That is wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

Very uplifting!!! What a great dog!

I formed a new theory several years ago.....beware of impending health problems if a dog shows up at your house and will not leave!
I have had two friends that had dogs show up, make their home with them, then the people suddenly got sick and died. It takes a year or so... it's a small sample, but still...

Nancy

Bpathome- I'm glad you liked it!

Nancy- Yikes! That's a little scary. We've had a few dogs, but more cats that have shown up and made their home with us. Cats seem to gravitate to me, but I think that's because my parents had Siamese, when I was a baby. They're so smart and used to be more muscular than the ones you see now. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom's female Siamese letting me play with the kittens...but she would hold my hand down (with her paw) if I was too rough. Funny I can still remember that and I was about 18 months old :)

LL, cats DO NOT count!! I know it is a scary observation.... but it happened again just a few months ago to DH's cousin. I am not sure if the dogs come for the sick person, or for the family left behind.

Nancy

Wonderful story. I believe that our dogs are a gift from above. Corny..I know.

My son is calmed by his dog when nothing else will calm him. It's magical to watch.

What a lovely story - thanks for sharing with us, Lavender.

Animals really are amazing. My 12yo DS is a type 1 diabetic and he recently said, "I've got to pay more attention to Twisty (his cat) when he licks my face to wake me up, I thought it was just to play but I think it's because I am going low."

Interesting - and hope a dog doesn't show up at our place (unless invited)

My last dog, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, was not particularly affectionate - he would sit next to you on the couch as long as you were actively scratching his ears or rubbing his belly, but would not curl up and fall asleep next to you.

My teenage son went through a period of depression and anxiety - including suicidal thoughts. He psychiatrist put him on a medication to which he reacted very badly - roller-coaster mood swings, from fits of laughter to suicidal thoughts and everything in between, several times a day. He took it for only a week or so, but it took a week to get out of his system. Not fun. DH and I stayed with him 24/7. Three times that week, I watched Topper come from another room, jump up on the couch and curl up next to my son. Within minutes, he would tell me he was having suicidal thoughts. Topper would stay with him until it passed (15 or 20 minutes). It was uncanny - first that the dog apparently sensed the episode before my son did, and then that he did exactly the right thing to help.

The dog never behaved that way again, and thank God my son never had another week like that one.

double post - so here's a photo of my Topper dog.

This post was edited by annkh on Mon, Dec 23, 13 at 8:22

Ann--thanks for sharing your story. I know.....

this is a wonderful post! thx LL.

"I believe that our dogs are a gift from above. Corny..I know. "

not corny at all! I feel the same way.

thx annkh for the wonderful Topper story also.

Nice link Lav.

Spring, I've never heard of the association of unfamiliar dogs and death. But it reminded me of this story about the "cat of death" at a nursing home from 3 or 4 years ago. I had to google to find.

I'm not sure if that would be comforting or unnerving to have such a cat in a long term facility...

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat of Death