RIP Beast

[littlebeast13]

Those who are familiar with the story behind my longtime handle on this Bored will know exactly who I'm talking about. An allegedly purebred 3 month old "miniature" dachshund my Dad bought for my Mom for Christmas of 1997 from one of Missouri's infamous puppy mills (and admittedly one of the biggest mistakes he ever made), my Mom named him Dante after then-Colorado Rockies slugger Dante Bichette (Spilly was far from the first family pet named after a Rockies outfielder). Given his wild nature, tendency to snap and destroy everything that wasn't tied down, I quickly dubbed him Beast.... or as I would sometime chastise him when he did something wrong "You little beast!"

After an amazing 16 and a half years of wreaking his havoc, 4 years longer than the average lifespan of a dachshund, and shattering the record for the longest living pet we had ever had, the Beast was put down yesterday after being diagnosed with a bad case of pneumonia... the cause of the labored breathing he'd been suffering with the past few days. Without actually knowing what would transpire later in the day, he did get one last scritch from me yesterday morning when I picked up Dad for Ponderosa....

I lived in the same house with him for just over 11 years. Despite his nasty demeanor, he did grow on you. And thanks to my technical dumbassery, he will always be the background photo on my ancient cellphone....

Beast

lb13

[jarnon]

So sorry for your loss, LB. Beast can now wreak havoc all he wants, across the Rainbow Bridge.

[ghostjmf]

Sorry to hear this. He looks like a very nice dog. Even Evil Pets are like that some times; very nice in pictures, & at their own heart.

[a1mamacat]

Ahhh sorry to hear that. May he run and be happy over the Rainbow Bridge.

[BackInTex]

I know that's hard, even if you don't admit it.

[Beebs52]

Oh man. Beastie I'm sorry. Massive hugs to you and yours.

[Lizbit]

Mr. little, this makes me sad. I would give you a sympathetic chin lick if you were close enough. It rained today, though, so I went outside in the mud, came back inside, and painted a whole bunch of chrysanthenums on the kitchen floor in memory of the Beast.

I just got an eyelid message from my big sis Annie. She says Beast is a little short for her tastes, but he is a very funny guy. They've been running around playing pranks on everybody in Rainbowbridgeland. The best ones, she said, involve growling and pretend snapping. They work because hardly anybody ever growls up there, so scary noises startle everyone else. Then, she says, "We laff and laff."

[MarleysGh0st]

Well, you made me pause for a moment when I read the subject line.




RIP, Beast.

[elwoodblues]

I am sorry for your family's loss.

[christie1111]

So sorry LB.

Yes, as soon as I saw the subject i knew who you meant. Although i have to admit i wasn't sure he was still alive.

Thanks for sharing the picture.

[SportsFan68]

Sorry for the loss in your family, LB.

Maybe not a dachshund, but I hope your family gets another canine critter soon.

[Hotseat Or Bust!]

I'm very sorry, LB.

[kayrharris]

So sorry about the Beast, LB. He was definitely a member of your family.

I'm glad that antique of a phone of yours allows photos.

kay

[T_Bone0806]

Family is Family. Sad to read of your loss.

[DevilKitty100]

Awww.......sorry to hear about your guy. They all leave paw prints on our hearts and in our lives......some are just a little deeper than others. I'm thinking he won't be soon forgotten. Eat'em up, Little Man.

And speaking of puppy mills...............sort of................ the main reason I'm rarely here anymore is that I have become involved in animal rescue and (peripherally at this point) in legislative reform to ban those hell holes from the face of the earth and reform existing penalties for animal abuse. I know some will think it extreme, but I think animal abuse should not be taken any less seriously than child abuse.

If you don't know about puppy mills and would like to know more, please take a look at the difference that just one woman and one mill dog has made. Theresa Strader is a force of nature.

http://milldogrescue.org/

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4nT94AYsVo

[littlebeast13]

And speaking of puppy mills...............sort of................ the main reason I'm rarely here anymore is that I have become involved in animal rescue and (peripherally at this point) in legislative reform to ban those hell holes from the face of the earth and reform existing penalties for animal abuse. I know some will think it extreme, but I think animal abuse should not be taken any less seriously than child abuse.

Best of luck with that. I'm not sure how Texas is, but a few years ago, Missouri voters approved a measure that would have set much tighter restrictions on the conditions that would be allowed at places that breed dogs. The rural-dominated state legislature was not about to be told what to do by the cityfolk in KC and St. Louis, and promptly passed a countermeasure that pretty much made what the voters passed null and void. I haven't really heard about what's transpired since, but there's our great American political system at work again to protect the rights of all, regardless of the number of feet....

lb13

[Bob Juch]

And speaking of puppy mills...............sort of................ the main reason I'm rarely here anymore is that I have become involved in animal rescue and (peripherally at this point) in legislative reform to ban those hell holes from the face of the earth and reform existing penalties for animal abuse. I know some will think it extreme, but I think animal abuse should not be taken any less seriously than child abuse.

Best of luck with that. I'm not sure how Texas is, but a few years ago, Missouri voters approved a measure that would have set much tighter restrictions on the conditions that would be allowed at places that breed dogs. The rural-dominated state legislature was not about to be told what to do by the cityfolk in KC and St. Louis, and promptly passed a countermeasure that pretty much made what the voters passed null and void. I haven't really heard about what's transpired since, but there's our great American political system at work again to protect the rights of all, regardless of the number of feet....

lb13

The Republican state legislators here in NC keep killing any bill to restrict puppy mills. We're the state with the most.

[Jessie]

So very sorry for your family's loss.i

[Paddy O'Furniture]

[ShamelessWeasel]

I had a dachshund when I was a little boy. It tore me up when he dies. I truly can feel your pain. So sorry.

[geoffil]

Ditto what shameless said. Sorry to hear about your loss. Dachshunds are special.

[tlynn78]

Sorry for your loss, lb.

[ghostjmf]

Not to hijack beast's thread (or lb's either) but puppy mills, including being cruel to the animals, are just plain dishonest for the most part. A friend got a particular breed because they wanted that breed, & found out almost instantly that the pup had a birth defect that made him unable to process food normally. And required major surgery to fix. I would have broken the bank, probably, going for the fix but after friend & their SO tried valiantly to get puppy mill to shell out for it, they had pup put to sleep. I don't know if they ever did collect their money back from the mill on either the pup himself or their already-massive vet bills.

Tiny, friendly pup which the mill that sold had to have known only lived as long as he did on the tiny bit of food that was actually getting through because he was still a tiny animal.