The Death of Alex and Jessy, Our English Springer Spaniels.

The Death of Alex and Jessy our two great dogs. We have found that English Springer Spaniels are the best dogs for us.

Our first Spaniel was Alex. We adopted him from the animal shelter. He was found wondering around in the woods and no one ever claimed him. He was a beautiful dog. Everyone liked him and he was the best dog we ever had. We have had plenty of dogs. I went to the animal shelter and saw him outside in the backyard all by himself. At the time he wasn't up for adoption. I had my husband stop by to take a look at him. He said he thought he would be a nice dog for us. We ask them to keep him for us once he was ready for adoption. The day we brought him home I told him his name was Alex and he came to Alex from that moment on.

A day or so after we got him, my Dad got sick and we had to travel. We had to take Alex along and we were surprised at how well he traveled and at how friendly he was with everyone.

I think at one time he was loved very much by someone. He may have been lost from one of our many vacationers that come here, who really knows. The vet figured he was only about 2 years old. We were just glad to have him.

He let us know we were his family and he loved us and our cats. He always tried to do exactly what he was suppose to do.

Than we found out shortly after we got Alex that he had lumps. When we had him neutered lumps were found. They were checked and removed but never found cancer in them. Not long after that a lump was removed from his back still did not show cancer.

Than one day while Alex and I were sitting on the dock (his favorite place) I noticed a small lump on his nose. Very fast in a week that lump grew large. We had it removed, it was cancer but the vet thought he had removed all of it. We knew he was wrong this was in June and as time went by Alex seemed to slow up. He didn't care about going in the water as much. He seem to drop weight.

Winter came and we knew Alex didn't have much time. One night he walked all night and would get in bed with us and lay his head on our back and whine. The next day Christmas Eve Day, he had to be taken to the vet. The vet said it was time, he was in pain and we had to have him put down. It was a sad Christmas without Alex.

We know that his last year was a happy one. He had enjoyed the lake and people that came around while we were building a new house. He was a happy dog and his last year had been happy. I like to think Alex is now with my Dad.

My Dad always had a dog. He always loved them. At his funeral there was a picture of him with his favorite dog Rebel.

This is Jessy we got him after Alex died.

I saw an ad in the paper "for sale Springer 6 months old". I called the lady and she said she wanted nothing for him she just wanted him to have a good family. When we saw Jessy we knew he was a good dog and that he had came from a good family with kids and other dogs. Jessy was very wild at first but we didn't give up on him.

All the people that lived on our little road were summer people. They all loved Jessy. He would greet each one when they came up to their cottage. He would visit with Pete, the old man next door. Everyday Pete and Jessy would sit in the lawn chairs. Pete said he would always talk with Jessy. When George another neighbor and nephew to Pete came to his cottage Jessy would always go to greet George.

Some of our other neighbors would come up to their cottage and if Jessy didn't show up they would come over to get Jessy so he could play with their kids. He loved the kids and they loved him.They would bring Jessy home by boat. Jessy would be sitting in the front of the boat like a big shot.

Jessy never went where he wasn't wanted. Only to the people who loved him.

If my husband went in the boat and left Jessy home. Jessy would jump in the water and follow my husband to the other side of the lake.

Jessy also liked to go down on the lake with the ice fishermen and on most days that was with our son or my husband. Ice fishermen always had treats for him.

One day when he was about 10. It was early in the spring, Jessy went on the lake with our friends, they were ice fishing. Jessy ran across the lake with our son's dog and fell into open icy water he couldn't get out and no one could save him. Our son's dog did get out.

We didn't find Jessy until Easter then he was buried where he could see his beloved lake. I like to think he's sitting by his friend Pete and their talking to each. I can remeber how upset Pete was when he found out Jessy was gone. Not to long after Pete was gone.

We missed our Jessy.

This is Doc I put an ad on craigslist and got Doc. He was 16 months old and he's a very funny guy. He was a gun dog from SD until he didn't hunt the way they thought he should. They passed him from this person to that. He's now with us and here to stay.

He has a happy face. His tail never stops wagging. Doc is great. He is so funny and he knows exactly what we are saying to him. When we say " do you need to go potty." he runs for the door.

By 8:00 Doc is ready for bed and wants to be put in his crate. My husband always tells him to give me a kiss goodnight and he does. Some nights he's in such a hurry to go to bed I get just a fast nose nudge but he always runs over to me.

He loves the cats and our other dog Reno.

He also loves deer and goes a little crazy when he sees them. He will run out of the yard after them and then not know how to get home. I have noticed this week he sees them so much that he seems to be calming down about them. We had to get a wireless fence for Doc.

We had to go out of town last week-end and left him with our daughter. He was in full panic with us gone. It will take him awhile to get use to us leaving.

We found out how smart he is when we got him neutered. The vet told me to check him each day for infection. I told Doc to lay down and let me check your wewe. He would lay down and spread his legs. He still will do that if we say "Let me check your wewe." The kids in the family think that is so funny.

February 14, 2007

English Springer Spaniel Is Westminster's Top Dog......James, an English springer spaniel, won Best in Show at the 131st annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, Feb. 13. ..........

James - who is formally named Felicity's Diamond Jim - is a therapy dog who works with Alzheimer's patients.

Spaniels date back to the 1500's, when these sporting dogs first started showing up in historical documents as coming from Spain to Europe.

In the 1800's, these dogs were seperated into two groups, "cocking" spaniels, weighing under 25 pounds were chiefly used for hunting woodcocks, and spaniels weighing around 40 pounds became known as "Springers" and "Field", and were used to "spring" game for a hunting net.

Description:

A medium sized dog with medium to long, wavy hair, the Spinger Spaniel weighs around 45 to 55 pounds and stands approximately 19 - 21 inches high at the withers. A very photogenic dog, Springers do require weekly grooming, and it's luxurious coat can seem to pick up the oddest things.

The tail is typically docked on Springer Spaniels, and there are four accepted colours : black and white, liver and white, blue or roan. Black and white and liver and liver and white may or may not have tan markings.

The springer is an affectionate and easy-going family dog, and it's alertness and attentiveness make it the ideal hunting companion. An intelligent dog, and eager to please, a Springer is easily incorporated into a family setting. It's long-legged build puts it in the front of the spaniels for speed.

I think their happy dogs always with a smile on their face.

NEVER LEAVE A DOG IN A PARKED CAR

Call 911 if a child or children are left in a hot car.

Never leave a dog in a parked car. On a mild 73ºF day, the temperature inside a car can reach 120ºF in 30 minutes. On a 90ºF day, the interior of a vehicle can reach 160ºF in minutes

We see this being done everyday in the Spring and Summer here. Dogs barking, cars hot and no one coming to help. Feel free to call the police if you see a dog left in a car. Don't call 911 for a dog but do call the police station and let them know a dog has been left in a car.

Police Dog Dies in Hot Car

During warm weather, most people use common sense and do not leave their dogs in the car. So how do you explain the tragic death of Bandit, a K9 officer whose partner, Sgt. Tom Lovejoy, forgot him in the hot patrol car this past August? The five-year-old Belgian Malinois was in the vehicle for 12 hours before Lovejoy found him dead. Temperatures in Arizona that day had reached 115. After a two-week investigation by the county sheriff, Lovejoy was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. The investigation determined that Bandit was in the car from about 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on August 11. During that time, Lovejoy ran errands, napped and went out to eat with his wife. What's worse, Lovejoy is a 15-year police veteran and head of the K9 unit.

An update on Doc. He has settled down and turning into a very nice dog. He is easy going but when the UPS man came to give me a package Doc did nothing until the man stepped towards me than Doc stepped between me and the man and had a low growl.

I was shocked he had never done that. He only gave a warning.

He loves the yard and pays very little attention to the deer now but goes crazy when the bear is in the yard and he can smell it.

Doc is very lonely now. We had to have our other dog Reno but down this month. He was 14 and could hardly walk. Life was getting to hard for him and we decided we had to do something. He is now buried on the hill under the big tree.

We're not ready for another dog.