Thank you Kim!!! These photos are wonderful to see. I know you share in our grief. He was a very special dog and we are grateful you had a peaceful time here with Loki and Bella. Bella is quite sad.
Was Loki a Weimaraner? We know you heartbreak as we lost our Weim Niko last July. He was nearly 15 years old. Not a day goes by that we donāt think of him. Hugs to you.
Loki was an all natural (ears+tail) Fawn Doberman pinscher. Most folks at first glance think Weimaraner, just like you!
So sorry about your Niko, at least he lived long.
From all the pictures, I can tell that this majestic pup had an amazing life. Isnāt it funny how the better life we give our pups, the harder it is to lose them? Well actually, it makes complete sense but itās still a shock when it happens. Maybe itās our one chance to finally return the favor of years of loyalty, unconditional love, companionship? Obviously you gave your whole heart. Iām very sorry for you @gypsy. These are tear-jerkers, but if you need to read something more about the magical dog/human connection, these go pretty deep.
How to Grieve for a Very Good Dog
He Was Just a Dog
Thanks for these articles. They were a good, albeit painfull read. Iām grieving the loss of one of my own dogs though she is still alive. She had emergency surgery at the end of March and I wonāt know if itās cancer because I didnāt get a pathology report on the spleen they removed. She may only have a short time left or it could be months or even years.
Part of the grief is the passing of a stage of MY life. Iāve owned a dog every day of my life except 3 since summer of 1979. I was always the type to get a youngster as one dog aged, or get another dog within days of one passing because there are so many dogs that need homes and itās what worked for my grief: to focus on the living and the future, not the past and the departed.
Now Iāve decided I wonāt be āowningā my own dog. Iāll continue to care for the dogs of others and that will provide much of the same place in my life. My other dog is also old and increasingly struggling with her arthritis. Other things are going on and Iām starting to make plans for selling my home, probably moving in with my widowed brother in law and traveling a lot more and making memories between house sitting jobs. It will be a good life, but it will be a different life. After I get to the point that I canāt travel any longer maybe Iāll do doggy hospice/fostering.
So Iām grieving not just dogs that will soon be gone, but also a part of my life that will be over. Itās another mile marker on the road behind me. Itās hard but Iām grateful because I and my pups have had a really good trip so far. Like all good times, one just hates to see it end.
Me and Coco yesterday:
AWWW Kkc, So sad to hear this. We all have the inevitable seasons of our lives, if per chance we live to survive the one before. We carry on with our burden, and hope for love and action to renew itself again inside us. You have given your love to animals, so many, and they have returned it with trust and undying love. You are lucky to have had so many! Before Bella, I did not have a dog since Dolly died in 91, just was not stable enough. I regret waiting so long, but it was the right thing to do.
Action of any kind is difficult for me right now. The only thing keeping my heart beating is the possibility of renewing my pack to completeness again.
btw if you want to try yunnan baiyao on your Coco, Iāll send them out to you. Specifically vets do prescribe it for post spleen surgery.
I may take you up on that if she survives the next couple of weeks. Sheās on some meds and supplements from the vet now and Iām trying not to do too many things at once. I also have my Elle on 4 supplements/meds and my vet suggested trying high potency CBD oil for her. But if you just throw everything at once you donāt know whatās working and what isnāt.
I lost my Ziggy last July after having he and Auzzie for 14 years. Auzzie is still with me thank goodness.
I am putting my house on the market next week and hopefully finding one near where I grew up and will return to family I left over 40 years ago.
So sorry to hear this, condolences to you & your family. We just lost our last ferret Scotch almost two weeks ago so we share your pain. Pets are family and they bring us so much joy, but their loss is so hard.
Kkc, please call us if you ever want to dog and house sit, no hosting.
We got a new fawn natural boy yesterday. The pain in my heart is partly assuaged. He is very sweet, likely 1.5 years and 1/2 Doberman, 1/2 lab or bully. We are hoping Bella and he are friendly. They are not exactly that yet! A slow decompression time and assimilation needed. Meet Ki-too!
Dusty, so sorry to hear of this turn of events. The worst part of loving animals is that we will more than likely outlive them. Iām sure there have been MANY dogs in your life that have been been better for having felt your love. As they say, when one chapter closes, another one opens. Good luck in your further chapters.
I hope youāll keep up with the page, & please come to Delta if youāre in this neck of the woods. You know how to find me! Hugs 
Gypsy, I spotted that fawn Dobie with the first picture- absolutely gorgeous! Such a rare beauty, Iāve only known a few.
I hope Ki-too has joined the pack, & that the bonding has begun! Again, so sorry for your loss, but look forward now. Thereās much love to share!
Yay, congratulations! Do keep us posted on how things are progressing. Heās beautiful!
We are taking it really slow, the dogs are on leash but in the same room. Bella was very playful with Loki at meet and here right away. She is not nearly as nice to Ki-too. He is very sweet. Heās been sleeping in the office, where heās been waking us by yowling a bit, less the second night, due to loneliness, or needing a potty break. Best advice is to continue this several more nights.
Dusty, when I first read your note I saw 3 years with out dogs and was green with jealousy, now I see it is 3 days!!! What a lucky woman to have had an animal filled life. I realize while mourning Loki that Iām also mourning not having enough pets in my adventurous crazy life. My parents bought me a horse when I was nine, because I needed an animal.
You would know; how much to feed a dog who is thin/ do you ramp it up until they show a gain ? I am switching Ki-toos chow over to ours from theirs 1/4:3/4ā¦1/2:1/2 and 3/4:1/4 by about a week or ten days, so he is definitely getting better nutrition in him. Thanks!
This is definitely in my future plans. Iām in the odd predicament of hoping that when I change business models I lose a lot of my current boarding clients because I want to travel and combining work and travel would be a dream come true.
Ki-too is beautiful!
Nomador always looks interesting for pet sit host+ sitter options.
Some thin dogs never do fill out. I got my now sick Coco in fall of 2011. This is what she looked like:
You can see how skinny she is.
The last 2-3 years Iāve been trying to put weight on her. Iāve changed kibbles, added her favorites like hard boiled egg, made a chicken, rice and sweet potato mix to add, given high quality treats and she never made any substantial gains. Sheās never been more than 55 pounds and now after being ill she is 46 something.
In Ki-toos case Iād feed a high quality kibble as much as they will eat and see if they will ramp up. Iād also break that into 3 meals a day. But donāt let him gobble it. If heās not a slow eater get a slow-feed āpuzzle bowlā for him. There are also high calorie gels you can get to add to food to increase calorie count.
Coco is very pretty and shiny. She must adore you for her fun life.
Ki-too is thin but not too starved looking, thankfully. His belly is looking more filled. We actually saw him gallop playfully in the yard a little. He is a very good boy, but chewed the doorframe today when I took Bee hiking for 50 minutesā¦ He and Bella are warming up slowly to each-other. He is 14-34 (2- almost 3 years human) months, we donāt know. Bella is going to be quite the svelte active ācougarā at 11, 77 human years.