Toby, and now Meadow, have taken and are still taking me on quite a journey with their very different behavioral problems, and not that they are going anywhere any time soon, but I know I will remember every moment of our journeys.

But with all that said, i would describe Leah as my heart dog. She chose me from the moment I walked into the shelter (to look at a different dog I had seen on line) and she holds a very very special place in my heart which I know I’ll never be able to fill when she’s gone.

The things you’re learning from loving Silas are like a master’s degree in dogdom. 🙂

And every word you write about coping with noises outside the house or looking for treats that don’t cause reactions, makes someone else’s experience with a hard dog that much easier.

Every dog brings something interesting into our lives. And the lessons from both hard and easy dogs benefit the dogs who come after them.

But sometimes, I wish I could learn some lessons just from reading a book. 🙂

I also had a comforting childhood dog. Coincidentally, he was also a hard dog. 🙂

I suspect that if I had Agatha and Christie now, we would all be much happier. Unfortunately, my sweet pups suffered from my lack of knowledge.

Nowadays, I don’t think of littmates or same sex dogs as a definite problem. It’s more about observing the dogs in front of you and understanding what they’re telling you.

Having Sherman and Leroy at the same time makes for some interesting blog posts. And some amazing photographs. 🙂

Your definition is fine. It’s your heart that’s big. 🙂

“I too try not to use the phrase heart dog, not because I don’t believe you can have that special bond but because I have that special bond with each of my hard dogs. Each bond is unique but one is not deeper than another.”

Lovely.