That will be fun. I'm happy for Grant. I know
how much he misses her. And maybe Brent will see
how good the dog is with Camryn. You don't need
to get a puppy. We adopted Dory when she was probably
around 8 months old. Already potty trained..

Have fun!

I'm sure it will be bittersweet! I know how much you and Grant miss Dakota! Heck...I miss seeing the pictures of your girl and she was always so gentle with Grant..almost like his 2nd Momma! The day will come when Brent will be ready for another doggie. You need one..Grant needs one..and Camryn would LOVE another playmate!!

The great thing about kids and dogs...they're both resiliant. I'm sure Captain will be as gentle as he can be; if Camryn gets bumped, she'll probably laugh...and bounce! Harry is so gentle with little kids and tiny pups/dogs. Of course, his paws are big and rough and he can push without meaning to do so, but he's never really "hurt" anyone.

Our neighbor's 2-year-old was constantly taking Harry to the back bedroom. Wondering what the attraction (and quiet) was all about, I spied on them. Keegan was using Harry as a horse. He'd climb up on Harry's back and was "riding" him all around the room. Giddy-up, Cowboy! Harry was just plodding along, being a good horsey.

I was "raised" by a female boxer. She was my nanny. Even as a little baby, Grandma would set me out under the tree on a blanket. Missy would sit by the blanket. If I got near the edge, she'd start howling and Grandma would come check on me. I've got to learn to scan photos; I have one of me wailing away, and Missy is sitting right by me, wailing her heart out, too.

I miss Dakota, too. I hope you can enjoy Captain's visit without too much heartache. If I were nearby he could come hang out with Harry and me...and Sam! I'll borrow the neighbor's kid and they can all play together.

Here's a picture of Captain with Grant:
{{!gwi}}

And here's Dakota, when she was younger like Captain is:
{{!gwi}}

Steph this was a Shock when I read you had lost dakota.Please if you do not mind tell what happen to dakota.I am so sorry you lost Dakota.It makes me cry to hear this.I miss you and your mom.Tell her Hi for me.Love Judy

Judy, good to see you!! Yes, we lost Dakota the day after Thanksgiving last year.

Her birthday was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, she was 8 years old. She had started acting strange, mostly not eating but it wasnt unusual for her to do this every now and then. I took her to the vet when I noticed her stool had some blood. Her vet ran some tests. Her liver levels were slightly elevated. By the night before Thanksgiving (Wed night), she was pretty lethargic and her vet was now out of town for the holiday so I took her to the emergency clinic. They did an xray and didn't see a whole lot so they wanted to do an ultrasound so they could see more so they called someone in on Thanksgiving day to do the ultrasound. They found a mass but couldn't tell what it was so they wanted to biopsy it. I went and saw her Thursday night and I knew in my heart something was seriously wrong. She came up to me, rested her head on my shoulder for about 30 seconds then walked away. She didnt want me to touch her or cuddle her. I was devastated. I was leaving for Disneyland the next morning. I visited with her for a long time. The next morning, they called me when I was at the airport and said they wanted to do surgery because they wanted to remove the mass. They did the surgery and it turned out the mass was an enlarged lymph node but when they were in there, her liver looked bad. They sent the mass and a liver sample to the lab but the results wouldnt be back until Monday. She passed away on her own Friday evening. I was at Disneyland and have never been so devastated in my entire life. I am crying as I type this, I can hardly see the screen.

I know now that when I saw her Thursday night and she put her head on my shoulder, she was saying goodbye to me. I will hold that memory with me until the day I die.

The pathology report came back Monday and it showed she had lymphoma - cancer. She died from liver failure caused by the cancer.

She went from being totally fine to dead in 4 days. It was a shock. I wasn't prepared for it at all. I'm still devastated and I dont think I'll ever get over her.

I miss her more than I can put into words.

((((Steph))))

Oh Stephanie. I know you miss her badly. So many of us here do.
I know you will love having a dog at your house.
Maybe it will work out the way Kat says, it might be a chance to open the door for you all to add another furbaby to your family.
(((Steph)))

Amazing how much they look alike. I can't help but smile at the picture of Dakota. What a star? I'm guessing her personality was like that too. I can understand your devastation at your loss. I hope you can find peace and a place in your heart for another.

Hi Steph, I think babysitting will be a good thing.

 I lost my Cosmo 16 months ago and we have yet to adopt another furbaby. He was my boy and I often referred to him as "Velcro" because he NEVER left my side. Shortly after he passed I started volunteering at my SPCA. We have a program that allows the volunteers to take home an approved dog or cat for a couple of days when the shelter is closed. It's been a blessing to be able to do that and win, win situation for me and the dogs. Emotionally I am still not ready to adopt, but I know my DH is and it makes it tough that we are not on the same page. Hopefully next year I'll be ready.

Enjoy the pitter patter of little paws!!!

Hugs to you!!!

Steph-I'm so sorry about Dakota.I guess I was offline around that time and missed what happened to her.When you mentione that she was gone I wanted so badly to ask what happened but didn't want you to have to go through all of that again. I know how special she was to all of you and I so enjoyed all the pictures and "tales" about her that you posted.You will know when it's time to welcome a new member into your family!
Enjoy your weekend!

Reading your story about Dakota brought back such memories for me. My JD did the same thing the day she died. She put her head on my lap and stared at me for the longest time. It was almost eerie. I thought she was getting better but she was dead a half hour later. As everyone said, she was saying her goodbyes. We now have an 11 month old puppy. I still think about JD a lot, but now it's with a smile instead of with tears. Maybe if you try some boxer rescue sites you can find a dog around two. Good luck with your four day visit...maybe DH will realize how much he misses having a dog and how another one will be different than Dakota but special in her own way.

Steph I am lost at words.I am so so so sorry.My Dear FIL is dieing too.He he dieing a painful death.We should know more Tues more.It has been so hard on Greg and greg's brother and Greg's mom.His mind is gone.He does not know us.He has kidney cancer.We have seen it coming,I am down in my back from lifting and pulling on him.The doctor will tell us more Tues what to expect.Tell Your mom I said I miss her.I love yall.I am so so sorry about Dakota.I love all of you.LOve Judy

Steph, we all miss Dakota so much, I can't look at my Max without thinking of her. enjoy the time with this baby!