is illegal in almost every US state, including Texas where I live. We dog owners need to do better. We have responsibilities towards our dogs, to feed them, raise them, train them, exercise them, take care of them, and continue to shelter them when they get old and sick.

The Leonberger community has taken significant steps towards protecting Leonberger dogs from abuse and abandonment. First, the Leonberger Club of America certifies responsible breeders and work to prevent dogs from ending up with backyard breeders and puppy mills. Breeders are required to take back and care for a dog if it does not work out. All prospective Leonberger owners are interviewed and must sign a contract dictating how they should treat the dog. If they find out that you have mistreated a dog or failed to take care of a dog you cannot buy a Leonberger. To see the transcript for our Leonberger interview click here.

12 Promises to my Dog

  • Dear fur angel, I promise to feed you properly.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to protect you from toxic foods such as raisins, grapes, chocolate, xylitol, birch sugar, onion and garlic.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to protect you from toxic plants, dangerous household items and animals.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to keep one or more water bowls always filled with fresh and clean water for you.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to comfortably shelter you.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to train you and care for your physical and emotional needs.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to walk you every day (on days when this is possible).
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to take care of all your veterinary needs.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to play with you, pet you, and throw balls.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to never abandon you.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to be there for you when you cross the rainbow bridge.
  • Dear fur angel, I promise to love you forever.

Puppy Versus Old Dog Photos

Below are some photos of our dogs. Except for the first photo, which is a photo of our Labrador Baylor and German Shepherd Baby at an advanced age, the photos are arranged so that the first is photo of the dog as a puppy followed by a photo of the same dog at an advanced age. I should say that we got Baylor and Baby when they already were adults and we don’t have puppy photos of them. What happened was that family members of ours had got them from a shelter and when those family members later needed to move, we offered to take care of them.

Both dogs are laying on their stomach. Baylor, a yellow Labrador, is on the left and Baby a brown and black German Shepherd is on the right.
Our Labrador Baylor, left, and our German Shepherd Baby, right. Both dogs are at an advanced age. I should add that Baylor was partially a mix. He was three quarters Labrador and one quarter Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Our Leonberger Bronco Puppy is sitting looking into the camera and wearing a red scarf.
Our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle at three months old.
Our Leonberger Puppy is sitting looking into the camera and wearing a scarf. It is a black and white picture.
Our Leonberger Bronco at three months old.
Our Leonberger is standing on the left. My wife is standing on the right and holding the Grey Muzzle Award diploma.
Our Leonberger Bronco received the Grey Muzzle Award for longevity at age 12. Leonbergers typically live 8-10 years. It was the Leonberger Health foundation International that gave him the award. My wife is holding the Grey Muzzle Award diploma.
Our soon 13 year old Leonberger Bronco is lying on the lawn in front of our house. He is looking into the camera.
Our soon 13 year old Leonberger Bronco.
Ryu our Japanese Chin is dancing with our daughter. He is looking into the camera. It looks like he is laughing.
Our Japanese Chin puppy Ryu loved to sing and dance when. Well, howl and dance.
Ryu our Japanese Chin is sitting and looking serious.
Ryu is old in this picture. He has an illness, and he is more serious.
Daisy, our pug, is in our son’s arms. He is wearing a red shirt.
Our pug Daisy in our younger son’s arms. She is a puppy in this picture. People typically assumed that Ryu was the female and Daisy the male, but it was the other way around.
Our pug Daisy, is wearing a pink party hat and she is eating a Pup Cake.
Daisy’s 15th birthday. She is getting old. She is having a Pup Cake.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo puppy is looking into the camera. He is white and dark brown.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo as a puppy.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is sitting in a black and pink pet stroller.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo is grown up but not yet old. Here he is sitting in Daisy’s stroller. Strange noises such as ducks quacking used to scare him and then he wanted to sit in her stroller.