this is so funny, i have 2 dogs, a 7 yr old Collie Malamut cross and a 1.5 yr old collie shepard cross. the old boy is nearing the end of middle age, the young is a very mature puppy.
i take them EVERYWHERE i go.
the otherday i left them both in the house, ran an errand, came home for a few minutes them left again. when i got home the second time the old boy looks up from his nap "oh, your home, good. i have to piss", the young one sat on the side of the couch with her eyes squinted saying "bastard, you left me home TWICE today!!"
Putting your own dog down often goes badly. I had a college buddy who would tell his story when plied with enough liquor. Fortunately he's the kind of a guy who can tell such a story and have everybody feeling sorry for him while in fits of laughter.
I can't do it justice but the gist of the story is that he took his old dog out to the woods and dug a hole and had it sit in it while he shot it. The poor old pup was 15 and barely able to function anymore. It was a hard thing to do but he wanted to be the one to do it after having the dog since my friend was a child. Anyway the bullet went through the dog, ricocheted on a rock and hit buddy in the chest. He stumbled back to the truck and drove himself to the ER where the nurse found him bawling in the waiting room. She was concerned that he was in extreme pain but he wouldn't let her treat him. Finally he blurted out how he ended up there and was immediately bumped to the front of the line.
yep, those tough old buggers. everyone would call dad to put down their dogs or cats since he never missed and seemed cold hearted...
well, one day i was chasing my sister out the front door of the farm house and a kitten got under my foot and hurt it badly. dad came out and picked up the kitten like she was a china doll and headed around back of the house. i ran around the other side and peeked around the corner (i was only 6 or 7) and watched as dad broke the kittens neck... i thought "you cold hearted bugger"...
that was till he looked my way with tears streaming down his face.
years later i asked him about it. he said, "someone has to do it, at least if i do it, i know it will be done right. it was never easy."
i learned new respect for the old fart after that conversation...
to me a dog is your best friend and even after there gone, they still are a part of you.
It makes me so mad when i see mistreated and beaten dogs. I work at a dog kennel and there are some many dogs that come in that have been abused. It is really sad. Thankfully the owner/boss will not tolerate this and has reported a few owners, had arguments with others, adopt dogs from abusive owners and flat out banned several.
Im 22 and have only seen my dad cry once.
When i was little we had to dogs a black lab and a cockier spaniel. When i was just a few months old they got the 2 dogs as pups. They quickly became my best friends and guardians. i can remember riding them like horses and running through the woods with them and my father. as i got old the lab got very protective of me, to the point to where he started biting people that got near me. I was young so my parents told me that they had to let the lab go because he needed to be free. I can remember them telling me they left a big bag of dog food in the woods for him and he was going to be a real dog living in the forest.
I was young i believed them.
a year ago me and my dad were duck hunting. in the quiet of the foggy morning waiting for the sun rise and ducks. My dad whispers " i need to tell you about Beau"(the lab)
he explained the true story. The county had told my father that he either had to put the dog down or they would seize him. My dad told me he decided if somebody was going to put the dog down he would. He took the dog to the woods we always ran in and dug his grave. He then shot the beloved dog. As if that wasnt hard enough, the first shot didnt kill him. He had to shot him again.
That morning most emotion i have ever seen in my father. He told me it was the worst day of his life and thinks of it everyday. He also has never shot that pistol since then either.
a bond between man and dog is the only true example of a unconditional love.
I'm sorry man. I had to put my schnauzer down 1.5 years ago and it still tears me up. He was 12 and in a lot of pain. He is buried under the shade of his favorite tree. Since then, my other dog often lays on the grave of his buddy. Tears me up everytime.
well it's done. the s***ty part was when I got home she was all happy to see me but it had to be done....she was pretty nonfunctional anymore and in pain. she's buried by the fish shack where she always hung out, I'm really gonna miss her, fxxx she was such a good dog.
her in better days...sorry to s*** on your thread Wayne.
A dog is your companion, your friend, your child, your protector.
We lost our first at 4 to cancer. She made it 6 months after the diagnosis but finally you could see the pain was too much, my wife and I held her while the vet put her to sleep. We had her cremated. I'm tearing up as I write this.
Our current dong is a golden lab mix and she is our baby. She slept under my son's crib when he was born and they've been best friends his whole life (she is 10, he is 5). We refer to them as brother and sister.
Thankfully she is in perfect health but who knows how many years she has left, I truly dread the inevitable day, for her, for us, and most of all for my son.
I think we are getting a puppy next summer start the next generation. A house without a dog is not a home.
well it's done. the s***ty part was when I got home she was all happy to see me but it had to be done....she was pretty nonfunctional anymore and in pain. she's buried by the fish shack where she always hung out, I'm really gonna miss her, fxxx she was such a good dog.
her in better days...sorry to s*** on your thread Wayne.
Growing up, I couldn't have a dog due to allergies. After years of injections, we got my first dog 3 years ago. He's even hypoallergenic. Has hair not fur.
I can't imagine life without him now. We don't have kids yet, so he's sorta taken on that role for the time being. He is definitely our best friend and companion. We would do anything for him.
I know some of you guys rag on him because of his size, but he is the most determined, fearless and tenacious mofo.
Here he is swimming on Chappaquidick and after we hiked 3600' at Stowe. The little bastid just tore up the trail and never stopped. I was sucking wind.
I can't imagine the day he crosses the Golden Bridge, but I hope that I was able to provide the best life for Haggis the Cairn Terrier.
well it's done. the ****ty part was when I got home she was all happy to see me but it had to be done....she was pretty nonfunctional anymore and in pain. she's buried by the fish shack where she always hung out, I'm really gonna miss her, **** she was such a good dog.
her in better days...sorry to **** on your thread Wayne.
I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I have two dogs, 13 and 15, and I feel the end is near and I don't know how in the hell I'm going to handle it. I know my wife will be a basket case.
Just trying to add some levity.
Again, never gets easier.
