Your heart dog?

"Heart Dog" is a term that I see being used fairly often, so I was wondering about everyone's heart dog, past or present.

I'm not too sure if Cali is my heart dog, but I do know that I'm much more bonded to her than Moses and I forgive her for thing much easier than if Mo had done them. I'd like to think she is.. but I'm not sure loving her so much would automatically make her my heart dog. She is a great dog though.. smart, challenging at times, overly stubborn in many ways, very loving, energetic, quite crazy.. I could go on. I'm convinced that she somehow picked up the stubborn-ness from me because it's getting to the point on walks where I get reasonably frustrated when she'd rather refuse to budge instead of walk. Oh well, I still love her!

Eve is my heart, but I think 'heart dog' is thrown around a lot and I'm not sure if it's even a phrase I want to assign to my own dogs. I think of Eve as an equal and a partner, and I've never loved another dog the way I love her. She's special, but I know every dog that comes into my life will be special too.

It's a tough one. I always thought that Classic was my heart dog until I got Zuma. Now that I have her, I can't imagine being more in touch with a dog than her and I are, but I also thought that about Classic. I'm like RD on this one, each dog is special and each bond I have with my dogs is special.

This is exactly how I feel. Shelby, my childhood dog, was that close to my heart and Bandit is too. They are so different but are both very dear to me.

I've always been on that boat too. I've seen lots of posts of people being concerned about not loving a new dog as much as their old one, but I think it would be a different kind of love for each dog.. because they'll all have their differences and you'll learn to love them for it.

Moses and Cali are a world of difference. Moses is a lazy, older dog who is content to just lay around and cuddle and go for the daily walk.. and I love him for it. Whereas Cali is crazy, demanding, hyper and stubborn but I still manage to love her.

My heart dogs are links to the chain that holds me together. Each so very different, each took a hunk of my heart when the left.

I felt that way about Rylie until I had Emma, but Emma and I just click in a way that I haven't with the other dogs.

I love each of my dogs very, very much, and each one brings something different and special into my life!

My Chessie that I got when I was around 13. She was the best dog that I've ever had. I so wish that I could have her now or that I had known about dog sports then, we would have had a blast.

That's a toughy. I think each and every dog I will own in my life will be special and dear to me. I've only had two dogs in my life - Evi and Gipsy. Evi passed away when I was 6 - so I don't really remember too much about her. She was still special and will always have a place in my heart.
Gipsy, however, I have grown up with - she and I have good through so so so much together - I will NEVER have that with another dog I think. Gipsy was there when my mom was sick, she was there when I was afraid of the dark - and she was there when we went on adventures. She was also my only friend for a while when we moved - she's been through most of my life with me - and no other dog will replace that.
She is my heart dog - and fear if she goes a part of my heart will go with her.

Sophie's portrait is on my shoulder, that says it all...

Jenny, my Rottweiler mix was my heart dog. I grew up with her, we had so many great memories together. I trained her in 4-H and did everything with her. She was the canine love of my life. She was pretty darn stubborn at times escaping our yard, but I couldn't ask for a better dog and all my dogs mean the world to me, past and present.

I lost her 3 years ago to a stroke. We had 10 and a half wonderful years together. There's not a day that goes by I don't miss her, she was my best friend, my everything.

This is me and my girl in 2005. She was only 7 then.


She was my snow princess! She LOVED it. She was a brat to get inside though she loved it so much.


Rocky was my family heart dog. Oh god he was the sweetest. We had him for 12 wonderful years. He passed away from cancer almost 4 years ago. He was a Labrador Retriever. Here's a lovely signature of my babies my friend made me.


My current dogs Buster, Rudy, and Dixie are very close to my heart as well. I have had a special bond with each of my dogs past and present.

I used to say that Tango was. But now I feel pretty much the same way about Dance as I did Tango, just for different reasons. I think RD said it well.

Zorro......

Without a doubt

I love Di but Zorro... Sigh....

Red, she was definitely my heart dog. I have a good bond with all my dogs but I will be lucky to have another dog that bonds with me like her and I were. I love that dog. She was my best friend and companion, so much more than a "dog". I miss her everyday.

Hands down, my old girl Roxy, who died in 2008. She was a GSD/Rottie mix, the best dog I've ever known, and we were just... very in sync, in tune, whatever you want to call it. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her in some way.







Squash reminds me of her in a lot of ways, except... busier, LOL. He's starting to fill in that space in my heart a bit. Not that I don't love my other dogs, but... it's just different.

Hannah and Shamoo.

Those two can do no wrong.

Arnold will always be my constant, my rock, my shadow.

Sometimes I think Backup was sent to help me when Shamoo goes, they have a lot in common.

Sloan is Denis' world, I can't begin to say how much pleasure I derive from that.

That's it very much for me. They're all unique and special in their own way.

But . . . the bond with the Filas is different, like it involves . . . oh, impossible to describe. The closest I've ever been able to get is like the bond between the dragons and their riders in the Pern series!

I've always had a special bond with all my dogs. I was super super close to Lady. When Lady and Shiner *my dog before Lady* died I was upset and depressed. Shiner I was in 4th grade so as upset as I was I bounced back pretty quick. With lady I was upset and missed her for the next 3 or 4 months.

With Yoshi it's different. I honestly don't even know how I'll continue on without her. My family always jokes that we totally fell for each other. I dote and love on her all the time and even when we aren't doing anything she'll lay down and just stare at me.

Even when I was sick so much last year Yoshi was happy to stay in bed/on the couch with me all day. She didn't even want to eat or go out to go to the bathroom during that time because she made it her job to watch over me. For a dog as energetic as Yoshi who is usually always 'on' that's huge.

I've loved each and every one of my dogs. But there's just something there that's so much stronger than anything I've had with all my previous dogs. It's hard to explain but once you feel it you definitely know it.

I believe you can have more than one heart dog. So after having this with Yoshi I just hope and pray my next dog will have a bond like that. Not exactly like that. But the same while being different and special.

I've cared about other dogs, loved other dogs. But nothing compares to Zander. My bond with him isn't different from other dogs or even humans. It is simply above. Zander will always come first, as a friend and a partner. Not just a dog. He is more than just my heart, he is my soul. I wish I could say all dogs have their own special bond. But after Zander, it just isn't true for me.

This one is hard for me. I think I've called both Nikki and Summer my heart dogs as well as Mia. Nikki was the dog of my childhood and my best friend growing up. Summer was the constant and the love that got me through my hardest and darkest moments in my life. Mia is the healer and mender, brought to me to remind me to smile again. Those three really stand out to me.

Mia is something very very special to me though. I have never been around another dog like her and never had such a bond with a dog. We are such opposites too, which amuses me. I am not sure what it is about Mia, I really think it's just how intelligent and perceptive she is. She thinks much more than any other dog I've had and just seems to have a level of understanding and complexity that most dogs don't. Summer is just a constant, simple, pure being that holds us all together.

I say Summer is my heart and Mia is my spirit.