sad day

[moodyskydiver 0]

My dog had to be put to sleep today. Shes been with me for 11 years.I grew up with this dog sleeping across my feet at the end of my bed. She was slowly slipping away and I knew the end was coming, but dammit I didn't think it would be today.

After a heated debate with the vet I was allowed to stay in the room with her when she went. After being a member of our family for so long she deserved to be surrounded by her family and not with strangers.She died cradled in my arms.

I think I'm going to go throw up and go to bed now.

"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

[jceman 1]

You have our sympathies, Amber.

I know it was hard, but it was good that shw was with her family and loved at the end.

Now go have a good cry and sleep.

Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money.

Why do they call it "Tourist Season" if we can't shoot them?

[wmw999 2,498]

Oh Amber -- that's so hard. It doesn't matter at all at the time that you know it's the right thing, does it? In the long run it'll help, but that's not today.

But she died being held.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[vanillasky11 0]

Im really very sorry for your loss..

You are right about her deserving to be with her family. I hope you can rest knowing shes at peace, and that you gave her a good life. Its never an easy task, making the decision you did today..

I'm sending you <<<>> and lots of huggs. I hope you feel better soon.

"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

[rjackson 0]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure that all the other people out here with pets share in your sadness.

Hang in there

---------------------------------------------

Randy

[skymut 0]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I love my dog very much, and I know how sad I would be if he had to go. My deepest sympathies

Matt
A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I'm sorry to hear of the news Amber. I know when the time comes for my pet to leave me, I will be sad as well. Take care ...

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[hooked 0]

Having just gone through this myself, a couple of months ago, I know how you are 'hurting'. I'm sending you a big hug! It will get a little easier, but not right away, and you will have very fond memories of the times you spent together. There definitely will be a big void in your life, I know, I'm there now.

Jan

--------------------------------------
Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[skydiverbrian 0]

So sorry to hear that.

In a world full of people, only some want to fly... isn't that crazy! --Seal

[Katzeye 0]

Lady - my heart goes out to you. I'm almost in tears for ya here. She was very blessed to have such a wonderful and loving partner as you.

LA*

A little something that helps and heals:

TO SUNDAE

If there's a doggy heaven,
I know that's where you are--
About a billion miles away,
Standing on a star.

It's a doggy paradise;
No fences and no leads.
There won't be any do's or don'ts.
You can do just as you please.

There'll be lots of bones to chew
And lots of holes to dig.
There'll be lots of other dogs--
Little ones and big!

You can romp and play with new-found friends
Forever, don't you see?
So, why are you sitting at the gate
Just waiting there for me?

Zoa Rockenstein 1975

****************

Epitaph To A Dog

Near this spot
Are deposited the Remains
of one
Who possessed Beauty
Without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of Man
Without his Vices.

This Praise, which would be unmeaning flattery
If inscribed over Human Ashes,
Is but a just tribute to the Memory of
"Boatswain," a Dog
Who was born at Newfoundland,
May, 1803,
And died at Newstead Abbey
Nov. 18, 1808

*************

Is a chicken omelette redundant?

[Snowbird 0]

((((HUGS))))

Pets shouldn't ever grow old

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

[Shotgun 1]

Sorry to hear that, Amber Losing a pet is just like losing a best friend... My thoughts are with you...

[TitaniumLegs 8]

I think anybody who has had pets feels your pain - I certainly do.

Have you given thought to burial? I don't know what it costs to cremate a pet, but I'll bet dogs have the same dreams of flying that people do...

(>o|-<

If you don't believe me, ask me.

[katiebear21 0]

Big hugs to you, Amber. Hopefully you'll be blessed by another companion with her same spirit!

Katie
Get your PMS glass necklace here

[Kris 0]

Oh no. Amber, I'm so sad to hear about your dog. We never know when the end is coming, what's important is to make sure that the time we spend with them was good quality time.

I'm glad you talked the vet into letting you be there. It wouldn't be right not to be surrounded by loved ones when it is your time to move on.

Hugs from your friend.

Kris

[ThighMan 5]

I am so sorry for you. HUGS and VIBES. Just remember the pain that she had. It has stopped. I wish you the very best. I know it will get better.
{{{{{{HUG}}}}}}}}}
Airborne

Airborne
Blue Skies, No Wind
Feet and Knees Together

[moodyskydiver 0]

Lets just say that the vet and I really got into it.We've taken our pets to this clinic for years,but it is now being run by the vet's son who just finished vet school apparently.

Theres a big difference between a level of professional detachment and being just plain cold and callous.What really made me lose it (and made me start acting very difficult) was him telling me "we shouldnt be selfish".I know I shouldnt be selfish but damn just let me tell her goodbye! I just did not want her to go amidst such negativity. After planting myself to the spot inside the treatment room I ran his damn vet intern out b/c I refuse to let my pet's death become some goddamn learning exercise. When it was over (oh god it was over so quickly...she was just there in my arms and then she was gone.) the vet tried to "give me a few last minutes" assuming they were going to "dispose" of her remains. I said "A few minutes hell! give me something to wrap her in and let me get the fuck out of here.Shes going home with ME!" I wrapped her in a towel and stormed out telling them to mail me the bill. I brought her home to be buried where she belonged.

sry,ya'll...I know you didn't need to hear all this.But thank you for all of your vibes, support and virtual hugs/shoulders to cry on.It means alot.

"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

[Michele 1]

I was in your shoes a few months ago, with BK, my 18 year old kitty. Slept next to me nightly, curled up next to the pillow.

I still reach for her. I still mistake Charlotte for BK. I still ache in my soul for this love lost.

And I see her in my dreams...and laugh with her there, and hold her in my heart. She still is with me. No, I can't touch her. But she still touches me - daily, in many ways.

Your love will not die - it will move into another part of your soul, and lay, waiting, for the right moment to come back. And your puppy's memory will dance across your mind, waking and sleeping, and remind you that you are unconditionally loved still...still adored, still thought of as best.

And you will remember, at times convenient and inconvenient, all the love she gave you - and you will feel that love again. And again, and again.

You were loaned her for 11 years - how wonderful. Someone trusted you with her spirit and her heart, her adoration and her soul. He who sent her called her back, and made a "good job" check mark next to your name in His book. And while it hurts, it won't forever. And while you cry, you won't forever. And while her favorite spot will be a sanctuary for a time, in time it won't...for you will have then brought her fully into your heart, and keep her alive within you.

Many hugs, Amber. I understand.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[MrHixxx 0]

I had a Pitbull "Kitti" for about 11 years that had to be put down with hip dysplaxia. Kitti was with me from the darkest period of my life through the first 7 years of rehab and my son's birth. Kitti had a wonderful fan club, which included my father who just hated Pitbulls.

We are lucky enough to have a mobile vet here who to my house and put her to sleep in my arms. I stayed up the entire night before. Cooked her steak and spent time with her. The whole thing was a nasty business, but it made a huge difference to be able to keep her home for it. Maybe you have another vet in town that can do this for you? I changed vets when my longtime doc retired and sold his business to another younger more callous guy.

-Hixxx

death,as men call him, ends what they call men
-but beauty is more now than dying’s when

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Hey Amber - sorry to hear about that - give me a call.

I understand how hard it is - its almost exactly five years since I had to put my dog to sleep. Had him for 15 years....I had just come home from making my first skydive and I was in a great mood. When I came home, Mom told me the dog, Gizmo, hadn't moved from that spot all day and she had to force water down his throat because he hadn't had anything to drink in days. Luckily the vet was a bit more sympathetic than your experience and allowed me and my sister to be in the room with him at the end. His medical problems had gone to far and the vet said that it was time......then my dog went and made it even harder by waking up and decided to jump into my lap and lick my face - afterall, why would he want to make this easier on us??? I still have his collar and name tag these five years later...

Two weeks later, as I was trying to decide at the convention if I was going to make my second tandem there, two dogs, exactly like him came up and tried to jump in my lap......

It doesn't help now - but in time you will not hurt as much, smile more at all the memories about him and always remeber how he was a part of your family.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[12bhi 0]

Blue skies Dog

[KawiZX900 0]

I know how you feel. My dog is 14 and was as frisky as ever (her name is Frisky) up until 6 months ago when she started limping severely. Now she's on doggie vikodin and is doing o.k. but this last month her hip condition has gotton so bad that she takes to just standing in one place with one leg hanging to the side, etc, etc, not good for her. she's still got spark in her and is quite vocal about us and her food. There's no hurt in her eyes or voice so we don't feel we have to make that decision yet. o.k now, i'm a mess. I'm glad you were there with your dog, I told my Mom about you today when she said that she didn't think she could be in the room when they send Frisky off. Hopefully we have some good time before that becomes something we have to do. 14 years old is 98 in doggie years, thats a pretty good haul. Perhaps she'll be a centurian.

Accelerate hard to get them looking, then slam on the fronts and rollright beside the car, hanging the back wheel at eye level for a few seconds. Guaranteed reaction- Dave Sonsky

[helicam 0]

{{{{{{HUGEHUGS}}}}}}}}}}

A poem that my vet sent us a while ago

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter

[squirrel 0]

A Dogs bill of Rights

I have the right to give and recieve unconditional love.
I have the right to a life beyond mere survival.
I have the right to be trained so I do not become the prisoner of my on behavior.
I have the right to good food and medical care.
I have the right to fresh air and green grass.
I have the right to socialize with dogs and people.
I have the right to have my needs respected.
I have the right to special time with my people.
I have the right to be foolish and silly, and make my person laugh.
I have the right to earn trust, and trust in return.
I have the right to be forgiven.
I have the right to die with dignity.
I have the right to be remembered well.

Sounds like the vet did not give your doggy thier rights. You did well, cared for her, loved her, and did your best...you did right. Be well.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[hooked 0]

My Vet send me the same poem
Jan

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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.