So while prepping all the posts I needed to have ready for the days I’m in Nashville, I went to my pictures for inspiration. I mean usually I rely on the dogs for inspiration, but since I won’t be hanging with them for a few days, I needed to go to the archives.
While I was skimming through thousands (yes, I really do have thousands of pictures of my dogs) I found my eyes tearing up with sadness over some of them.
None of them are sad pictures. But some of them did invoke memories.
Let me show you. (Lots of pictures, but hopefully not a lot of words.)
Vacation
This picture was Sampson’s first trip to North Carolina, it makes me sad because I feel like he should have had more vacations in fun places.
“Baby” Delilah
This picture is when she first joined our pack. It is the closest thing I have to what she might have looked like as a puppy. I wish I could have seen her as a puppy.
Baby Sam
This is my baby puppy dog, he was probably about a day old here. I miss his sweet little puppy breath.
Off leash walking
I used to love walking the dogs off-leash, but since Delilah can’t be trusted not to run off, she has to be on leash.
She loves to swim.
Delilah loves to swim. She will play fetch for hours if you let her swim. Sadly, there aren’t many places around here she can swim safely. (Oh and did I mention, she can’t be trusted off leash?)
Time flies so fast.
One of my favorite pictures of my grandson and my dogs. They’ve all gotten so much older.
Playing in the field
I miss the days when the dogs would run and wrestle in the field. As Sampson has aged their wrestling is limited.
Always hungry
She’s always scouting for food, it saddens me that whatever happened in her past, we haven’t been able to assure her we will always provide for her.
Training class
One of our last training classes. I miss the challenge of training class and the special time we share together.
Wood walking
Once upon a time we did all kinds of fun things on our walks. I need to remember to start incorporating these things again.
One of my favorite hiking photos.
Before Delilah we used to hike in so many different places. Sampson loved it so much, it saddens me that the dogs and I walk alone now, so our hiking areas are limited.
The bugs love that sweet chocolate blood.
Look at her poor swollen eyes. The bugs absolutely love her and try to eat her alive, which severely limits our wood walks.
Look mom, no gray.
Any picture of Sampson without gray in his face makes me sad. I know the time that we’ve had is longer than the time we have left and that just breaks my heart.
A fun day at the pool.
She had so much fun that day, jumping and racing for the toy. That night she had her first incident with pain, which took us 18 months to figure out what it was. I will always feel guilty and wonder if her jumping didn’t bring it on.
Boo boo wrist.
Looking back I can see that Sampson’s been in pain for some time. It makes me sad that we can’t figure out what is bothering him.
Love
Her first day of being loved. Enough said.
Chubby butts.
Look at how chubby they both were. Seeing a fat dog makes me sad, but the good thing is they are thinner and healthier now.
Do you have pictures of your dogs that make you sad? Why?
I see all those photos and think “Jodi and her dogs are awesome!” I see things to celebrate and be happy about. To quote Dr. Seuss ““Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
You’ve done right by your dogs, and when you have had to change the fun stuff, its for a good reason, not something selfish. We aren’t given the ability to know everything, you’ve always done the best you could for your dogs, and that is all anyone can do. And while I can’t deny that it is incredibly sad to lose a loved one, no sadness can take away the joy you shared. You are so lucky to be at a point in your life that you know to cherish what you have. Too many times people don’t realize it until it is too late.
Perfectly said! x
Cannot say it better.
Wise words Beth and the best possible comment for Josie’s wonderful photos.
I’m jumping on the bandwagon for “ditto” to Beth’s comment! Well stated. 🙂
I too am jumping on the bandwagon for Jodi and her pooches. Well done. Be thrilled you captured all these wonderful memories to cherish in your heart. 🙂
Cupcake’s ID picture from the rescue group is the saddest picture I ever saw. She’s standing in a cement cell with her 3 giant puppies (that may or may not have been German Shepherds) with a what-the-hell look on her little face. Ugh. Heartbreaking.
We don’t really feel sad about our photos. Mom is kind of an optimist. Katie makes her sad sometimes, mainly in person these days, but rather than feeling sad, she is determined to make Katie’s life the best it can be even if she is a senior with a lot of issues. There are things we miss or wish we had done more of, but rather than feel sad, we make plans to do those things in the future. You can never change the past, but you can always shape the future and make more memories as you would like them.
What a great aray of pictures to share with us today. They were all great. hope your having a great time at blogpaws.
I have a picture of BD and a young Mity on my fridge – they both make me a little sad. I should be spending more time with Mity as he is getting old. And as for BD – well I don’t think I need to go there do i?!
Great pictures! It makes me sad to see my three aging:( It is so hard to see them get old and know that they won’t be with us forever.
all of these things break my hear as well. My home is absolutely wall papered with pictures of Norbert and Tubby who passed recently and also Zira and Bingo who passed a few years ago. Each picture makes me sad. I even get the same feeling with pictures of Weasley and even know Fry and Tuvok as I know the puppy stage is passing for them. Bob is eight and I get that sad feeling fore sure. However, I know going into the dog relationship time is limited and thats it totally worth it. To me when a dog passes the best thing I can do to honor them is love another dog. I know its not how every one feels but it helps me. Nothing can ever replace a lost love, but luckily there is always room in the heart for new love
retro rover
Those are some great memories
Lily & Edward
Aw wow, these are beautiful memories <3
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Those are wonderful pictures. I am sorry that they make you sad.
Sad is not a bad thing, sad can be good too. Loved the pictures and the post.
Blueberry was chubby when I adopted her. She was a whopping 51 pounds. She’s now a trim 37 pounds. The saddest picture I have of her was the first time I met her. She looked like she was swallowed up with sorrow and confusion. But that picture also makes me smile. On the drive to her new home with me, I told her her life was about to. get so much better. And so did mine.
Sampson and Delilah care about quality time with you and you always provide that. Don’t be sad about those pictures, be glad you have those memories. 🙂
I have many of the same feelings going through my pictures, even worse when a picture of Gemini comes up. I always wish I had more time etc. etc. for them, but life is life and I do the best I can! I remind myself that my dogs and the dogs of blogs I read are the lucky ones, I shouldn’t feel bad!
Oh, Jodi, what a wonderful tribute to your babies. i identify with so many of them. It makes me sad looking back at his gotcha pictures.Gus is always hungry and never satisfied. The minute he sees, smells, is aware of any food, he begins drooling like a faucet. He leaves puddles wherever he is. He weighed 55 when we rescued him. He now weighs 78 and is not an ounce overweight. He was almost 2, but we thought he was closer to 1, because he was so thin, had very little fur and no manners. He, like Delilah can hear a leaf blow and wake up from a sound sleep with the most pitiful and loud “get them before they get me bark” . He was raised in a large crate with a big sister lab. He is still very submissive and will raise his back leg to expose himself when we pet him. I’ve always felt because he spent so much time crated, all day everyday, it has left him skittish when he hears noises. He couldn’t protect himself .
I apologize for going on and on. The people that had Gus loved him, but didn’t know the first thing about raising a dog. It makes us sad, because we know he wouldn’t have all of these quirks, if he had had some direction! Poor baby never even had a ball or toys because he tore them up. He has lots of toys and balls, but he would give everyone up for his red kong ball. It is no longer smooth andis smaller from all of the chewing, but it is his lovey.
One picture can evoke lots of emotions. But, the one statement that I can identify with the most is you realizing you have less time with Sampson than what time you have spent with him.
That brought tears to my eyes. Well loved and extremely well cared for, that’s Sampson and Delilah.
Good job. Mommy!
Gus’ Mom
Such lovely photos; and I get a lot of mixed emotions looking back as well. It’s one of the sad reminders of how short our dogs lives are – not to be a total buzzkill or anything. I get very sad when I see Laika trying to play with some of the neighborhood dogs; she can keep up but afterwards her arthritis will kick in so we have to limit those fun times and it can be quite depressing. I haven’t gone on a trip w/o Laika yet; I think I might miss her more than she’d miss me. I hope you’re having a wonderful time in Nashville; it sounds like it’s been pretty sweet so far.
The pix that make me sad are the ones of Callie right after each of her two ACL surgeries, and of Shadow after her surgery to have a hemangioma removed from the side of her neck. It makes me sad to think they had to go through such surgery and the necessary recovery. The good thing is they are both troopers and adapted well.
And for sure I have to agree with Beth (and everyone else) that your pix of Sampson and Delilah are precious, full of wonderful memories and the love you feel for them (and they for you)!! You are a great “fur mom”!!
Awesome post! You have gotten some great pictures over the years. Thanks for sharing.
Can totally relation many levels. I think we all have guilty feelings about something when it comes to our pets. We want to give them the very best. Your dogs are lucky because they know you love them and they get exercise every day. So many dogs do not. You are an awesome dog mom Jodi.
(I wish I could have seen Daisy as a puppy too.)
My recent photos of Wilson with his greying face make me sad, esp. if I browse back on my blog to photos when the grey wasn’t there. He’s 12 now and still seems pretty perky, but my human brain (and heart) know he is getting old 🙁
In this post you wrote: She’s always scouting for food, it saddens me that whatever happened in her past, we haven’t been able to assure her we will always provide for her……..
She’s a chocolate lab! There isn’t a chocolate lab on the planet that isn’t worried about having enough food! It’s in their genetic make-up 🙂
And finally, why haven’t I been reading your blog before this???!!!!!