The Dogs Who Loved Me Series
Baby Roxi LaBow
Prologue
My life has been filled with lots of unconditional love. Unfortunately the reality is, this is not a love that can be achieved by any human being. It can only be found in a dog’s eyes when that dog has bonded with you. It comes when you get home after a long bad day and as you approach your front door you can hear their happy noises and feel all the happy energy they bring you. There is nothing I would rather be greeted by than a bundle of wiggly, waggy, happy to see me, dog. At that moment time that dogs sees nothing but you, nothing exists in their world but you. You are their life and they live to please you. You are the one thing that makes them happy. You can count on them to love you no matter what. They don’t care if you are sick or stinky or if you don’t comb your hair that day they just want to be near you. Dogs love you if you gain or lose too much weight, lose your teeth, or fart occasionally. They love you if you are in a bad mood, good mood, or indifferent mood.
Tyler and Mohave, Scoot over your cramping my style
Unless you have experienced this passing of emotions from dog to you, you have not lived. Until you have cried with a pup in your arms and had that pup look up and lick the tears from your eyes you will never know what I am talking about. OK, I am kind of a dog freak.
A dog named Trouble saved my life once (story to come.) no she did not drag me out of a burning building, or jump compressions on my chest. Mentally, she saved my sanity, gave me a reason to live. But that story is for another day. After Trouble passed away I decided I wanted to have a therapy dog and give back to others less fortunate, ones who may not to be able to experience this love on a daily basis. Mohave, My chocolate lab fit the bill. (Another story) My husband and I have rescued many dogs in our 17 years together (Read Snake Season here) and each one had different challenges I have was able to work through to get them to live healthy happy life.
I feel that the biggest accomplishment in my life was taking Tyler, a feral dog, which would not let me touch him for six months, retrain him to where at the end of his life he was going camping with us and letting people pet him at the campfire. Tyler turned out to be one of the best dogs ever. I rescued four different abused dogs and turned their lives around, this was my greatest accomplishment.
Patch and Tyler
Sadly we only get these angels for a short time, just a moment. And then God takes them back. But I know they are safe and they will all be waiting to cross Rainbow Bridge together. In this series I will introduce you to The Dogs Who Loved Me.
Max and Kiva
I have so much I want to share about dogs but it may be far and few between because of my work on my father’s World War II letters. I don’t want to get distracted from preserving his history.
I hope you will stick around because I have a lot of stories to tell.
note: Tyler, Mohave, and Patch have all passed on. Right now we have Max, Kiva, and Roxi LaBow
©Copyright 2012 notsofancynancy
notsofancynancy 
i too am a dog lover and know exactly what you mean when you say a dogs love is like no other.
By: Lisa Sullivan on May 25, 2012
at 2:54 pm
Only another dog lover would know that feeling. We are so lucky that God gave us dogs! For some of us that is all the love we get!
By: notsofancynancy on May 26, 2012
at 4:48 pm
Ooooow! I fell in love with Tyler!! I can’t wait til I live somewhere that I can have a dog! God bless you for the work that you do and the emotions that you take a risk on, by doing all you do! ❤
By: Linda on May 25, 2012
at 3:12 pm
Tyler was the one that was feral. It took 6 months of sitting with the pack and making no moves to touch him to gain his trust. Once he let me it was another six before my hubby could touch him. He would not even come in the house that long. As you can see by his pictures he got real comfortable in the house at the end. He was a great dog and sorely missed.
By: notsofancynancy on May 25, 2012
at 3:28 pm
I’m a dog lover also–wish I had time and space for more! We are down to one now, after losing my beloved boy almost 2 yrs ago. I wrote about him here http://liveclay.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/when-do-you-know-its-time/
By: Laura on May 25, 2012
at 6:48 pm
It is really hared to lose them and I but I have to believe we will all be together again someday.
By: notsofancynancy on May 26, 2012
at 12:35 am
I love dogs too. They just know how to love, don’t they? I’m looking forward to these stories… 🙂
By: Natalie on May 26, 2012
at 12:02 pm
There is nothing better than the unconditional love of a dog!
By: notsofancynancy on May 26, 2012
at 2:07 pm
Dog – we all know it is God spelled backward. Too wonderful! Love your stories Nancy. Thanks for sharing so much!
By: seniorcareand2etoo on May 26, 2012
at 6:55 pm
Thank you! one of my favorite sayings about dogs. The other?
If you think dogs are not smart put three cookies in your pocket and only give them two!
Thank for your comment
By: notsofancynancy on May 26, 2012
at 6:58 pm
Tee hee!
Also VERY true!
By: seniorcareand2etoo on June 14, 2012
at 1:02 pm
Hello. I came to visit your blog because you liked one of my post. I am also a dog person. This is a great post. I too was rescued by my dog, Sam. He is no longer with me because of cancer, but if we weren’t introduced, I would no longer be here. Dogs are amazing animals. Thank you for sharing this post and thanks for visiting my blog.
– Sam was a chocolate lab- 🙂
By: cindimichealle on May 26, 2012
at 9:29 pm
I really loved your Guess What this is” blog…too
It is like they have a window into our souls. We are so lucky to have them in our lives.
Thanks for stopping by! God Bless
By: notsofancynancy on May 26, 2012
at 9:59 pm
What wonderful photos! I think dogs are just amazing companions, and they remain a part of our families even when they are gone. I look forward to more stories, but do understand that your father’s letters are a huge responsibility! I presume you don’t have a lot of simply spare time! 🙂 Debra
By: Three Well Beings on May 27, 2012
at 4:32 am
Thank you for understanding. I do have some stories already written about my dogs, but in my heart it is time for my fathers story to be told. God Bless
By: notsofancynancy on May 27, 2012
at 1:32 pm
I admit to being mainly a cat lover, but also love dogs. I can easily see how much love they bring to you, whereas a cat makes you work pretty hard to get that affection (why I like them, but I’m perverse). Our pets fill a huge space in our lives and take a piece of our hearts with them when they go. I dearly miss my much loved cat friends.
By: cassmob on May 28, 2012
at 12:37 pm
No matter what form they take, cat or dog, I am grateful we get to have them in our lives. What a great and unconditional love they bring, well dogs do cats always have conditions, eh? lol Thanks for stopping by.
By: notsofancynancy on May 28, 2012
at 3:10 pm
What an amazing post! Thanks for sharing.
By: Will and Eko on May 29, 2012
at 11:00 pm
Thanks for stopping by!
By: notsofancynancy on May 29, 2012
at 11:08 pm
Hi Nancy,
Have you dealt with any American Staffordshire Terriers? My pitty is not an easy brindle boy to live with. He is just disobedient and has bad manners. Any advice? Or could you point me in the direction of some good info?
By: 16sedici16 on September 2, 2012
at 8:22 pm
What kind of training are you using now? Have you been through an obedience class? The trainer that I used with Mohave was awesome and I learned a lot. That is what you have to understand about a trainer is that they really train you to train your dog. The other thing about my trainer is that once you finished the class you could come back to the new classes to practice. We went to classes for a year and practiced. I really learned a lot in from watching her train other dogs. That is where I would start as I said more for you to learn how to train him/her. I could go on and on but without knowing what the bad behavior is I cannot recommend more. You can email me at kivasmyangel@yahoo.com and I will help the best I can.
By: notsofancynancy on September 2, 2012
at 9:45 pm
Well the thing is, my fiancé doesn’t believe in (nor want to pay for) professional training. So, I’m left to deal with this dog who only seems to listen to him (and thats at the best of times). He is smart… which is the tough part. He knows he’s not allowed to get on the couch, but he does when we aren’t around. Then when we come home, its obvious as the cushions are moved. He knows he’s not allowed to eat the cats food, but he inches toward it every day until someone notices. He knows he’s not allowed to be in the kitchen while I’m cooking, but he sneaks around the corner and he knows he’s not allowed to beg at the table, but he does it anyways. When I tell him to get on his mat, he yawns at me (EVERY TIME) like he’s a little kid laughing in my face. I’m at a loss…
I realize consistency is the key here, but how do I get my fiancé on board.
He does NOT want to re-home this guy, but I am done. If I put him outside to be out of my face and allow me some stress free moments, he barks and barks. If I put the barking collar on him, which will give him a shock when he barks, he fights back by destroying our patio furniture… even his own bed – he’ll rag doll it until its all in pieces and fluff! Worst cases is when he decides to get back at us and licks himself until he bleeds… its out of control and I’m so stressed out all the time. I now this is difficult from a strangers perspective, but what do you recommend in a situation like ours?
I guess what I’m trying to avoid is a random blogger gang up where everyone tells me I’M the one doing something wrong and how dare I want to get rid of him. I realize obviously that my fiancé and I are doing something that isn’t working, but my baby is coming in 4 months and I don’t want to be worried about a dog with a newborn! Do you think once the baby comes, my fiancé will change his tune? I mean, when my cousin came over with her 1 year old, the dog was affectionate, but almost too much. He would lick her face relentlessly! His body was knocking her over when she was standing. If we weren’t careful his tail could have smacked her right in the face… and that tail is hard it can clear a table in a second. He walked all over her blanket and toys – which I guess is to be expected, but I don’t know if I can handle this on a daily basis and we only introduced them for 30 minutes. Any words of encouragement would be helpful. Thank you!
By: 16sedici16 on September 4, 2012
at 7:43 am
First and foremost you need to deepen your voice when correcting the dog. make it as loud and deep as you can, especially for bad behavior. As you said consistency is the best. I would put my foot down when it comes to the training class especially with a baby coming you need to get control over the dog quickly. I would not feel safe having a baby with an uncontrolled/untrained dog. I am not saying he/she is aggressive but all it would take is one wrong move and the baby could be hurt. You have probably heard you need to be the pack leader but that is what you need to do. I would recommend using a leash in the house so that you have more control over him/her. You don’t need to hold it all the time but if that is what it takes then do it. I would also not allow the dog to be in the same room when you are eating. This also means no people food at all. This is one of the best things I have ever done. I can now sit with the dog in my lap with my plate and they don’t care, at all.. There are enough products out there that dogs love it should be easy to find something he/she loves. Use this as a reward for good behavior. In other words when he/she is out of the kitchen or on his/her bed. Treat for good behavior. When people come over once again leash the dog. This gives you control in case it gets in your guests faces. Allow your guests to treat but only for calm behavior. If you cannot get hubby to agree to the classes and I pray he does, your best bet is the internet. There are unlimited resources on how to train dogs for free. Do you homework. One last thing that may help is a squirt bottle with water. If the dog steps one foot in your kitchen squirt him/her right in the face. Most important when using this is the tone of voice you use. A deep loud “NO” is what you need to use while squirting. Our dogs fear the squirt bottle and we have only had to use it a few times. Now all we need to do is show it to them and they stop. Dogs are always a work in progress and the most important thing is to be smarter than the dog. Read training sites to address the behavior problems. Find what works best with your dog, and email me if you need to.
By: notsofancynancy on September 4, 2012
at 8:13 am
Thanks, I like the idea of a leash on in the house 🙂 Also, putting him outside while we eat. I will try to coax the man to agree to training sessions. Thanks for your feedback… this helps 🙂
By: 16sedici16 on September 4, 2012
at 4:19 pm
Anytime. I have worked with a lot of different dogs and I have not found one that could not be trained. Good luck!
By: notsofancynancy on September 4, 2012
at 5:39 pm