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I've had Cody on the yearly heartworm jab for 4 of his 5 years. The vet never said anything about reactions or problems. Is it really bad?

Thanks KayeL & Gotta. I have seen the poem before but it's one of those ones that when I read I always get something in my eye. The second and third days just came too early for my boy. Sadly, now I am seeing the second day in my boy Cody and he's only 5.

Happy Birthday Sam. 1/4/1990 - 23/7/2000

Still thinking of you little buddy.

I think The photo of Pippin with your little boy says it all. He found true love and happiness and it wiped away all the bad times. Climbing in to the cot when he knew he was dying was his way of saying thanks for the hugs.

I thought Cody knew lots but it turns out he doesn't know so much after all.

He's got the usual sit, stay, drop. As well as:

Tucker: dinner's ready

Treat: also T, Num Nums (T & Num Nums were created so people could talk about giving him something without him getting excited but he picked up on it).

Ta: - give it to me.

Uh-Ah or Uh: Stop whatever you're doing.

OK: Release word

Wait: Hang on a second, useful for crossing roads and when I need to hold him, also while he is waiting for me to say he can start eating.

Baz: His favourite inside toy.

Tyre: His favourite outside toy.

Ball:

Ready: For when I throw a ball at the river because if he's not looking when it lands he won't find it.

Bring it back: give me your ball so I can throw it again. (I never successfully taught my Retriever how to retrieve :D )

Car: We are going out.

River/Beach/Swims: Yay!

Office: Where he does his business. He will usually get a pee out every time and will do a number two if he needs to (very handy for travelling)

Go home: Dont you dare jump back in the water.

Where's the cat?: Taught to him by an ex, I think (hope) he's forgotten it now.

Where's daddy/mummy/baz/your tyre?

Drink: Have a drink (also helpful for trips)

Milk: favourite drink - will gulp a bowl of water down if told it is milk and not notice until it's too late. (mean trick but sometimes needs to be done when there won't be an opportunity for a drink for a while.

gentle: Take the treat, not the fingers

Cuddles: Mummy needs a hug

Bed/On ya bed: Time to sleep

Shake: Shake hands - seems to be an open invitation, the paw is almost always up.

Out/Off/In

Vet: Cody loves the vet

Massage: I'm going to try and brush you if you'll stay stil long enough.

Tummy scratch

That's all I can think of.

Cody also knows a few hand signals, mainly sit (hand goes up) drop (flat hand goes down), wait (hand out - palm towards him), go over there (arm out pointing where he is to go), Heel (hand down, palm to him as he walks beside me), Come (arms out or tap leg with hand).

I only ever took Cody to Puppy Preschool so almost all his training has just come from me, as a result I may not have done everything right.

Edit: I forgot Horses/where's the horsie? When we lived in Adelaide we drove past the racecorse to get to the beach and he could smell the horses and got excited when we went past. :D

What a beautiful girl. I bet she received a few valentines day kisses when she got to the Rainbow Bridge. :rolleyes:

This photo is badly damaged but it is one of the few I have.

This is Sam. He left me in July 2000, aged 10 years. The photos are not the best because they are photos of photos - I don't have a scanner.

Sam went from appearing to be fit and well to being put to sleep in a matter of two days. The vet didn't know what had happened, just that his organs had shut down, his gums were white and he was unable to eat and water poured right back out of his mouth when he tried to drink.

When the vet put him to sleep he wagged his tail one last time, his eyes were closed and I didn't even know he was gone until the vet said it was done. He just looked like he was asleep.

I cut a lock of his fur and kept his collar along with his favourite ball - the one in the photo.

It was hard to come to terms with Sam's passing because it was so sudden, one day I had a happy and healthy dog and two days later he was gone. I had him buried in the country with a beautiful view of the hills just outside of Canberra.

Sam was very special, he took ownership of my heart when I was 11 years old and kept me going through some pretty tough times. He was at times the only one I could talk to and he always understood.

I still miss Sam, I still talk to him, he was my first and he is so special.

Love every day with your best friends, their lives are all too short. There is no time to hold grudges if they dig up the garden or pull your washing off the line, every day is precious.