As suggested I'm starting this thread for us all to share our happy memories of our loved and lost friends, be they canine, feline,equine or porcine.

Obviously my first one is my Spuddy Buddy Boy.
Many years ago when Spud was still entire, he was molested by an in heat Akita, she sniffed his dangly bits, flashed her giblets at him, chased him, even cornered him against the sea wall ( he jumped up onto the wall and legged it )she was a complete sex pest, with no owner in sight. Dear Spuddy just didn't know what the hell was going on, he was 3 at the time, so very capable of doing the job, but he hid behind me, behind his Mum, behind Louie. Amazingly his Mum didn't tell her to sling her hook, which she would have normally done,she was very protective of her boy, even though he towered over her.
I eventually managed to get hold of her collar when she tried to jump Spud as he was attempting to climb up my leg to get away from her.
It's one of the many reasons we called Spud Mr Nice But Dim lol.
Her numpty owner didn't even know she was in heat !.

LOL Celli, the owner of the nympho was the dim one! Spud sounds a real character. The  mother's pets of this world  are not in the front line for other people's admiration, maybe, but they are truly special. My Jack needs to have his own cuddle time every morning (and I mean lying on my shoulder staring into my face) before he gets up for the day, and when I see those brown cow-like eyes inches from mine I want to laugh but also to be able to remember that no day ever went by without him knowing I love him just as much right back.

My Henry. 2 years this June and I can still hardly bear to think of life without him. Most of the time I'm too busy with the other dogs to let it overwhelm me, but I only have to think 'I'll never have Henry kisses again' to start the tears coming. He was only 8 years old. :-(

Amazing boy!

Mine would be my Shola lost to me with Lymphoma 4 years this July. I still can't talk about her without my eyes filling (doing so as I type) My heartdog!.
She was the one that wound the others up, would chase imaginery prey (would turn out to be a plastic bag) but have all the others chasing with her and then realising she would be in trouble return to me while the others were still running around looking for whatever Shola must have seen. She would stamp her feet if she didn't get the toy she REALLY wanted and ....oh yes.... I adored her. She was my travelling companion and we shared wine gums between us on the long journeys to shows. Still miss her sooo much.

So sorry you lost Spud he sounded lovely .

Mine is Dan my flowered Shar-pei I lost him on February 22nd last year , he was my lifetime dog , there's not a day gone past that I haven't thought about him and missed him :( I wish I could have those 13 years all over again .
He was a right character he knew every word I said but would never sit on command only when he wanted to . His very first walk he walked all the way with his eyes shut ! He was so loving with his family but a great guard dog at the same time , he would of died for us , I remember him nipping Sean one of my hubbys friends on the bum one day , it was just a warning , we thought he must of sensed something even though Sean loves dogs he just laughed it off , it was the one and only time he did nip.
He would love it to rain so he could chase frogs and make them squeal , and he couldn't have just one tennis ball he could fit 3 in his stretchy mouth at once , he thought he was so clever when he done this.
I couldn't get a bath without him lying next to me waiting for me to get out so he was close to me again , this is what I miss the most , infact I nearly always shower now because it's hard without him being here , even though I have 5 more dogs he was my special boy.
Last year I was ill and lay down on the bed in the back bedroom I was spinning and had a migrane I thought I was going to die at the time as my heart was racing , and I'll never forget my arm falling over the edge of the bed and I swear I could feel Dan rubbing against my arm snuffling I took great comfort in this and am sure he is waiting at the bridge for me , I really do mean it as well , some people will think I'm mad but I don't care.
I miss my boy and always will.

I have tears in my eyes just reading these.

Much as I adored Spud, my true love was his mum Celeste. She was a beautiful girl, I did show her for a bit but she never enjoyed it so we jacked it in, even one of the judges remarked that she was a "particularly pretty bitch " she was red too, but a real deep fiery copper.
Incredibly smart and self sufficient, but also loyal and very obedient. we used to call her "The Shark" if a dog dared to do anything she considered to be dangerous or a possible sign of mentalness, she would start to circle them, giving them the eye until they got so paranoid they stopped. She never bit another dog in her life, but she could certainly intimidate them into behaving.    
She did have her little moments with other dogs, but her method was to muzzle punch them in the neck, which had a remarkable effect, and would send most trouble makers packing. 

I lost her at age 6 to cancer, that was nearly 6 years ago, even now if Brown Eyed Girl comes on the radio I have switch it off or I'd be in floods.

Ive got lots!
My first little black spaniel which was just mine.  Not a family dog, all mine!  She was a 'orrible dog.  If she woke with a start, her ears/headskin would have slid over to make her look like she had a wig on that was slippin! I could imagine her a little gin drinker with wonky lipstick lol.
My boy, my first Akita, was a true gent.  He never mumped at another dog his whole life and was so easy going.  He used to be so stright laced and serious but every now and then he would have a zoomie moment where he would belt past 100mph and you would need to nip his butt if you could catch him.
My (OHs) akita, a grumpy old bitch with a hatred for me!  I remember the first time I let her off the lead at the beach and 2 hours later in the pouring rain, soaked to my knickers, I was still chasing her about so I picked up (what I thought) some seaweed but it had a huge rock attached which thumped her on the head.  Another 2 hours later, she was still running rings round me!!
Or our boy, our first home-bred boy.  Another without a bad bone in his body.  I still remember how he used to eat an ice-cream cone like an anteater! And how he ate my brand new italian leather cream sofa when it was hours old!!
I have loads of memories of all of my dogs throughout the years, too many (dogs and memories) to mention!  But they keep me happy.  My heart is bigger from knowing these beautiful creatures.  x

Gosh this is so lovely, heartbreaking to read, but lovely.  Mine was my first dog that I saved up for when I was 14, that was all mine after years of growing up with family dogs, a clumber Tom Tyke.  I was utterly devoted to him.  He was so stoic, never complaining despite lurching from one health disaster to the next for all eleven years and eleven months to the day of his life.  He must have been in so much pain throughout all his spinal surgeries but never once curled a lip at anyone, and even through periods of paralysis always wagged his tail at the sight of our vet (who also cried with me as he slipped away).  He loved the end bit off my banana, tea and toast in the morning, to lie on the floor with me and look at each picture in the newspaper with intense interest, and had an unhealthy obsession with emptying tissue boxes at speed.   Tom arrived at a very difficult time in my life and kept me going through some very desperate times. It has been 5 1/2 years since I lost him and I have tears streaming down my face writing this now, even though he was a typical clumber and a little bugger most of the time!  My current dogs are trying to sit on my lap to comfort me, god bless them, whilst the cat is looking at me like I am demented!  I love all my boys but there is something about my 2 year old that I know he is going to have the same effect on me years from now...

My first dog Louie, who was a white long haired GSD was quite the suave sophisticated man about town, if he'd been a person he'd have frequented only the most exclusive gentlemans clubs, drank the very best brandy and smoked Cuban cigars.
One of his best friends was a young GSD called Nemo, Nemo was Louie's acolyte, and whatever Louie did, Nemo had to copy. One day Nemo was paying us a visit with his owner, both dogs had a pigs ear, Louie had scoffed his, but Nemo still had a sizeable portion of ear. Louie sauntered over to see if his chum would share, nope. Louie lay down and gazed longingly at his friend still enjoying his treat, when inspiration struck !. Louie suddenly jumped to his feet and rushed to the front door, barking his head off as he went. Nemo of course had to rush to the door to join in, where upon Louie turned tail and romped back into the living room and snaffled his pigs ear !.
Off course there never had been anyone at the door, and Louie got to keep the ear as a reward for such quick thinking ( Nemo got a new ear ).
It always amazed me that Louie could have planned that whole scam out of the blue, he employed it quite a few times through out his long life.
When Celeste had her puppies, Louie played his part as the dutiful step dad and allowed the puppies to use him as a bouncy castle and when they got tired, as a furry electric blanket.
He adored Spud and the two of them were incredibly close, as he got older and his eye sight grew dim and his intellect faded, Louie relied on Spuddy more and more, happily following him out on walks. 

Aw, Celli, I've decided.  You should give up whatever career you have at the minute and write dog stories!  You just have a way with words or maybe it's how you see your dogs?  Honestly, I'm not an emotional person (quite hard hearted, I'm told) but that's twice in as many days you have brought tears to my eye and a lump in my throat.  Louie sounds like my first Akita. A true gent. 

LOL, I did get a prize in primary 7 for story writing !

I just remembered when Spud was at the gangly teenage stage I used to sing There Once Was an Ugly Duckling to him. he did turn into a swan though.

My second dog Bonnie she was a cavalier passed over when she was 9 to cancer. When she was a puppy we came home from shopping there she was in the middle of all the wool tangled up so pleased with herself it was so funny to see. Bonnie was my favorite girl miss her so much.Celli your posts made me laugh and cry.

It's a shame it's not easier to do photo's, I'd love to see all these dogs.

When Louie got really old ( he made it to 14, a great age for such a big lad ) he would completely ignore guests, even people who were his favourites. Then about half an hour later he would suddenly realise someone was visiting, come over and do a " OMG ! when did you get here !?, it's been aaaages "

When Spud was a baby ( in truth, he was a baby all his life ) I stupidly thought it was really cute when he would whinge for stuff, it was his little mouth and the weird noises he could come up with. Of course, as sure as night follows day, he continued this behaviour right into old age, sitting in the middle of the floor, right on his bum with his back legs sticking out, and make a noise not dissimilar to a seal.
His range of animal impersonations didn't stop there, when he got really excited he did a remarkable rendition of a cockerel crowing, frustration was accompanied to the sound of a hooting lemur. I know it sounds implausible, but his vocal range was something to be heard, his brother Ted does a similar routine, but not quite so varied as Spud.

I have loved all of my dogs with all my heart, but my Mishka GSD left me a year this March, she was my soul mate. I would like to say more but the tears won't allow me to.

have loved all of my dogs with all my heart, but my Mishka GSD left me a year this March, she was my soul mate. I would like to say more but the tears won't allow me to.

It took me a long long time to get over Celeste's death, very nearly broke me in two.
Big healing cyber hugs XXX

for me,my first pet was my cat sorcha,I struggled over her loss it took almost a year,she was the most gentle, fat ,black cat.She started to have fits,the dogs would run to her and most of the time they alerted me when this was happening.she would have bleeds in her eyes,they were a ruin,in the end completely black and filled with blood,I hung on for two weeks with her,I bought a baby play pen to put her in,she couldn't walk would just go round in circles and fall over so the pen kept her safe.

The last night of her life I stayed up with her ,she lay on my chest and even when so ill she was purring,I took her to the vets the next day to be pts.
She was an ace huntress,i dont like those daddy long legs and one night I went to bed sorcha jumped up and very gently bit into my hair and pulled,i sat up turned on the lamp and she had pulled one out of my hair,it was in her mouth legs still wiggling.
If sorcha had been a person she would have been a laid back jazz/soul singer,she was my black beauty and the coolest cat ever.