Put a dog down today

[BJK]

We've had to do it far too often and it's never easy. But she was in pain and it was the kindest thing to do for her. She could barely walk, but never cried out. She had a good life and brought joy into ours for 13 years. She was our longest lived dog.

FWIW, that is NOT her as my avatar. That's just a generic avatar that the forum supplies.

[Winger Ed.]

Sorry to hear that.
'Willie', our 12 pound, tater tot looking, Heinz 57 is 16.
We're not looking forward to what his future will bring.

[dkonrai]

Hardest part of owning a pet. 5 cats, 4 dogs that we put down. It's never easy. Sorry for your loss.

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[00buck]

I feel for you.
I had my dog for 16 years and it was very hard to have her put to sleep.
But we don’t want them to suffer either.
Time will heal.

My cat lived for 18 years.

[Shawlerbrook]

Condolences from Central NYS. Been their a few times and it hurts to the core every time. Take comfort in the fact that the great memories live on forever. The Rainbow Bridge.

[XDROB]

Sorry to hear. It's not easy putting a pet down. You did it for a good reason. She's not in pain anymore.

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[pworley1]

Sorry for your loss.

[tankgunner59]

We had to put our Border Collie/ Austrailian Shepherd mix down a year ago, and yes, it's not something you wish to do. Our girl had had a cancer tumor in her mouth before this and we had it removed. The cancer returned in her shoulder and while playing one day her shoulder popped and she went downhill from there. And like you she was the third dog we had to have put down and it really messes with your head.
Sorry to hear about your situation.

[Electrod47]

I started to write somethings about my own pets I'v lost. It's hard. I feel for you buddy. Remember the good times.

[BJK]

Thanks folks. Yes, it doesn't get any easier. I can't imagine how it hurts YHVH to lose a soul and he loses millions of them.

When we took the male AmStaff out approx' an hour after the vet left with Star he was obviously searching for her. He was heard to whimper a few times. He knows something happened. He'll figure it out eventually. Dogs grieve too.

They were companions for each other and he isn't going to be alone. Neither will we be for long. I've had my eye on the breed Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Think of a much smaller AmStaff. Same pretty much everything just noticeably smaller and 1/2 the weight, same dense build. Both Star and our present male were supposed to be Staf' bull terriers but we took them as rescue dogs. But I'm getting too old for big dogs anymore.

[bayjoe]

I feel for you. Man it is tough letting them go. But you did right by the dog, by not letting it suffer.

[memtb]

Sorry to hears this.....my condolences! It never gets easier! memtb

[Buzz Krumhunger]

It’s a sad duty but we have to do it for them. I’ve had to put down over a dozen over the years. It’s hard. My condolences.

[rockrat]

sorry to hear of your loss. You did the last act of kindness you could do for your pet. Its not easy, not in the least little bit. Keep remembering them and they will live forever in your heart.

[cwlongshot]

So so sorry to read BJK..

I had to do this last November. She was our "best" lil girl and sure just as special as yours. I still have a hole in my heart. They bring SO MUCH LOVE, Im still
Lost without her greeting me at the door.

Please accept my most sincere condolences.

CW.

[444ttd]

sorry to hear of your loss.

it never gets easier, but i do it anyway. my first dog was put to sleep after 19.5 years. she was family.

[Handloader109]

Well, it's never easy. We put out gifted to us dachshund that we'd had for about 12 years down 2 years ago. I had to put down the male rat terror last fall, he and his two sisters were 13 at the time. They still look for him. Their dad also last year, he was about 15 and had gotten really frail. The two girls are still doing well and are over 14 now. But its always hard. We'll see them again later

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[cwlongshot]

Well, it's never easy. We put out gifted to us dachshund that we'd had for about 12 years down 2 years ago. I had to put down the male rat terror last fall, he and his two sisters were 13 at the time. They still look for him. Their dad also last year, he was about 15 and had gotten really frail. The two girls are still doing well and are over 14 now. But its always hard. We'll see them again later

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I pray thats true..

[MrWolf]

Very sorry for your loss. I know when my buddy goes (Ruger I my avatar) I will be crying like a baby. He is the best dog i have ever had and is a great companion. As said bu another, I hope we will see each other again.

[ChuckJaxFL]

I feel for you. I went through this last year. I always knew it would be bad when it came. I was just broken.
My wife, smartly, looked online that very day for another dog. She said that sun must not set on the house without a dog in it. She found us Sadie, a vizsla, that had been abandoned by her family. They moved out, threw a bag of food in yard, and left her. We went to meet her, she immediately climbed up into my lap and flipped belly up.

I hope you can ‘recover’ as much as any of us ever do when we lose one of our buddies. Hopefully knowing how many of us share your feelings helps.

[45workhorse]

I feel your pain. It was hard to drive home by myself, my K9 partner....

[contender1]

I, like so many,, understand your pain & our hearts go out to you. We humans outlive our pets,, but they bring so much life to our lives. While we only have cats currently,, we understand it doesn't matter what kind of pet,, it still hurts. Take comfort in knowing you cared for & loved your dog,, and gave her a good life.

[BJK]

Handloader109, I sure hope we see our dogs again! Good souls IMO! I loved and bonded with all of them. I can't see how any of them would burn up in YHVHs shakina glory if they make it there but I'm not in charge of getting them there to bask in it.

[buckwheatpaul]

We've had to do it far too often and it's never easy. But she was in pain and it was the kindest thing to do for her. She could barely walk, but never cried out. She had a good life and brought joy into ours for 13 years. She was our longest lived dog.

FWIW, that is NOT her as my avatar. That's just a generic avatar that the forum supplies.

BJK I am so sorry for your loss....a dog is family and doing the right, though the hard thing, is a most terrible thing. We have multiple dogs and it is always my job.....I just hope and believe that they will be waiting for us when we get with Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit.....

[trapper9260]

Sorry to hear , I know how it is ,I had to do with my dogs and coydogs. Still think of the good times I had with them. no matter how hard it is to do it I look after the well fare of them . Hang in there the longest one I had was 16 years and he was a coyote , dog , wolf mix , I got him and his brother when I was trapping coyotes and the vet said they where about 6 1/2 weeks old. his brother I lost to cancer he was 1 month short of 12 years old .The photo you see me have is the coydog I have now , he is mix with coyote and boarder collie . I got him when he was 8 weeks and now over 7 years old .

[JSnover]

Sorry for your loss.
My experience with older pets boils down to 'they'll tell you when it's time' but it's never easy.

[starnbar]

I don't have the words I know the now empty place.

[bakerjw]

Sorry for your loss. It is VERY hard to do.

We've only had to put one pet down in our long time married. Our cat Louise of 17 years. I got to be the one to do it while my wife was at work. My best friend, Hope who worked with me, was there for me at work that day. When my wife got home, we put Louise in a nice pillowcase with some of her toys and buried her in the back yard crying the whole time. It still brings tears to my eyes.

If there is a god, he'll let me die before Mittens.

[lightman]

I'm sorry for your loss. Its never easy to loose a pet.

Our Cat will soon be 18. She got sick back in the Summer and it hit me pretty hard. She got over it but it reminded me that the day is coming.

I wish some of you guys that are needing a pet to fill a void lived closer. I know where there is a great Irish Setter that needs a good home. There is a very abusive male involved and the poor Dog is mistreated. I'm just not up to it, but I wish that I was.

[RogerDat]

Always hurts, you have my sympathy. It is sad but true that the final way one can repay the years of love they give us is in letting them go when it is to their benefit and our loss.

I have been blessed with some wonderful dogs, I look forward to being in good company and well met when my time comes.

[RogerDat]

I'm sorry for your loss. Its never easy to loose a pet.

Our Cat will soon be 18. She got sick back in the Summer and it hit me pretty hard. She got over it but it reminded me that the day is coming.

I wish some of you guys that are needing a pet to fill a void lived closer. I know where there is a great Irish Setter that needs a good home. There is a very abusive male involved and the poor Dog is mistreated. I'm just not up to it, but I wish that I was.

At some point in our lives one has to consider outliving our dog rather than the other way around. If I get another dog in addition to the 4 year old we have now it will be an adult rescue. One who I will accept the need to say goodbye to but for what remains of their life they will have a good "pack" and home. Knowing I am not as likely to leave a mature "unadoptable" dog I love to be uncared for or euthanized compensates for not raising them from a puppy and enjoying those early years.

[Gator 45/70]

Condolences man, It's never easy.

[Lefty Red]

Condolences, it’s never easy. When I have a great dog, I can never have another one in that breed. Just not fair to the other pup, cause I already had the best of the breed.

[gbrown]

Had to put our Joey (14 yoa) down back in August. Probably a stroke, lost all use of his hind legs. Surrounded by his loving family. Really sad, I feel for you and your loss. It was so sad to lose my best buddy. Not the 1st time, I'm afraid. It hurts, all I can say. Go forward and celebrate their time with you and their life. You gave them the best life you could.

[Txcowboy52]

Sorry for your loss. Very hard thing to do .

[bedbugbilly]

You all are in our thoughts and prayers . . . . not easy but perhaps the greatest act of love for a devoted friend.Our dogs are our "kids". Last March we had to say goodbye to our Riley - he was just a month shy of 14 and in the past 50 years, one of our favorites . . . hf logged in almost 30,000 miles with us traveling back and forth between Michigan and Arizona.

I told my wife that when the time was right, Riley would send her a friend and in June, he did. She found a small rescue dog at a Humane Society . . . as soon as we saw him we knew he was coming home with us. She named him "Lucky" because we were blessed and lucky to find him and he was lucky to find us. He has settled right in and he is a smart, loving little guy.

Cherish the good memories and the love and devotion you shared. When the time is right, there is another one out there who is looking for a good loving home that you and yours can provide. There is a reason "dog" is "God" spelled backwards . . . .

[shdwlkr]

Had to put down a pet earlier this year because somehow she got poisoned and there was nothing that could be done but to end her suffering. She died in my arms it was the kindest thing I could do for and yes I still miss her almost everyday when I see something that reminds me of her.

[beemer]

Really sorry to here this. They become part of the life and cared for.

Had to put our little Maltipoo, mostly poo I think, down recently. I thought I was going to have to sent my wife along with Shelly, the little dog was her shadow.. My cousin gave her a black Shi Tzu that turned into a little clown after getting used to being here. My little Gracie is a silver-gray terrier of some kind, 15 pounds of dog and 5 pounds of fur. I think she was supposed to be a designer dog, but no one wanted her, for the life of me I can't figure out why.

Best Wishes
Dave

[BJK]

They do form strong bonds with us and us with them don't we?

We're going to check the various shelters to see if we can find what we want. We love Shadow (still not himself BTW) but he was supposed to be a dog half his size, or at least that was the plan. But we really need to transition to smaller dogs. I don't know if I wrote it, but we started with Rotties and then a Cane Corso. Well, the AmStaff definitely is smaller than the 150# dogs. But this next "sister" for him I want a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Same AmStaff mindset but in a body 1/2 the size and weight. Basically a big dog in a small body. I've been looking online every day. We might be forced to buy one.

edit: The wife is adamant about a meet and greet for him and the sake of the adopted dog. That pretty much means a shelter dog since there are no SBT breeders in Maine.

[samari46]

Had to have my North American pitbull terrier Bob put to sleep. Had cancer and problems with his hips. Miss him so much it hurts. My daughters fence got wrecked when Ida came through her area. So we have her pure bred German Shepard Floki. Big doofy shepard but likeable all the same. Frank

[contender1]

Going after a shelter dog is a good idea. I have always seemed to adopt strays around here. However,, after the loss of a beloved cat in July,, Miss Penny didn't want to "wait" to find her a cuddle kitty.
We discussed waiting on a stray,, vs. a shelter,, vs looking for a breeder.

A shelter animal is often a stray someone wanted to rescue,, but couldn't keep themselves. And,, most often,, these strays,, turn out to be the best overall.

So, our shelter kitty was selected.

Besides the absolutely STUPID rules due to covid,, (no way to go to the shelter to see any animals in person, no way to see how the animals interact with us, using zoon, zoom,, or whatever it was to watch a video of the cat, etc,, the weird way the paperwork was handled, & gosh knows whatever all else my better half had to do,) we were able to adopt a kitty.

It has been 2 weeks now since we brought home our newest fur baby. And,, he has been just about perfect.

I truly think God has a way of helping us select a pet,, dog or cat,, that "fits" us all.

[jonp]

Our Valley Bulldog found dog is about 12yrs and is going south fast. She walked up to the house one day right after we bought it and stayed. Wife says we are going to sell when the house dog is gone. We just might do that as not having Ralph around won't seem right.

[jonp]

Going after a shelter dog is a good idea. I have always seemed to adopt strays around here. However,, after the loss of a beloved cat in July,, Miss Penny didn't want to "wait" to find her a cuddle kitty.
We discussed waiting on a stray,, vs. a shelter,, vs looking for a breeder.

A shelter animal is often a stray someone wanted to rescue,, but couldn't keep themselves. And,, most often,, these strays,, turn out to be the best overall.

So, our shelter kitty was selected.

Besides the absolutely STUPID rules due to covid,, (no way to go to the shelter to see any animals in person, no way to see how the animals interact with us, using zoon, zoom,, or whatever it was to watch a video of the cat, etc,, the weird way the paperwork was handled, & gosh knows whatever all else my better half had to do,) we were able to adopt a kitty.

It has been 2 weeks now since we brought home our newest fur baby. And,, he has been just about perfect.

I truly think God has a way of helping us select a pet,, dog or cat,, that "fits" us all.

I'm not a cat person by any means and in fact would never have one in the house but is a cat breeder a thing? I never knew there was such.

[BJK]

I'm not a cat person by any means and in fact would never have one in the house but is a cat breeder a thing? I never knew there was such.

I'm not a cat person either, but there are such things as cat breeds, so there must be breeders of them.

[contender1]

Yes,, there are cat breeders,, and some EXPENSIVE breeds as well.

I didn't mean that the OP should get a cat,, I was just expressing what we just went through.

[BJK]

Contender1 I never entertained for even a second the thought that you were suggesting a cat for me. I'm definitely a dog person, but I can tolerate cats, and they're OK on a sandwich with mayo' until one runs out of pickle. Long story and it involves a GI low on cash and the road on the way to St.Mere Iglese from Paris. But I was really hungry and the price was right.

[BJK]

We've been searching out dogs we would want. All sorts of dogs available, but our search is fairly narrow. We may be forced to contact breeders. Shadow is loving it since he gets to ride in the car with mom and dad. He sorta reminds me of what's his face lashed to the mast shouting, "I"M SAILING!". (Bill Murry?)