Suffering from PTSD, Severe Distress Disorder, Bi-Polar, insomnia and severe depression, I have absolutely no problems. Everyone else in the world has and I have to take a lot of meds and frequent trips to wilderness parks to get away from them. Ole Pup understood all this. I would take plenty of time to explain my actions to him around the camp fire and he really understood because when I ask if there were any questions, there never were any. Ole Pup never complained, he just didn't dig the MRE meals very much. He pretended to love the Veggie Manicotti and Chicken Salsa, but I saw him by the creek catching frogs later, and his MRE's hid under a log. Well, can't blame him, I probably would have enjoyed the frogs better also. I have been under or over medicated and Pup would either provide me shade when it was hot or drag a blanket up and lie close to me when it was freezing. Ole Pup literally drug me out of my sleeping bag once when we were camped in Linville Gorge, in the NC mountains. Thirty minutes later, our creek side camp was under twevle feet of raging water from a flash flood. Once Ole Pup drug a limb over me covered with some kind of ants that ate my butt up! I want to think that he was trying to provide me shade...Then...he may have looked for that limb for a half hour to say,"Lets get the crap out of here!" I really never was sure of the intelligence level of that wise Ole Pup.

A knock-down-drag-out, toe-to-toe battle with something in Nantahalla Wilderness, left Ole Pup stove up for a week. I nursed him and fussed over him until I finally got him out of the woods and to a Doc. He was in pretty bad shape and never was the same. Arthritis was really painful. At age 12, I had to do the unthinkable.
The Vetenarian gave me the means of being very merciful, and I held Ole Pup until The final call. I Took him to the most beautiful place in the Great Smokey Mountains and gave him Full military Honors. He had fought many battles with me. Thanks for a great site. I have only the pictures in my mind. As you think of YOUR beautiful Golden Retriver, Please give Ole Pup a thought. Love you. Semper FI Ole Deacon

"Ole PUP" The Best

The trembling ball of fur came to me

When I was in a shattered state,

Six wet pups in a weighted sack,

Only one would escape this fate.

Part Golden Retriever, with a big broad head

Long shaky legs, looked like just plain mutt

I never got around to giving him a name

I had no intentions of keeping that "Ole Pup".

PTSD with flashbacks of war tortured a weary mind

Days were spent in the boonies, trying to leave it behind

Someone figured I needed Pup as much as he needed me,

For the next twelve years we were as close as can be.

Just as Buddies on the battle field, you have no guarantees

One day your best of friends, the next...one's taken away...

With a burning within your chest, you want to ask God, "Why"?

I don't understand why some are taken and others die inside.

Well, I don't know what the future holds,

But I do know Who holds the future; And we're blessed

Thank YOU GOD for my moments here on earth,

When YOU allowed me to hang out with YOUR very Best.