This time with the real Gary Messinetti!
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They are all superb but to my eyes that penultimate picture is just entrancing! Those eyes!
Thank you, Gary!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Four, again!
Category: Dogs
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Four
Delighted to go back to Gary! (But I screwed up. They are not Gary’s pictures. I will correct this post and republish it tomorrow.)
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Just fabulous and these photographs from Gary remind me of the post the other day about the dog staring out to sea!
Thank you, Gary.
The never-ending sensitivity of dogs!
How about this for a story from Peru.
Not only do dogs come in a myriad of sizes and shapes, witness our own Brandy and Pedi, but they are also conscious creatures, as in they remember and grieve; albeit in a dog fashion.
The Dodo presented this story back on the 4th March about just a dog. Read it and be swept away in the world of dogs.
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Woman At The Beach Meets A Dog Who Won’t Stop Staring Out To Sea
The reason why touched her heart ❤️️
Published on the 4th March, 2022
The other day, Jolie Mejía and her family decided to visit Punta Negra, a small seaside community near their home in Peru.
It was there, along a rocky shore overlooking the sea, that they came to learn a story of love in its purest form.
After Mejía and her family settled down along the shore, they were approached by a random dog who appeared to be all by himself.
“He didn’t seem abandoned. He wore a ribbon around his neck and his fur was clean,” Mejía told The Dodo. “I pet him, waiting for his owner, but minutes passed and no one came.”
The dog enjoyed Mejía’s pets, but all the while his gaze remained fixed upon the ocean.
And Mejía soon came to learn the touching reason why.
Mejía and her family considered adopting the dog themselves, assuming he had indeed been abandoned. So, when a man local to the area walked by, Mejía asked him if he knew the dog’s status.
“He explained that practically everyone in the area knows the dog and is very fond of him,” Mejía said. “He told us that the dog’s owner was a fisherman who passed away some time ago, and that the dog comes to the beach every day and stares out to sea.”
The dog, it seems, has been holding vigil — awaiting the return of his friend who will never come home.
“We were very moved,” said Mejía.
Mejía believes the dog’s owner died at sea about a year ago, and that the dog has been watching out for him daily ever since.
But though the dog’s owner may never return, the dog isn’t without friends who care for him.
The dog’s sad story is evidently well-known by people in the community, who feed him, shelter him and provide him with health care when he needs it.
A local veterinarian in Punta Negra confirmed to The Dodo that the dog’s name is Vaguito, and that he’s currently in the care of a woman who lives nearby.
By day’s end, Mejía and her family eventually parted ways with Vaguito, his eyes still cast out to sea. But his bittersweet story — one of loyalty to a love he lost, and the loyalty and love he found in the community — is one she won’t soon forget.
“I have a dog at home,” Mejía said. “I love dogs in general. His story really touched my heart.”
(Photos by Jolie Mejía)
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This is the perfect story. But it is more! It is the perfect story of how special a dog is. For this particular dog, Vaguito, clearly was loved by his fisherman and even after a year Vaguito still holds a vigil for him. It is a very lovely article, but that is the unconditional love shown by dogs to humans who care and love them back.
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Three
More dog pictures from Unsplash.
This time from the ‘Dogs Close Up’ section.
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Don’t know what was upsetting that puppy in the third photo!
But they are all wonderful, including the pup!
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-Two
Another beautiful dog story
This time first detailed on the BBC.
You will forgive me for keeping my comments to a minimum but, amongst other things, I have started rewriting my book.
What I read on the BBC website was this:
Ukrainian soldiers were inspecting abandoned homes on the frontline near Kyiv, in an area that has been reclaimed from the Russians. The troops came across a lonely dog in an apartment and after finding identification documents, they discovered her name was Bavaria. A volunteer has taken the dog in and hopes to reunite it with its owner.
There was a short film also and I am delighted to find this video on YouTube.
With so much disruption and cruelty going on in Ukraine it is a real delight that compassion and love are still very much alive.
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty-One
Delighted to report that we are back to Gary’s photographs!
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These are just fabulous. I say that every time but I mean it: They are fabulous!
Thank you, Gary.
Bela, RIP.
John Zande loses a dear doggy friend.
In a comment to a recent post on this blog, John said: “Just sent you an email.“
I went to that email and read:
Hi Paul — just a personal note to let you know Bela died yesterday at 3.30pm. Her old beaten up body couldn’t do it any longer. A week after the last of her two operations she started going downhill. Her walks were more laboured. Last Tuesday I stopped walking her because (although she wanted to keep going) she was failing. She deteriorated over the weekend… Monday was spent racing her between vets, diagnostic clinics, and finally to the emergency care hospital. She made it through the night. She made it to us going there to see her. She was in a terrible state, her kidneys dissolving, her heart giving up. She was thankfully without pain, and although barely conscious (she was on heavy, heavy opioids), she managed to lift her head one last time. The vet there later said it was like she was waiting for you to say goodbye. She died thirty minutes later. Her heart gave out, and they could not revive her.
John subsequently emailed me the details of when he found Bela.
I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye driving home one day. I *thought* it looked like a dog. I turned around, and that’s how we found her… skin and bones, leg broken, paw smashed. And as we’d later discover, megaesophagus. We scooped her up and raced her to the vet. First time in my life after a rescue I actually asked the vet that day if we should just end her misery right then and there. Four years is what she gave us, and our lives are richer for it. Four short years.
Since then Bela has had four or five major operations, the last two to remove cancers were in January and March of this year. As John puts it: “In my mind we were setting her up for many more years of health.“
Finally, here is a video of Bela. It is rather poor quality because the original is far too large. But it doesn’t matter at all because it just shows Bela alive and well!
Be in peace, dear Bela.
Picture Parade Four Hundred and Thirty.
Never sleeping alone!
A story about an amazing gentleman.
There are so many stories about humans going beyond the call of duty in giving dogs love and attention. In my own case, complete chance meant that I met Jean down in San Carlos, Mexico, rescuing street dogs and giving them love and support before finding homes for as many as she could in America, mainly Arizona. Jean had upwards of 20 dogs around her beach-front home and all the dogs were incredible, as in attentive and friendly and well-behaved.
The following article was seen in The Dodo and I wanted to share it because it says so much about the relationship that can be achieved between a human and dogs.
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Woman Walks In On Her Dad Napping With All The Neighbor Dogs
“They come running when they see his car and follow him inside.”
By Lily Feinn
Published on the 18th March, 2022
When Catey Hall checks in on her dad, it’s not unusual to find him napping on the couch. But Hall’s dad never sleeps alone — dogs from around the neighborhood join him to make one big comfy pile.
“Dad sees, plays with and naps with one or more of these dogs on a daily basis,” Hall told The Dodo. “They come running when they see his car and follow him inside.”
Hall’s dad, Lon Watson, has always loved dogs and works with the local rescue Pound on the Hill to make sure every animal gets the help they need.
“For as long as I can remember, my dad has rescued stray dogs,” Hall said. “Growing up, we always had a dog. But there was always room for a stray in need. Now that he lives alone with his wife, there’s room for several. They work with rescues in the area to find homes for the dogs in need; however, not all of them are re-homed, and they stay with dad forever.”
Watson has four resident dogs at home, all of whom he and his wife have rescued and rehabilitated.
But he receives daily visits from Hooch, Fluffer-Nutter and Rosie — all of whom live nearby and have a special connection with Watson.
The neighborhood dogs are happy to wait all day just for some brief one-on-one time with Watson.
“The neighborhood is an unincorporated section of semi-rural Alabama. The houses are set far back from the street, so the dogs can bounce from house to house safely,” Hall said. “The dogs can usually hear my dad’s truck coming, and they will meet him in the driveway.”
Luckily, Watson’s human neighbors don’t seem to mind that their dogs spend most of their time with Watson — and would never get in the way of their special naptime.
Watson just seems to have a way with every dog he meets. Even Hall’s two dogs try to get in on the action. “As a matter of fact, they try to leave with Dad when he’s here visiting,” Hall said.
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Hall’s dad is a very fine person, in my book. If one clicks the link to go to the Pound on the Hill Animal Rescue, almost the first thing that one sees is a piece written by Dana Derby. I am taking the liberty of finishing off today’s post by quoting Dana’s words.
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I am a wiggly butt, adorable puppy. Who wouldn’t want ME? I am cuddly and warm. I look at you as my hero… and you are my hero… you saved me! I want to be with you; I feel safe in your arms. And you know I love you unconditionally. It matters not what you wear, your age, your weight or if your roots are showing… I love you just for you!
What I need to know is will you still love me? I will make mistakes. I may piddle on your best rug. If I am lonesome, I may chew on your favorite shoe… because it smells like you.
Will you still love me? I will grow into a dog. Though I will be cute, I won’t be the tiny baby you held in your arms. I may be rowdy until I learn my manners. It could be trying, at times. My tail might knock things over when I am so happy to see you it won’t stop wagging! I may run in circles, jump and bark simply because I am happy to love you so very much.
Will you still love me? As years pass, I will slow down. We age just like humans… only at a faster rate. This is because I cannot live without you. My face may become white with age, my legs not work so well, and my eyesight could deteriorate.
Will you still love me? And when my time comes to go to the Rainbow Bridge… I will want you by my side as I say goodbye. Not so much for me, but for you. I will want to be with you during this difficult time, just as we have shared the joy and sorrow of life together for years. I am your companion and will be with you forever… and I will still love you as I live patiently in your heart.. until we meet again.
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Learning from Dogs 