LETTER – The laughs, warmth and depth that dogs bring to our lives

Re: ‘Why it’s OK to grieve for our dogs’, Sept. 1, 2018

After we had our dog Tuck put down (cancer in his spleen), we didn’t know if we’d find a “mutt”/mixed breed to adopt.  We got Tuck through TRU a few years ago.  He had been a rescue dog that had seen the inside of a few shelters.

The dog we have now was rescued by the SPCA.  He and his brother were “rez” dogs.

I tell folks about the romantic story of having Buddy’s DNA done as part of my wedding anniversary present to my wife a year+ ago.  :-)  As a backup, I got her some flowers also…

It isn’t rated as the ‘best’ place to have dog’s DNA done, but I paid about $70 to have Buddy’s DNA done using “dnamydog” which operates out of Toronto, I believe.  The results came back as Border Collie with Irish Setter with Great Pyrenees with some Australian Cattle Dog.  Yes, a lot of loving went into him… followed by time, money, patience and sacrifice.

Buddy sleeping on my wife’s feet while we do the supper dishes has become a routine with us.

As a work in progress, he is supplying tons of laughs, lots of warmth, affection and a depth to our lives that would likely be pretty superficial and somewhat boring at times.  He LOVES to go to a dog day care at least once a week to play with other dogs.  When we pick him up, his tongue is often hanging down over one side of his mouth and he sleeps like a baby starting on the drive home.

As far as pit bulls are concerned, I have tried to keep an open mind about the breed.  Statistics just show something that should be a “given”.

Kind of like thinking there is nothing wrong with a civilian owning an assault rifle that has a large capacity magazine.  I see your point and understand.

JOHN NOAKES