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To my dog, Awgy, on his 13th Birthday

awgy FL Life as a real estate broker can be very demanding and stressful, so it is a wonderful thing to have a constant in your life on which you can rely. For me, my miniature poodle, Awgy, has been a constant source of comfort for nearly 13 years. We got Awgy on my 46^th birthday, exactly 40 years after getting my first dog ever, Beauty. My family got her after years of listening to me beg for a dog. But, back to Awgy. He came from a private home where he lived a pretty sheltered existence with his mother, siblings, one standard poodle and, of course, some humans.

At the time we got him my partner and I lived in a densely populated area of Chicago, where, I swear, the population of dogs seemed almost equal to that of people. I had taken a week off work to help in housebreaking him. That week was actually spent nursing him back to health and constantly fearing he would die. He must have contracted a virus from some dog or dogs in the neighborhood which caused him to vomit and have diarrhea whenever he woke up. Eventually he recovered, but I think the virus left him with a lingering bladder infection which caused him to leak. He took nine months to totally housebreak. In addition we had a Portuguese Water Dog, Emmie, who was dog aggressive. We had to keep them separate until she warmed up to him at which time she decided she was his mom.

awgy car

daveawgrich After the initial bad start, Awgy has had a pretty good life. When we were both working, he we had a dog walker who took him and Emmie out during the day. In the evening, they would get another long walk. Emmie is gone now, but Awgy is still enjoying life. He goes everywhere with us, from visiting relatives, to trips around the Midwest and even to Florida.

haley

whitefish

In return, Awgy provides the unconditional love that only a dog can. If you have ever been around poodles, you know that they have an incredible sense of playfulness. They are among the most social able of all breeds. It is great to have him around and learn from him as he enjoys the simple things in life, like a walk in the park, running or playing with a ball. Lastly, although he doesn't like to be left alone, he doesn't get angry. He always greets me with a wagging tail when I come home at the end of the day. Those of us who have dogs realize how much they add to our lives, so this is in appreciation of Awgy and all the pets that enrich our hectic lives.

fifi On a related note, my mom got a small dog, Fifi, a Papillon, after her being without a dog for a few months following the death of her 12 year old sheltie. You can read that story on a past blog post. I want to thank Fifi for making my Mom's life much happier. Sometimes a pet, even at 5 pounds, can be a lifesaver. mom

Posted by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES on 06/25/2008 03:45 PM

Comments (16)

dog, chicago, broker, pet, poodle, portuguese water dog, papillon

Post is included in group: It's Raining DOGS! Dog Lovers Group
Post is included in group: PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO
Post is included in group: It's all about them (ThemThem)
Post is included in group: Nothing but the Positive

16 Comments on To my dog, Awgy, on his 13th Birthday

Happy Birthday Awgy!

Happy B'day

06/25/2008 04:54 PM

by Chris Fisher of StagersLIST.com Buy Stage Sell (StagersLIST.com)

Chris-Awgy wags his tail and says "thank you" to one of the nicest people on Active Rain.

06/25/2008 05:00 PM

by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES (Baird & Warner)

Rich, another awesome post, I have goose bumps...Happy Birthday to Awgy...

06/25/2008 05:02 PM

by PATRICE BRICE (PB APPRAISALS)

Happy Birthday to Awgy. I just got my first dog and I'm 44. He brings me so much joy and love. I can relate to your story. Best wishes!

06/25/2008 05:03 PM

by Marilyn Rich, CRS, e-Pro (First Team Real Estate)

Wow, Rich, thank you very much!

Chris

06/25/2008 05:12 PM

by Chris Fisher of StagersLIST.com Buy Stage Sell (StagersLIST.com)

Patrice-It is always nice to hear from you. Thanks for the compliment and Awgy says thanks and sends doggy kisses to you.

Marilyn-Nice to meet you. I'm glad you discovered the joys of living with a dog. Sure there is work involved, but the joy that they bring by far outweighs that. Awgy and I thank you for your nice comments.

06/25/2008 05:22 PM

by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES (Baird & Warner)

Rich:

You and Awgy are lucky to have one another. Sounds like a very special bond. What a cutie.

As for the elder parent/pet issue, I just got my Mother a cat. A grumpy little thing that wasn't liking life in my house with two other cats. Once I gave Pearl to Mom, she stopped being so grumpy. They are totally "in love." Pearl has made such a difference in Mom's life, it is amazing.

Pets are so special. I feel bad for those that refuse to have that unconditional love in their lives.

06/26/2008 11:05 AM

by Chris Ann Cleland, GRI (Long & Foster)

Rich, nice ThemThem to the pets family members in your life. That is a great story how they had to get use to each other, then almost turned into mother and son.

Happy Barkday Awgy.

06/26/2008 11:12 AM

by * Rate A Home (Rate A Home)

Happy Birthday Awgy! I hope you got some great treats! Rich - Awgy is so lucky to have you as his person. He looks so proud seating there in the seat of the car. I know the two of you will share many happy times together. Thanks for sharing this with us.

06/29/2008 01:18 AM

by Elizabeth Clark, Relocation Specialist - Joplin, Missouri Real Estate (Realty Executives of Joplin)

Ah....unconditional love...no matter what anyone says, you will never get it from any being that is two-footed in the same way you do from one four-footed. We have cats...but it doesn't matter..furry friends are just unmistakably wonderful !

06/29/2008 06:08 AM

by Sally & David Hanson, Southeastern Wisconsin Realtors (First Weber Group)

Chris Ann, Duane, Elizabeth Sally and David-Thanks for the comments. Pets certainly do make a difference in our lives. In my mom's case, I think she was sinking into depression until the the little 6 pound Papillon came into her life.

Thank you all for being so nice. I feel very lucky to have had Awgy for 13 years, and hope he goes on for many more.

Sally and David-It seems that we are not too far apart. I'm in Northern Illinois not far from the Wiscosin border.

06/29/2008 10:04 AM

by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES (Baird & Warner)

Happy Birthday to Awgy! Great post, Rich. They sure become one of the family don't they? We had our dog for 14-1/2 years. You and Awgy are lucky to have each other.

07/02/2008 05:16 PM

by Gary White~ Grand Rapids Real Estate, FlexIt Realty, a call or click away! (Flexit Realty~Serving West Michigan)

Gary-Thanks for the comment. Yes, Awgy is like a family member. He is getting up there in age now, and sleeps a lot, but still plays, which is wonderful.

07/04/2008 09:00 PM

by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES (Baird & Warner)

We love our "babies" don't we? My oldest, Tanner, is a 12 and a half year old English Setter - I just love him so much. He is definetely slowing down and sleeps a lot. When he hears me coming he wags in his sleep - I call him my "thump-thump" boy. I trust Awgy stays healthy and happy AND you too!

07/07/2008 12:40 PM

by Joan Wexelbaum (Hamilton Mortgage)

Thanks Joan. Awgy is slowing down too. A couple of nights ago I got home late and he was asleep on the bed. He didn't even realize that I had come in. Yep, you gotta love 'em.

07/10/2008 07:06 PM

by Rich Quigley CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES (Baird & Warner)

Rich great post. You are right pets are great. Congratulations to you and Awgy on his 13th Birthday.

07/10/2008 07:15 PM

by Richard Ives (RE/MAX AT HOME)