Vinnie: In Memoriam

Sorry, rabbit. Vinnie was definitely loved.

Sorry, SR.

So sorry, SR. Thank you for sharing Vinnie with us.

Thank you for including us in your lives, SillyRabbit. I'm sad that his passing was so unexpected, though there's also comfort in the details and knowing how much time you had together. All the hugs!

So sorry to hear about your family member passing away. Vinnie will always be a part of the GWJ hivemind's memories.

Oh, that's truly awful, SillyRabbit. He was really a presence here without ever knowing it. Felt like we kinda knew him.

He probably couldn't have had a much better life as dogs go, but it's never long enough.

Hey SR, I noticed your post about Vinnie this morning.

I have read through sooooo many pages about your awesome dog, and the immensely stressful and insane neighbor situation.

This puppo had an amazing life, and overcame an immense challenge - right there with you. I shall hug my aging girl an extra time for Vinnie, and know you are both in my thoughts today.

rest in pupperoni, vinnie

Lost it when I got to the Gloria Gaynor Vinnie.

So sorry for your lost, but glad Vinnie got so many great years with you all, and thankful for the portion of that you shared with us.

Godspeed, Vinnie.

So sorry for your loss SR. Vinny had a great life and passed peacefully in his home, which by all accounts was a haven of love and comfort. We should all be so fortunate.

Vinnie will be part of many of our lives, even if we never actually met him. I can say for myself, he was an inspiration for me to get a dog of my own. I have been doing a Star Trek marathon and I just saw an episode with an amazing quote that applies here.

"Death is that state in which one exists only in the memory of others. Which is why it is not an end. No goodbyes. Just good memories." - Natasha Yar

I'm sorry for your loss.

It's hard to imagine receiving more love during our brief flash of existence. Vinnie was one lucky dog. I remember the neighbor from hell story evolving when we got our shelter dog Nola, so this thread and Vinnie will always hold a special place in my heart - like I will always hear Vinnie with a faux Italian accent in my head.

Sorry for your loss, SR. He was loved by more people than he knew existed, and by you most of all. Sad that you lost, him, but it's good that it was quick and painless.

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss.

Sorry for your loss SR. I’m sure you gave him a great life. Thanks for your shares.

Well damn. Sorry SR. Happy to hear his last moments were peaceful.

From your description, it sounds like what Cleo had. I'm so sorry for your loss. We love them so much and but they can only be with us for such a short time.

Oh man, so sorry to hear about Vinnie.

Rip Vinnie, you good ol' pup.

Sorry to hear of your loss, SR. Loss of a beloved pet is never easy and in some ways perhaps a relief it wasn't a prolonged suffering. I'm still not quite over the loss of two childhood dogs which hit me over 10 years ago, we had to watch the vet put them down which was heartbreaking. I fear the pain of that loss and it probably explains why there's only been goldfish in the home ever since hope also the other pets are doing okay.

Aww, drat. Sorry SillyRabbit.

Sorry for your loss SillyRabbit he was the bestest boy

Thank you all so much.

I found this thread after a couple year hiatus. I'm so sorry your pupper passed. I will miss him. Since your fence drama I have lost 2 puppers and 1 kitter. They take a piece of you and leave a piece of them in their place. Don't ever forget their story and they will never be taken from you. Be well my friend and rest in power Vinnie.

Hey, SR - I came across this after looking at Amoebic’s front page post about the new GWJ store, as it had a link to the Wayback archive of all of the great old threads on the site. I think I joined somewhere around the time that this was all originally happening, so I missed (?) it.

It’s been a few years, but for today, another GWJ person and fellow dog lover relived the tale, smiled at Vinnie’s pictures, and sadly read the last few posts. I’ve largely been away from the site over the past few years, and re-reading posts from the people I used to see more often was also a pleasure.

I’m sorry for how this all started, and had my own pups at my feet for much of the day; thank you for writing all of this.

Hey Hip Gamer, good to see you again!

I've been thinking about this thread a lot lately, and had thought of resurrecting it to say that if Mario had been around then, he would probably have cast Vinnie in a tale of adventure!

Vinnie's loss was a blow to me and I still think of him daily. A year ago in January, my brother contacted me about a dog that his friend was going to relinquish to the humane society, and that the dog reminded him of Vinnie. The dog had been abused and I told him to just bring it to me right then and that I would figure out what to do with him. At that time I was still getting over losing not only Vinnie suddenly, but 6 months prior, losing Josie. Josie was a corgi / shepherd mix and was just the best dog ever. I think in my story about Vinnie I described how she never fought the other dogs, but she put herself in front of him to protect him. She was an amazing dog, and remarkable with her corgi body and german shepherd head. Josie was the most loving and reliable soul, playful and joyful. I took her in as a foster from a rescue program when she was 6 months old and she was with me until her last day at 15+ years.

It had been a while, but I wasn't over the loss of Josie and Vinnie, and I still had Mei Mei, who was also really mourning the loss. She's not much younger than Josie and Vinnie were, best I can cipher, she's 16 now, and I was thinking that I would just be a single dog mom until she "aged out" - and then maybe I wouldn't have any dogs for a while. Maybe go to the beach.

I've said a lot about Vinnie, and he is memorialized in this thread. That makes my heart so happy, you all don't even know. And I've described Josie a little more too.

All of this to say, the dog that my brother brought to me is like the perfect combination of Josie and Vinnie. It's uncanny. It took me a very long time to name him. His prior name was Drogon, or maybe Drago, and. No. That's not him. He's such a lovable and loyal playful guy. He seems to be a lab or golden retriever and GSD mix. Happy-go-lucky like Josie was and cuddly and protective like Vinnie was. He brought new life to Mei Mei, who I had assumed was about to expire, but she's playful and happy now. He also lifted my spirits so much. I called him Buddy from the start, but he soon became Mr. Peanut Butter because he's just a big sweet goofy guy! At some point Charlie was an option. If he had been a girl I would have named him Jennie, as a mix of Josie and Vinnie. His official name is Charles Benjamin Peanut Butter, but he goes by Bennie.

About 6 months later, the day after my birthday, a dog appeared on my doorstep. To make a long story short, she stayed, no other owners were found. She's a pit bull mix, as loving and mild mannered as any dog can be. Immediately she fit in with Mei Mei and Bennie, I named her Daisy. I felt like Josie and Vinnie guided these dogs to me somehow.

Mei Mei is so happy to have her dogmates, she acts like she could live forever. She's a black lab / pit bull mix, and she has become an elegant old lady. She came to me when she was about 2 years old. It was an emergency rescue from a hoarding situation and I agreed to foster her. You see my track record with fostering.

And as of a week ago, I am fostering my brother's dog, and I anticipate that he will be staying with me forever. He's a german shepherd mix, his name is Buster. He's such a good boy, and they all get along great.

Vinnie the Wonder Dog lives on in those who remember! And those who forget? Well, he pities the fool.

Have you posted your new additions in the Post a picture of your pet thread?

As if there needed to be any more evidence that dogs pick their owners

I absolutely need to post some pictures. I enjoy that thread so much, but I don't think I've posted any of my new crew. I'll rectify that soon.