A Tribute to Gator (very picture heavy)

[ShrekDawg]

I could cry reading this. You made a tough call but the right one. Dogs are man's or woman's best friend! And lab's win hands down! Do you have any more dogs?

Thank you, that means a lot. It’s hard because he was still sometimes playful and perked up at the boat ramp but I know that it was time because his body was failing and I wouldn’t want him to suffer longer than he had to. And they certainly are! He was awesome. I will say he was especially attached to my dad and older brother but he loved us all. He was a good boy. And labs are definitely awesome! We had a yellow lab before him. Gator was half black Lab and half Great Pyrenees. And no, we just had him. I think he would have been jealous of another dog lol he was a huge attention hog but I do walk and train my brother’s dogs a couple times a week so I am not entirely dogless. I love them and they are still puppies so it is fun. We are thinking about getting another dog maybe in the new year but we’re not sure yet.

What a wonderful amazing life you gave him! You should be proud of how he lived such a full and happy life.

Thank you! That means a lot. We certainly tried to give him the best life possible.

What a sweet dog. I’m so very sorry for this tremendous loss.

Thank you very much.

Wow... what a beautiful boy. I love all the photos. So very sorry for your loss. I lost my chocolate lab at 15 and my pit 6 days later. I know the heartbreak and void a loved pet can make. Share all you need to. I can tell he was loved and very happy! So great to see

Thank you! He was definitely very loved and it is weird not having him around. I am very sorry for your losses too! That must have been incredibly hard losing two so close together!

 

[Eggsoteric]

What a lovely tribute to an obviously much-loved companion. So sorry for your loss. Rest well, Gator.

 

[ShannonR]

Thank you, that means a lot. It’s hard because he was still sometimes playful and perked up at the boat ramp but I know that it was time because his body was failing and I wouldn’t want him to suffer longer than he had to. And they certainly are! He was awesome. I will say he was especially attached to my dad and older brother but he loved us all. He was a good boy. And labs are definitely awesome! We had a yellow lab before him. Gator was half black Lab and half Great Pyrenees. And no, we just had him. I think he would have been jealous of another dog lol he was a huge attention hog but I do walk and train my brother’s dogs a couple times a week so I am not entirely dogless. I love them and they are still puppies so it is fun. We are thinking about getting another dog maybe in the new year but we’re not sure yet.



Thank you! That means a lot. We certainly tried to give him the best life possible.



Thank you very much.



Thank you! He was definitely very loved and it is weird not having him around. I am very sorry for your losses too! That must have been incredibly hard losing two so close together!

I thought he might be a lab/Pyrenees mix from the pictures!! He looked just like my boy does.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very sorry for your loss

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Gator is flying high with the angels tonight. He was such a good boy; so sweet and loving yet protective of the family, property, and the chickens if need be. He was always quick to inform us if something was bothering the chickens or if something was outside that shouldn’t be and prevented many predator attacks on the chickens. In addition to being an excellent watch dog and loving companion, he was also incredibly smart. He learned so fast and I was able to teach him so much. He did have a bit of an independent streak but he was still so eager to learn and because of his intelligence, learned rapidly. Often times you only had to show him something once or twice and he would know it. Because of his intelligence, he also loved to “talk” with you. He was very sassy and often times when told “no” or “you can’t go”, he would playfully snap at the air and scoot backwards. Telling him he couldn’t go somewhere seemed to particularly upset him and he would get very offended as he loved car rides. He also loved to negotiate with you and think everything through before doing anything. Very intelligent dog. You could almost swear he was human at times. He was also ridiculously goofy, silly, and fun loving. I will miss his sweet, goofy self. Fly high, my sweet boy. I hope you are running free with Bailey now.

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I am SO sorry that you’ve lost your handsome boy. I love dogs more than I do most people and I understand how painful this is for you and your family. He sounds like a wonderful dog and I’m sure you will miss him for a long time. God speed Gator, you served your family well.

 

[ShrekDawg]

What a lovely tribute to an obviously much-loved companion. So sorry for your loss. Rest well, Gator.

Thank you very much. He was definitely very loved and will be missed but I am glad he is not in pain anymore.

I thought he might be a lab/Pyrenees mix from the pictures!! He looked just like my boy does.

Yeah, I’ve had some people think he’s just a giant Lab (had one guy say “whoa that’s a big Lab!” On a walk once till I told him what he was and others who say the Pyrenees is very obvious. They say his head, stance, tail, all give it away. And of course the white markings. So it’s been kind of a mix whether people guess right. I had one woman right away ask if he was a Pyrenees/Lab mix, which typically didn’t happen (most of the people who guessed right were online and big dog people), and it turned out that her daughter also had a Pyrenees/Lab mix! Your boy is very handsome and cute!!

Very sorry for your loss

Thank you.

I am SO sorry that you’ve lost your handsome boy. I love dogs more than I do most people and I understand how painful this is for you and your family. He sounds like a wonderful dog and I’m sure you will miss him for a long time. God speed Gator, you served your family well.

Thank you very much. He really was a great dog. He wasn’t always perfect but I don’t think any dog truly is and we learned a lot from him. Both about training as well as health and nutrition. We made a lot of mistakes with him but now we know better for any future dogs. For example, we neutered him far too early and I really believe that that contributed to a lot of his issues but of course it is too late but maybe what we learned will help a future dog. He was amazing and I will say we never lost a chicken to his care. The only time we did was to a hawk but it was my fault because I let them out too late in the day and forgot to tell anyone else I had and he was also inside. Plus he was already pretty sick when we lost the bird. That was the only loss. He really was a great dog.

 

[Kiki]

I know I have posted so many pictures already but my brother started a group chat of our favorite pictures of Gator so I would like to share what they have shared. I think some of them are really good.

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[ShrekDawg]

I’m glad I have so many pictures of him to look at.

 

[Kiki]

I’m glad I have so many pictures of him to look at.

He is playing with Fatso right now.

 

[ShrekDawg]

He is playing with Fatso right now.

I am sure! He is probably playing with a lot of dogs according to the nice replies on this thread. I am sure all of our dogs are playing together.

Our old dogs Higgins (Golden Retriever) and Bailey (yellow Lab) are up there too. And my dad’s friend’s dog too who just passed last night, an Airedale Terrier. My cousin lost her Aussie in July too and my aunt lost like a cattle dog type mix many years ago and my uncle lost one of his Rhodesian Ridgebacks a couple years ago and he has had many other Rhodesian Ridgebacks before her. My grandparents had lots of dogs too; both my parents had a lot of dogs as kids and my grandparents just put a dog down recently. And another uncle lost a Golden Retriever a while ago.

I am sure all of our dogs are playing a lot and having a grand time.