What's a favourite dog story that you rarely get the chance to tell?

[ladybee28]

Sometimes there isn't a thread specific enough to prompt telling your favourites... so here's a free-for-all!

Favourite stories about your dogs: past or present, funny, sweet, sad, creepy... anything goes!

Mine's potentially outing, but...

Working on a horse ranch in Wyoming, one of the horses got very sick and went downhill fast. Vet was a long way off with another patient, but said he'd be with me as soon as he could.

Horse was lying on the ground with his head in my lap (as I sobbed) in between seizures, and at some point I looked up to see every dog from the farm (8 in total) sitting or lying in a semi-circle around us, watching.

After about 30 minutes, with no prompt, they all got up and left. I took it to mean they could sense he was about to pass on – but 5 minutes later he was back on his feet.

I now believe he received some kind of energetic power-up from the pups – when the vet arrived he couldn't believe his eyes.

Those dogs all got extra treats that night

--

Lightening the mood a little, another favourite of mine is the time my childhood dogs mysteriously adopted a duckling.

To this day none of my family have the slightest clue where it came from – my mum opened the back door one morning to give them their breakfast and out of the kennel came our two black Labs with a little duckling tumbling out between their legs and following them into the kitchen!

They were best friends for years...

[itbemay1]

My DH dad has just passed away and my DH has to be away for a few days. When he came hole my lovely jack would not leave his side, laying his head on his lap whilst sitting etc, he's usually affectionate but not like this. They sense something I am sure.

[Ylvamoon]

Mine isn't really a story, but my old rescue girl choose my husband for me!
She rejected several boyfriends by excessively barking, growling or always sitting between us and stretching out so that they could not touch me! One guy got nipped, I found out later that he already had a girlfriend... You know a bit like the it's me or the dog type threads.
I often had to leave her with a friend if I was to bring certain male company home... she wasn't like this with my friends, although she would always "tell" me if they were good/ bad friends in a more subtle way.
In other words my social life was controlled by my dog.
Anyway, along came DH and she was all over him! No barking, no 3 way cuddles... it's like she knew he was the right man for us me! She was right, 17 years on 2 DC later and we are still going strong.

I still miss her, she was such a sweet little thing ... about the size of a Border Collie with the looks of a German Shepherd!

[FLOrenze]

I had wanted a dog my whole life but could not have one until I was 70. I like terriers and wanted an older dog as I did not want to outlive it.

I had no idea how to get a dog so googled rescue terrier. A specialist rescue came up and they had videos of the dogs. The first dog I saw had been in the rescue for a week. Unbelievably she was exactly what I was looking for. The rescue would only let you apply one week before you were ready to collect the dog. It was Nov 10 when I saw her and as we were away for Christmas I Knew I had to wait.

I clicked on the site every day, watching her progress. Half of me wanted
Her to be adopted so that she did not stay in the rescue but another part hoped she would wait for me.

I made my telephone application on 20th December, sent all the relevant photos and references and collected her on Boxing Day. That was 2 and half years ago and she has bought me so much joy. So amazing to think that she was the only dog I looked at.

[albird]

I was given a lovely Tiffany bracelet by my son and I stupidly wore it when out dog walking. I didn't realise till the next day that I'd lost it - I was really upset, but thinking it fruitless, I went searching in the woods where I walk the dog to try and find it anyway. I had my dog with me. I retraced my steps as best I could but couldnt find it. My dog suddenly just stopped and refused to move - very unlike him. I went up to him to try to get him moving when I realised he had stopped right by my missing bracelet - right next to a poo bin! DDog saved the day!

[doodleygirl]

Not so much of a dog story more of a stupid husband story.

My girl is now 11, she started going to day care a couple of days a week from about the age of 2, there was another dog there who was her doppleganger. It was the middle of winter and I was due to pick her up but I was stuck in a traffic jam, rang DH and off he went to get her. Once he picked her up he rang me to say that he had her and that she had tried to get on the front seat which was unusual but he was chatting away and I didnt give it a second thought.

As I was still in the traffic jam we chatted until he got home. On approaching the drive our girl would bark to say we are home, the dog he had in the car didnt bark and DH said jokingly that he thought our girl was maturing because she was not barking. My spidey senses went into overdrive and I asked him what collar she had on, he said pink. Our girls collar was red and black.

I then yelled that he was a stupid bloody idiot and he had the wrong dog - I then put the phone down and rang daycare only to be told the owner was taking the other dogs home and he had my girl with him ready to drop her off at some strangers house.

Suffice to say we had it sorted very quickly and the dogs were swapped back, my girl was very happy to come home and was super clingy for the next few days.

DH and daycare owner have never lived this down.

[ShaniaPayne]

My dad didn't have a dog - he wasn't a 'dog person' - but his DM had several while he was a child, and I've owned five, three of whom are on the Other Side now. I sat with him as he was in his final hours in ICU, and he was hallucinating all kinds of things: not scary, things he loved. After he passed away, one of the nurses took me to one side, and asked if he'd had a dog? I said, no. She said, 'Well, that's funny, because while you were napping, he pointed to the corner and said, I thought dogs weren't allowed in here? He was very sure there was one in that corner.' I like to think my hounds were there, keeping us both company in those last hours.

[WhySeaEmm]

@FLOrenze I love your story!