The Dogs

I am a dog lover. I have had Schnauzers since 1977. For a time I didn’t have any, but since 1994, I have had mostly Schnauzers. Included “old New Orleans” dogs were Lady, Gretchen II, and Mulder, the Fox Terrier. Those have all passed on and now the Vegas “young dogs,” Andy, Holly, and Maggie keep things jumping.

They will go quietly, the pets who've shared our lives,

In subtle ways they let us know their spirit still survives.

Old habits still can make us think we hear them at the door

Or step back when we drop a tasty morsel on the floor.

Our feet still go around the place the food dish used to be,

And sometimes, coming home at night we miss them terribly.

And although time may bring new friend and a new food dish to fill,

That one place in our hearts belong to them ... and always will.

Lady passed on due to an autoimmune illness at an early age and did not make the cross-country trek to Vegas. Gretchen and Mully adapted very well and both had good long lives. Mully was the first to go at 16 years of age. Gretchen was grieving a bit, so I contacted the rescue league and they placed Andy, who was about 5 at the time. He was a good companion for Gretchen. When she passed on at age 15, Andy and I took in another rescue, Maggie Mae. She is a Schnuazer-Scotty mix and quite the talker. About a year later, Andy, Maggie, and I brought home Holly from the shelter. Both Andy and Holly are full-blooded miniature Schnauzers. Andy is solid black; Holly is solid silver.