Thursday, September 22, 2016

Life With Cush Dogs A Dog Daddy Post #ThrowbackThursday

My friend, Jodi, at Heart Like a Dog blog has been sharing some of her old past blog posts for Throwback Thursday and I love it so much!  In fact, it has inspired me to revisit some of my own old blog posts and share some of them with you.

Talking Dogs has been around since 2007 and today I want to share with you my third most popular blog post with 56,053 views.  Ironically, this is a post that I did not write, but a guest post from the Dog Daddy.

This one is a bit bittersweet because it is about my angel dog, Jeffie.  Sweet memories.  These days Rosie is our cush dog.

Without further ado, here's Life With Cush Dogs, originally published on March 6, 2012.


Cush Dog Jeffie - 8 weeks old
Today we have a Talking Dogs guest blog post from the dog daddy at our house.

Life with our "cush" dogs...

Sue introduced me to the concept of a Cush dog many years ago.  I don’t remember exactly when, but I do remember the circumstances because we have relived them many times. 

Cush dog is short for cushion dog.  When you have a pet who is becoming aged, the reality of their short life begins to sink in. You realize that one day you will have to go on in life without them and you begin to feel the need for another pet to cushion you against that loss. 

I realize that not everyone’s lifestyle will allow for more than one dog in your life at a time.  However, I would find it unbearable to lose a loving companion and to be utterly without one. I count myself as lucky that I am able to have more than one dog in my life at a time. In fact, up until about 6 months ago we had four.



About 6 years ago, with Lucy and Tucker being close in age and beginning to experience some health problems, we decided it was time for a Cush dog. We began our search and thanks to Petfinder, Jeffie came into our life. His full name is Thomas Jefferson Davis Canine Kottwitz, but Jeffie seems to fit him well.


I could not imagine a better Cush dog. As readers of this blog know, Tucker left us last October and Lucy followed him this February. Even before Lucy was gone, Jeffie began to gravitate more to Sue, and now whether she is in her office, her studio or anywhere else, Jeffie is by her side or close by. Just like Lucy used to be. 

I have no doubt in my mind that he senses her loss and is trying to fill the void. You see, Jeffie has always been the most sensitive dog I can remember.  At the slightest sign of physical or emotional upset from either of us, Jeffie is there. Even if a curse word is uttered he will be at your side and put a paw on your leg to comfort you.

We have also noticed that he is also grieving the loss of his sister and brother. He is much more subdued and spends a lot of time watching us closely. So as any dog lover can imagine, we are blessed to have Jeffie as our Cush dog.

Then there is Rudy. He came to our family about a year and a half ago. He was not a designated Cush dog. Sue just wanted a puppy.  I fell in love with him and Sue wasn't far behind. However, he is also functioning as a Cush dog. With Jeffie spending more time with Sue, Rudy is always available to me at the drop of a hat. Still being a puppy, he lifts our moods with his antics and can usually get Jeffie up and playing.


So you see we are all still grieving here at For Love of a Dog, but our Cush dogs are helping cushion us from our, and their own, loss.

6 comments:

  1. What a touching reminder of a tender spirit. Thank you for sharing; I could feel my heart swelling with happiness at the thought of your fur-kids. ღ

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    1. Thank you so much. I cannot imagine life without my pups and as I write this they're right here beside me :-)

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  2. What a cutie he was as a pup, and then such a handsome boy! He will always be there in your heart and life will provide reminders of him for you from time to time. It is hard, but the love we get in those short years are worth it.

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    1. I miss Jeffie every single day. I think Rudy does, too. You are absolutely right. He will always be in my heart and our short time together was definitely worth it.

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  3. What a beautiful post, and I love the concept of a cush dog. I think my hubby had that in mind when we got Luke and knew Kobi wasn't going to be with us for much longer at the time. New dogs don't replace the old, but they definitely do cushion the loss.

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    1. No, a new dog can never replace another, but the love really does cushion the blow of loss. Thanks, Jan.

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