Cross For The Family Dog

[Some Creep]

Ok, I've procrastinated long enough posting this, so here it is.

We lost a dog a couple weeks ago. Had the old guy more than 10 years, which the last 2 have been really rough on him. He had bad hips and was in alot of pain. We made a cross for his grave out of 2" x 2" square tube, and coated it with Hotfoot's heated linseed oil treatment. It turned out way more 'Goth' than I intended. The wife loves it. I told her we buried a DOG and not a VAMPIRE, but she didn't change her mind.

The 2 kids took turns under the hood doing some of the welds (the oldest is 12, the youngest is 7). Then they got to do the torch treatment. As a family project, all had fun and it helped get through the loss.

Big ups to Hotfoot for the oil treatment idea. It's an excellent coating. Deep colors! If I were to do it over again, I'd flap wheel the exterior to get rid of the weld seam, which OF COURSE wound up on the front side of the cross (ARGH!) The advice he gave of NOT using a plastic bristle brush should be heeded! I melted bristles all over the thing! BUT, in scraping off the plastic residue, I found I scratched into a gold / yellow layer under the black on the surface. It gave the coating a texture of wood-grain that I still can't catch on a photo. Sorry guys! In leaving the weld seam on front, I had to heat through the lighter shades of the oil color spectrum and go into the darker shades. I was able to leave a purple / pink color at the tips, which I was able to catch somewhat this weekend now that the sun has re-emerged.

It's a real simple project, nothin to brag about here. The main reason I'm posting this is the oil treatment and the fact I've babbled about making this and have yet to post a project until now. I'll put up better stuff later.

[Some Creep]

Second set of pix:

[TexHand]

Sorry about your dog, :( - but I like the cross. How does the linseed hold up to the elements?

[Some Creep]

So far, so good. Water beads up as if it were waxed. Hotfoot recommends wiping it down once a year with a rag of oil for added protection.

We have an UGLY environment here in the Pacific NW for exposed steel. I'll keep you all updated with any drawbacks to this coating if any arise. It is oil-based, so I think I'm going to be OK for quite awhile. I do plan on using it again for future projects, but flapping to bare metal first to take advantage of the lighter shades.

[Hotfoot]

Yup. Just slop some Boiled Linseed Oil on it about once a year (now you can use a plastic brush). I would think the rain is easier on it than the Texas sun, but if it starts to look dull and "worn", just slap some on! Without the heat, it will be sticky a long time, but a shot of Japan Dryer (Home Depot) will help that a lot!
I like the design. There is great power in the simplicity of that design, and that feeling of power may well be what's making you feel its "too goth"...like all those brooding gargoyles, etc. used to adorn gothic buildings!:)

[rugbythug]

Not to be a stick in the mud but I would be carefull someone doesn't trip on it.

[k.a.m]

nice job some creep losing the family pet is tough i am glad to see the kids got involved that will stay with them for some time to come :)

[Rocky D]

That brought a tear to my eye, Creep...I well know the pain of losing a furry friend....although I'm a retired weldor, I am also a dog breeder, and have lost many 'best friends' over the years, and it never gets any easier. Your old buddy would just love to have seen that care taken for him, by the whole family...truly a family member. Here's some of mine:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/RockyD/Our%20Staffordshire%20Bull%20Terriers/In%20Memorium/MVC-890F.jpg

[ron70062]

Im so sorry to hear about your Dog . Belive me , IT'S NOT a dumb idea. I love my dog like he is my child. I live alne with no family for miles. He's all I have . Only folfs who own pet's would truly understand . I like the cross. I would like to know what the heated linseed oil treatment is. Is that kind of like blueing ?

[556man]

Sorry for your loss. Been there too and it's tough to lose a loyal friend. You did a good job on that cross and it's good that the family got involve making it. My friend past away too about 7 years ago and made him this since I'm not welding yet at that time. It's in my backyard. It brings tears to my eyes too just thinking about it to this day.

556man

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/556man/FoxyBurialPlace6.jpg

[ron70062]

Thats very nice.

[BBackSoon]

Sorry about your friend. My partents just put their dog down. The house seems so quiet and you expect to hear him coming around the corner at any moment.

Maybe I will make them something for the yard for Christmas.

Again,

Sorry for your loss.

[6010]

I am glad you posted this. It has given me an idea for something that will be coming too soon. Our family will be losing a cherished pet. She got her name when as a puppy my daughter called her " Little Girl, and the name stayed with her ever since.

She was a yard dog from the start and never wanted to stay in the house. She is the best guard dog anyone could imagine and always announced the presence of a stranger. It didn't matter what time of day or night, or what the weather - it was like she never went to sleep at her post. It was always easier to go to sleep knowing she was in the yard keeping watch over the family.

Now she is staying in the house at night because she can't take the cold anymore. She will get her medicine and the special food from the table she enjoys do much.

We have one of her puppies and I am sure he will get more attention after she is gone - but no dog will ever be able to take her place. I think most dog owners know when that terrible time has come, and it is what comes next that is so hard to deal with.

Thanks again for the post, it has given me an idea. I just hope I can weld good enough to put her name on it.



The Power of the Dog
There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passsion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart to a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.


When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.


We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-term loan is as bad as a long--
So why in--Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

Rudyard Kipling

[Conrad_Turbo]

I lost our family 16 year old family dog this year, I made this with my pops.

http://www.aceengineering.ca/Temp/IMG_0713.JPG

Very sorry to hear about your loss, I understand the pain. This poem I keep in mind anytime a close family dog passes on.

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is
more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your
hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more
quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as
you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep
falls upon my weary ear.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet for I am a
domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to bitter elements. I
ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside
the hearth.

Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for I cannot tell you when I
suffer thirst.

Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do
your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and
able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good
health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me
going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is
taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I
draw that my fate was always safest in your hands.

[Rocky D]

As a dog breeder, I have had many pass on...and it never gets any easier, and then I read this:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.


When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our furry friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers with anticipation and joy. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the familiar, beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your furry companion, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Amen.

[BBackSoon]

Rocky: How the he!! am I suppose to work with my eyes all bloodshot and puffy?!!

[Rocky D]

I know ...that was a tear-jerker, wasn't it

[vicegrip]

I just crashed on the rug this morning when I got in .....
20 lb. cat plastered on me just incase I shouldn't sleep sound enough.

Now the teers must have loosened some of the shift's by-products from my lids , and my eyes are burning.;)

Posterior parallisis took down my Newfy/ Lab of 14 years im '98'
hard to put-down a Dog when the back half can't get up off the floor.
But the front half would still stop a bullit for Ya , Heck he would have taken a full clip. And not even hesitated.

When I carried him back to the van .... from the last vet visit.
his head flopped back one last time and slopped one last nose-print on my glasses.
Made me smile and weep at the same time.

My wife was in ruFF shape for weeks after it.
Still refuses the thought of another Dog.
Cats are smarter , they wedge their way into the familly , being far less polite.
& Propper.

Awsome Job creep , fine familly , odd forum name.?
Well done.:cool:

Phil

[Rocky D]

We're going way OT but what the hey....
There comes that time in a dogs life where you must apply "quality of life" to the pet. This never comes easy, to say the very least, but your furry friend, who has been by your side, all his short life, deserves to relieved of his pain, and allowed to rest with dignity. Too many times I have seen dogs who are barely able to walk, or see...some are incontinent, and those dogs are horribly embarrassed to soil in the house, when he has been so faithful no to, all his life, and those who have lumps all over, and so forth, that the owners can't let them go....darn it, I KNOW it is a hard decision, but you have to make it...if you truly love your dog.
Now, to go through life not wanting another dog, is to want to carry the remorse, the grief, with you forever, when a new puppy may not take the place of your former furry friend, (who will always remain alive in your heart), it will aid the grief process, and you will once again enjoy the pleasure that only a dog can give. I hate to see people punish themselves in that way.

[usmcpop]

It can be a tough thing to lose a pet, or have to decide to put one down for the sake of kindness. There's something about their innocence and total dedication that somehow makes it harder than losing our human companions sometimes. Sounds weird, but it happens.

[Some Creep]

hard to put-down a Dog when the back half can't get up off the floor.
But the front half would still stop a bullit for Ya , Heck he would have taken a full clip. And not even hesitated.

Awsome Job creep , fine familly , odd forum name.?

Phil

I don't think any of these comments are taking the thread off-topic what so ever. The feelings you are all feeling and sharing are exactly what we are going through and it's what I wanted to say with the post but couldn't put into my own words. So, thank you for saying what I'm struggling to say.


I think all the sentiments are all heart felt and we appreciate that. I'm going to have the kids read through this when I get back to the house from my current work road trip. The neighbor made a head stone for him out of marble counter top blasted with my dogs profile and name in it (really similar style to what 556 has, only dark-on-light colors). I was planning on simply stamping "He Was a Good Dog" on the cross, simple, to the point, and very, very, true, but we're leaving it as-is until we decide we NEED to add it later. We miss the old guy today as much as we did the day we had to do the deed. Funny how this kinda thing sneaks up on you huh?


6010: I'd recommend adding 'feminine' touches for your pet. This cross was for a male and I feel it turned out too gruff and rude for the feeling I wanted to convey. Too 'Goth' I keep using to describe it.


I dunno about the forum name..... I was going to see if someone felt I should change it. I thought I was being funny and clever when I started it, but now it seems like it's quick to annoy people (my smart-@ss comments all the time don't help).

[vicegrip]

The feelings you are all feeling and sharing are exactly what we are going through and it's what I wanted to say with the post but couldn't put into my own words. So, thank you for saying what I'm struggling to say..............

Did you ever mention your Dog's Name , or did I miss it?

...........I dunno about the forum name..... I was going to see if someone felt I should change it. I thought I was being funny and clever when I started it, but now it seems like it's quick to annoy people (my smart-@ss comments all the time don't help).

I was totaly key-tied when I came to the blank for forum name..???
I always liked visegrips........and after hand making a set of tirechains with two pair at age 15 ? I had "vicegrip" in both hands.
So in went vicegrip

Spending my life amoung tool-makers I shoot-off my yap to readilly myself.
so I can't complain much:o

[Rocky D]

....
I dunno about the forum name..... I was going to see if someone felt I should change it. I thought I was being funny and clever when I started it, but now it seems like it's quick to annoy people (my smart-@ss comments all the time don't help).

Hey, Creep it's OK...when I first saw "posted by Some Creep" I cracked up!!!:D:D:D I said to my self. "now here's a guy with a real sense of humor" I also thought it shows character, in a warped sort of way...any way I like it.

[Conrad_Turbo]

Threads like this make this place so much more than just a welding forum... :D

Rocky, my eye's got a bit teary after reading Rainbow Bridge.

[Rocky D]

Threads like this make this place so much more than just a welding forum... :D

Rocky, my eye's got a bit teary after reading Rainbow Bridge.

Yes, on the surface it does...but it also alludes to a loving God who, will re-unite His children with the "furpersons" we loved and lost, while here on this earth...so there's hope in there, too. and I like that. :)

[swat253]

I had to put my 17 y.o. Beagle down the week before Christmas. She was sporadically blind (couldn't see you if you stood right in front of her some days, but then would whip her head around in a split second if she caught a glimpse of you walking past the back door on others). She had been deaf for the past 2 years and we hadn't heard her bark for at least that long. One night around 11:00 I heard her moaning a painful sound. She was laying in the middle of the yard, paralyzed from the front shoulders back. I tried to give her a special treat of a thick slice of bacon but she turned her nose away from it. The agony was apparent in her face. I knew then that the pain she felt was more than I could imagine. The decision to end her misery came with much regret but without hesitation. The vet wanted us to wait until morning... I tried to make her comfortable and sat with her for a few agonizing minutes, hoping God would intervene and save me the task. I asked my wife to go to the bedroom, turn on the TV and close the door.

I buried her beside my work shed and woodpile and have thought several times of making her a special marker. I only hope I can match at least half of what you and your family did for your pet.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

[Rocky D]

I mention this only that it may help some one ease their grief...as many of you know I am a dog breeder, and have been for 20 years...these last few months have been the hardest for us here...since September we lost 17 puppies to parvovirus, and another six of our clients had their adult dogs, which we bred, die...it never gets any easier to lose a furry friend. My condolences to you who are grieving. :(

[vicegrip]

I had to put my 17 y.o. Beagle down the week before Christmas. .................................

I asked my wife to go to the bedroom, turn on the TV and close the door.

............................ I only hope I can match at least half of what you and your family did for your pet.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

Wow , My Dog was the oposite: dead nerves from the waist back.
Pain wasn't his issue, it was the anziety & loss of dignity.

Had it been your way, I don't know if I could have had the couage
to finnish the job myself.

I didn't wait in the case of my beloved old Alley-Cat.....
He always peered into my eyes so a bullit was out of the question.
So I curled my coat into a temporary bed and went out on the porch.
it was about 18 degrees......I petted him for 3 hours till hypothermia did the deed.....about 2pm sunday-afternoon.

You did very Well !!!

Phil

[yorkiepap]

Hey guys,
Wow, I'm having a hard time typing & wiping tears. It took a while before I could go thru this entire thread. Those who never had the love & companionship of a dog will never know the purest love God put on this earth. They are the needed emotional therapy for those "down days". Lost my 2nd Yorkie, Bo, in Oct. 06, after 15 years of his love and it took me 6 months to settle and allow another into my heart. Ever see a hardcore diehard biker cry like a baby? Not a pretty sight. Got another Yorkie, Max, in Mar. 07 and my emotional sanity & stability have returned.....a dog is pure medicine. My forum name & avatar kinda reveals my nature with my pup. I wrote this poem in '91 when I first got Bo.

THESE BEASTS CALLED DOGS

We're blessed in life that we can have
once a beast who roamed the wild,
In time the pups we masters tamed
became one with us just like a child.

In one hand he fit when he was born
and I spoke to him like newest son,
Each and every day he learned so well
a wondrous kindred had now begun.

Passing days and weeks to him we call
and use a name that we are fond,
In time he knows that sound you make
gives strength and meaning to your bond.

Intense his stare towards you he gives
and when you're gone becomes so sad,
A patient wait thru hours endure
until you're home though never mad.

If outside he stays in wet or cold
or scorching sun brings dry and hot,
His empty bowls he'll not complain
and forgive the reason you forgot.

This faithful friend with undying love
no other person can quite compare,
His every wish is your command and
longs only time with you to share.

He shows his joy with wagging tail
so swiftly moving left and right,
A barking spin and jump to you
because you're back within his sight.

When days' end comes you fall asleep
and close to you a place he'll take,
If a danger passed his nose or ears
his life he'll give to bring you awake.

God's mighty hands for man he gave
these beasts called dogs from stars above,
To show our mind and hearts a life
who only wants and gives eternal love.

c D.T.Pollock

[swat253]

A bunch of rough and tumble blokes; one day talkin' up the lastest project, a perfect bead, or Hobart vs Miller, and the next, gettin' weepy over a pet. Ah... the world is smaller than it appears. We ARE all a good bunch.

V-Grip, That was true dedication on your part; there till the end and he wasn't alone. I too wanted "time" to take over but circumstances dictated otherwise.

Y-Pap, My youngest DD got a Yorkie pup about this time last year. She is now off at college and guess who gets to spend the better part of the a.m. with him? Yep... I'm amazed at the intelligence of this breed! He is incredibly personable. Although he was there to soften the blow of our Beagle passing, I'm already dreading the "next time"... Nice poem / Good job on the resting place & marker.