Posted on 04/21/2010 4:48:59 PM PDT by Nachum
Through the last six years of his life, Parley Nichols, 81, never left his Hartville, Ohio, home without his dog Lady. The two were best friends, soul mates and constant companions who took care of each other.
So when Parley, who had developed dementia, went missing on April 8, it was no surprise that Lady, his 6-year-old golden retriever that he bought as a puppy, was also gone.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.msnbc.msn.com ...
The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.
A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."
eulogy for a dog...George Graham Vest
I agree, but after years of experience with a wide variety of dogs, I have to say that Golden Retrievers are incredibly special.
Agreed. Goldens are the best.
- JP
They are amazing creatures.
awe... love & loyalty.. yup, that is a dog (and I have cats too for MANY years).. thanks for ping Dave
READ MY SIGNATURE...SAYS IT ALL...
We adopted a dog from the animal shelter who stayed in the house guarding her elderly man who had passed away. His family gave her up to the shelter. When we first got her she would stare at me all night long. She was a great dog. Died a year ago Christmas. She loved the elderly, but hated our little ones.
We recently got a Lab from the shelter. Big and kinda dumb - she loves our little ones and would follow them to the ends of the earth (even when dressed up like a princess).
There’s nothing better than the loyalty of a dog.
WONDERFUL TAG LINE! very true. I just posted more pix of my pets at Facebook today & noted that Cali the cat & Oliver the dog were my two best friends .. EVER.. both RIP.. ( I have two great dogs now & a couple cats) BUT those two that have gone on were my kids & soul mates
love it. did you write it?
No. It’s been floating around the ‘net for a long while, with no attribution.
Thanks for posting that beautiful eulogy. I haven’t read it for quite a while but when I do I am just swept away by its capturing of the love between a man or woman and their dog. As I recall, it was delivered in a state legislature; I’ll bet there wasn’t a dry eye in that place at its conclusion.
“I hate to break it to you...”
A woman in New York City left her newborn baby alone in her apartment, protected by the family’s German Shepherd, when she went out to get formula.
Upon her arrival home she discovered that the dog had eaten most of the baby.
True story. It was in the papers about 15 years ago.
Sounds like Cody, our golden. He was about that size when a puppy. He is now about 95 pounds (not fat, says the vet, he’s just big for a golden). He still thinks he’s a lap dog.
He’s the middle of the road golden (not the pale, not the red). Nicest dog I’ve ever owned in my life. Period.
Yay, Goldens!
Yikes, you fight for keeps don’t you? :)
Luke and Kate are cool. Such unique personalities! I’ve yet to have a Golden. I’m going to have to correct that someday.:)
Well, it WAS an extraordinary case.
The woman had just given birth a few days before and the German Shepherd puppy had run out of food in the meantime.
Hell! If I’d been left with a tender morsel like that and been a starved puppy I probably would have eaten the baby too!
At the end of the article it stated that the woman was charged with criminal neglect. I hope she went to prison for a while, if nothing else for mistreatment of her puppy!
LOL!
Mine are both rescue dogs, from Adopt-a-Golden-of-Atlanta, a very good outfit.
We got a lab (mix) from the shelter a little over a year ago. She thinks she is one of my kids. I call her my “furry child”.
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