Oh, no.
I never met Gino, but I'd come to love him just from your stories/pictures.
I am so, so sorry, Kenny.

Thanks Betty,

He has shared my bed with me since he was six weeks old. I will be a basket case for the foreseeable future.

Last night precisely at midnight I heard the dog door close. He always patrolled the house two of three times during the night but this time he didn't return. I got up and slipped into the kitchen without the lights to check on him. He was lying on the patio with his head on the step. I went out and sat with him there in the clear cold moonlight and told him I was sorry.

He got up and came back to bed.

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We all grieve at the loss of a faithful companion. Our condolences to you and yours.

A beautiful photo of a beautiful friend. Our deepest condolences. We are certainly all too familiar with how much it hurts.

Sorry, Kenny. We've all been in your shoes, and we all hurt for you.

There is no finer friend than the dogs that we take into our hearts and families. Peace.

I am so sorry. I would say the hurt goes away, but at this point I'm not sure when that happens. I have tears just thinking about what you are going through right now.

You and Gino were both very lucky to have found each other. The love to/from such a wonderful friend as you were to each other is a beautiful thing.

I hope Gino and Gretchen meet over that Rainbow Bridge and frolic together, telling stories on us.

Dr. Bledsoe told me that she had Gino's file in front of her Monday when she called me with the results of his biopsy. She noticed that she was giving me the bad news on his eighth birthday. She said today that I must have been a good parent because, in her experience, Rottweilers don't often reach that age in East Tennessee.

I had told people many times that you are extremely lucky if you keep your Rottie for ten years so I wasn't surprised, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

I take some comfort though in the comment that Toby made some time back about the priest who told him that everything we love will be in Heaven.

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that's the heartbreak of loving big dogs, Kenny. They just don't last...

I'm so sorry for your loss. I too know how hard it is to lose a great dog. It always surprises me what we can learn from man's best friends, they're so amazing. I'm sure Gino had reason to be grateful for the home you gave him.

I'm sorry for your loss. That's a fine looking dog.

When our first dog passed away, years ago, we decided we wouldn't get another one for maybe a year. Not only did we want some time to mourn but we also lived in an apartment, and it would be something of a relief not to have to always rush home to let the dog out and have to arrange for boarding when we were out of town.

A week later, we found out about a dog up for adoption with the mother of a co-worker. We picked up our new dog just a few days later. It was Halloween, so we named him Spookie. We never forgot about the first one, but the new one zeroed right in on the empty place in our hearts and filled it right away.

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what it was. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it seems scary and weird. It'll happen to you."
—Abraham Simpson

My heart goes out to you. Those of us who have experienced such a loss understand what you are going through. We cannot take away your sadness, but as friends and fellow pet lovers, we share your pain.

I am so very deeply sorry for your loss and I, too, believe you will once again see Gino in Heaven.

I've had animals in my family my whole life. It would make me very, very happy to see them all again someday. I am so sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss.

I have been corresponding with the Tennessee Adoption Coordinator at Southern States Rottweiler Rescue and I have fallen in love with a Mystery Girl, so called because they couldn't understand why anyone would take such a dog to a shelter in Alabama where it is not unusual to have over 75% euthanasia rates. She is currently in a foster home in Warner Robbins, Georgia.

Their application is very thorough. They want to know the name and number of your homeowners agent, if you intend to use the dog as a guard dog, if you have ever owned Rottweilers in the past and, if so, were they obedience trained. What type fencing do you have and what is its height. Are you certain that you are willing to devote the next 10-12 years to her care? Please God that I should get that privilege since that is their maximum life expectancy.

"Are you now or have your ever been a member of the communist party?" (oh no, that was a question on my five-year security clearance update. They weren't as inquisitive as SSRR.)

I've been housecleaning like a mad man the last couple of days getting ready for their inspection visit as Gino and I were terrible housekeepers. For a long time before my heart attack (one year ago today) I didn't have the energy for such endeavors. After the surgery, most of my energy went into therapy. Now I feel great.

Most people don't normally need a shovel to clean the kitchen but, unlike Phyllis Diller, at least my oven is not so dirty that I have to bake cupcakes one at a time.

A friend on Flickr who has therapy Rotties told me to just follow my heart with this decision to adopt another so soon. And she said Gino would guide me. He would not want me to live alone.

Here is a picture Mystery's foster mom sent me.

If I am lucky enough to get her she will help me keep boring folks with endless Rottweiler stories.

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I lost my baby girl Tweety almost two years ago now. I still miss her, but it doesn't hurt so deeply anymore. But it still hurts and always will, until I see her again at the Rainbow Bridge. I plan on going to dog/cat heaven, it's got to be better than regular heaven by a country mile.

_________________________________________________
"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"
"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

I should have told my last insurance agent that my kids were German Shepherd/Lab mixes so I would not have had to get a new carrier. As it is there is an attachment on my homeowners policy that states they will ignore any claims that involve the dogs.

In the last eight years my Rott'n kids have gifted me with one large raccoon placed in the dining room floor, two opossums that I found in the doorway to the master bath when I came home from a few days in the hospital, one stray cat that appeared behind my computer chair late one night after Gino had gone to bed, and one skunk de pew (shredded) in the back yard. That night I gave Gino the 'leave' command and he dropped it, came to my side for a moment, then ran directly to my bed where he proceeded to rub the stink all over a brand new duvet. Miss Heidi gave the hall carpet the same treatment. I slept in the spare bedroom until the new mattress and bed clothes were installed.

The application at SSRR states that they will make surprise inspections at any time after the adoption is complete and confiscate my baby if necessary. These people are serious about placing their dogs in good homes and helping to dispel some of the bad press the breed endures. I like it.

And, typical of me, I signed the application before I read all of it. I discovered yesterday that the fee (they consider it a mandatory donation) is tax deductible. Wow, I want half a dozen, please.

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...where he proceeded to rub the stink all over a brand new duvet.

(Off-topic) Kenny is one of the few men in my life who knows what a duvet is and he can pronounce it, too. I just very much enjoy having him as my neighbor...

Maybe that explains my affinity for the Rottweiler. My grandmother was born in a small village not too far from the town of Rottweil.

As a matter of fact I'm thinking of asking about the feasibility of changing my little girl's name to Frieda.

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Dear redmondkr I have been so sorry for your loss and have been thinking about you. I am so very glad you are considering adopting a new young lady for your family and hope you will get her. I know she will receive the love and attention she deserves and so will you!

I have to step back and think about whether I am ready for another Rottie.

I have been corresponding with Mystery's foster mom. When she first got her last May she found a lump on her chest and had it removed. It was benign but she found another one a little over a week ago. She told me this morning that is was diagnosed as a grade 2 mast cell tumor. Her prognosis is iffy. According to these people a grade 2 has 'moderately malignant behavior – recurrence rate is about 20% with aggressive surgery'.

It looks as if I won't be getting Mystery after all.

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I'm so sorry to hear the news about Mystery, but hope you will find yourself another companion very soon.

I thought about this for most of yesterday and I have decided there will be another Rottie in my life. I wrote the foster mom of another dog I had been looking at and she is still available. I had originally chosen Mystery because she was such a little girl at only 70 pounds. Lulu is nearer the breed standard weighing in at 94.

She was abandoned by her family and was holed up in a crawl space when animal control captured her last spring. Her age was estimated then at 18 to 24 months. She tested positive for heartworms but she has survived the treatment even gaining two pounds during the ordeal. She is shy but she gets along well with people, other dogs, and even cats (a Rottweiler rarity).

Lulu's mom sent me this slideshow and told me she knows Mystery's foster mom. She assured me that she will get the best of care and a loving home.

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I'm sorry about Mystery, but Lulu looks like a good, happy girl. Thoughts and prayers are with you on this journey.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

You are very welcome! Nothing fills the space of the heart occupied by Gino of course, nor should it. Still, there is another out there who needs your love and will return it a thousandfold.

I just got an email from Southern States Rescued Rottweilers.  My adoption of Lulu has been approved.  They have begun the process of setting up her transportation from Clarksville.  I am just thrilled.

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 I am so very happy for you and I know Lulu will be very happy with her new home and will return every ounce of love you give her many times over!  Merry Christmas to you and Lulu!

Just got an email from Lulu's foster mom.  She got an x-ray yesterday to check for possible hip dysplasia, a necessary precaution for large breed dogs, and she looks great.  She got her health certificate and her microchip.  Today she goes for grooming and this weekend I meet them roughly halfway between here and Clarksville to pick her up and bring her home.

Yesterday I found a small shop within a couple of miles from home that sells the  Blue Buffalo Large Breed all-natural kibbles she favors.  I also bought a bag of their (yuk) fish and sweet potato formula because she likes that too.  I wonder how her breath smells.

Oh, and a huge Kong.

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