How much do you love your dog, I'm not sure my feelings are normal!!

[Gymbob]

I mean, I absolutely love and adore my dog so much, I'm not sure it's normal or right to love a dog this much. I don't go anywhere without him, and I know he adores me too.

I took him to the vet today, I was worrying about nothing, but then got thinking omg, what will I do when the time comes. the thought of it is just horrendous.

Is it just me who feels this deeply about their dog?

No it is not abnormal. Totally get it. Took me years to get over my last dog. Dread the day when my older dog goes ....and she is on the downward treadmill. They play a vital role in my life.

My beautiful collie girl who is almost 1 year old and my beautiful, gentle natured late Lab who is no longer with us (but is with the collie because she ate some of his ashes! The cowbag), he made it to 14 and one month before cancer got him and I miss him every single day.

So many beautiful canine friends

I love my dog but not as much as my little boy loves her. The dog is never in a bad mood, doesn't care if ds has done his homework or tidied his room or hit his sister, never tells any of his secrets and is always warm and cuddly and never tells him off. I can see why he loves her so much.

I walk dogs for a living so come into contact with lots of owners. They all love their dogs so much and the fact they trust them with me is quite an honour. I had to have my own dog pts yesterday and I am devastated. Nobody understands this as much as other dog owners because they know what it is to have that unconditional love for a dog.

Sorry to hear that mirror

Oh mirror I'm so very sorry to hear that

We all dread this day, but it's a mark of real love to be able to put their needs above your own. Be kind to yourself

Mirror I'm so sorry.

We understand and can't even contemplate how you feel right now.

I hope walking the dogs brings you a bit of joy today.

my dog is like the DC ill never have i treat her like a child at times and feel the same unconditional love for her as a mother would for her child i don't ever want to face the fact she'll never live past being a teenager

Omg this thread just makes me blub every time I come back to it. Some fantastic pics - not sure I know how to do it but might give it a go later -

Mirror, I can understand your devastation completely, can we see a picture when you feel up to it? Big love and hugs to you

Hell, what a beautiful Lab, and was at the ashes tale, your Collie does seem to have a devilish look in her eyes though

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Really means alot to me. The house is so quiet without Alfie and coming in the front door and not having him greet me is very hard

I live in an apartment building with large family apartments in which I have seen DC born and grow up, start school etc.

Only when families got dogs did I see adults return home at lunch and mid afternoon time from the office to see their dogs. For the children the nanny/canteen/after school club were always good enough.

Mirror he is proper, proper beautiful! Looks a bit like my Fred so I'm biased
I hope it's not too long until you only remember the good times ((()))

Actually he looks a hell of a lot like my Fred. You don't live in Gloucs do you?!

No Confused Alfie was an Essex boy!

Oh! Weird coincidence avoided there.

So sorry Mirror

When DDog 1 was a puppy, I was so worried he might be allergic to peanuts that the first time I gave him a kong stuffed with peanut butter I drove to the vet and sat in their carpark for 45 minutes whilst he ate it. Just in case.

We now also have DDog2, a rescue. Ex Puppy Farm breeder. She is covered in scars, she was emtionally and physically very damaged. Three years on and she's a loan like any other lab, but sometimes I lie awake at night and cry over what her life might have been like.

She, meanwhile is sleeping peacefully with her legs in the air and clearly couldn't care less.

Dogs may love us back
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19124024

Dogs release oxytocin when gazing into owners eyes

I chose the job i do so my boy wouldn't be on his own during the day.
My dh and i are like ships that pass in the night, but thats fine because it means dogface won't be lonely!
I love him so much, he's a big overgrown casting brute that causes mess everywhere he goes but he is so cuddly and loving.
He is the third dog we have had during our married life, losing them is heartbreaking but so is the thought of life with no dog!

In the spirit of the thread.
Your dogs love you!

Hope I'm not in copyright trouble.
Gulp.

DDog just went past and gave me a lick on my bare feet.
Just because he knows I love him.

grays sorry to be picky but it was the oxytocin in the owner's wee not the dogs that was raised after long loving looks by their doggies (to a greater extent in those owners who shared longer gazes with their dogs) which I suppose is the scientific evidence backing up the mass of anecdotal evidence contained in this thread.

Dp and I are currently both students and we often take the dog to uni and whoever is not in a lecture sits in the car with him. I'm also incredibly fussy about what he eats and the supplements he gets, to the point that family etc are always a bit scared to give him a treat in case he's not allowed.
Totally, totally pfb about him

A while ago I decided to watch the land before time as I loved it when I was younger. Very early on in the film the mother dinosaur dies trying to protect her baby from a t Rex and then the baby is scared and lost. I was absolutely, couldn't control myself, to the point I scared dp, hysterical. I kept talking nonsense about big dogs getting to our boy and me not being there to protect him and if we died he would be so confused and he'd think we wouldn't love him anymore.
Never finished the film and dp reminds me about it at evert opportunity.

Mirror what a lovely boy, you'll have so many fine memories to remember him by when you're ready

cupcake re Ddog1 re Ddog2. What a fab job you've done

popcorn I get you, me and dh do the same so our boy is never alone

dressinggown I get you too, you take it in turns to sit in the car with him? How bloody lovely

Bonsoir, wow, I'm not sure I would have noticed that, are you a dog owner too?

Just off to bed now with my boy, he'll sleep on dh's pillow until he comes to bed later, then he'll dutifully jump off and go to his own bed near me. I'd rather he stay on the bed with me and dh sleep in the dog bed tbh