What a sad year. Since the beginning of 2024, we have had to say goodbye to our three granddogs. These are dogs that lived up to 12, 14, and 14 years. They became a part of our lives and a huge part of our family of three children.
First up was Dakota, who was in Dallas, where he controlled the Hollins family. She is a rescue dog and is reportedly half Rottweiler and half Basset. Still, she looked and acted like a large beagle.
I don’t know if that family will replace her, but she shared a home with three cats.
Here in Lander, a beloved golden retriever named Buddy passed away at the Johnson family’s home last month. He was a true “buddy” to the three boys as they grew up together and often accompanied Sherry and Jerry on their hikes in the Wind River Mountains.
Buddy was a perfectly named dog with the great temperament often found in Goldens.
And just recently, Alicia and Denny Hallman lost their golden retriever. They live in Montrose, Colorado. The dog was named Helton after the Colorado Rockies’ Hall of Fame first baseman.
Helton was their faithful companion on camping trips and accompanied Lish on his long daily walks. It’s not the same.
our last dog
22 years ago, we buried our last dog when our hybrid lab named Shadow, who had been with us for 13 years, died of cancer.
Shadow has always been my walking companion and a wonderful pet.
When we lived in our previous home in the Squaw Creek area, she was obsessed with chasing cars. We were hooked and so was everyone else. But in 1998, when we moved to a town with a new neighborhood and little traffic, she settled down and has been perfect ever since.
She bravely fought cancer and passed away in my arms. At the time, Nancy was back in Iowa with her mother who had cancer, so I dug a hole in the backyard and buried her there. A truly memorable time. I was surprised at how lonely the house became after she was gone.
Are pets the new kids?
Yes, we love pets. I’ve focused this column mostly on dogs. I’ve never been much of a cat person.
Then I remembered a cartoon that defined the difference between cats and dogs. God interviews dogs and cats about coming to heaven. He is sitting on the throne.
The dog says: “I was a very loyal dog. My family loved me.”
The cat said, “Hey, you’re sitting in my chair!”
Yes, there are attitude differences between the two species.
We were spending the winter at a large RV park in Las Vegas. I often saw people using strollers to take their cats to the pet area to run errands.
A man made a custom backpack for his giant Maine Coon cat. I was a little surprised when I walked up behind him and saw this monster looking at me.
Google cites research showing that many Gen Z and Millennial families view pets as the “new kids.” They also claim that these families consider plants to be their “new pets.”
I found these two paragraphs on the internet that explain this well:
“Treating pets like children has become a common phenomenon in today’s society, with more and more people considering their furry companions as beloved family members. This change in attitude This can be attributed to several factors, including lifestyle changes, evolving social norms, and a deeper understanding of the emotional and psychological benefits that pets provide.
“One of the main reasons for the humanization of pets is the changes in modern life. As people marry later in life, have fewer children, or stop being parents altogether, pets are becoming more and more important as companions and companions. We fill that void as a source of unconditional love.”
What about ducks?
Since I travel a lot more, I decided not to replace my dog.
Our property has lots of water with a stream and several ponds. So I started adding ducks.
This year started with 18 domesticated ducks, plus dozens of wild ducks and a few wild geese flying around.
As of this writing, there are only six people left. Apparently predators in the area have discovered Sniffin’ Lunch Counter. The remaining ducks include Bree, Kanye, Town Pump, Mo, Larry, and Carly.
The ducks were congregating on our patio, so I stopped Nancy from feeding them, which resulted in quite a bit of duck poop.
We love ducks, even though they can be confusing at times.
And at the moment we are missing our granddog too.
