the watcher watching something worth watching

We disagree on Tucker's state of mind, Carol, but that's okay. I totally concur that Raymond suffered much worse harm than Tucker, and while Raymond isn't even at the point where contentment is possible, due to his past abuse, it doesn't take much to make Tuck happy. I think Tucker's expectations are so low that almost any positive interaction satisfies him.

Both dogs are safe and loved now, that's all that matters.

people get dogs because they want them...the difference between a good and bad home is simple...if you get a dog because you want to share and give...those homes usually turn out pretty well...but if you get a dog because you want or need something from them...not so great a home because dogs don't understand that we sometimes only want to take from them.

okay i stand corrected.maybe it was just the way he looked and that was all. he did appear to have a worried look on his face all the time but that could have just been his expression. you are right raymond had it a whole lot worse. i guess sometimes we see things that are not there or maybe we get caught up in the whole comments on the blog and have to put in our two cents worth. i am still glad that tucker found a home where he is well taken care of. i wish raymond could find his little piece of heaven on earth.being a letter carrier i see a whole lot of abuse and a whole lot of love too. i have one little black lab on my walk that i can see going the way of raymond or tucker eventually. he is on a short rope and on cement. they do not want their grass messed up with dog stuff. he is still young enough and happy enough but as carol says i can eventually see the happiness being sucked out of him. why do people get dogs that do not want to be bothered with them

I guess Iky getting into things in the kitchen is making Phoebe look good.

so true carol. people should be more like dogs and enjoy life to the fullest and appreciate the simple things like going for a car ride and a walk or having a treat or enjoying the people around you. i think its something about labs, i know nina made me feel guilty sometimes that i was not doing enough for her and she really had it made. marley had nothing on nina. i wish i wrote a book about my life with nina. i hope iky is ok that was too funny! way to go iky.

not to worry mo...the baileys is well out of iky's reach..if she wants to self actualize with baileys, she better suck someone in to driving her down to the liqour store.

Hide the Baileys !

tucker looks were not about sad desperation...they were about what needed doing next and how could he fit it all in..humping, food theft, running like the wind and then squeeze in a nap if he had to before doing something else....also please understand that tucker did not come from an uncaring or abusive home...he came from a home where his caregivers were much too elderly to deal with his energiser bunny lab-i-ness....yes, he spent the good portion of his life in that pen and yes maybe even he missed a few meals recently as the old mans memory failed... but never did tucker feel that he was unloved..he was in the wrong place at the wrong time...when his caregivers were too old to care for him because they were physically unable.

when i looked into tuckers eyes here...i saw something totally different...i saw a perpetually optimistic, happy go lucky lab like bill who was currently enjoying his days...i don't see blame or feeling sorry for himself, i didn't see any sadness....i just saw mr boots eagerly awaiting his next adventure.

i wouldn't spend too much time feeling sorry for tucker...at worst, life was boring and lonely...but at least on the weekends he had his caregivers daughters spending time and playing with him too....and that is way more than alot of dogs get.

on a scale of what the worst or best dog life can be, tucker was stuck somewhat in the middle...maybe not so great, maybe not so horrid, could be better, could be worse...whatever, it doesn't matter.

the point is, what do we do, when they come to us to ensure that their eyes always smile? dogs like tucker are easy to make happy, just smile at him and go have some fun... it is dogs like raymond who are hard to make happy because they never had anything or anyone....they never even had the opportunity to realize that happiness even exists.

it is harder for humans to get old, than it is for dogs...humans suffer from lack of independence, loss of strength, loss of memory, loss of ability to easily move around......dogs don't suffer those things, they just make do and do as much as they can...they don't bewail their agingness like we do, they don't moan the losses they have or list up the things they don't have...they just deal with each day the best that they can and leave yesterday in the past where it belongs.

oh carol i guess your glad you moved iky into the kitchen but not as glad as he is. lol

that is what always got t to me too , his forever worried little eyes. i commented to someone at saints when we looked at tucker that he always looked like he had a sad look of desperation on his face. i am glad he is now been taken care of and very much loved.

He really is a sweet, sensitive boy. He has no behavioural issues at all, and every single one of his fears are reasonable, given his lifetime of benign neglect.
Tucker wears his life on his face (Mugsy did, too).It is hard to look at a Lab with permanently sad eyes. They are so happy-go-lucky and outgoing by nature, it's a travesty to subvert that. It's even more pronounced in our house, since all of our "big dogs" (including Piper, she'd be pissed if anyone thought she was a little dog) are big time smilers.
Tuck will figure it all out. We love him, it would be exceptionally hard not to, you've met him. :) He will never be hungry, cold, scared, lonely or desperate again. The past can't be changed, but the future is bright.

it's so great deb and chris that you have taken him in to foster. He is so adorable and cute he looks like the male version of my old lab nina. he breaks my heart and it is so sad that he probably was not intentionaly neglected but neglected just the same. Tucker you have it made now, relax and enjoy your doggie self. i am surprized that nina never figured out how to open the fride just cupboards and garbage cans, she was such a food hound.

If Tuck teaches Kiefer how to open the fridge, we're doomed. The garbage can lives on the freezer, I'm not sure where we would stash the fridge.
Tucker was a starved dog, like Mabee and MacKenzie, and I think it's one of those hard-wired things that they can't get over. Tuck is always on the lookout for food, and we make sure he gets plenty, and treats, lots of treats, but I doubt he'll ever understand that he's not going to be hungry ever again.
It's so sad, looking into his worried, always worried eyes. Will they leave me outside? Will they forget I'm here? Will they remember to feed me today? Tomorrow? Next week? Will they come back when they go out? What can I do to make them want me with them? So much for an old guy to worry about.

Tucker has not utilized his getting in the fridge skills here yet. Not sure why. He is, however, becoming a master of "let me walk in front of you, slowly, and anticipate where you are going to go." Arrggh!