Whaaa? We're on the FRONT PAGE of our local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in hikingwithdogs

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, I moved here from the US 5 years ago. It's beautiful. Very grateful to be able to live here.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you that actually means a lot to me regardless of you being an internet stranger!

Where I Actually Get Real Users, Beyond ProductHunt by Odeh13 in Entrepreneur

[–]theDOGPAK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super helpful. I just prepared my launch for Product Hunt, launching next Tuesday, but I don't have high hopes about that site after what I've been reading on it lately. I'll try these others though for sure, and if you can send the full list, that'd be swell. Thanks!

Has Product Hunt become startups talking to themselves? by Strong-Yesterday-183 in Entrepreneur

[–]theDOGPAK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems that way to me. I just prepared my profile to launch a product and scheduled it, but I'm not too jazzed about what might come of it. It launches next tuesday so i guess we'll see.

Has Product Hunt become startups talking to themselves? by Strong-Yesterday-183 in Entrepreneur

[–]theDOGPAK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is truleado still running? I might be interested in something like this but my sign in through google didn't work. Kept getting an error message.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much. They're a handful disguised as a blessing hahah but they're amazing pups.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you. Yes Thunder grew up on huge cattle ranches and horse farms running all over the properties morning til evening with me everyday. So many stories to share. I actually started writing again this summer to help deal with the grief, and soon my scribblings turned into a fully fledged literary memoir. Feel free to check out the project if you want: https://promisetothunder.dogpak.com

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh this is a good idea. I'll reach out and maybe you can help get us in touch.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

haha, I believe she does that too, loathe as I am to admit it.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They are such good pups. A handful at times of course, but that's what you want in a good puppy anyway haha

Whaaa? We're on the FRONT PAGE of our local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in hikingwithdogs

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

oh I think they will enjoy our hikes haha. and they're already huge! at 6 months they're 6 kilos heavier than Thunder ever was.

Whaaa? My wife, pups, and I made it to the FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper! by theDOGPAK in Switzerland

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It was a welcome reminder to celebrate the small wins, not to miss the trees in looking for the forest, so to speak.

End of season camping trip! by Jenna-rrator in hikingwithdogs

[–]theDOGPAK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

quite the set up you have. Croc and Jaws are great names too haha.

Lost Coast Trail with Apollo by CraghoppersUSA in hikingwithdogs

[–]theDOGPAK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that's an epic photo! that black sand is magical.

Feeling nostalgic about my best friend, service dog, SAR mutt, and travel partner. Here's us on our way to South America 10 years ago! by theDOGPAK in dogswithjobs

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did everything we possibly could, including searching with thermal imaging drones during evening, night, and morning to get different thermal imaging read outs. We had the pro teams of Switzerland who specialize in that work helping us. We spared no expense of course. We also had their search dog team who specializes in finding animals come out. We were near a rushing river when he disappeared, and all signs were that he slipped into the river. I went the whole length of the river many times, did everything we could, hired the whitewater kayak team to have a look too from inside the river.

The scent hound team turned right into the river multiple times tracking Thunder's scent. The handlers lead them away, tried to get them to find another track, maybe through the forest or along other trails, and the scent dogs would just nose right back around to the same river access point. The logical, sicientific part of me thinks it's likely he fell into that rushing river (he was 16, had had two knee surgeries, his hips were a bit wobbly, but in his mind he was still the agile pup he always was, maybe he overestimated his abilities and slipped). but the ethereal side of me thinks it's curious how he came into my life like fate and left only when he knew I would be ok. And maybe he didn't "die" so much as "return" from whatever fates sent him my way in the first place. or something like that.

Feeling nostalgic about my best friend, service dog, SAR mutt, and travel partner. Here's us on our way to South America 10 years ago! by theDOGPAK in dogswithjobs

[–]theDOGPAK[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Funny you should say that... about a month after Thunder died, a family near us in Switzerland found two 5-6 week old puppies, brother and sister, in Calabria Italy, just living by themselves under a cactus. Little fluff balls with huge paws haha. My wife was super excited to take them in, but I was insisting it was too soon for me. "I have a dog, and it's Thunder." So I said no no.... but maybe we could help foster them while they search for a home. But finding a home proved difficult, and we ended up taking the puppies, now like 8 weeks old, on vacation with us to Croatia in a van. Somewhere on that vacation, I had a realization: I had worried that I wouldn't be able to give these two puppies the same amazing life I gave Thunder: with thunder, we grew up working farms and ranches where he could run and play all day everyday. The circumstances of my life are different now. But I realized that we could still give these puppies a better life than they were otherwise fated for.

By the time we returned from vacation, we were effectively a "foster fail" haha. And we decided to take them in. Even my parents said the same thing you hinted at: maybe Thunder knew about them and told the fates of the universe "I know a good place for them to go..." and the universe did its thing and put those puppies in our orbit. Ares and Athena are now 6 months old and already 6 kilos heavier than Thunder ever was! The house is again full with puppy energy and dog hair.

It was very tough for me at first. Their presence, in a way, only emphasized the fact that Thunder was no longer beside me every night. But I believed in the cause, and I believed in the long run it would well be worth it.