Sangye, is Sten tall enough to steal candies and chewing gum from pockets?

I guess it would depend on how tall the person is Elena. LOL! That I would worry about as all that's bad for a dog. If he stood on his hind legs, maybe. But, since we know he's a thief we're all very vigilant in checking his three hiding places. He's also not a dog that will go somewhere in the house where no one else is. He's a people dog and will always choose a place one of us is at. Sten is no more than 15 inches tall tops.

Gorgeous dog SD. Condolence on your loss.

Once a dog has touched a small childs heart, that child is changed forever.

The idea of NOT having a dog, especially several with room to run, and especially mutts mixed into our lives, is heaven! We find we make plans according to our dog's needs. So who really owns whom? Ownership is hardly relevant. It's a given. I always feel as if I'm my dog's pet.

We hung a wooden hand-carved sign, by our main door. Says simply ... "The House of Ted"

.... (sorry cat lover's, no offense intended. We love all animals, just for being honest, fun loving and loyal, unconditionally)

I'm certain that if we had the power to change just ONE thing in this silly world, it would be to extend a dogs lifespan, to match our own. Even then, accidents do happen. Such is life.

The loss of a favorite dog is a horrendous experience, and life altering as well.

Perhaps, they are even teaching us something then too?

Sten has soulful eyes, Sangye. What a sweet pup...

Very... my thought is, that it is to live each day to the fullest... be grateful for something every morning.

Pets have no hidden agendas, ya know. They just enjoy being around us. They give so much for so little.

Still thinking about putting myself up for adoption. One of my co-workers just got herself a dachscie, and her hub brought it up to the building for us to drool over. Such an adorable dog.

Bff, that was truly one of the most beautiful posts I have ever seen here. You touched my heart immensely my friend and I thank you for that.

As I sit here typing this, our daughter, who is home sick today, is asleep beside me on our bed. On her is Sten. His head is resting on her chest and his one front leg and one back leg are on her belly. He knows she's not feeling well, IMO, and is comforting her.

Our cats do this too. They know when we're sick, sad, or just need love and they are there.

When Stephen leaves for school, Sten cries. When Stephen comes home Sten rejoices and follows him everywhere.

I think animals are always teaching us, especially our pets. They teach unconditional love and forgiveness. These two lessons are the most important ones in the world.

To have a pet in your home who loves you is the highest compliment one can ever get.

I so agree that if we had one wish, it would be to extend the life of dogs to match ours. But you're correct too in that even in death they teach us. Chippy's death taught us all something. Sten's arrival in ours lives is a teaching and a blessing, perhaps given to us by Chippy, mainly to his boy Stephen. Chippy wanted a dog to be Stephen's dog, the dog would think of Stephen as his boy.

Ever read Dean Koontz? He is a very big dog lover and dogs often appear in his novels and are also often central characters. When a dog is adopted by someone, or a family, who truly love that dog and will always love the dog, that dog has found his or her "forever home". When Sten arrived I said to him, "Hello Sten and welcome to your forever home."

Sten had quite a journey to get to our home that started down in West Virginia where he was picked up as a stray and taken to a shelter that ran out of room. Our local SPCA was contacted and they took in about seven of their dogs, one being Sten.

I cannot imagine life without my furry friends. I know when we lived in the apartment, I constantly ached for the companionship of one of our furry friends. Within a few weeks of moving into our home we adopted Chester, our Siamese, and Sadie, our German Shepherd mix. Both were and still are such immense blessings. We opened our home to two more cats, Sten, a Japanese fighting fish, Chippy, Hal and Tara (our rats who have passed on), more rats and several hamsters. All are and were loved immensely.

And yes, Sten is a very fine looking dog, I think. Thank you Bff!

Thanks WD! Yes, he has very soulful eyes and he is so sweet.

You're also right in that they have no hidden agendas. They're here to give us love and loyalty unconditionally. We're all blessed to have them in our lives.

It makes me ill, literally, whenever I hear of an animal abused. There is an ad running on the TV with singer Sarah McLachlan speaking for the SPCA with the song, "Arms of the Angel" playing in the back. I get misty eyed or cried every time I see. I want to adopt every animal they show in the ad.

Now, see, I get angry every time I see that same ad, because I find it cheesy and manipulaive. The animals shown in that ad are, for the most part, just chillin' out in cages, they aren't "suffering" or "lonely". The music played over the ad suggests to you an emotion you should feel as you look at the critters the camera pans over so-slowly.

Animals are *not* like us. They don't feel as though they are in prison when they are kenneled. They might appreciate a chance to stretch their legs, but they don't resent being kenneled or caged like people would, and the playing of sad music while showing you close-ups of the large (presumably "sad") eyes of kenneled and caged dogs and cats is an eggregious manipulation.

See if that ad still makes you misty if you mute the sound and play some clown music, or som KennyG for the background.

Yes, I am sympathetic to the plight of homeless animals and abused animals. Of course! But geez! Don't try to get me to *cry* using cheesy tactics inorder to get my cash!

How do you feel about the starving kids with sad puppy dog eyes in africa ads?

*sheesh*


Very cute puppy Sangye.

The ones advertised by Sally Fields, or the ones advertised by the plump old guy with the white beard?

Listen, small one... there is no advertising that is *not* meant to manipulate you to give up your money. It's up to *you* as the giver to do some research to find out how much of your donated money willa actually get to the intended recipients. Some charities keep 50% - 99% of all donations, and filter only a little bit of token cash to the intended recipients.

You need to look at *all* solicitations for the poor and needy with a canny eye, or you might just be filling the pockets of crooks, instead of feeding starving orphans with large, hollow eyes that spoke to your soul on late-night TV.

Some so-called "religious" charities have been the worst crooks. EVERYONE wants to help starving children (Well almost everyone), that's why it's so easy to steal from people by showing them pictures of starving babies and playing heart-wrenching music. It's a scheme to rob you AND the kids... get it?

You already know you want to help starving babies get food, right? THen do something pro-actively about it. Look up charities that help who you want to help, and check out the percentage of collected donations that actually go to the stated cause, and when you find one that sounds good and honest, give THEM your money. Don't wait to be manipulated by TV ads.

Rant over. We now return you to Sven's soulful eyes.