Goodbye My Friend by Linda Ronstadt | Dog Song Saturday

If you've been with us for awhile, you know that our favorite dog songs are original songs about dogs.  However, sometimes we come across a music video using another song that just works perfectly to describe the human canine connection.

Today is one of those days.

Goodbye My Friend is performed here by Linda Ronstadte.  It is a great accompaniment to this nice video tribute to a dog named Wolfie who died in 2007.

Have a listen to Goodbye My Friend and see if you don't agree that this is a great dog song!  Then fetch some more genuine dog song music videos at Talking Dogs.  You'll be surprised at how many we've collected over the past few years. 

Still Missing an Old Friend Guest Post

Today we have another guest post by the Dog Daddy at our house.

Still missing an old friend.

We were living in Virginia and down to only one dog. Sue had a serious case of  “puppy fever” and we heard that a neighbor’s golden retriever had given birth to a new litter which the family needed to give away. We drove over to take a look and see if one of the pups “spoke” to us. 

We found 7 beautiful golden fur balls. We were having a hard time deciding until Sue picked up Lucy. Lucy started to cuddle up to Sue’s neck and moan and groan. Sue had found herself another “talking dog.”  

We learned that the daddy was a deep chested black lab from the neighborhood. Lucy grew to have her mother’s sweet disposition and golden color and her father’s coat of Lab hair and his short legs and deep chest.

Lucy’s first job was as our “shop dog.”  We owned an antique shop in a small courthouse town at that time and Sue was the shopkeeper. Sue took Lucy along to the shop every day where Lucy would sleep under the desk.  She greeted customers and won them over with her loving puppy skills. 

This was a great socialization experience for Lucy, but she never became that dog who loves everyone. Lucy was very discriminating. If you hung around long enough she may accept your presence but she only truly loved very few and one especially.

At times I even felt that she did not love me. She did, of course, but she always preferred to be with Sue.  Unless I was in the kitchen baking. Then she would stick around knowing that there were good things to come.

Lucy was also our best “road dog” ever. She was always ready to get into a vehicle and go. When she was only a few months old we traveled cross country to help Sue’s mother move. Sue flew ahead to start packing.  Lucy and I came in the pickup truck pulling a trailer. 

Lucy did not like not being able to see out so she would climb the seat until she was lying between the seat top and my neck. This is where she spent most of the trip. 

At home in Virgina, Sue made frequent trips into town to go to the bank, post office or other errands and Lucy was always with her. She had a special love for the bank because they gave dog treats to canine passengers.

Lucy and Tucker became fast friends and eventually became the original “Talking Dogs” for which this blog is named. They loved to run and play in the yard however Tucker was faster than Lucy with her short legs and she would eventually tire of being run over and rolled by him and would sit and snarl to let him know the game was over. They also loved rousting around our 3 story, colonial era home. 

We have an antique couch which was given to Sue by her mother. This became Lucy’s napping place as it was one of the few pieces of furniture we allowed dogs on. She loved to get away for a nap and curl up on it. Any time Lucy was not with Sue we knew where to find her.

When Sue began designing jewelry and selling it over the internet. Lucy began her next career as our “Design Diva” as Sue called her. From the shop to the studio to the computer work, Lucy was Sue’s constant companion. The bond between them was the strongest I have ever seen.

When we moved to Missouri we bought bare land and lived in a 26 foot RV trailer for over a year while we built our house. Two adults, two dogs and a cat in a trailer became more of a bonding experience for all of us. I was mostly at work or working on the house and Lucy stayed forever at Sue’s side. 

Lucy refused to use those little metal steps on the trailer and instead would bound in and out. This is when her hips started to go bad. We finally moved into our new house and finished Sue’s studio which is now in a separate building in the back yard. 

Lucy and Tucker were both beginning to really slow down by the time Jeffie came to live with us. The old couch became too much of her hips to take and eventually it became Jefffie’s napping place. Lucy accepted Jeffie but never became great buddies with him.

When Rudy came to live with us it was a different story. We were a little hesitant at first as to how she would react. Lucy accepted Rudy from the beginning and really enjoyed being around him, and he loved her too. I think she saw Rudy as the son she never had.

Until the end of her life Lucy never left Sue’s side. If it was a long day in the studio, a longer day on the computer, or in the bedroom at night - wherever Sue was, you would find Lucy.

Sue often talks about having a “heart dog” and how she wishes that everyone could find at least one in their lifetime. Sue found hers.

Even though Lucy is now resting in the back yard,  she is still - and forever will be - at Sue’s side.

Support Retired Military Working Dogs

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

Though we usually feature an adoptable shelter dog or two on Sundays, today we feature a dog adoption issue for a whole group of dogs.  Retired military working dogs.

In celebration of Memorial Day, we want to call your attention to a bill now before Congress.  The Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act would ensure that our nation's military working dogs (MWDs) are respected and cared for in their retirement.


This bill reclassifies military working dogs as "canine members of the armed forces" instead of "equipment," and ensures that responsibility for the health and well-being of the dogs continues after their retirement from service.


The bill has three major provisions:

• standardizes practices for adopting retired MWDs
• directs the Department of Defense to designate a nonprofit entity to establish a system of veterinary care for retired MWDs
• establishes a formal means of recognition for courageous and meritorious dogs

In addition, it's important to note that no additional federal funds would be used to provide the dogs' veterinary care.

This legislation recently passed the US House as part of a larger military policy bill.  Please contact your Senator and ask them to cosponsor S.2134, the Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act.  You can do this very easily at the ASPCA Advocacy Center (www.aspca.org/militarydogs).

Military working dogs help keep us safe and perform important work around the world.  We share this tribute to military working dogs and their handlers and wish you all a peaceful Memorial Day.
 

Dog Song Saturday: Letter to My Dog

It's Saturday!  Time for a dog song from For Love of a Dog!  Today's selection is technically not really a song about dogs.  However, A Little More of You, performed by Ashley Chambliss on her album Nakedsongs, is a lovely song about needing just a little more time.  As pet lovers, we've certainly all felt that way.  At least I know I have.  

A Little More of You accompanies a video letter written by a veterinarian.  Jessica Braun, DVM composed this letter to her dog, a rescued black Labrador Retriever, Stoupie Braun.  I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it for you. 

Grab a dog.  More than one if you can.  Grab a box of tissues.  Yes, a box, because you'll need more than one.  Sit.  Stay.  Relax and enjoy A Letter to My Dog.  Breathe a little.  Cuddle with those dogs.  Take a moment to remember some old friends.

Then scroll down below the video to surf some barking good dog blogs because today is a Pet Blog Hop.  And they're sure to cheer you up!

Dog Song Saturday: Shannon a Tribute to an Irish Setter

It's Saturday, so time for another dog song from For Love of a Dog.  Today's song is a golden oldie that is pretty wonderful.  I've heard this song before, but I had no idea that it was written about a dog.


Shannon is a tribute to an Irish Setter.  While he was a student at Brooklyn College, Henry Gross became a founding member of the rock and roll group the Sha Na Na.  He wrote the song Shannon about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter dog.  Gross produced this song as a single which went gold and became a worldwide hit, reaching number 6 on the USA charts in 1976.   The lyrics are just below this dog song video.


Grab a dog.  Sit.  Stay.  Relax and enjoy Shannon performed by the Sha Na Na and accompanied by photos of Shannon, the Irish Setter dog.  Scroll down to enjoy the lyrics, then check out the Pet Blogger Hop.  Barking good pets blogs to explore!

ANOTHER DAY IS AT END
MAMA SAYS SHE'S TIRED AGAIN
NO ONE CAN EVEN BEGIN TO TELL HER

I HARDLY KNOW WHAT TO SAY
BUT MAYBE IT'S BETTER THAT WAY
IF PAPA WERE HERE I'M SURE HE'D TELL HER

SHANNON IS GONE I HOPE SHE'S DRIFTING OUT TO SEA
SHE ALWAYS LOVED TO SWIM AWAY
MAYBE SHE'LL FIND AN ISLAND WITH A SHADY TREE
JUST LIKE THE ONE IN OUR BACKYARD

MAMA TRIES HARD TO PRETEND THINGS WILL GET
BETTER AGAIN
SOMEHOW SHE'S KEEPING IT ALL INSIDE HER

BUT FINALLY THE TEARS FILL OUR EYES
AND I KNOW THAT SOMEWHERE TONIGHT
SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH WE REALLY MISS HER

SHANNON IS GONE I HOPE SHE'S DRIFTING OUT TO SEA
SHE ALWAYS LOVED TO SWIM AWAY
MAYBE SHE'LL FIND AN ISLAND WITH A SHADY TREE
JUST LIKE THE ONE IN OUR BACKYARD

JUST LIKE THE ONE IN OUR BACKYARD

Dog Songs: Everything Reminds Me of My Dog by Jane Siberry

Woof!  I found another wonderful dog song.  Everything Reminds Me of My Dog, by Jane Siberry, is upbeat, catchy and before the first playing ended I was humming along.  Heard here as soundtrack for a dog tribute video for Zeus.  Great dog photos.  Sit.  Stay.  Fetch another barking good dog song.

24th Genesis Awards March 20

24th Genesis Awards
Saturday, March 20, 2010
International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA
Ticket info 310-440-0600 or on theweb site of the Humane Society of the United States

Celebrate all animals, with a special tribute to dogs. Each year, the Genesis Awards honors outstanding individuals in major news and entertainment media whose artistry and journalistic integrity has raised public awareness of animal issue

Fetch the For Love of a Dog pet events calendar for good things doggie..