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Well, the not bright side...we had to make the decision last night to put down our 10 year old Pug, Gertie.  Part of me is mad that she still had a lot of love to give. But over the past 18 months, she had a major surgery on her parathyroid, and then this past fall was diagnosed with pug myelopathy, a spinal condition that was robbing her of her ability to use her back legs. This led to her having trouble going potty easily, and that of course led to infections and other issues. We did all we could to treat her and make her comfortable, but over the past couple of weeks we could tell she was struggling more and more. We aren't sure if she actually got a whole night's sleep in the last week or so--she would just cry and sit up, like she couldn't get comfortable. The past couple of days she was crying almost nonstop, and even though she acted like she wanted us to pet her, she would also pull away. Yesterday, she couldn't even stand up and could barely sit. I wish we could have planned things out better and given her a truly wonderful last day, but we made the decision to end her suffering. Looking at her, we could tell she wasn't really Gertie anymore. She wasn't even really a dog anymore. This is truly the hardest thing we have had to do, and while I know it was the right thing for her, I would be lying if I didn't say that I feel awful that she is gone. She was a true "velcro pug"--all she wanted was to be by her humans. She followed my wife everywhere, like a shadow. Even Gimli, our Boston Terrier, is confused--he just sort of wanders around aimlessly. I don't know how I will feel coming home from work in the future and not being greeted by her wagging tail, or her waking me up by licking my head. This is going to sting for a long, long time.

What Hank said, Maynard. Based upon her ailments, you did NOT end things too soon. I feel your pain having lost two family members in the past couple of years. I’ve cried 5 times in 25 years and every damn time it’s over a dog. You’ll get better day by day.

Last edited by Blair Kiel

When I first met the lady who would become my wife, they had a dog named Smokey (spell?)  (a black Labrador) on their farm who was getting up there in years.  One day my mother-in-law was backing out of the garage and did not see Smokey and ran Smokey over.  Smokey had hearing problems and did not hear her coming.  Shortly thereafter Smokey was put down.  It was clear that they were attached to the dog.  It was a sad day for all.  My mother-in-law later would say the dog got that run down feeling.  So I understand Maynard.  

We've had quite a few dogs (and a few horses), and then quite a few tears. I can go for a few months and then it's "We need to get a dog." Though when my current horse goes, that will be it for the horses. I'm getting too old to put up with the big pet shenanigans. Ginger is an old mare now and I tear up now thinking she probably won't have much longer. (She's 32.)

You realize we do this type of thread every time someone has to have a beloved pet put down, don't you? What would we do without x4?

Goldie posted:

Our wiener dog was 13 when we had to put her to sleep........so sad, she’d just stare into space, she’s lose her balance and did stop eating.  Was about a 3 month process from noticing symptoms to her death.  Last doggie we had......miss her terribly.  

First, you know we love you here, Goldie.

Second, just so you know, whenever we read your posts, we stare into space, lose our balance and stop eating as well. 

Last edited by Blair Kiel
Blair Kiel posted:
Goldie posted:

Our wiener dog was 13 when we had to put her to sleep........so sad, she’d just stare into space, she’s lose her balance and did stop eating.  Was about a 3 month process from noticing symptoms to her death.  Last doggie we had......miss her terribly.  

First, you know we love you here, Goldie.

Second, just so you know, whenever we read your posts, we stare into space, lose our balance and stop eating as well. 

  

 

Sorry to hear that @Maynard. Our dog had a slow decline like that at about 10 years old. Didn't need any surgeries or anything but I think his liver grew to the point it was squeezing his heart and lungs. Last couple of weeks he was alive were pretty bad.

Then we had the perfectly healthy cat that was walking from one room to another and just dropped dead in his tracks. He had some kind of enlarged heart that we weren't aware of because he was indoors. An outdoor cat would have been doing a lot of heavy panting with the extra exercise. 

I'd much rather die like that cat did. Just fall over and piss all over the floor. 

This guy. Back in '90 I went to the animal shelter to get a dog. I didn't want a small pup, wanted something I could run with. There was a fenced area out back with a tree stump and some bigger breeds running around. I walked around a bit and then took a seat on that stump. Few minutes later this guy came lumbering along, all paws, and plopped on the my lap, drooling and shlobbering. He was with me for nearly 15 years. His last breaths he was laying on my lap shlobbering like the day he picked me.

This guy was this man's best friend.

nazz

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  • nazz

Best dog ever story,  we had a corgi mini Aussie mix, 5 years old.  Best dog ever, did not need a leash, did not incessantly bark and loved people. I took her for a walk in the woods on New Year's Day a few years back.  I threw a stick for her to retrieve, she ran after it at full speed, jumped over a log and impaled herself on a sharp stick on the other side.  Her lung was ruptured and the vet said there was little to no hope for her in that condition.  She died on my lap....a very tough day for my wife and I.  After a few months of saying to our selves that we could not go thru that again, guess what, we are the proud owners of her niece, same size, same crosses basically the same traits.

She now is the best dog ever.

I probably shouldn’t post this, people might not like me anymore...oh wait, not a problem.

we had the world’s dumbest black lab. I used to show my students a list of all the frustration and money she used to cost us. Among the e tensile lists were things like...

*Ate my daughters Easter dress off the clothes line

*Chewed through the pull cord of our lawn mower

*I spent a couple of hundred dollars on material to build a dog house...she never went in it.

*I put in an underground fence system.  It rarely stopped her. If she saw a squirrel she’d take off running, yelp when she passed over the wire and would disappear down the road. 

* **

So, I used to put a cartoon picture on the screen of a dog being (humorously) punished when I gave my assignment at the end of class. Stuff like a blind folded dog walking towards a cliff, or a dog parachuting with a broken parachute, or a dog sitting on the front of the Titanic, or a dog smoking.

It was all in good fun and I probably cared more for that dog than anyone else in my family. We ended up taking her to the humane society after she attacked and nearly killed a neighbors dog that wandered into our yard.

We really did try everything to train her and calm her down, but we failed her.

We never got a second dog.

Will you people stop making me ?

But...maybe another "bad dog" story will help. Daughter brought home a puppy given to her by a friend. She named him, "Stoner." Not what you think. The stupid pup actually tried chewing on the gravel in the driveway. She's still in school, so guess who has to try and train the mental midget. It turns out that the only absolute main goal in this dog's life was to chase vehicles. And we're 1/5 mile from any road, but off he'd go. We tried every advice known to man, still didn't get through to him. When that dog took off (and he was good at figuring that out too), he was off like a flash and no way could he get called back or anything. I had really had it one day when I was chasing him down on foot, a woman in a van stops and asks me if that was my dog that was down the road. I said, "If a brown one, yes." She then proceeds to chew me out, and told me maybe he needs to be with someone who can take care of him. But then she drove off before I could tell her that she could have him.

One stormy night he managed to slip out of his collar. He was nowhere to be seen. A few days later we saw a dog of his description in the paper under "Found dogs" at the Humane Society. We never went. I secretly hoped he ended up with the woman in the van.

But since then we've had a variety of dogs, each with their own personality, dearly loved, and very thankfully, not a "Stoner."

I had a mutt that would always run off, not after anything, just to explore.  If I saw her about to run off and called her name she'd turn, look at me, and then take off on her merry way anyway.  She was becoming quite the nuisance to the nearby farms and homes.  I'd have to go retrieve her when she finally ended up at someone's house.

A couple years of this and I came home one day to find her listless and laying in the front yard.  Turns out some neighbor must have reached his end with her - she had been shot in the hind quarter, fractured a bone.  Luckily I have a vet friend and she brought over antibiotics for her.  And that's all we did.  She laid around for about 7-10 days and then got back to walking around with a slight hitch in her giddyup.  She never ran away again.  That was good.

I don't know how many years after that but I had taken Monday off because of a Sunday night Lambeau game.  That dog proceeded to have seizure after seizure that day (even tho at the time I didn't know what was going on) and by the end of the day I was crying like a baby as I held her in my arms and the put 'em down shot took the life out of her.  What a Monday...

I now have my boy Jax who's mom is full border collie and dad was husky/german shepherd mix.  He's freaking awesome!  I swear he understands English.  He likes to run too but only to chase other animals - and he comes back on his own!  

justanotherpackerfan posted:

I probably shouldn’t post this, people might not like me anymore...oh wait, not a problem.

we had the world’s dumbest black lab. I used to show my students a list of all the frustration and money she used to cost us. Among the e tensile lists were things like...

*Ate my daughters Easter dress off the clothes line

*Chewed through the pull cord of our lawn mower

*I spent a couple of hundred dollars on material to build a dog house...she never went in it.

*I put in an underground fence system.  It rarely stopped her. If she saw a squirrel she’d take off running, yelp when she passed over the wire and would disappear down the road. 

* **

So, I used to put a cartoon picture on the screen of a dog being (humorously) punished when I gave my assignment at the end of class. Stuff like a blind folded dog walking towards a cliff, or a dog parachuting with a broken parachute, or a dog sitting on the front of the Titanic, or a dog smoking.

It was all in good fun and I probably cared more for that dog than anyone else in my family. We ended up taking her to the humane society after she attacked and nearly killed a neighbors dog that wandered into our yard.

We really did try everything to train her and calm her down, but we failed her.

We never got a second dog.

Sounds like a lab to me.

Farm dog story!  All those acquianted with farm life will know the joys of a shit pit.  Our dog "Skeeter", yes Skeeter, walking along not knowing we just opened up the pit to empty it out being Spring and all goes right into the pit.  My dad runs over quick and grabs him by the tail, the only thing visible at this point. 

Shit dog popsicle.  Skeeter wasn't big on baths either.

Last edited by Henry
Maynard posted:

Thanks guys.  Of course we know it was the right thing, but all of the second guessing follows--was it too soon, did we decide too quickly, etc.  But she wasn't herself anymore.  I took a final photo before we took her in and she just looked "gone".

Very sorry, Maynard.  Those who haven't had, and loved, a pet (especially a dog - at least for me) will never understand the pain and sorrow when you have to let go of them.  It's good that you have your terrier still with you to ease things.  A couple of years ago, I had to make the same decision about our soon to be 15-year old lab.  He was the once in a lifetime type dog that my kids, wife and I loved so much.  I kept him going for probably longer than I should have.  I was showing a pic one day to a colleague at work and she said "he looks like he has a sadness in his eyes" and I knew it was true.  Quality of life that he deserved was no longer there.  Hang in there!  

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