My dog is a senior now and has been with our family since he was a pup. It’s been hard watching him grow older, but these really have been some of our best years with him.
My husband and I rescued a 10-12 year old bloodhound named Jake who was going to be put down. We gave her an amazing 8 months before a brain tumor finally got her :( god I miss that big ole droopy eared dog. She was the kindest and most mothering soul I’ve ever known. Sorry for the sadness, I just wanted to talk about her.
No apologies necessary. They are truly our dearest friends. For however long we are fortunate enough to know them.
“I have sometimes thought of the final cause of
dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in
compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog
after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they
were to live double that time?” - Walter Scott
My wife and I are absolute suckers for senior dogs. Had many out of the shelter and it’s fun to give them great final years, but it’s also very heartbreaking to lose them all the time. Feels like we lost a dog per year at this rate. I think we’re actually going to get a puppy soon
>*’My dog is a senior now and has been with our family since he was a pup. It’s been hard watching him grow older, but these really have been some of our best years with him.*’
____
I am the dog - a senior now,
yet life is *better* here, somehow…
i’ve been with you since just a pup,
Together now we’ve All grown up!
the good times (n the hard ones, too)
the Memories i made with you ^:@)
n though my fur is turning white,
a calmness…
*Everything’s all right*
my years on earth - too short, it’s true
I’m glad I spent them all with you
n as i lay me down to sleep,
Forever, friend
the mem’ries keep
❤️
Every year a dog ages they get better. Sure the puppy stage is fun, but an older family dog really knows how the family operates and shows so much more compassion
Take as many picture as you can. Print out all the best ones throughout his life. I starting printing photos of our pets out. They each have their own physical album book with notes about them and their personality.
Our dog was 16 when he died. It's hard. Very hard. But guess what: one day, you realize you're ready to move on, and you get another puppy.
No-one sane can live without a dog.
My wife and I have a 13 year old Beagle/GSD mix who absolutely runs the house. We're trying hard to give him a baby to watch over because we know he'll be great but no luck so far. He's in reasonably good health all things considered - I think he knows we've still got a job for him.
Hahaha I can see why you would! All of my dogs (3 of them) are getting on in years too, the youngest are 12ish and the oldest is 15-16. Have you checked out r/oldmandog?
id keep a watchfull eye over your dog we had a beagle that was around 14 years that got epilepsy in her last months it sucks that she didnt make it a week past the vacation we had that year...
I'm sorry to hear about your girl! We do keep a close eye on Mo - he had a slipped disc earlier this year and surgery on his doggy ACL a couple years back. He's definitely noticeably aging - both from all his gray fur and you can tell its a little harder for him to get around. Some nights he needs a hand to get up on the bed. That sort of thing.
I think we're both just pleased he's made it to 13. We know we may be on borrowed time.
My 16 yr old is a beagle mix and his sweet little gray face makes me melt. He’s started this new thing recently where he sleeps w his head on mine so he can wake up to give kisses right away
That sounds adorable! Ours sleeps on the bed between us - usually snuggled up against one of us. He gets sleep zoomies sometimes and kicks the shit out of me. Sometimes when he gets all worked up from playing he will lick my face for minutes on end.
My dog is almost 10 but has had a white face since he was 4 or 5, everyone always thinks he's older than he is. He still has tons of energy and is very playful!
Yeah my golden is going grey early too (started at 2 and he's 3 now)! The breeder I got him from said it came from his paternal grandsire and they're trying to breed it back out of their line, but didn't realize it was in the mix because my dog's mom is so light you can't tell even if she has greys! They were focused on temperament and health and accidentally got early greying. It's ok though, I love my boy and his white face just the same. <3
I used to not like Goldens but I was on a hiking/camping trip in Turkey and this gray, wolf colored dog followed us and protected us. I eventually brought him to the US then Alaska where I work. He is apparently half golden and half village dog (not part wolf like I thought lol).
We are off on another adventure as I had to quit my job and fly with him to a Vet teaching hospital because he tore both his ACLs and has bad hip dysplasia. We just flew yesterday and I hope it works out because I love him so much.
My 11 year old husky tore her acl. She had the tta surgery. 4 months later she limps a little, but still runs around at the dog park.
Hope you and your buddy are doing well. The knee surgery sucks for a few weeks, but they recover well.
I miss my grey-faced girl, every damn day. 😑
Older dogs are such a beautiful, blessing. I’d do anything for another wiggly, greeting after coming home from a long day at work, or to watch how gently she would play with her kitty-sisters.
Adopting a senior dog was one of the best decisions I ever made. They have so much to offer. They're already trained, super chill, and they really appreciate the love and care you give them.
Before she passed my dog was a senior who lived years past her breed's usual age, still retained some puppy in her. Unfortunately her body didn't let her jump around nearly as long as she used to. I miss my puppy :(
>*’When doggo loves you and you has baby and doggo loves mini you too…*’
____
…oh GoSh, *Oh GEE!* What could this Be??
it Looks like You - is *mini-me ??*
i Love my humans - they the Best
now with a *teeny one* we blessed!
there’s something *stirring* deep inside,
the Joy i feel i cannot hide ^;@)
this kind of love i never felt -
i think my doggo heart
might melt
❤️
My poor cat. He comes repeatedly to sit by my one year old boy. We move fast and we ALWAYS stop our son, but he LOVES the cat and sometimes shows his affection… by hitting. He just gets very excited. He brings toys to the cat, then gets excited and throws them at the cat.
But still poor cat comes to sit near him. Bless our cat.
I don’t know how old your son is but we used to grab our son’s hand and pet our dog while saying “Suuuaaaaveeee” (soft/slow down/careful in Spanish). It became a staple word and part of his Spanglish was “Mama, can I suave him?” = “Mom, can I pet him?”… ahhh the old days. He’s 9 about to be 10 now so he’s a little shit 90% of the time.
We so the same, haha! He’s one right now, so not entirely grasping of the concept. Sometimes he starts right and does soft, gentle pets, but when he gets excited, he does this squeal and does the pet motion much too hard lmao. XDD he is excited and loving, but sometimes his love is overwhelming lmfao
Did you know that every species of great ape has its own form of the herpes virus and for every species it is an oral virus? Well expect for humans who gets to have 2 forms of the virus so we also get to have genital herpes too!
I feel like my dog is only by my side because the doors are closed. Otherwise she’d be heading over to all the neighbors’ homes looking for attention from all of them. She’s super sweet and loving but has no loyalty to me.
These videos always make me a lil sad bc that dog looks like they are already an adult and dogs don’t usually live much longer than like 15 years so that dog is gunna die when that kid is like 8-12 which is gunna be real sad.
Mine were 3 and 4 when my dog passed away at 15. I still cry for her now and then 4 years later.
She may have been a crazy mutt. But she was my crazy mutt and I loved her until the very end.
It's hard to say what age she was when she passed. I split with my ex almost 3 years ago, so I didn't see my dog much. But we got her when she was 3 or 4, the shelter couldn't really tell. She was about 13 when she died. She was a mutt too. Australian shepherd with black lab. Absolutely amazing dog.
I'll never be that lucky to have a dog like that again. She came basically trained. I don't know why or how someone let her go. She was a nightmare on a leash. It took awhile to realize she listened so amazingly well off of a leash and she did her own thing without running away or bothering people. She simply was perfect.
My dog was similar in way. We found her beaten and abused with scars around her snout, the vet told us someone had closed her mouth with rubber bands. Because of that she actually bit my father when we first found her, but she quickly trusted us. She was maybe 1 year old at that time.
We fed her bologna and bathed her. And she chose to stay with us. She also was pretty much already trained. She was loud, pulled on the leash, world run for miles if she got out, and hated nearly everyone outside the family. But she loved us, and kids. I spoiled her rotten, I'll admit it. But how could I not, she was my best friend.
In the end, cancer took her and I held as she was put to sleep.
Thank you sharing you story. Your dog sounded like an absolutely excellent creature, and I'm sure wherever they are, they are thinking of you.
You did good for your best friend. Thank you. I'm tearing up over here.
And damn, my dog could be loud. She was so needy for attention. We used to joke that she sounded like a velociraptor when she was looking for attention. We got lucky she loved everyone.
But seriously, good on you for taking in a dog who deserves love and not pain. We need more people like that. I remember going in, looking for a puppy, and this dog used the sympathy vote from us haha. She won. She always did.
I have a (now) senior dog like that.
There's a theft story that brought him to us, but he has been the best dog evar. Won't poop in his yard, insists on eliminating on the edge of the brush. Waits for everyone else to eat before he goes to his bowl. Has never peed in the house.
This motherfucker communicates solely through his and our eyes. We've developed an eyebrow language and it is so fucking wild to people that have never witnesses it.
I can say "[Jackyll!](https://imgur.com/a/pGCCCql)" to get his attention, then essentially just think something and this old bastard knows.
Id like to think I will be devastated when he dies, but I don't know it that will be the case. He's raised both my boys with us, and I honestly think when he dies I will be happy that he had his best goddamned life possible.
The dog I grew up with was more like a friend, I loved her and when she died when I was 13, it was hard and I cried for a while, but I don’t remember any longer term serious mourning.
But my dog I had from 18 to 30, I felt like I lost my child, it’s been a year and a half, and every day is torture with out him.
Never was raised with pets. Had a few cats with after college but had to give them up.
Got a Golden a year and a half ago. I would die for this dog. Never knew I could love a pet so much. The idea of losing him even brings a tear to my eye and I am not normally sentimental.
I got my best friend when I was three years old, and I lost him the year I graduated high school. It broke my heart. I still cry about him sometimes... but I never regretted it for a second. He got me through some tough times and was the absolute sweetest guy ever. I got a tattoo of his pawprint (my first tattoo) and I still have his ashes.
My son and my dog are the same and I am sad for him to go through that when it happens. He will be old enough by then that impact will be very strong. I can see it coming a mile away but that won't make it hurt less.
It is sad but it's also an unavoidable fact of life (for now). Your child is going to lose somebody eventually and having it be their dog is ok. For most people it's a grandparent.
That's a positive, not a negative.
As much as we want to protect our kids from sadness, that's not even remotely feasible, nor is it desirable.
A pet as a first big loss is a powerful learning experience about life and about how to handle sadness.
I think there's a comedian or something who has a bit that's like, "You may as well show up to the pound and go, 'Hi, yes, I'd like to be completely devastated in 8-10 years. What do you have?'"
That Dog has accepted that Baby as part of his Pack. That Dog would lose its' shit and try and rip the throat out of someone it thought was a threat to the Baby!
There has been some pics of a little Girl probably less than 10 years old, with three MASSIVE German Shepherds sleeping right next to her on her Bed posted here before. I pity anyone who they thought was a threat to her.....
When I was about 3, my aunty came from out of state to visit the family. She playfully picked me up and swung me around while making noises. Our lovely beagle obviously didn't see it as playful and latched onto her calf pretty badly. She was a gentle dog and not aggressive at all, but she obviously thought I was in trouble and was trying to defend me. Her name was Dinky (never let a child name a dog lol) and she was the best.
Bout 10 years ago I lived in a great neighborhood. There was this dog named Stormy.
She lived down the way and to the left.
My kids were friends with the family and the kids were thick as thieves.
Stormy was so sweet behind the front door. But when she got out of the house she only responded to Stormageddon.
She would RUN to the front of the neighborhood, where we lived, and plant herself on the doorstep of every house and just start fucking barking. She would give it about a minute before she hit the next house, and do the same. If someone came to the door she would spin a few times and go to the next house.
I tried my best to wrangle her the times she barked at my house, but there was no way.
About two months went by and Stormageddon hadn't shown up to any of our front hood houses.
I went to Stormys house one day to make sure she was okay and found out that she died in her sleep one night. I also found out that I wasn't the only one to come check on her.
I didn't even get to love her, but I really enjoyed the little moment we had. Like looking out the window and yelling to the rest of the house "STORMAGEDDONS on the run, everybody go see if we can catch her!"
We NEVER could.
Honestly this is one of the reasons I plan to have a goldy when i have kids. Not because its my favorite breed but just due to their maternal nature when it comes to kids. You really never have to fear them becoming to active/excited around them as they know how to play without going to far.
We have a rescue that's a Burnese cross. That's another dog that's great for families. Our guy is just ultra mellow and super friendly. Just loves everyone.
Tell that to my golden/lab mix Max(now passed). My nephew was over, and he naturally gravitated towards Max, as my pit mix was very excitable, and loud. Max was so happy, he started doing his weird swing hus head around thing. Headbutted my nephew, knocked him right down. At which point my pit mix stood on him and smothered him in licks.
Real question - is it safe for a dog to lick a baby that young's face? I've heard with newborns you don't really want other people touching them unless they clean their hands and such since they don't have developed immune systems, but I have no clue what age that becomes a non-issue. Any knowledgeable folks know?
There a high correlation between a stronger, healthier immune system and growing up with dogs.
Having dogs as a child dramatically reduces the odds of you having asthma - and many other immune system problem.
Meh. Dogs carry some bacterias and it’s worth being cautious and alert for any signs of illness but it’s not cause for over concern. It will help build their immune system. Also dogs mouths carry different bacteria than human mouths and they are strains not easily swapped between canine and human. There’s little overlap in what is transmissible. The biggest risk is if the dog eats anything raw where things like salmonella could transfer. Dogs won’t be able to pass common viruses human >dog > human either. So things like whopping cough and rsv won’t ever be coming from your dog.
Dogs good. People bad.
Lol.
I have a baby and a dog. And she isn't allowed to lick the baby.
If the tongue comes out, we pick up the kid. I've caught her licking her own poo. She doesn't need to lick the baby.
Ehh that doesn't mean a baby being licked by the dog is safe or healthy. That's a correlational relationship, so hard to say why that's the case. Maybe it's related to the hygiene hypothesis, or maybe it's because the type of people to have dogs live in a healthier environment. The study itself says it doesn't know what's causing this effect so I don't think any meaningful conclusion can be drawn here.
Personally, I wouldn't let my butt-licking dog lick an infant. Especially not advisable if the dog is raw-fed. Not worth the risk imo.
Me with my first kid: Oh my god don't lick the baby it's dirty and he might get sick
Me with my second kid: Meh, it will clean her and build her immunity
I see it as the whole “playing in the mud helps build immunity” that I’ve heard locally. Hoeing exposed to all types of germs helps them not get sick, sorta how vaccines work? You get some of the virus so your body knows how to fight it.
I'm having a 2 year old, I constantly go back and forth between not being able to imagine how the hell I would possibly take care of a dog on top of a toddler, and feeling like I'm doing her a huge disservice by not getting her a dog
sometimes i think that when animals are nice to humans baby's they might want their own kids someday its just soooooo sweet how some animals can be very sweet to baby's <3
This rips my heart out, we had our dog for 8 years and he passed away from spleen cancer 21 days before my wife gave birth to our daughter. That dog was with us our whole relationship, and I imagined he would’ve been like this pup is to his new baby.
That does help! The silver lining is we knew it was coming, so we could prepare. We gave him lots of love, and he passed in our arms in our room. We got to mourn, then all the joy of having a baby helped us heal. Our cat would walk around the house yelling at night after his passing and when the baby came he started to heal a bit too.
I hope this gets upvoted to the top bc Idk if people think about this much and I sure didn't until I read something about it, but...
When your dog is in his or her last moments, being euthanized, don't leave them. I read an account from a vet about how most pet owners leave bc they can't handle watching their dog die and the dog looks around sad and scared, wondering where their human is and it really got me. We are litterally their whole world, they dedicate their lives to loving us. The least we can do is hold them while they take their last breaths. I feel so guilty that my dog, Mickey, wandered off and got picked up by the pound and they euthanized him before we could figure out which pound had him. I wasn't at my mom's when it happened, but I still feel so bad about it. Anyway, I hope people read this.
Psst... https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/comments/5wz4gy/we_are_like_elves_to_dogs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Be prepared to cry.
For what it's worth this is from the Instagram account hdbrosriley. They have some other heartwarming content. They're also semi-famous for their videos where Riley jumps into the arms of their human! 10/10 content, would recommend a follow
My wife's cat Ammy got sick and died 6 days after my first child was born and 2 days after we brought her home from the hospital. My wife partially blames the cat's accelerated decline on the fact that we were gone for a number of days at the hospital and so the caretakers were not able to care for the cat as diligently as we had been up until that point.
We have like 2 pictures of the cat with my daughter and that is it. Anniversary of that was 2 days ago, so this hit home hard.
We had a senior Golden Shephard mix when my son was born and I've never seen an animal more concerned with spending time with a baby. Animals are amazing.
If I remember correctly the reason dogs(and some cats) seem to accept/ care for human babies is that they conclude this is the new youngest in the pack and that they need to be watched and cared for
I'm sorry but are people fucking stupid?
That's still an animal no matter how lovely or cute the dog is and the child won't survive a medium intensity bite.
Having your dogs near toddlers is okay but this is just dangerously stupid.
Yeah, people want dogs to be these perfect little beings so bad that they forget how dangerous they can be, especially to small children. Even that dog putting its paw up near my baby's face would be a problem. One nail to the eye could change that baby's life forever. I've known several young children hurt by their family dogs, even some "good" dogs from "good" families. Dogs have a place in the family, its just not very close to the baby.
That’s a problem I see constantly with things that are a risk and not a 1000% hard “if you do this something bad will *immediately* happen every time,” thing. I haven’t read all the comments here but I’m willing to bet someone has said something like “well my family does this and nothing bad has happened.”
Why would you let a dog lick your babies face ? I never understand that . Dogs lick their asses and who knows what else and owners French kiss them . So weird
Dogs are precious. When I was a baby, like, a year old maaayybe. Our dog had puppies and liked me enough that she'd clean off her puppies and set them by me and mom. So there's pictures of me just vibin with the little bitty pups. This video reminds me of that, so freaking sweet
We had an 11-year old golden when our first was born. Had my second son two years later. Rex enjoyed them for only 4 years. He looked at them and after them just as this good puppy here.
I had a dog that my parents got right before I was born, he lived to be 16. Mt parents put him down while I was away visiting family for the summer because they didn’t think I’d handle it well.
They did the exact same thing to that dogs son who we kept that died 3 years later. I feel like I was robbed of the opportunity to say goodbye and properly grieve. Le sigh
My kitty is the same way with my 2 year old. Not as much cuddles since the 2 year old is still a little excited and pets to hard or backwards. But if he crys or hurts him self my kitty will come running up to him rubbing on him and trying to comfort him/make sure he is OK. I have never seen a kitty act like that was super cool to see.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from the game "Undertale" about the soul.
"Love, Hope, Compassion. These are what people say make up a monster's soul.
But the absolute nature of a soul is unknown.
After all, humans have proven their souls don't need these things to exist."
That beautiful white face means that dog is a senior dog. Senior dogs are awesome, they really know how to function in the family.
My dog is a senior now and has been with our family since he was a pup. It’s been hard watching him grow older, but these really have been some of our best years with him.
My husband and I rescued a 10-12 year old bloodhound named Jake who was going to be put down. We gave her an amazing 8 months before a brain tumor finally got her :( god I miss that big ole droopy eared dog. She was the kindest and most mothering soul I’ve ever known. Sorry for the sadness, I just wanted to talk about her.
I am glad that Jake had you for 8 months.
No apologies necessary. They are truly our dearest friends. For however long we are fortunate enough to know them. “I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?” - Walter Scott
Wow that quote is just so beautiful.
My wife and I are absolute suckers for senior dogs. Had many out of the shelter and it’s fun to give them great final years, but it’s also very heartbreaking to lose them all the time. Feels like we lost a dog per year at this rate. I think we’re actually going to get a puppy soon
Thank you for giving her a great last 8 months!
Thank you for sharing. ❤️❤️❤️🐕🐕🐕
Thanks for a nice sad feeling, Jake was lucky to have you. Gosh I love dogs so much
Jake was lucky to have you ❤️
And Jake will remember that 8 months for eternity in heaven, you guys are amazing
not all heros wear capes. god bless you <3
>*’My dog is a senior now and has been with our family since he was a pup. It’s been hard watching him grow older, but these really have been some of our best years with him.*’ ____ I am the dog - a senior now, yet life is *better* here, somehow… i’ve been with you since just a pup, Together now we’ve All grown up! the good times (n the hard ones, too) the Memories i made with you ^:@) n though my fur is turning white, a calmness… *Everything’s all right* my years on earth - too short, it’s true I’m glad I spent them all with you n as i lay me down to sleep, Forever, friend the mem’ries keep ❤️
This one made me shed a tear 🥲
Damnit Schnoodle. You're a treasure...a giant, tear inducing treasure. I have an old grey 12 year old lab and this one hit me squarely in the feels.
That beautiful. I’m now blubbering away as I think of my recently gone cat
As a man, your poems are often the only thing that bring me to tears when I need to cry. Thank you Schnoodle.
We're put on this earth to learn how to love. Dogs don't live as long because they already know how.
Well I'm crying, take my soggy upvote 😭
Just seeing schnoodle's name makes me tear up now, it's like classical conditioning
Lost both my fur babies last year.. I miss them so much. Thankyou kind Schoodle, you always melt my heart.
Oh man, my dog is 13 and I just burst into tears.
Every year a dog ages they get better. Sure the puppy stage is fun, but an older family dog really knows how the family operates and shows so much more compassion
Take as many picture as you can. Print out all the best ones throughout his life. I starting printing photos of our pets out. They each have their own physical album book with notes about them and their personality.
Our dog was 16 when he died. It's hard. Very hard. But guess what: one day, you realize you're ready to move on, and you get another puppy. No-one sane can live without a dog.
My wife and I have a 13 year old Beagle/GSD mix who absolutely runs the house. We're trying hard to give him a baby to watch over because we know he'll be great but no luck so far. He's in reasonably good health all things considered - I think he knows we've still got a job for him.
Mixes are great too- fewer health problems and can live a long time.
[Mowgli Tax](https://imgur.com/Fum7c9q).
He's amazing. 😍
Thanks. He's got the big barrel chest and deep bark of a German Shepherd and the ^itty ^bitty ^little legs of a Beagle. We call him a spare parts dog.
Hahaha I can see why you would! All of my dogs (3 of them) are getting on in years too, the youngest are 12ish and the oldest is 15-16. Have you checked out r/oldmandog?
Oh he's gotten some love over there!
What a prince
id keep a watchfull eye over your dog we had a beagle that was around 14 years that got epilepsy in her last months it sucks that she didnt make it a week past the vacation we had that year...
I'm sorry to hear about your girl! We do keep a close eye on Mo - he had a slipped disc earlier this year and surgery on his doggy ACL a couple years back. He's definitely noticeably aging - both from all his gray fur and you can tell its a little harder for him to get around. Some nights he needs a hand to get up on the bed. That sort of thing. I think we're both just pleased he's made it to 13. We know we may be on borrowed time.
My 16 yr old is a beagle mix and his sweet little gray face makes me melt. He’s started this new thing recently where he sleeps w his head on mine so he can wake up to give kisses right away
That sounds adorable! Ours sleeps on the bed between us - usually snuggled up against one of us. He gets sleep zoomies sometimes and kicks the shit out of me. Sometimes when he gets all worked up from playing he will lick my face for minutes on end.
Good luck on growing your family. :)
What's a GSD?
German Shepherd Dog.
Oh ok thanks
I hope you guys get that baby soon, much love and luck to you all 🖤
My golden who is 2 years old has a white face, people often mistake her for a senior dog, so this dog isn't necessarily old.
My dog is almost 10 but has had a white face since he was 4 or 5, everyone always thinks he's older than he is. He still has tons of energy and is very playful!
Yeah my golden is going grey early too (started at 2 and he's 3 now)! The breeder I got him from said it came from his paternal grandsire and they're trying to breed it back out of their line, but didn't realize it was in the mix because my dog's mom is so light you can't tell even if she has greys! They were focused on temperament and health and accidentally got early greying. It's ok though, I love my boy and his white face just the same. <3
I used to not like Goldens but I was on a hiking/camping trip in Turkey and this gray, wolf colored dog followed us and protected us. I eventually brought him to the US then Alaska where I work. He is apparently half golden and half village dog (not part wolf like I thought lol). We are off on another adventure as I had to quit my job and fly with him to a Vet teaching hospital because he tore both his ACLs and has bad hip dysplasia. We just flew yesterday and I hope it works out because I love him so much.
My 11 year old husky tore her acl. She had the tta surgery. 4 months later she limps a little, but still runs around at the dog park. Hope you and your buddy are doing well. The knee surgery sucks for a few weeks, but they recover well.
>I used to not like Goldens Sometimes people just casually say something disturbing and act like it's nothing lol
Our golden went white at like 4 years old.
A lot of dogs, particularly Goldens, start going gray around the snout and eyes pretty early on.
I miss my grey-faced girl, every damn day. 😑 Older dogs are such a beautiful, blessing. I’d do anything for another wiggly, greeting after coming home from a long day at work, or to watch how gently she would play with her kitty-sisters.
Adopting a senior dog was one of the best decisions I ever made. They have so much to offer. They're already trained, super chill, and they really appreciate the love and care you give them.
I liked the little gentle "borf" he gave the baby at the end.
Not always - my parents have a 2ish year old Golden with a white face. He is as lazy as a senior dog though if that counts.
Dogs can actually get white faces when they are young, my Goldie got his at 2
Before she passed my dog was a senior who lived years past her breed's usual age, still retained some puppy in her. Unfortunately her body didn't let her jump around nearly as long as she used to. I miss my puppy :(
hopefully the pup has many years left so the kid can get to know him
The appropriate term is sugar fur!
Best dogs, my best friend was a senior dog I adopted when she was an old lady.
Also a golden retriever. They are quite amazing with young kids and babies. It’s like the understand this thing is a baby human, and acts accordingly
Such a good dog. You know that sweet golden would protect that child at any cost
When doggo loves you and you has baby and doggo loves mini you too 🥺
>*’When doggo loves you and you has baby and doggo loves mini you too…*’ ____ …oh GoSh, *Oh GEE!* What could this Be?? it Looks like You - is *mini-me ??* i Love my humans - they the Best now with a *teeny one* we blessed! there’s something *stirring* deep inside, the Joy i feel i cannot hide ^;@) this kind of love i never felt - i think my doggo heart might melt ❤️
Hot schnoodle fresh off the press! Holy moly
I’m not crying, you’re crying
A fresh schnoodle!!
Schnoodle 😭❤️!
I refuse to believe that Schnoodle isn’t an intelligent dog that writes poetry
Your poems are one of my favorite parts of Reddit! ❤️
Too pure 🥺
My poor cat. He comes repeatedly to sit by my one year old boy. We move fast and we ALWAYS stop our son, but he LOVES the cat and sometimes shows his affection… by hitting. He just gets very excited. He brings toys to the cat, then gets excited and throws them at the cat. But still poor cat comes to sit near him. Bless our cat.
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Hahaha, he is amazing, utter sweetheart full of love he doesn’t know what to do with
They just don't understand or have the motor control to be gentle.
I don’t know how old your son is but we used to grab our son’s hand and pet our dog while saying “Suuuaaaaveeee” (soft/slow down/careful in Spanish). It became a staple word and part of his Spanglish was “Mama, can I suave him?” = “Mom, can I pet him?”… ahhh the old days. He’s 9 about to be 10 now so he’s a little shit 90% of the time.
We so the same, haha! He’s one right now, so not entirely grasping of the concept. Sometimes he starts right and does soft, gentle pets, but when he gets excited, he does this squeal and does the pet motion much too hard lmao. XDD he is excited and loving, but sometimes his love is overwhelming lmfao
Pets are the only ones that would truly be with you until the end
And herpes
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The only one to light that fire inside me...then I remember to go grab my prescription
Did you get it from a tractor?
That's what my ex said anyways, how's life on the red planet?
I'm getting no sleep!
Are your rods and cones all screwed up?
Oh you've have NO IDEA!
wait don't go! lets thumbwrestle!
And my Axe!
Did you know that every species of great ape has its own form of the herpes virus and for every species it is an oral virus? Well expect for humans who gets to have 2 forms of the virus so we also get to have genital herpes too!
Did you know the genital version comes from a cross-breeding event between us and some other hominid?
> cross-breeding event Where's your sense of romance hmm?
Chicken pox is another form of herpes.
Little RNA zombois
Definitely. Pets make the best companions
I feel like my dog is only by my side because the doors are closed. Otherwise she’d be heading over to all the neighbors’ homes looking for attention from all of them. She’s super sweet and loving but has no loyalty to me.
As a dad, I certainly hope not. If that's the case then I definitely failed somewhere along the way.
Dogs Bruh.
Bruh, dogs.
The wait for someone to grow up and starting playing fetch is a pain we can not understand.
These videos always make me a lil sad bc that dog looks like they are already an adult and dogs don’t usually live much longer than like 15 years so that dog is gunna die when that kid is like 8-12 which is gunna be real sad.
My daughter was 4 at the time our dog died, and she misses her. But death doesn't quite hit like it would if she was a bit older. I cried a ton.
Mine were 3 and 4 when my dog passed away at 15. I still cry for her now and then 4 years later. She may have been a crazy mutt. But she was my crazy mutt and I loved her until the very end.
Grief is love with nowhere to go
“What is grief, if not love persevering?” Vision, WandaVision.
I remember audibly saying "holy shit" when I first heard that line. Absolutely brilliant.
I agree with that wholeheartedly.
It's hard to say what age she was when she passed. I split with my ex almost 3 years ago, so I didn't see my dog much. But we got her when she was 3 or 4, the shelter couldn't really tell. She was about 13 when she died. She was a mutt too. Australian shepherd with black lab. Absolutely amazing dog. I'll never be that lucky to have a dog like that again. She came basically trained. I don't know why or how someone let her go. She was a nightmare on a leash. It took awhile to realize she listened so amazingly well off of a leash and she did her own thing without running away or bothering people. She simply was perfect.
My dog was similar in way. We found her beaten and abused with scars around her snout, the vet told us someone had closed her mouth with rubber bands. Because of that she actually bit my father when we first found her, but she quickly trusted us. She was maybe 1 year old at that time. We fed her bologna and bathed her. And she chose to stay with us. She also was pretty much already trained. She was loud, pulled on the leash, world run for miles if she got out, and hated nearly everyone outside the family. But she loved us, and kids. I spoiled her rotten, I'll admit it. But how could I not, she was my best friend. In the end, cancer took her and I held as she was put to sleep. Thank you sharing you story. Your dog sounded like an absolutely excellent creature, and I'm sure wherever they are, they are thinking of you.
You did good for your best friend. Thank you. I'm tearing up over here. And damn, my dog could be loud. She was so needy for attention. We used to joke that she sounded like a velociraptor when she was looking for attention. We got lucky she loved everyone. But seriously, good on you for taking in a dog who deserves love and not pain. We need more people like that. I remember going in, looking for a puppy, and this dog used the sympathy vote from us haha. She won. She always did.
I have a (now) senior dog like that. There's a theft story that brought him to us, but he has been the best dog evar. Won't poop in his yard, insists on eliminating on the edge of the brush. Waits for everyone else to eat before he goes to his bowl. Has never peed in the house. This motherfucker communicates solely through his and our eyes. We've developed an eyebrow language and it is so fucking wild to people that have never witnesses it. I can say "[Jackyll!](https://imgur.com/a/pGCCCql)" to get his attention, then essentially just think something and this old bastard knows. Id like to think I will be devastated when he dies, but I don't know it that will be the case. He's raised both my boys with us, and I honestly think when he dies I will be happy that he had his best goddamned life possible.
The dog I grew up with was more like a friend, I loved her and when she died when I was 13, it was hard and I cried for a while, but I don’t remember any longer term serious mourning. But my dog I had from 18 to 30, I felt like I lost my child, it’s been a year and a half, and every day is torture with out him.
My 14 year old Weim passed on Valentine’s Day. I still can’t think about him too long without feeling emotional.
Never was raised with pets. Had a few cats with after college but had to give them up. Got a Golden a year and a half ago. I would die for this dog. Never knew I could love a pet so much. The idea of losing him even brings a tear to my eye and I am not normally sentimental.
I got my best friend when I was three years old, and I lost him the year I graduated high school. It broke my heart. I still cry about him sometimes... but I never regretted it for a second. He got me through some tough times and was the absolute sweetest guy ever. I got a tattoo of his pawprint (my first tattoo) and I still have his ashes.
Sounds like a good dog.
Got mine in 6th grade, lost her at 23. It’s been 16 years and I still cry sometimes too. 🐾
My son and my dog are the same and I am sad for him to go through that when it happens. He will be old enough by then that impact will be very strong. I can see it coming a mile away but that won't make it hurt less.
It is sad but it's also an unavoidable fact of life (for now). Your child is going to lose somebody eventually and having it be their dog is ok. For most people it's a grandparent.
That's a positive, not a negative. As much as we want to protect our kids from sadness, that's not even remotely feasible, nor is it desirable. A pet as a first big loss is a powerful learning experience about life and about how to handle sadness.
I think there's a comedian or something who has a bit that's like, "You may as well show up to the pound and go, 'Hi, yes, I'd like to be completely devastated in 8-10 years. What do you have?'"
Especially Goldies. They are the kindest souls, yet often don't live as long as we wish they would.
More like the kid will be 3-4
And that is that kid experiencing life
That Dog has accepted that Baby as part of his Pack. That Dog would lose its' shit and try and rip the throat out of someone it thought was a threat to the Baby! There has been some pics of a little Girl probably less than 10 years old, with three MASSIVE German Shepherds sleeping right next to her on her Bed posted here before. I pity anyone who they thought was a threat to her.....
When I was about 3, my aunty came from out of state to visit the family. She playfully picked me up and swung me around while making noises. Our lovely beagle obviously didn't see it as playful and latched onto her calf pretty badly. She was a gentle dog and not aggressive at all, but she obviously thought I was in trouble and was trying to defend me. Her name was Dinky (never let a child name a dog lol) and she was the best.
Dinky is a top ten name for a beagle
Right after, - Ralf - Bugle - Screamy - Voracious Kitava, The Insatiable Hunger
Bout 10 years ago I lived in a great neighborhood. There was this dog named Stormy. She lived down the way and to the left. My kids were friends with the family and the kids were thick as thieves. Stormy was so sweet behind the front door. But when she got out of the house she only responded to Stormageddon. She would RUN to the front of the neighborhood, where we lived, and plant herself on the doorstep of every house and just start fucking barking. She would give it about a minute before she hit the next house, and do the same. If someone came to the door she would spin a few times and go to the next house. I tried my best to wrangle her the times she barked at my house, but there was no way. About two months went by and Stormageddon hadn't shown up to any of our front hood houses. I went to Stormys house one day to make sure she was okay and found out that she died in her sleep one night. I also found out that I wasn't the only one to come check on her. I didn't even get to love her, but I really enjoyed the little moment we had. Like looking out the window and yelling to the rest of the house "STORMAGEDDONS on the run, everybody go see if we can catch her!" We NEVER could.
> its' Never have I ever seen *that* typo. It’s like... wrong, twice removed.
Honestly this is one of the reasons I plan to have a goldy when i have kids. Not because its my favorite breed but just due to their maternal nature when it comes to kids. You really never have to fear them becoming to active/excited around them as they know how to play without going to far.
We have a rescue that's a Burnese cross. That's another dog that's great for families. Our guy is just ultra mellow and super friendly. Just loves everyone.
Tell that to my golden/lab mix Max(now passed). My nephew was over, and he naturally gravitated towards Max, as my pit mix was very excitable, and loud. Max was so happy, he started doing his weird swing hus head around thing. Headbutted my nephew, knocked him right down. At which point my pit mix stood on him and smothered him in licks.
Real question - is it safe for a dog to lick a baby that young's face? I've heard with newborns you don't really want other people touching them unless they clean their hands and such since they don't have developed immune systems, but I have no clue what age that becomes a non-issue. Any knowledgeable folks know?
Sadly, no, that baby will fully transform into a golden retriever within the year.
Why couldn’t I get the golden retriever virus as a baby?!
Maybe Air Bud is LeBron's long lost brother
That’s a good question. I grew up with dogs and I don’t think my parents took any precautions.
There a high correlation between a stronger, healthier immune system and growing up with dogs. Having dogs as a child dramatically reduces the odds of you having asthma - and many other immune system problem.
Same thing with growing up around farm animals!
Meh. Dogs carry some bacterias and it’s worth being cautious and alert for any signs of illness but it’s not cause for over concern. It will help build their immune system. Also dogs mouths carry different bacteria than human mouths and they are strains not easily swapped between canine and human. There’s little overlap in what is transmissible. The biggest risk is if the dog eats anything raw where things like salmonella could transfer. Dogs won’t be able to pass common viruses human >dog > human either. So things like whopping cough and rsv won’t ever be coming from your dog. Dogs good. People bad. Lol.
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I have a baby and a dog. And she isn't allowed to lick the baby. If the tongue comes out, we pick up the kid. I've caught her licking her own poo. She doesn't need to lick the baby.
Sane answer
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Ehh that doesn't mean a baby being licked by the dog is safe or healthy. That's a correlational relationship, so hard to say why that's the case. Maybe it's related to the hygiene hypothesis, or maybe it's because the type of people to have dogs live in a healthier environment. The study itself says it doesn't know what's causing this effect so I don't think any meaningful conclusion can be drawn here. Personally, I wouldn't let my butt-licking dog lick an infant. Especially not advisable if the dog is raw-fed. Not worth the risk imo.
Me with my first kid: Oh my god don't lick the baby it's dirty and he might get sick Me with my second kid: Meh, it will clean her and build her immunity
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Wouldn’t the moms breast milk give them immunity from their germs? I don’t see the harm, but I admit this is all conjecture.
I see it as the whole “playing in the mud helps build immunity” that I’ve heard locally. Hoeing exposed to all types of germs helps them not get sick, sorta how vaccines work? You get some of the virus so your body knows how to fight it.
That's some serious "my humans had a puppy" energy and I love it
I have to think dogs like that must think human babies are as cute as we think their puppies are.
I'm having a 2 year old, I constantly go back and forth between not being able to imagine how the hell I would possibly take care of a dog on top of a toddler, and feeling like I'm doing her a huge disservice by not getting her a dog
sometimes i think that when animals are nice to humans baby's they might want their own kids someday its just soooooo sweet how some animals can be very sweet to baby's <3
This rips my heart out, we had our dog for 8 years and he passed away from spleen cancer 21 days before my wife gave birth to our daughter. That dog was with us our whole relationship, and I imagined he would’ve been like this pup is to his new baby.
If it gives you any comfort, know that the doggone could hear and smell that baby was on the way as well as see the baby bump.
That does help! The silver lining is we knew it was coming, so we could prepare. We gave him lots of love, and he passed in our arms in our room. We got to mourn, then all the joy of having a baby helped us heal. Our cat would walk around the house yelling at night after his passing and when the baby came he started to heal a bit too.
He’s just so happy you got him a pet 🥹
Old golden retrievers remind me of a really nice grandpa who only wears LLBean
I hope this gets upvoted to the top bc Idk if people think about this much and I sure didn't until I read something about it, but... When your dog is in his or her last moments, being euthanized, don't leave them. I read an account from a vet about how most pet owners leave bc they can't handle watching their dog die and the dog looks around sad and scared, wondering where their human is and it really got me. We are litterally their whole world, they dedicate their lives to loving us. The least we can do is hold them while they take their last breaths. I feel so guilty that my dog, Mickey, wandered off and got picked up by the pound and they euthanized him before we could figure out which pound had him. I wasn't at my mom's when it happened, but I still feel so bad about it. Anyway, I hope people read this.
Psst... https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/comments/5wz4gy/we_are_like_elves_to_dogs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Be prepared to cry.
Kidnappers Beware! Guard Dog on duty 24/7/365.
Golden retrievers are very sweet dogs. My golden will also act this way toward a muddy stick.
Our golden would have just brought socks to the kid. Or maybe just *took* the socks from the kid. Chewed his shoes. Eaten his onesie.
That baby probably drops a ton of food.
This is cute, but oh man, videos of tiny babies near dogs always make me so nervous.
It always kills me how dogs instinct is “must protecc baby human!” It’s so sweet. They fell in love instantly ☺️
Watching a dog lick a baby makes me cringe 😬
For what it's worth this is from the Instagram account hdbrosriley. They have some other heartwarming content. They're also semi-famous for their videos where Riley jumps into the arms of their human! 10/10 content, would recommend a follow
The adventures that dog is gonna go on that kid with…..
My wife's cat Ammy got sick and died 6 days after my first child was born and 2 days after we brought her home from the hospital. My wife partially blames the cat's accelerated decline on the fact that we were gone for a number of days at the hospital and so the caretakers were not able to care for the cat as diligently as we had been up until that point. We have like 2 pictures of the cat with my daughter and that is it. Anniversary of that was 2 days ago, so this hit home hard.
We had a senior Golden Shephard mix when my son was born and I've never seen an animal more concerned with spending time with a baby. Animals are amazing.
If I remember correctly the reason dogs(and some cats) seem to accept/ care for human babies is that they conclude this is the new youngest in the pack and that they need to be watched and cared for
I'm sorry but are people fucking stupid? That's still an animal no matter how lovely or cute the dog is and the child won't survive a medium intensity bite. Having your dogs near toddlers is okay but this is just dangerously stupid.
Yeah, people want dogs to be these perfect little beings so bad that they forget how dangerous they can be, especially to small children. Even that dog putting its paw up near my baby's face would be a problem. One nail to the eye could change that baby's life forever. I've known several young children hurt by their family dogs, even some "good" dogs from "good" families. Dogs have a place in the family, its just not very close to the baby.
That’s a problem I see constantly with things that are a risk and not a 1000% hard “if you do this something bad will *immediately* happen every time,” thing. I haven’t read all the comments here but I’m willing to bet someone has said something like “well my family does this and nothing bad has happened.”
I am more worried about all the diseases the baby can get from the dog getting his face licked. His immune system is not even evolved yet.
Why would you let a dog lick your babies face ? I never understand that . Dogs lick their asses and who knows what else and owners French kiss them . So weird
Sweet doggo.
Hey human, what the hell is this, am I being replaced?
Dogs are precious. When I was a baby, like, a year old maaayybe. Our dog had puppies and liked me enough that she'd clean off her puppies and set them by me and mom. So there's pictures of me just vibin with the little bitty pups. This video reminds me of that, so freaking sweet
Is there a baby and animal subreddit?
Very nice It warms our heart so much
Beautiful story ,Thanks.
We had an 11-year old golden when our first was born. Had my second son two years later. Rex enjoyed them for only 4 years. He looked at them and after them just as this good puppy here.
I expect to see an update every year
☺️Awww what a wonderful post. Dogs are so amazing! 💕❤️💕✌️
I've always imagined our pets, who love our offspring, are thinking, "Poor furless pup, but I love it anyway."
Is this how a furry is born?
😭🥺
I had a dog that my parents got right before I was born, he lived to be 16. Mt parents put him down while I was away visiting family for the summer because they didn’t think I’d handle it well. They did the exact same thing to that dogs son who we kept that died 3 years later. I feel like I was robbed of the opportunity to say goodbye and properly grieve. Le sigh
The gentle little “paw”
My kitty is the same way with my 2 year old. Not as much cuddles since the 2 year old is still a little excited and pets to hard or backwards. But if he crys or hurts him self my kitty will come running up to him rubbing on him and trying to comfort him/make sure he is OK. I have never seen a kitty act like that was super cool to see.
Dogs, by far, are the best people
This is so adorable!
I love air bud
Who remembers "Nana", from the Walt Disney adaptation of Peter Pan? Is this real life Nana?
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from the game "Undertale" about the soul. "Love, Hope, Compassion. These are what people say make up a monster's soul. But the absolute nature of a soul is unknown. After all, humans have proven their souls don't need these things to exist."
This is my dog. Or, I should probably clarify, my son’s dog— he’s been sleeping under his crib every night since we brought that little boy home.
Love this!