GonzoTaxi

Hey guys,

Anybody out there who loves dogs? Or has had a dog help them in recovery?

I love dogs just about more than anything. One of my earliest memories is telling my mom that I had a dream about petting a husky! I think this was part of a plot to guilt her into letting us adopt a dog, which we eventually did. His name was Chance and was an awesome black lab mix pound puppy.

I was thinking that once I am one-year sober (week five now!), I'll finally take the plunge and adopt a dog for myself. I've been wanting one for my whole adult life and now that I'm not drinking it seems like it is actually financially and logistically realistic.

My favorite breeds are Italian greyhounds (for city living) and bluetick coonhounds or viszlas for the country. What about you guys? Any special dogs in your lives? Stories about how they helped you in sobriety?

xGonzo

suki44883

There's a whole bunch of us who love our animals, be they cats, dogs, birds, or whatever. We even have a thread about them in our Gratitude Forum. Check it out!

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post3318962

sissy07

Hi Gonzo,

I had to respond! I love my dogs - I have two. I had another one that was with me for 7 years (I adopted her when she was 7-10 years old) whom I loved more than anything -she passed away last July. Three weeks later I decided to honor her by quitting drinking. I often think about her, and thank her for giving me so much love.

My two dogs that are with me now are great! I love them so very much. All of my dogs are rescues...I would not have it any other way. I also have four cats. Yeah, a little extreme, I know, but I love animals more than I like most people.

A year sober sounds like a great time to get a dog! Just be sure because it is a big committment. With all of the kindness that you have exhibited on SR you will be a great owner!

MsJax

Gonzo, I think your plan to adopt at your one year mark is wonderful. My dogs are my whole life, I don't think I could live without them. They are all seniors. Just over 2 weeks ago one died, Luna. On Wednesday I adopted a 10 year old chocolate lab, he has some serious medical issues I may write a blog post about later. He is just wonderful, & now I'm back at my 6 pack.

When you get ready to adopt, I don't know if you know about it, but petfinder.com is an amazing resource. You could check it out right now to see how it works.

Congratulations on your 5 weeks & your thoughtfulness on waiting until you are stable to adopt

MsJax

Sorry Gonzo, I just noticed you are in France. Don't know if petfinder is there, but I do know it is not restricted to just the states.

suki44883

I adopted my Riley through Petfinder. He is about 3 years old and had a really hard life until I got ahold of him. He has a severe underbite and only has one eye due to being hit by a car. He has a fairly prominent limp, too, but he's my baby and we have bonded to the point where we almost know what the other is thinking. LOL. Here's a pic of him right after his first spa day...



He's my love. ♥

Hevyn

Bless you, suki for taking care of Riley. He lucked out.

Gonzo, I have an English Mastiff & a rescued Lab. When my Mastiff was a puppy I'd take her for walks with my beer in a paper cup - weaving up & down the sidewalk, I'm sure. She almost got out of her leash a couple of times & I was in no shape to chase after her if she'd decided to run. She wanted to play & have a life - and I wasn't up for it in the beginning. She is one of the reasons I quit - she deserved a better shot at being a puppy than I was offering her. I'll always be thankful to her for making me a better person.

I hope you will adopt a dog at some point - what a happy day that will be.

Retread59

I have four dogs-- three are an unusual breed and I'd give myself away if I talked too much about it. One of my dogs has been very ill and caring for him has brought a lot into my life that I otherwise would have missed out on. They own my heart.

GonzoTaxi

Great stuff everybody! I knew the dog lovers wouldn't be able to resist replying!

Good on you Suki for taking care of sweet little Riley. My uncle also adopted a rescue pup named Riley, who had been severely abused but was a wonderful dog.

Petfinder is awesome! Now I think I'm going to be wasting a lot of timing doing searching and daydreaming about adoption. I've already found three separate litters of bluetick coonhounds that I want to bring home with me immediately (resist! resist!)

Hevyn - a very happy day it will be indeed! I can already picture it and I think it might even be the best ever. Maybe I'll name the puppy Hope

GonzoTaxi

I'm sorry to hear about Luna, Jax. Thank you for taking care of senior dogs. Not everybody is up for doing that and it's really important and shows the real definition of mercy.

Sally1009

I have a 3 and a half month old half lab half cocker spaniel puppy. He is a beautiful red-gold colour, and he's called Rusty. I adore him - he has got me through many a bad patch. There's something so uplifting about a puppy.. So full of joy and innocence.. I wish I knew how to upload a photo of him!

GonzoTaxi

Oh wow, I can't believe I almost forgot to share this. One of the greatest videos about recovery, forgiveness, love, friendship and dogs ever made. Warning: YOU. WILL. CRY. I literally weeped the last time I watched it. Incredibly sad yet ultimately joyful.

Last Minutes with ODEN on Vimeo

Holly7

Oh my goodness. Cried my eyes out to that!!!!!!

savexourxship

In my darkest days, this boy was the only thing that could get me out of my cave. When I first got sober I started walking him 5 miles a day, which I believe greatly improves my mental health, and shedding a ton of weight was a plus too.

Db1105

We have 2 Whippets which are in between the Italian Greyhound and the standard Greyhound. They are a great breed and pretty much stick to you like velcro. No matter what kind of day you have the greeting you get walking in the door is always a great attitude changer.

DoinThis

My corgi is treated as well as my daughter! He loves helping me get sober because his half hour walks turned into an hour with maybe another hour at the park before dinner! Haha, keeps me out the house when I used to start drinking in the late arvo. My dog means the world to me!!!

NYCDoglvr

Oh God, I'm insane about dogs! My last dog was a year old when I got sober and walking him every day was a miracle. I actually saw nature. If I had to choose between dogs and people it wouldn't be a hard choice

ttbp

I have two rescue dogs, they are adorable and I love them to bits xxx

InsertNameHere

When I was little my dad raised and trained Kelpies, they are an Austrailian cattle dog. When they got divorced we had just had two new litters so if I remember right we had around 20. They are the only kind of dogs we ever owned and were less pets then working dogs but still pretty cool when I was a kid. I will get a dog for myself one day but for now my life is to unstable. I move a lot and there is no guarentee that where I go there will be a place for them to run around in. Still deciding on a breed and or rescue dog. Maybe both one of the breed I want whatever I decide, and one rescue once I get the other trained up so it can teach the rescue just in case it has some bad habits, but that is a long way off.

least

I have two dogs and they are my whole life. They are my biggest reason to stay sober so I can give them the care they need and deserve. They are my daily therapy as they keep me sane and happy.

I lost my two older dogs last year but two more dogs needing a good home came into my life so now have three again. I like to adopt older rescue dogs as they don't have as much chance at being adopted as younger dogs do. Also they don't have 'puppy problems' - chewing and peeing in the house.

I wish you the best with your dog-to-be.