Monday, October 20, 2008

The Oldest and the Youngest.....


I thought I would share some professional photos I had done of my oldest and my youngest dogs. (As always you can click on the pic to make them larger....)

The sitting fee was donated to dog rescue and the offer came up in a timely fashion in that I had been thinking about the mortality of my dogs.

Finn, my Border Collie, will be 12 this Dec. and while it's possible that he may surpass the oldest any of my dogs has ever lived, 13, he does have a heart murmur, failing eyesight and hearing. He is still one of the sweetest dogs I have ever known.

Kylie, my Belgian Tervuren, turned a year this last March. Just after turning 1 years old I almost lost her to Pyometra.

I had taken her into emergency one evening because she was just not acting right. I had taken her temperature which was high. They did blood work and x-rays, said they weren't sure what it was and sent her home with antibiotics. The antibiotics seem to work and she was more herself. But the day after we finished the antibiotics she didn't seem well again. I stayed home from work and took her into Pilchuck Vet (the emergency Vet that I had previously taken her in to) seeing as they had seen her previously and had all the blood work, etc. I left her with them and continued on to work.

I received a call saying that they needed to do an emergency spay as she had full blown pyo and even the horns of her uterus was filled with pus. (sorry if that grossed you out.....). They started to tell me how much it was going to cost (like that would make a difference??) and I said please get right to it.

It was expensive, by the time all was said and done it was close to $2,000. But to me she is definitely worth it. I love all my dogs, but Finn and Kylie are both those once in a lifetime dogs and I happened to have them both at the same time.

Anyway, it made me realize once again how precious life can be, so I paid for a sitting for both of them.

Please excuse Kylies skinny look, she had fully healed from her surgery but it took awhile for the hair to grow in along her chest and belly. Finn wasn't too thrilled about getting his picture taken but he was a good sport for a couple of shots.






I call this one her "old lady face" :)








The quote that appears at the end of every e-mail I send is dedicated to these two...

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." – Unknown

19 comments:

Patchworkfibers said...

WOW! Those are fantastic! Maggie and I are inspired :-)

Nancy K. said...

They are both SO beautiful! I've always loved Tervurens and Kylie is stunning. Finn looks like a PUPPY! He definitely does not look like an "old" dog.

I love your signature line. A good friend of mine uses one that I also adore..."my goal in life is to be half as good a person as my dog already thinks I am"

I feel sorry for anyone who has never known the love of a dog.

sugarcreekstuff said...

That quote is perfect, brings a lump in the throat.

Those pics are amazing. Your BC is so beautiful (I hope that is alright to say for a boy). My T is my first Border Collie, he has spoiled me to all other dogs. He's my helper, protector and big big baby.

melanie said...

Those pictures are beautiful!

I admire and understand your love of your dogs...I have never been able to have another after losing my companion of 15 years...I don't know if I ever will.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Awwwww. What a wonderful story about the love you have for your oldest and youngest dogs.

The photos are amazing!
Kylie's full out tongue wagging smile photo is my favorite of her.

And Finn's last two photos (head on paws and the smiley one) are just too precious for words :)

~Lisa

Coloradolady said...

your photos are wonderful. the next to the last one is just as sweet as it can be. I love my dogs too, I have two weiners....and they are my life. I don't know what I 'd do without them. Nothing beats the love of a dog. I enjoyed my visit to day, great post.

Esther Garvi said...

What a photoshoot! My first dog was a Tervuren/Berneese Mountaindog mix and one of her sons inherited that wonderful Tervuren coat (although his father in turn is a Nigerien Azawakh). Looking forward to Kylie's fur growing back on! Finn looks so youthful, so we hope he has many more good years! Any pictures of your Sheba?

Warm greetings from West Africa!
Esther, Sheba & Co.

Eve said...

Now see Tammy, you made me cry!! I can't imagine life without dogs. Kylie and Finn are perfect and I know you will treasure these photos forever! My little Daisy Lu is going to the vet this morning as she has been not feeling well. I'll be thinking of you today!

Pamela said...

They are both gorgeous and isn't it good that you got some great shots of them--especially the ones of them together.

I guess you can live without a dog...but what's the point?

the7msn said...

These photos are stunning! I've never seen studio shots of dogs done so well. I'm totally in love with your Finn.

shadow mountain jacobs farm said...

Those pictures are stunning and of course the subjects are even more stunning. How could you go wrong with beautiful dogs like that. I once had a female cat that had Pyometra. My vet told me that animals that haven't had babies yet are more prone to getting it. That STRAY cat cost me over $400. 20 years ago. All lives are important no matter where they come from.

I need orange said...

What great shots. The photographer did a wonderful job.

I especially like the last three.

They do such a good job of showing his personality.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Those are fabulous photos!

Unknown said...

The pictures are beautiful...and the quote pulled at my heart.

goatgirl said...

What beautiful dogs! I love the photos. They seem to capture the true nature of your dogs.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos! Your dogs look very happy and healthy.

Anonymous said...

What a cool photo shoot. I never would have guessed Finn was 11 - he looks great! If he is anything like Kylie, then I'm sure he is a real gem.

Jenny Holden said...

I missed this post! What fantastic photos! I hope you've got a nice frame for them :o)

Walter Jeffries said...

Beautiful shots of beautiful dogs. It is so sad that we outlive them by an order of magnitude. All the more reason to enjoy their fleeting lives with us. One of our pack is also 12 now, almost 13, which is old for a LGD. He's still very active and working but his eyes are turning blue and he has some pain in his joints. I find that giving him glucosamine and buffered aspirin help. Helps me too. :} Plenty of bone soups helps too and now that its winter they're on the menu again.