Saying goodbye to a beloved dog

[rowech]

I'll also say even though I know the decision was right, the second guessing wondering could she have fought it off somehow is pretty brutal. I really don't think she could have but there is a part of me that thinks "she fought everything else off." I'm sure the feelings are normal. Just sucks.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by rowech

I'll also say even though I know the decision was right, the second guessing wondering could she have fought it off somehow is pretty brutal. I really don't think she could have but there is a part of me that thinks "she fought everything else off." I'm sure the feelings are normal. Just sucks.

Don't second guess yourself, prolonging her life would have been a selfish gesture on your part. Unfortunately knowing when to let go is part of owning a pet.

Sorry for your loss.

[MizzouRah]

The feelings are normal.. but you did the right thing. She had great owners who loved her and gave her a great life!

[DaddyTorgo]

Sorry rowech - my condolences.

[Dreghorn2]

Condolences to you and your wife.

Love/Hate this thread.

[Kodos]

Sorry for your loss. It's so tough when you lose a pet.

[DaddyTorgo]

Some rare positive news for this thread

Pope Francis says dogs can go to heaven

Pope Francis has given hope to gays, unmarried couples and advocates of the Big Bang theory. Now, he has endeared himself to dog lovers, animal rights activists and vegans.

Trying to console a distraught little boy whose dog had died, Francis told him in a recent public appearance on St. Peter’s Square, “Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” While it is unclear whether the pope’s remarks helped soothe the child, they were welcomed by groups like the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who saw them as a repudiation of conservative Roman Catholic theology that says animals cannot go to heaven because they have no souls.

[Lathum]

So a somewhat bittersweet post in this thread. Please no mention on Facebook as we aren’t wanting to make a spectacle of this. We have decided after much deliberation to send our 2 year old dog Buster to live on a farm. He is a 115 lb Great Pyrenees and has just gotten to be too much to handle. He is great with the kids and very gentle and loving. That being said he is destroying our house and yard. He has chewed up carpets and even wall moldings. He takes food from our kids and chews their toys. We have to keep him in his crate when we are at work and at night when we sleep. We tried letting him sleep in our room but he was way too rambunctious. We tried putting him in the finished basement instead of his crate, where there is a couch, etc…and he kept going to the bathroom down there. When we put him out back he barks non stop, so long stretches outside are not an option, as I will not be that neighbor. So the end result is the dog spends 18-20 hours a day in his crate, that’s no way to live. The final straw is I have two kids, 4 and almost 2. The younger one is learning the stairs. The dog is very large and not great on the stairs and we are worried the dog may barrel down the stairs and hurt or kill one of my kids. We have tried training and other methods.

The breeder we got him from has in her contract that she will take the dog back. She runs a farm with several animals. Goats, cows, sheep, other dogs, etc…I think the dog will be much happier there. My wife agrees with the choice, but was a bit upset when she learned he would be living in the barn. I am fine with this, as he is a herding dog and bred to be outside with other animals. He is always scratching at our back door wanting to go outside. I know she will take good care of him and fid a fitting home for him.

We told our 4 year old the other night. That was the hardest, he was pretty upset but got over it when we gave him a new video game, that was by design. Part of me feels like a terrible person, but we have had him 1.5 years and its been nothing but one inconvenience after the other. We get no joy from the dog. In the end I know it is the right thing to do, I just feel pretty bad about it. I bring him back tonight.

Just want to get that all off my chest.

[timmae]

Tough thing to do but the right choice. Health and safety come first.. Both for your family and for your dog. A large dog being sedimentary most of the day must be tough on the dog. The dog will be happier and it sounds like your household will get back in order. Sounds like you may need an "ankle biter"!!

[BYU 14]

Agree with Timmae, as hard as it to do, it is for the best at this time as you need to think of the kids. You certainly gave the effort to make it work.

Also, don't know if this is an option, but if the breeder keeps him long term, it may be that he mellows out at some point. Our Boxer was hell on wheels through age 2, destroyed three Dwarf palm trees in our back yard, chewed a hole in the couch cushion in the family room (we were looking at getting a new one anyway, but c'mon, an entire cushion) among other things.

After age 2 he has mellowed considerably and is one of the best behaved, most gentle dogs I have owned, which is a common Boxer trait. I don't know anything about the traits of your dog, but it may just be the "puppy" phase he has to outgrow and maybe in a year will be better. Just a thought, if that would even be an option, or you have an interest in that route.

[DaddyTorgo]

That's rough Lathum - sorry to hear that.

One suggestion I might have - I'd try to take a picture or some video or something once you get him to the farm. Because every kid at some point is going to come across someone whose parents told them that as a lie instead of telling them the truth, so you want your lil guy to know that in his case it's actually the truth.

[britrock88]

Hey, at least he's actually going to live on the farm.

[corbes]

If it's any consolation for your wife, I live in rural farm country northern New England and Great Pyrenees are very common farm watchdogs up here... It's extremely ordinary around here for those dogs to live outside all year long, including through the subzero winter stretches... they're fine. Nothing makes them happier than being outside and barking at whatever it is they bark at...

[Honolulu_Blue]

Lathum, that has to be tough, but you're totally doing the right thing, not only for your family, but for the dog.

[Chief Rum]

Sorry to hear that, Lathum. I know it must be very tough, but you are making the right decision, both for your family and the dog.

Originally Posted by timmae

Sounds like you may need an "ankle biter"!!

It's all about the wiener dog.

[Chief Rum]

Okay, I didn't mean to post exactly what HB did. At least I have a picture of a wiener dog in mine.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Okay, I didn't mean to post exactly what HB did. At least I have a picture of a wiener dog in mine.

It's ok! When you're posting exactly what H_B does, you know you're doing it right!

[Lathum]

Thanks guys. Now that the day is here it feels weird. It almost feels like I have been taking care of someone else's dog for a year and a half.

[Lathum]

It is done.

One thing that made me feel better is his parents and a sister still live on the farm.

[MizzouRah]

Horrible day.. our Pomeranian dog, Zoey was hit by a car this morning and died at the vets office. She has a habit of sneaking under the fence and we have a busy road in the front of our house. Ugh.. what a horrible day.

[path12]

So sorry for Zoey. Best wishes to you all.

[timmae]

Thinking of you man... I have been on the other end and still think what if.

[PilotMan]

So sorry man. That's always been one of my fears as well as we have an escape artist too. Sucks to have a fenced yard but have to keep her on a chain when she is outside.

[MizzouRah]

Yeah.. she's never really traveled to the main road in the front, always stays in the yard. Not sure how it all happened, a young girl knocked on our front door with her wrapped up in her coat and she was crying, I thinking she was the one who hit Zoey, but either way it was very nice for her to do what she did and I'm sure if she did hit Zoey she was really torn up about it. We just grabber her and went straight to our vet who's only about 10 minutes away.

[Sweed]

So sorry to hear about Zoey. Says a lot good about the young lady bringing Zoey to you when many would have left her lay and driven away. She must be a dog\animal lover and I'm sure she is devastated too. You and yours are in my thoughts.

[Lathum]

Oh man, sorry to hear...

[MizzouRah]

Thanks everyone.. and yes Sweed, I was so enamored with getting Zoey to the vet I didn't properly thank the girl who brought her to us. I hope to see her again so I can tell her thank you very much. I believe Zoey at least got to hear our voices again.

[MizzouRah]

My wife is nuts! She already brought home a new puppy.

[claphamsa]

hopefully it cant fit under the fence.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by claphamsa

hopefully it cant fit under the fence.

He's already too fat.

[claphamsa]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

He's already too fat.

good! I never ever let my cats outside....the shit i have seen....

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by claphamsa

good! I never ever let my cats outside....the shit i have seen....

We never really had an issue with our busy street, since we are the only house that faces it. The rest of the neighborhood faces out back yard. People just drive like a holes down it. I drive slow though from our house out of the state park, heck if I was speeding, I would have killed countless squirrels/deer/possums.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Lathum

So a somewhat bittersweet post in this thread. Please no mention on Facebook as we aren’t wanting to make a spectacle of this. We have decided after much deliberation to send our 2 year old dog Buster to live on a farm. He is a 115 lb Great Pyrenees and has just gotten to be too much to handle. He is great with the kids and very gentle and loving. That being said he is destroying our house and yard. He has chewed up carpets and even wall moldings. He takes food from our kids and chews their toys. We have to keep him in his crate when we are at work and at night when we sleep. We tried letting him sleep in our room but he was way too rambunctious. We tried putting him in the finished basement instead of his crate, where there is a couch, etc…and he kept going to the bathroom down there. When we put him out back he barks non stop, so long stretches outside are not an option, as I will not be that neighbor. So the end result is the dog spends 18-20 hours a day in his crate, that’s no way to live. The final straw is I have two kids, 4 and almost 2. The younger one is learning the stairs. The dog is very large and not great on the stairs and we are worried the dog may barrel down the stairs and hurt or kill one of my kids. We have tried training and other methods.

The breeder we got him from has in her contract that she will take the dog back. She runs a farm with several animals. Goats, cows, sheep, other dogs, etc…I think the dog will be much happier there. My wife agrees with the choice, but was a bit upset when she learned he would be living in the barn. I am fine with this, as he is a herding dog and bred to be outside with other animals. He is always scratching at our back door wanting to go outside. I know she will take good care of him and fid a fitting home for him.

We told our 4 year old the other night. That was the hardest, he was pretty upset but got over it when we gave him a new video game, that was by design. Part of me feels like a terrible person, but we have had him 1.5 years and its been nothing but one inconvenience after the other. We get no joy from the dog. In the end I know it is the right thing to do, I just feel pretty bad about it. I bring him back tonight.

Just want to get that all off my chest.

On a whim I checked the breeders website this AM and he is still listed on there. She has a picture of him and he looks very happy, which I am sure he is.

I had this huge wave of guilt wash over me, I still feel pretty bad about the whole thing and miss him sometimes. The worst is when a picture of him pops up somewhere. My 4 year old still asks about him which also sucks.

I still think we did the right thing, but it sucks.

[Balldog]

Today we had to put a our 4.5 yr old bulldog, Molly, to sleep. Over the last year and a half she had become more and more aggressive before finally biting our 7-yr old son unprovoked.

My wife did a great job getting professional opinions to understand if there was a way to get her out of her funk. Last week she met with a specialist for bulldogs and we were told we absolutely must per her to sleep. She said it was if she attacks but a matter of time before she does. With 4 kids in the house we had no real other options. We tried for months to find another home but nobody wanted to deal with the aggression issues.

It was definitely harder than I thought today. More sympathy from feeling bad for her than anything else. Our 5-yr old is a little bummed because they have been together since he was 1.

[claphamsa]

[path12]

Sorry Balldog. Aggression from a dog you loved has to be tough to deal with but it's not something that can be tolerated. RIP Molly.

[Lathum]

Wow, is the 7 year old ok?

[MizzouRah]

That's sad Balldog.. hope your son is ok.

[Balldog]

Yes, he is ok. She got him on the hand pretty good. He will have a scar.

Her issue was she sensed fear constantly, even if there was no threat.

My favorite picture of her with our other dog. The big guy is a big sweetheart.

.

[AnalBumCover]

Another dreaded bump.

Rest In Peace, Pieper. You were my brother's dog for 16 long and wonderful years. And while he and his wife couldn't produce a child, you filled in that void perfectly and gave them such joy. You stayed with us until they found their adopted daughter a year ago. And while it seems you merely fulfilled your role in this world, you gave us all many, many great memories.

You were a true angel.

[Edward64]

Nice pictures and great memories. Sorry for your loss.

[Sweed]

Sorry for your loss ABC. RIP Pieper.

[MizzouRah]

Ugh.. sorry for your loss

[bob]

Need advice from those that have been through it. If we need to put our 12 year old dog to sleep, should we let our kids know that they are saying goodbye forever beforehand? Should we let our oldest (8 - her dog is her best friend) be there?

I'm a wreck right now.

[molson]

Originally Posted by bob

Need advice from those that have been through it. If we need to put our 12 year old dog to sleep, should we let our kids know that they are saying goodbye forever beforehand? Should we let our oldest (8 - her dog is her best friend) be there?

I'm a wreck right now.

Yes and yes, IMO.

I haven't gone through this as a parent, but I went though it as a child. You never forget your childhood dog. It still bugs me that my father that dropped mine off at the vet to be put down and that she was wasn't with any of us when it happened. I know DT (who used to post here) had a story about how his parents put his childhood dog down when he was away at school and that it still bothered him into adulthood. I think closure is important with pets, even for kids. It's also a real-life lesson in something heavy that is just a part of life with both dogs and human friend and family. Losing your childhood dog is the way a lot of us first experience that reality. Which is the last of many lessons our childhood dogs teach us. I think kids are short-changed that lesson when they're shielded from that reality.

[bob]

Originally Posted by molson

Yes and yes, IMO.

I haven't gone through this as a parent, but I went though it as a child. You never forget your childhood dog. It still bugs me that my father that dropped mine off at the vet to be put down and that she was wasn't with any of us when it happened. I know DT (who used to post here) had a story about how his parents put his childhood dog down when he was away at school and that it still bothered him into adulthood. I think closure is important with pets, even for kids. It's also a real-life lesson in something heavy that is just a part of life with both dogs and human friend and family. Losing your childhood dog is the way a lot of us first experience that reality. Which is last of many lessons our childhood dogs teach us.

Thanks for your input. I know that I will be there for her when the time comes. I'm pretty sure my 3 or 5 year old shouldn't be there as they were never close with Delta, but wasn't certain about my 8 year old.

I'm hoping that this isn't something we have to deal with in the next week or so, but it feels like it is coming soon. Time eventually catches up with all of us.

[MizzouRah]

Agreed.. yes and yes.. sorry for your loss

[hollmt]

Everytime. Everytime I open this thread my eyes get a little wet. I know it will happen and yet I still open the thread.

Agree with the above though. As a kid I was with mine and I'm so glad I was. I will be by them in the future as well.

Now I gotta go hug my dog who is laying behind my head. ...

[bob]

Thanks for the kind words and advice everyone.

Now, to be clear, Delta has't passed yet and may be improving. She appears to have vestibular disease, which is sorta analogous to a human having a stroke. She walks with a constantly titled head, is nauseous so has lost a good bit of weight, and is fairly low energy. However, dogs quite often improve from this condition over 2 - 4 weeks, although the head tilt may be permanent. We have seen slight improvements day to day, but sometimes it feels like we are really just looking for a sign that she's getting better.

It could also be an inner ear infection, so they are treating her with medication just in case its that as well.

Now, if in a few weeks she isn't significantly better, then it could actually be something else like a brain tumor. They could obviously do an MRI to check that now, but given the cost and the fact that we wouldn't do surgery for that at this point, there is no real reason to do it.

So it is a waiting game, which is tough to do. I hope we have a little more time to do the things she likes - chasing squirrels, hiking, eating vanilla ice cream, and sleeping my oldest kid's bed.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by bob

Thanks for the kind words and advice everyone.

Now, to be clear, Delta has't passed yet and may be improving. She appears to have vestibular disease, which is sorta analogous to a human having a stroke. She walks with a constantly titled head, is nauseous so has lost a good bit of weight, and is fairly low energy. However, dogs quite often improve from this condition over 2 - 4 weeks, although the head tilt may be permanent. We have seen slight improvements day to day, but sometimes it feels like we are really just looking for a sign that she's getting better.

It could also be an inner ear infection, so they are treating her with medication just in case its that as well.

Now, if in a few weeks she isn't significantly better, then it could actually be something else like a brain tumor. They could obviously do an MRI to check that now, but given the cost and the fact that we wouldn't do surgery for that at this point, there is no real reason to do it.

So it is a waiting game, which is tough to do. I hope we have a little more time to do the things she likes - chasing squirrels, hiking, eating vanilla ice cream, and sleeping my oldest kid's bed.

Wishing you all the best Bob, going through something similar with my 12 year old Boxer. He has growths in his abdomen that they can't access, so they are basically inoperable. We are going to follow up with a second ultrasound to check growth or if they become metastatic, but he is really too old for chemo/radiation and I don't want what is left in his life to by miserable. He is still the same old Rocky right now, as full of energy and love as ever, so we are just enjoying him as much as possible.

Sending positive thoughts for Delta