Skipper
2002
Sorry to hear that, Jason. He lived a long life, and as a distinguished looking chap as well.
Thanks for the nice thoughts, folks. He did live a long life and was very active right up until his final illness, which was thankfully very brief.
Brooski
2004
Wow 16 years. Sorry about that, Jason. Losing a pet is very hard.
rshetts
2007
You have my sympathies on your loss. Its so hard to know what to say in these situations. Fate has played such a cruel joke on man by bring him the dog. Such a loyal, awesome friend and companion but so short lived compared to man. I so dread the day I lose my friend, Chewie, it will kill me inside.
But for now I will enjoy how awesome he is and how lucky Ive been to have him as a friend. This is Chewie a few days ago, contemplating ninjaing a beer on my brothers boat.
Chronic
2008
Itās always tough, Iām sorry for your loss. I had to make the hard choice four weeks ago with my buddy Tank. He just about made it to 13 which is a pretty good span for a GSD. He had a degenerative spinal disease and in classic ā5 stages of griefā fashion I spent the last 6 months sure the vet didnāt know what he was walking about, Tank was just getting old. They said he would have about 6 months after diagnosis and unfortunately that was right on. He seemed āfineā the day before but the next day he wouldnāt get up and wouldnāt drink, I think he was just done. We did an in home Euthanasia service which Iām glad we used it made for an easier goodbye.
We got Tank when my oldest was in Kindergarten and I just dropped him at college this weekend (but thatās a whole different emotional thread :-) )
Hereās my favorite pic from when he wasnāt as gray and his ears still stood up.
And here a few months back with my daughter. These two were inseparable.
Chronic, thanks and what can I say? Only that I know how you feel. And, again, thanks to everybody here for their kind thoughts. Mr. S leaves us with some great memories.
I feel for you. My GSD, Beowulf, went to his reward a few years ago, at almost 13 as well. We did in home too, with our younger girl dog there (the vet said it helped them with their grief, and it seemed to work). It was hard; I carried him in as a puppy, and carried him out on his final ride after the vet did his thing.
But we have our two standard poodles at the moment, and you just have to enjoy them and count your blessings for all the joy they bring. Everything passes, but itās what you do while your hereāand what you get from each otherāthat matters.
Skipper
2012
Not to continue on a tough topic, but as someone with two older dogs in the house, can you guys comment on the in-home euthanasia? Did you find that service advertised or just call different vets? And as Iām familiar (unfortunately) with the timeline of the same at the vet, is it a fairly quick process at home as well both for us and for our pet?
Well, we have used the same vet for, what, twenty years, maybe? So it was an easy decisions to follow his advice.
For my big buddy Beowulf, we laid out a nice cloth (and old mattress pad he found comfy) on the kitchen floor. As he lay down there, I held him and pet him, and our other dog, at the vetās recommendation, was in there with us. She was pretty subdued, but attentive. The vet administered the shot and I just held my boy until his eyes closed and it was done.
It was all very much better than the last time we had to put a dog to sleep, my wifeās beloved mutt of 15 years, Mothra, who the same vet euthanized but at the office. This was much more personal, and sad as it was, it was more, I donāt know, a sense of proper closure.
I recommend it if you have a vet you know and trust.
Skipper
2014
I do, and Iāll inquire. Iām getting there pretty fast. My dog is 10, and French Bulldogs are not a long lived breed. My SOās dog is close to 13 now, but her Chihuahua shows no signs of slowing down.
What exacerbated this was that we took them on a walk this weekend in relatively mild weather. But my dog didnāt even make it 10 minutes in before he was so winded he couldnāt move. Thatās nowhere near his usual limit, and it wasnāt in any way hot or humid which is something you always need to be aware of with frenchies. It was pretty overwhelming, I thought I actually might lose him right there in the middle of his walk.
Dogs are such a wonderful gift to us as companions, they attach to our emotions in a huge way. I am not ready to lose my Buddy.
So not my pet, but I got to meet this puppy this past weekend.
Such a sweetheart. Her former owners took terrible care of her, so then just left her at a shelter thatās in a partnership with my wifeās sisterās vet clinic. After doing surgery for an intussusception, sheās now recovering nicely, and weāre trying to get her adopted.
Weāre REALLY scheming to get my wifeās retired parents to adopt her, ultimately. ;) Sheās a bull mastiff, so even at a few months sheās pretty big, and such a sweet dog. Loves people. Hopefully we can get her a good home.
Skipper
2017
Beautiful brindle color on that puppy! Iāve not yet met a Bull Mastiff that wasnāt as gentle as a lamb, timid even, considering their size. They are wonderful dogs it seems.
That was exactly her demeanor, though we were told itās because sheās still recovering from surgery, and is getting a bit more energetic every day. Still, weāre told sheāll still be overall very gentle, perfect for the wifeās parents. :)
rshetts
2019
She is a beauty, thatās for sure! I hope, if your in laws donāt take her that she finds the loving home she deserves.
No, we certainly are not.
Is that your cat, Timex? Looks like a lovey-dovey. Though he also looks like he has the IQ of a rutabaga. We have a tomcat whoās about as bright as a burned-out bulb too. Lovable, but not the sharpest pencil in the box. A Crayon, in fact.
