Comments on: Boys, Girls and Forever Dogs

By: Pattie

Pattie — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:14:10 +0000

My forever heart dog is a intact male named Robby. He was actually named after my significant other (Bob) who passed away a year prior to me getting Robby. He is everything Bob was to me, I know it was God who sent him to me to be on earth. I LOVE my boy dogs (3), and I have one girl, and love her, but surely there is a different connection than the boys. She is very aloof, secure and independent. She’ll come to you for affection on her terms. She was an awesome Mom tho to 8 pups and taught them so much.
There hasn’t been a person that hasn’t fallen in love with Robby. He is also a therapy dog that we visit the elderly and childen with and he is admired by all. He is also my demo dog for training.

By: LKL

LKL — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:10:32 +0000

I got tears in my eyes reading all of these stories.

My ‘lifetime’ dog was a neutered male Australian Shepherd named Otter (I’m female); the dog that I grew up with was a huge (120 lbs) male lab mix, and ever since then I’ve been drawn to male dogs. I also have yet to get a dog smaller than 60 lbs (that’s in good shape), despite my intention to go for something sheltie-sized every time. When I went to the Aussie breeder, I was there to see a female pup. I ended up with a male anyway, and for twelve years he was my joy.

All of my male gay ‘dog’ friends have generally had male dogs, and all of my gay female ‘dog’ friends have generally had female dogs (although one of the latter, having a housefull of ‘girls’, got a male BC two years ago “to even things out a bit,” and is head over heels in love with him).

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:27:37 +0000

I have only had 2 dogs so far. One is a male Corgi(Rusty) and the other is a female Aussie(Rooke). I love both of my dogs dearly and the love in my heart only grows more the longer I know them. However, my soul mate dog is Rusty(he’s also my first dog). I do think of him as a “guy” and call him my prince, my love and a piece of my soul. My heart swells and I get tears in my eyes every time I write or talk about how much he means to me. I am happy to say that I am his world too. If you ask my husband he will tell you that it’s a good thing Rusty doesn’t have thumbs or a voice b/c if he did there would be some serious competition going on in our house for my affection.

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:58:34 +0000

My one-in-a-million dog is Axel, a male GSD. He has always been focused on people and spent so much time staring at me as a puppy that I was SURE he needed a companion so I got another dog of his breeding, a female. No surprise to anyone except me, he still stares at me and is completely focused on working and being within 4 feet of me at all possible times. He’s almost 9 now. I know there’ll never be another dog that compares.

By: Marci

Marci — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:26:20 +0000

Female/male: Charlie is like several of the others, he comes with a nasty past. I believe a lot of my feelings towards him revolve around the way he’s forced me to seek out and learn positive methods of training and relationship development; and the way he’s inspired many of our neighborhood children. Many of our neighborhood children share a similar past as Charlie’s. They seem to see in him the possibility of a better future for themselves, and quickly form a bond. He’s just so good with them, and me. He also seems to be able to read me much better than my older female Australian Shepherd. Either way, the bond I have with this dog is simply amazing.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:44:01 +0000

I love all these stories of heart dogs!
We have three dogs now, and two I have to consider my heart dogs. Both are Australian cattle dog mixes (one male, mixed with Border Collie and the other female, mixed – most likely – with Australian Shepherd). Their personalities are very different – the male is much more intense, higher energy, and in spite of his intensity, easily distracted. And he’s stubborn and sassy. My female is more attached to me, and I am more protective towards her. She has sweetness where my male has sass & attitude. Anyway, I adore them both and they are endlessly entertaining. I’d say in these individual cases, the female is easier to train – more docile and compliant. My boy is very smart, but definitely has a mind of his own and needs some good solid reasons (read steak) for obeying commands. I love our third dog as well, a male husky about the same age, and as sweet as he is, we don’t have the intense closeness I have with the other two. He’s more bonded with my husband, also. Seems to be related to personality more than gender…

By: LynnSusan

LynnSusan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:06:24 +0000

I didn’t want a dog. It had been over 20 years since I shared my life with a dog. But life ’s strange circumstances conspired so that I needed a dog. What I couldn’t have known last winter, was I needed this particular dog.

Gracie, a King Shepherd, came to me at 10 months old, a tabla rasa, rejected by her owner because one ear was not erect. Her name was Bella then, but I learned that her original name had been Excalibur’s Amazing Grace because she was born 36 hours after what was thought to have been the last puppy in the litter, and she was perfect (except for the floppy ear)!

I agreed to take her, sight unseen. When I went to pick her up at the breeder’s, who had taken her back, she was a breathtakingly gorgeous adolescent—with the most soulful and expressive eyes. I had that moment when I got lost in them,and she covered my face with sloppy wet kisses. Something shifted in the Universe– I could feel it. And I think she could too.

She knew very little, was not housebroken,had few manners, didn’t know how to walk on a leash and had moderate separation anxiety–understandably. With some intense work, within 2 weeks she was completely housetrained, within a few days she was a pleasure to walk, and now, a year later (our anniversary was November 24th)her separation anxiety is greatly diminished, she is smart as a whip, well trained and polite,plus an endlessly entertaining goofball. She is my heart.

I didn’t want a dog, and I was right. I got so much more.

By: Suzi

Suzi — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:49:36 +0000

I would have to say that my forever dog would have to be the female dog (mutt), Kenzie, that came as part of the package with my husband when we married. She quickly became my shadow. She was always very sensitive of situations, like if I cried she would come lay her head in my lap and lick my hands. Anytime I was sick she would crawl on top of me and stay there until I would move her. When I was pregnant with my daughter she would curl up next to me and lay her head on my belly. In all her softness and sensitivity, she protected our house with everything she had in her (including trying to tear the leg off an actual intruder), and played at the age of 14 with the vivacity of a pup.

We lost Kenzie in a very tragic incident 5 months ago, and my heart still breaks when I think about it. We have another dog as well, and a couple months ago we even adopted another (both females). As much as I love them both, there will always be a special place in my heart for Kenzie.

By: Julie Y.

Julie Y. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:10:57 +0000

Female/female. My heart dog is a 12 1/2 year old corgi. We’ve done everything and been everywhere together. She’s a therapy dog excellent and our hearts beat as one.
Her acupuncture and massage appointments come before mine:-)

By: C.

C. — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:19:44 +0000

I can’t imagine having more of a soulmate dog than my current one, Scully. She is a life partner to me in a way that is so uncomplicated compared to my human relationships. Walking through life with her is a blessing and she embodies the qualities to which I both aspire and try to keep in my heart. Although she is not without some imperfections, I find her to be an incredibly gentle, straightforward, unassuming, respectful, joyful and above all, fair soul. She has helped me with more than 50 foster dogs, a few of them litters of pups, and we now call her the constable since she loves to ensure everyone is behaving appropriately!
I find so much joy in watching her bound through the woods with my children and so much pride in watching her gingerly rest her head on my 90 year old grandfather’s lap (just enough so he knows she really likes him, but never enough to overwhelm him).
When I leave her home with my husband she sits by the front door, quietly awaiting my return. He says I am the epicenter of her world, but she is so much the foundation of mine.