This thread is dedicated to my Yellow Lab Cupid.

I would like to see stories and pictures posted about your dog and your MINI. Sad, funny, heart-warming. What ever you want to share.

Here's mine. We adopted Cupid as a pup [born on Valentine's day 1995] because we did not think we could have kids [we were wrong]. She became incredibly bonded to me and we were inseperable. She loved to ride in cars, especially ones with sunroofs since could poke her nose out of the top and sniff the air in a regal fashion. She was the main reason i got a sunroof on mine. I spent many afternoons cleaning dog hair and slobber from the inside of my MINI and my othercars as a result.

Fast Forward to Christmas 2009. The passage of 15 years had taken their toll on Cupid. She was mostly deaf and had lost a lot of vision due to cataracts. She was not able to walk far and her hips were riddled with arthritis. We knew for several months it was her time but I put it off as long as possible. On December 28, 2009 at 5:10 she took her last ride in the MINI and was gone by 5:45. The trip to the vet was difficult. she took her usual position in the passenger seat but struggle to sit up to sniff through the open window. To this day there is still a samll covering in the boot where the wind blew some of her hair which I will not clean out. I miss her. Below are a few pictures. This thread is more or less therapuetic for me. I would liek to hear other's stories about their dogs

Edit: I can't download a picture at the momment but I wouls still like to see yours.

 

I know exactly what you are talking about. I'm sorry for your loss. It takes time, but if you decide you want another dog, you know what's better?

Two dogs!.. We lost our Golden, Sam, after a year long battle with cancer. He was only 7 years old. A year and a half later we aquired two Golden sisters, as pups. Life is good again.

Good luck.

OBTH, they don't get to ride in the Mini...lol They get the wifes Mazda 3... There was still a lot of dog hair in my Audi A6 wagon when I got rid of it to get the Mini last year.

 

Here's my little guy, Max

 

Thanks. Actually we already have two dogs. Cupid was the "Grandma" of the three [all yellow Labs]. We now beleive in going the rescue route and we have rescued a 1 year old Lab in 2005 and a eight month in early January of 2009, hoping to negate the pain of the loss of Cupid. While helping some, it was, and is, very difficult. Especially for me.

To lighten things up a bit, Sadie, the youngest, will sit in the front seat and follow the wipers back and forth with her head [think spectators at a tennis match] and bark at them. Jesse when in the car in the front, will nudge her head under my hand every time I shift so I will pet her.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your loss of what sounds like a most excellent dog . We had to have my most favored girl Corgi put down two years ago next month and it still hurts to think of her. I can also relate to not getting rid of the dog hair, I have a towel that she rode on when she was in the car and I will not get rid of it or even wash it even though that drives my wife bonkers. Several months later, I was lucky enough to find a small breeder who had a couple of female Corgi puppies available so I got another female to help fill the gap but I still miss the other girl.

I don't let the pack ride in the MC, my female hates cars and throws up and the two males would chew the seats up, so they are banished to the Prius! Of course it would be sort of hard to let them ride in the MC with the wind deflector covering the back seats so its probably best to leave them banished!

Again, sorry for you loss but here's some pic's of my brood and maybe that will help you feel better.

 

I found this one picture of our 10lb rat terrier really sleeping during a long drive.

 

I have been there as well. My current golden, pictured below, is 11 and I pray that she lives a long time, but I'm not holding my breath. She's been on Phenobarbital since she was 2 for grand mal seizures. Before her, we had an Old English Sheepdog and it took us 4 years to get over his death. He was my big brother. Since I graduated from college, I've been volunteering with the local golden retriever rescue. My parents have sworn off puppies but I think that my dad, especially, is willing to consider adopting an adult golden from the rescue when we lose Piper. Our rescue holds a joint event with the Lab rescue each year and all of us volunteers swap stories of our wonderful labs and goldens.

 

While this thread is dedicated to the Clubman, I think you will still enjoy it.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...s-welcome.html

 

That is a very touching story, and it made me smile and cry a little.

My dogs name is Hailey, and she is a 40lb flat coat retriever mix. My wife and I got her at 6 weeks old from the pound, I believe she was born around V-day as well. Not long after we got her she got her first long car ride, 12 hours to Florida to visit my parents. Since then car rides have been some of her favorite things, and she knows she gets to sit in the passenger seat when I'm alone, on on my wife's lap when she rides with us. Her most favorite thing to do is to go to the park and swim in the pond. She knows exactly when I'm going to take her and its the one time she doesn't have to be on the leash because she makes a b-line to the MINI and jumps in her seat and looks at me and wonders why I'm so slow. She also loves to get wet and nasty in the pond, and share that with all the people at the park, as well as dry herself out the window on the ride home. Sometimes she is so tired she gets in the back and lays on my car cover to sleep on the way home as I always leave the seats down. She's a little over a year and a half right now, and is still very much a puppy, but she knows how to love and is the best dog I've had. I've almost cried knowing that one day she will be gone and I'll loose my best friend, but it makes me give her a hug and love the time we have that much more. Its amazing that we choose to love something we know has a much shorter life than our own, and knowing that makes us love them even more. After Hailey passes I know I will continue to rescue dogs until I can't anymore. There really is nothing like the unconditional love you give and get from a dog.

 

Dogs are so wonderful. There seems to be an unintended theme to this thread...my Jackson was born on January 3, 2006 and had his six week birthday on Valentine's Day...the day we brought him to his forever home. I had lost my thirteen year old Miniature Schnauzer July 25, 2005 and was heartbroken. I still miss her and I think her little spirit helped shape my Jackson into the incredible little man that he is. I have her cremaines and if Jackson goes before me I'll have his and my last will & testament includes instructions that we're all supposed to be shaken up and cast out together...the way I think it should be. Here he is enjoying a ride in the back of one of our MINIs...

 

Yes I expect a dog in MINI's will get a good response. My dog loves the car, any car and is good traveller, long or short trips, doesn't matter just so she goes. I would expect a smaller response for cats in your MINI, mine will not ride except in her cage and cries for the entire trip. I once met a lady outside the vet with two unrestrained cats sitting calmly in the passenger seat. She had been taking them in the car from 6 weeks old and they were now 7 years old. I guess it can be done but not by me.

 

This has brought tears to my eyes. We had to put Christie down June 29th 2010. She will never be replaced but I will eventually get another dog.

The unfotunate part for me is that Christie was the only thing holding my relationship together with my girlfriend. That is gone now to and am trying to move on but it is difficult without a furry friend.

Her is a link to her last picture from the Clubman Dogs Thread
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...89-post94.html

 

It was long time, several months in fact, before I could talk about Cupid with out, at minimum tearing up, it is still very difficult for me even typing this and reading the thread, I'm treaing up a little bit. I'm a big ex-jock looking guy in his 40's and the first week after we let Cupid go [I don;t like saying "put down"] I was besides myself with grief. Blubbering like a four year old. My daughter who is now 13 had a much more difficult time and was in therapy for 2 months. There was never a time in her life that Cupid was not there. Thank God i was on vacation that week.

This thread may be difficult to understand for those who are not dog people. The intent was anecdotes about your dog in your MINI [or any car in general but I think it touched a lot of people in other ways.

So, more funny stuff. Years before we got the MINI, Cupid was so obsessed with going for rides that any oportunity to get into the car, she would. Once my wife and I had returned from the grocery and were unloading the trunk of her Mazda 626. The garage door was open and Cupid got out. Thinking she had embarked on one of her "Neighborhood Watch Patrols" which she did whenever she had the chance to escape, I went down the driveway and started heading in her usual path. I heard a muffled bark, turned to see her sitting IN the open trunk [boot for you MINI owners ] with that big dumb, happy look on her face that Labs get, holding the half eaten package of bread in her mouth. It was almost as though she was saying "See what I've got? Where are you going? Let's go for a ride.

One of our other dogs, Jesse. if given the chance will go out into the garage and get into the car and won;t come out until we have taken her around the block. She has crawled into half open window, through the open hatch or doors and will just sit there and can not be coaxed out, even with a treat. the only way she will get out is if we drive around the block and back.

Here is one of my favorite quotes:
"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?

 

Well, I'm not 6'4" or built like a jock, but I do consider myself a male male who like to participate in Martial Arts, car racing and that sort of thing. However when we had to send the our last two Corgi on their way over the Rainbow Bridge, I cried so much that the Vet had to lead me out the back door and my wife had to drive back home (the funny side of that was the 1st Corg was her dog and she never shed a tear until we got home). When we had to let Cozet go (my much beloved female) I got the news that the procedure needed to be done while I was at work and had to make the long bus + car commute home knowing that when I got there we would have to take her for that last ride. It actually still makes me tear up when I talk about her (it was two years ago next month) and I also have one of her last pictures as the desktop picture on my work and home PC's.

A slightly lighter side to the story; Our first Corg (my wifes) whose name was Norman got to be a bit crochety as he aged and did not like strangers and most especially hated the Vet to the point that when we took him in for checkups they had to muzzle him. He got a reputation around their office of being a dog with an attitude! He never bit anyone but he would ocassionally nip at your heel which is how Corgs herd. Now to contrast him with Cozet, she was a very mild dispositioned girl and was much loved by everyone, especially the Vet that we always scheduled our appointments with. We had both animals cremated and when we got Norm back he was in a tin container with a casting of his paw print. When we got the call to pickup Cozet, my wife went into their office (I just couldn't do it, just a wimp I guess) and they gave her a rather nice wooden box containing Cozet along with her paw print. My wife was very confused since we had not ordered anything like that and the Vet told her that everyone at their office wanted Cozet to have something better than the standard container so they took up a collection and presented us with the gift! My wife got her home and placed her on the shelf next to Norman and said "Well Norman, if you had been a nicer dog, maybe they would have given you a wooden box too!"

I love your quote also and I'll add it to my collection, I had not heard that one yet. Here is a link to the poem about the Rainbow Bridge if you haven't seen it yet, it is my favorite poem concerning this issue and I sure hope it's right 'cause I'm looking forward to seeing my hounds greet me there!

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

 

the quote is from the end of the "Marley and Me" film. If yo have not seen the movie or read the book, I recommend it. The book is better though. Be prepared though, being a dog story it ends as all dog stories end. Watch "My dog skip" too.

I have seen the Rainbow Bridge poem. The day after we put Cupid to sleep and we had gotten back from the pet mortuary, I dropped my wife and daughter off and made up some lame excuse for an errand and went back to the vet's office to say a final good bye to Cupid. I got there about a half an hour too late as she had been picked up. I raced out the mortuary which was a 45 minute drive but when I go there the very kind woman told me , after checking with the crematory that the process ahd already started. As I walked back very dejected to my car, for a breif few minutes, the thick winter clouds had broken and the sun came out and shone, Read what you want into it, I know what I beleive.

When we had Cupid put the sleep, we brought our other two Yellow Labs so they hopefully understand what happened. After she was gone, Jesse, who is 5, laid down next to Cupid's body, put her head on Cupid's back and looked up at my wife with, as she put it "a please fix this" look on her face. Sadie who was just barely a year at the time and spends most of her time bouncing off the walls, laid down on the other side of her and was transfixed on a spot on the wall abut 7 feet up and just stared for about a minute as though she were ewatching something. Again, interpret this anyway you like. I know what I beleive.

I love your quote also and I'll add it to my collection, I had not heard that one yet. Here is a link to the poem about the Rainbow Bridge if you haven't seen it yet, it is my favorite poem concerning this issue and I sure hope it's right 'cause I'm looking forward to seeing my hounds greet me there!

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm[/quote]

 

Here's our dog Kia in her typical "hurry up and let's go!" pose. She's 14 years old now and really hasn't slowed down that much since she was 10 months old when we adopted her. She's still able to jump up (***knocks on wood***) and into our MINI. She's part border collie and part australian shephard, at least that's what we were told when we adopted her.

 

I have not read/watched "Marley and Me" for the simple reason I just don't want to watch a movie where the dog dies! My wife and stepdaughter have both read the book and seen the movie and agreed that it was great. I don't know why I can watch any Rambo, John McLain, Arnold movie and have no problem with the bad guys departing life, but anything where the outcome for a dog is less than favorable and I turn into a mush-pile! Must just be getting soft in my older days!

 

Thanks to all the stories about dogs and MINI's.
My dog does not step foot in my car. However, she is allowed in my old 91 toyota truck. I treat her like my kid and I love her so much, but pulling long Golden Retirever hairs out of my black interior is not my idea of time management.
Maybe I should get a black dog....a pug would be nice.
--Stacy in CA

 

To the OP, sorry to hear about your loss, it's incredibly hard when dogs that are close to us die...I think a lot of the times, we care about them than we do the humans that are close to us. Or...maybe it's just in a different way, I don't know, it's just ridiculous when they die though. Their lifetime of unconditional love that they give you is what makes it so difficult I think.

Anyway...FYI there is a whole thread in the Off-Topic section of dogs in MINI's, but I'll go head and reply here anyway. Here's my Shiba Inu, Sachi riding in the MINI the first day I got her, about a year ago:


She loves riding in the MINI...she likes drivin' fast too ...leans into the turns and everything . Normally you can get a dog pretty scared with some "spirited" motoring, not her though...doesn't even phase her!

One more pic:


She owns my bed.



Marley and Me is succccch a good movie for anyone whos ever had a dog! Yes, it is so sad though. I had just put my cocker spaniel mix that I grew up with to sleep a month before Marley and Me came out in the theaters....and let me tell you I definitely was crying out loud in the theater, along with at least 90% of the other people lol. When the movie ended and the credits came on, I remember everyone just sitting there, trying to pull it together before they walked out

 

Thanks to all who have shared stories and pictures.

My husband and I have five Chihuahuas...well technically three are ours and two are fosters...we have been fostering them for over three years now. When we first brought the MINI home we put all five in the back, I dont know if it was the leather, that the leather was wet (my first convertible and I didnt care if it was raining!) or what but they werent fans. I have a pictures somewhere of five Chihuahuas looking terrified in the (wet) backseat of a Cabrio.

Usually when we take them motoring they are in a bag or crated but Lola found a special spot just for her on the way down to the Dragon last year


Lola really does love motoring now that she has a special spot. She usually gets to go with us because she has a medical condition and we dont want the dogsitter to have to deal with (plus four Chihuahuas is enough).

Here is another picture of Lola at a MINI event



Cerveza and the MINI


Ese dressed up for a night on the town


The two "fosters" Calla and Junior


Oh, and they do have doggles for when we are motoring topless!


Everyone (including my parents three Chihuahuas) at Ese's 7th Birthday party (three years ago)

 

I remember Lola at MOTD. She was the one that made it into the "Car only" photo and stayed perfecntly still throughtout the shoot. It was the first thing that we pointed out to our daughter when we got the panoramic picture in the mail.

By the way, you can just barely make out "Nigel" in the photo of Lola. If you look between Lola's head and the woman in the white T-Shirt, you can see my custome wheels and the front of Nigel. It is the red R56.

 

Those aren't dogs...lol They're fashion accessories... Qute though...

 

Here's my dog Lucky the day I brought my mini home.

 

Of course I had to look up Nigel in the Panoramic photo. He's one hot MINI!

I was amazed Lola posed as well as she did for the panoramic photo, we have posed her on the MINI and walked away but never with so many people around and for so long. i was very proud of her that day!

 

Thanks for the compliment! We also have a closeup of Lola that I took while wondering around before the shoot. I'll send it too you as soon as I can work out getting attachements added to my messages.